Once grand symbols of luxury and leisure, abandoned resorts are haunting
testimonies to changing times, economic downturns, and sometimes tragic
circumstances.
These forgotten playgrounds, scattered across the globe, now tell stories of opulent
pasts and mysterious abandonments that capture the imagination of urban explorers
and history enthusiasts alike.
Grossinger’s Resort, New York, USA
This Catskill Mountains icon once hosted celebrities and wealthy New Yorkers in its
35-building complex, complete with its own airstrip and post office. The resort’s
decline mirrors the fall of the entire ‘Borscht Belt’ region, with its massive structure
now being reclaimed by nature since its closure in 1986.
Today, its indoor swimming pool, broken skylights, and moss-covered walls are the most photographed reminders of its faded glory.
Hotel Kupari, Croatia
This collection of once-luxurious hotels along the Adriatic coast served Yugoslavia’s
military elite before the Croatian War of Independence. The conflict left the entire
complex in ruins, with bullet-scarred walls and bombed-out buildings standing as
silent witnesses to the region’s turbulent history.
The abandoned complex draws urban explorers who document its haunting marble staircases and graffiti-covered ballrooms.
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Ducor Palace Hotel, Monrovia, Liberia
Once West Africa’s first five-star hotel, this grand establishment hosted diplomats
and dignitaries until civil war forced its closure in 1989. The 10-story structure now
stands empty atop Monrovia’s highest hill, its empty rooms offering panoramic views
of the city below.
Residents sometimes use its rooftop as a gathering place, creating an unusual contrast between its abandoned status and continued community presence.
Lee Plaza Hotel, Detroit, USA
This Art Deco masterpiece was a luxury apartment hotel in Detroit’s golden age, featuring ornate architectural details and high-end amenities. The building’s
abandonment in the 1990s mirrors Detroit’s broader economic struggles, with its
grand ballroom now lying silent and decaying.
The ornate exterior carvings continue to weather away, though preservationists document every detail before they disappear entirely.
Sanzhi Pod City, Taiwan
These futuristic UFO-shaped vacation pods were built in 1978 as a luxury resort for US military personnel. Construction halted after numerous fatal accidents, leading to local rumors of supernatural occurrences and eventual demolition in 2010.
Despite its demolition, photographs and stories of the pod houses continue circulating online, preserving its bizarre architectural legacy.
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The Baker Hotel, Mineral Wells, Texas
This grand Spanish Colonial Revival structure once attracted Hollywood celebrities
seeking therapeutic mineral waters. After closing in 1972, its 14 stories of elegant architecture have stood vacant, though recent restoration efforts promise to revive its
former glory.
The hotel’s famous thermal swimming pool, now empty and cracked, still retains traces of its elaborate tile work.
Varosha Resort District, Cyprus
Once a premier Mediterranean destination frequented by Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot, this resort area became a ghost town overnight during the 1974 Turkish invasion. The entire district remains frozen, with high-rise hotels still furnished but untouched for decades.
Rusting cars from the 1970s still sit in dealership showrooms, creating an eerie time capsule of the era.
Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea
Though never officially opened, this 105-story pyramid-shaped structure was meant
to be the world’s tallest hotel. Construction began in 1987 but halted due to economic difficulties, leaving the building a towering shell above Pyongyang’s skyline.
The glass facade installed in 2011 creates a mirrored monument to unfulfilled ambition.
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Salton Sea Beach Resort, California, USA
This once-thriving resort area attracted Hollywood’s elite in the 1950s to its desert
oasis. Environmental disasters and rising salinity levels transformed the area into a ghostly reminder of California’s failed attempts to create paradise in the desert.
The crusty, salt-encrusted beaches now attract photographers and artists inspired by its
apocalyptic atmosphere.
El Hotel del Salto, Colombia
Perched dramatically on a cliff overlooking Tequendama Falls, this French-style mansion-turned hotel closed in the 1990s due to river contamination. Local legends
speak of numerous suicides at the site, adding to its mysterious atmosphere.
The has since been transformed into a museum, though many say it retains its haunting energy.
Polissya Hotel, Pripyat, Ukraine
This Soviet-era hotel stood at the heart of Pripyat until the Chornobyl disaster forced
evacuation in 1986. The building remains largely untouched, and its rooms still contain original furnishings from the day of the nuclear accident.
Radiation levels make lengthy stays impossible, though the hotel is a stark reminder of nuclear power’s potential consequences.
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Buck Hill Inn, Pennsylvania, USA
Once a grand Poconos Mountain resort spanning 1,000 acres, this enormous complex entertained guests with its indoor pool, ballroom, and tennis courts. Its 1990 closure and subsequent decay exemplify the changing vacation preferences of American tourists.
The property’s massive scale makes it particularly challenging to preserve or repurpose, leading to accelerated deterioration.
Cocoa Palms Resort, Hawaii, USA
Famous for being the location for Elvis Presley’s ‘Blue Hawaii’ filming, this once- prestigious resort suffered devastating damage from Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Despite
multiple restoration attempts, the property remains abandoned, and its coconut grove is slowly reclaiming the structures.
The iconic lagoon where Elvis famously paddled still exists, though now choked with vegetation and debris.
Hotel Belvedere, Dubrovnik, Croatia
This five-star luxury hotel operated for just one year before the Croatian War of Independence destroyed it. The modernist structure now stands in stark contrast to
Dubrovnik’s restored historic center, its war-damaged frame overlooking the Adriatic.
Recent discussions about its potential renovation highlight the ongoing debate
between preserving war history and promoting tourism development.
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Hachijo Royal Hotel, Hachijojima, Japan
This French Baroque-style resort was once promoted as the ‘Hawaii of Japan’ and stood as one of the largest hotels in the country during the 1960s tourism boom. When tourism to actual Hawaii became more affordable in the 1970s and 1980s, the hotel’s popularity declined dramatically, leading to its eventual closure in 2006.
The imposing structure now stands as a decaying monument to Japan’s bubble economy era, with its grand facade slowly consumed by the island’s tropical vegetation and harsh sea air.
Time Stands Still: Lost Luxury Lives On
These abandoned resorts are powerful reminders of how quickly fortune can change,
leaving behind architectural ghosts that continue to captivate visitors and historians
alike. Their decaying grandeur tells stories of economic booms and busts, political upheavals, and natural disasters while offering glimpses into different eras of leisure
and luxury globally.
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