Christine Hitt
Kauai's iconic Coco Palms resort was initially scheduled to open in 2026, but the project is delayed and the reopening date has changed.
"Construction delays have become very common all across the United States, and those delays have been especially pronounced in Hawaii and on Kauai. We unfortunately are not immune to those trends, and our best guess now is a 2028 opening date," Jon Day, chief financial officer at Reef Capital Partners, told me last week in an email update.
The resort, which opened in 1953 off Kuhio Highway across Wailua Bay, became famous after appearing in the 1961 Elvis Presley film "Blue Hawaii." In 1992, Coco Palms was devastated by Hurricane Iniki and has sat neglected for decades. Over the years, a series of owners and investors tried to bring the hotel back to life but were unsuccessful.
Today, the property is owned by Coco Palms Hui, a subsidiary of Utah-based Reef Capital Partners. In June 2024, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced a partnership with Coco Palms Resort, which would establish it as Hawaii's first Kimpton property.
"We are grateful for the support of the community and the County of Kauai in restoring this iconic property and creating an authentic cultural experience for locals and guests alike," Day said.
Coco Palms is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Hawaii Register of Historic Places, so Day said the company has "tried to save as many of the existing buildings" or as many parts of them as possible. "We have demolished the three large concrete structures on site that were an eyesore and were structurally unsound and have selectively demolished other areas that posed a health or safety risk," Day said.
Thus far, the County of Kauai confirmed that four permits were approved that would allow construction to proceed on some of the resort's buildings. However, permits for several structures have expired. Regarding the expired permits, a county spokesperson said, "If the applicant chooses to restart, new applications are required, and plans would need to comply with current code requirements."
However, Day said that the company has all approvals it needs. "We received final approval for the restoration of the historic Coco Palms back in 2018 and pulled building permits a couple years ago. We're on the last step of amending a couple of those building permits to incorporate minor (invisible to future hotel guest) design changes, but that is purely an administrative matter."
Plans for redevelopment include restoring the resort with a 15-acre coconut grove, a spa, outdoor swimming pools, a cultural center and a museum.