When Five-Star Luxury Became A Distant Memory
Imagine checking into a spectacular seaside resort, surrounded by glamorous guests, enormous swimming pools, and every luxury imaginable. Now imagine returning decades later to discover crumbling walls, empty rooms, and nature reclaiming everything. From forgotten Hollywood hideaways to abandoned tropical retreats, these former vacation paradises have undergone astonishing transformations. Some have vanished completely, while others are finally getting another chance.
Chrisjustus, Wikimedia Commons
Coco Palms Resort, Hawaii
Once a celebrity favorite, Kauai's Coco Palms became famous after appearing in Elvis Presley's Blue Hawaii. Hurricane Iniki forced its closure in 1992, leaving the property deteriorating for decades. A major reconstruction project is now underway, with reopening targeted for 2028.
Chrisjustus, Wikimedia Commons
Grossinger's Catskill Resort, New York
Grossinger's was practically a vacation kingdom, complete with skiing, entertainment, and an enormous indoor swimming pool. The famous Catskills resort closed in 1986, eventually becoming an overgrown ruin. Most buildings were demolished, and developers are now proposing an entirely new destination.
Nevele Grande Hotel, New York
The Nevele welcomed vacationers with championship golf, skiing, swimming, and memorable television advertisements. Opened in 1901, the resort finally closed in 2009. Years of deterioration and several fires transformed its formerly elegant buildings into damaged shells, with redevelopment plans still taking shape.
Kutsher's Hotel And Country Club, New York
At Kutsher's, vacationers could encounter famous entertainers and professional basketball players between meals and recreational activities. The legendary Catskills property eventually lost its appeal as vacation habits changed. It closed in 2013, and demolition began the following year, ending a remarkable hospitality era.
Penn Hills Resort, Pennsylvania
Penn Hills turned romantic getaways into an extravagant production, complete with heart-shaped bathtubs, round beds, and an enormous wedding-bell-shaped swimming pool. The Pocono Mountains resort closed in 2009. Its increasingly weathered buildings became a photographer's favorite before fires and demolition erased the former retreat.
Buck Hill Inn, Pennsylvania
The spectacular Buck Hill Inn once offered hundreds of guestrooms, refined dining, entertainment, and an indoor swimming pool beneath a retractable roof. Financial troubles eventually ended its hospitality career in 1990. The enormous structure was demolished in 2016, leaving a grassy field where generations once vacationed.
Homowack Lodge, New York
Homowack offered the familiar Catskills formula of recreational activities, generous dining, and family entertainment. Its bowling alley and other once-busy facilities later became favorites among photographers documenting abandoned resorts. Fires in 2023 caused further damage, adding another chapter to the property's long decline.
Haludovo Palace Hotel, Croatia
Opened in the early 1970s, Haludovo was an astonishingly ambitious seaside getaway with futuristic architecture and lavish entertainment facilities. The resort attracted wealthy international travelers before financial difficulties and regional upheaval changed its fortunes. Today, its spectacular interiors are known for shattered windows and extensive deterioration.
Arne Müseler, Wikimedia Commons
Grand Hotel Kupari, Croatia
Kupari once welcomed privileged vacationers to an exclusive stretch of Croatia's Adriatic coastline. Conflict during the early 1990s devastated the complex, leaving its hotels in ruins. Most have now been demolished for redevelopment, but the historic Grand Hotel survives and is scheduled for restoration.
Hotel Belvedere, Dubrovnik, Croatia
With breathtaking coastal views, a private dock, and more than 200 rooms, Hotel Belvedere looked unstoppable when it opened in 1985. It closed during the conflict in 1991. Its deteriorating amphitheater later became a filming location for Game of Thrones, giving the forgotten resort unexpected fame.
Hotel Bijela Kuća, Croatia
Overlooking the brilliant Adriatic waters near Bol, Hotel Bijela Kuća offered families a scenic island getaway. Tourism collapsed during regional conflict, and the property never recovered. Its deteriorating structures subsequently became an unusual outdoor gallery, with colorful artwork appearing during the Graffiti Na Gradele festival.
Monte Palace Hotel, Portugal
Perched above the magnificent Sete Cidades lakes in the Azores, Monte Palace opened in 1989 as a five-star destination. Unfortunately, guests never arrived in sufficient numbers. It closed after approximately 18 months, leaving behind a sprawling, graffiti-covered landmark overlooking one of Portugal's most extraordinary landscapes.
Hotel Belvedere, Switzerland
High in the Swiss Alps, Hotel Belvedere offered an unforgettable location beside the Rhône Glacier and the winding Furka Pass. It even appeared along James Bond's driving route in Goldfinger. Declining tourism contributed to its closure in 2015, leaving the building a striking roadside reminder of alpine hospitality.
Óstán Ghaoth Dobhair, Ireland
Overlooking Donegal's beautiful coastline, Óstán Ghaoth Dobhair once welcomed visitors with a swimming pool, entertainment facilities, and comfortable accommodations. The property closed in 2015 and fell into disrepair. Developers subsequently secured permission for an ambitious reconstruction project involving additional rooms, dining facilities, and a spa.
Sue Mischyshyn, Wikimedia Commons
Schlosshotel Waldlust, Germany
This Black Forest landmark once welcomed wealthy travelers, performers, and distinguished visitors into its elegant guestrooms. After decades of changing fortunes, hotel operations finally ended. The historic building has survived through preservation efforts and now occasionally welcomes visitors for guided tours rather than overnight stays.
Martin Hahn, Wikimedia Commons
Castello Di Sammezzano, Italy
With extraordinary Moorish-inspired interiors and hundreds of elaborately decorated rooms, Sammezzano seems almost imaginary. The Tuscan castle operated as a luxury hotel before closing in 1990. After decades of neglect, new owners purchased it in 2025 and began pursuing restoration and public reopening plans.
Hachijo Royal Hotel, Japan
Japan's Hachijo Royal Hotel brought grand European-inspired architecture to a subtropical island once promoted as Japan's Hawaii. Elaborate staircases, fountains, and luxurious interiors welcomed vacationers during its heyday. After closing in 2006, the enormous property deteriorated, leaving ornate decorations surrounded by creeping vegetation.
Maya Hotel, Japan
Built above Kobe in 1930, the Maya Hotel combined mountain scenery with fashionable Art Deco design. Repeated closures, changing uses, and natural disasters eventually ended its hospitality career. The weathered building survived, however, earning recognition as a registered cultural property in 2021.
Gohachiyasu1214, Wikimedia Commons
Sofitel Heiva, French Polynesia
Huahine's former Sofitel offered the quintessential tropical escape, complete with picturesque overwater bungalows and beautifully landscaped surroundings. After the resort closed, its buildings deteriorated despite their remarkable location. The former hotel grounds now include abandoned structures beside a beach enjoyed by residents and visitors.
Koh Chang Grand Lagoona Resort, Thailand
The centerpiece of this unusual Thai resort was the Galaxy, an enormous ship-shaped luxury hotel. After the resort closed around 2016, the vessel became a tourist curiosity. A major fire damaged it in December 2024, and dismantling work followed during 2025.
Ducor Palace Hotel, Liberia
Opened in 1960, Monrovia's Ducor Palace ranked among West Africa's grandest hotels, welcoming international dignitaries and offering spectacular ocean views. Political upheaval forced its closure in 1989. The once-prestigious property subsequently experienced extensive deterioration, leaving an imposing reminder of Liberia's earlier tourism ambitions.
Grande Hotel, Mozambique
Beira's Grande Hotel opened in 1955 as an extraordinary symbol of colonial-era luxury. It closed only eight years later, eventually becoming home to thousands of displaced and low-income residents. Its former guestrooms and public spaces have been adapted into housing, radically transforming the original hotel.
F Mira from Lisbon, Portugal, Wikimedia Commons
Hotel Igman, Bosnia And Herzegovina
Built for Sarajevo's 1984 Winter Olympics, Hotel Igman welcomed international athletes to its distinctive modernist accommodations. Regional conflict subsequently devastated the property, leaving an enormous abandoned structure in the mountains. Proposed redevelopment has offered hope for a building once associated with international sporting celebration.
Julian Nyča, Wikimedia Commons
King George Hotel, Cyprus
Varosha's King George belonged to a once-fashionable beachfront district that attracted international vacationers and celebrated entertainers. Everything changed during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Although designated areas reopened to visitors in 2020, many former hotels remain empty, deteriorating reminders of the displaced community.
Andrew Milligan sumo, Wikimedia Commons
Puente Del Inca Hotel, Argentina
High in the Andes, the luxurious Puente del Inca Hotel attracted travelers seeking spectacular mountain scenery and natural thermal baths. An avalanche destroyed the hotel in August 1965. Its mineral-stained remains survive near the famous natural bridge, preserving an extraordinary piece of Argentina's resort history.
Bernard Gagnon, Wikimedia Commons
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