Nature Is Reclaiming This One Abandoned Hawaii Spot And It’s Actually Amazing

On the island of Kauai sits the remains of a once enchanting, lavish, resort. The Cocoa Palms Resort, located on Kuhio Highway in Wailua, was once a luxurious vacation destination popular among Hollywood movie stars and other celebrities in the 1950s. The resort was hit by Hurricane Iniki in 1992, and was never repaired or reopened.

Cocoa Palms has been abandoned ever since, though it is now scheduled to be restored, and could open as a Hyatt Resort as early as 2017. A blessing in October 2015 marked the rebirth of the hotel, with the developers vowing to "bring its legendary past into its new life," according to Khon2 news coverage.

Special thanks goes to Flickr user Jeff for these incredible photographs.

Located on Kuhio Highway in Wailua, the Cocoa Palms Resort was opened in 1953 with only 24 rooms, but was expanded in the 1970s to include approximately 400 rooms, making it Kauai’s premier resort hotel.

The resort has been left abandoned for more than 20 years; the main lobby is now cluttered with decrepit ceiling fans, and an eerie 1970s-style telephone resting atop one of the white pedestals.

The decaying building to the right and an abandoned – and falling apart – bungalow to the left make this photograph of the resort’s man-made lagoon hauntingly beautiful.

Does the lagoon look familiar to you? If you’ve seen Elvis Presley’s, "Blue Hawaii," the wedding scenes were all shot here.

The entrance to what was one the gift shop is severely weathered.

Inside the little shop, few shelves and store fixtures remain, and, like much of the resort, the roof is caving in.

During the resort’s heyday, limousines would pull up to this main entrance and drop off celebrity guests entering the resort.

Fun fact: the caution tape was left behind from the filming of a Syfy made-for-television movie, "Dinocroc vs. Supergator."

Despite the fact that the roof is caving in, the stainless steel cabinets, which served as a serving area for the banquet hall, are surprisingly free of rust.

In the early 1960s, Elvis Presley filmed the luau scenes in his movie, “Blue Hawaii” in this very banquet room.

The building’s stonework has stood the test of time, while much of the wood is rotting.

What was once a grand entrance now features decaying wood and a badly damaged shingle roof.

Can you spot the weathered "Caution: Wet Floor" sign sitting outside the entrance?

Back when this resort was thriving, golf carts were used to transport guests and staff around the perfectly manicured grounds.

This golf cart was left outside when the resort closed, and over time, the vehicle has been stripped of its batteries, wheels, motor and anything else that has some scrap value.

How sad is it that this once luxurious resort has been reclaimed by tropical vegetation?

Aren’t these photographs incredible? Will you be visiting the new hotel when it opens next year?