We reveal where and how to walk in The King Elvis Presley’s own blue suede shoes | The Sun

THE King has – finally – returned to the building.

There have been dozens of greatest-hits albums, a slew of TV dramas and a million jump-suited impersonators.

But the legacy of Elvis Presley is currently being rebooted in the form of Baz Luhrmann’s long-awaited biopic, released this week.

The capital of Elvis World is, of course, Memphis, Tennessee, where his Graceland mansion remains the most visited private home in the world.

But despite the constraints set by his manager Colonel Tom Parker, who consistently stymied any potential world tour, Presley did spend time outside of mainland United States.

Here Rob Crossan reveals where and how to walk in The King’s own blue suede shoes.

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Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

THIS island was the setting for his movie Blue Hawaii and for numerous holidays over the years, including his final vacation, in March 1977 – just five months before his death.

Presley preferred to stay in the Ocean Tower (now the Ali’I Tower) of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort.

It is an unappealing high-rise block of a type that would never be given planning permission today.

But the views over Oahu are spectacular.

However, you will need a king’s ransom to afford the 10,000sq foot King Suite that Elvis stayed in on the 14th floor.

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From here it is ten minutes by taxi to the Neal S Blaisdell Center where Elvis performed his satellite show to a global audience of a billion people in 1973.

GO: Doubles at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort from £179, room only. See hilton.com.

Atlantis resort, Bahamas

THINGS were looking very good for Elvis back in 1969.

Fresh from his Comeback Special TV show and his debut in Las Vegas, The King, Priscilla and their baby daughter spent a fortnight in the Paradise Island Hotel, now part of the Atlantis mega-resort and connected to the main island of Nassau by bridge.

If you wish to gamble like Elvis did, then prepare to re-mortgage your house.

He would take an entire blackjack table to himself and play all seven hands with the dealer whilst sipping a bourbon and smoking a cheroot.

GO: Doubles at The Cove, Atlantis Bahamas from £331, room-only. See atlantisbahamas.com.

Prestwick Airport, Glasgow

THANKS to Elvis’ manager, the Colonel, being an illegal Dutch immigrant with no US passport, Elvis never toured outside America – and much as he claimed he wanted to, the King never stepped foot inside England.

The closest he got was the briefest of stopoffs at Glasgow’s Prestwick Airport on the way back to Memphis at the end of his two-year army stint.

You have to go past security to find it but there is, in tribute, an Elvis bar which gamely tries to recreate the retro American diner feel, complete with archive pics of his all-too-brief dash across the terminal.

It is currently closed due to Covid restrictions but see the airport website for reopening dates.

GO: See glasgowprestwick.com.

Bad Nauheim, Germany

“ELVIS died when he joined the army,” quipped John Lennon.

But few of the hordes of fans who congregated outside the solid semi-detached suburban house on Goethestrasse in the pretty spa town of Bad Nauheim would agree.

Here, on the steps of the house where he and his whole family lived during his national service between 1958 and 1960, The King would sign autographs for local girls for half an hour each evening.

The house is now in private ownership but you can stay in the Hotel Villa Grunewald, where Elvis stayed when he first arrived from Tennessee.

The King slept in Room 10 and the room has, miraculously, been preserved as it was, complete with the original walnut wood bed that Elvis slept in and even the original Bakelite toilet seat.

GO: Doubles at the Hotel Villa Grunewald from £82 B&B. See hotel-villa-grunewald.de.

Paris, France

IT wasn’t all Cold War-era soldiering for The King during his time in Europe.

When he was on R&R from the military, Elvis’ favourite destination was Paris.

He and his cronies would check into the Prince de Galles before swanning off to catch the dancing shows at the Moulin Rouge.

On one occasion, having persuaded an entire chorus of showgirls back to his suite for an all-night party, one hungover member of the Memphis Mafia was woken early the following evening by an irate club manager.

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He demanded the girls wake up and return to the club, as they were due on stage again in less than an hour.

GO: Doubles at the Prince de Galles from £576 B&B. See marriott.com.

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