Browsing category : Paradise Abandoned
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Phayun Beach Condo
Posted onMy Paradise Abandoned project returns, but in an unusual format. A couple of weekends ago, I flew up to the quiet Phayun Beach area of Rayong province, just south of Pattaya, Thailand. It was something of an odd variant of urbex, in so far as it bore a closer resemblance to urban warfare than urban exploring. I was there for an airsoft event.
By Ben Reeves
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Phuket Country Lodge
Posted onThe story goes that some ambitious soul heard that Phuket was finally going to be connected to the rest of Thailand by rail. As it was (and, spoiler, still is), you could only take the train as far as Surat Thani and, while the line continues south, it takes a hard left turn there and proceeds towards Pattani and, eventually, Malaysia and Singapore. Passengers for Phuket have to change onto a bus, which takes about three and a half hours to cover the remaining 250 km. Why the rail link has never been made is unclear – perhaps the cost, possibly the fact that much of the land between the two points is in national parks, or maybe just the fact that quite a lot of it is rather mountainous. Either way, despite frequent promises, the last 250 km of rail has never been laid and, in all probability, never will be.
By Ben Reeves
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Phuket Peninsula Spa & Resort
Posted onLocated just a few hundred metres along the coast from the Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Nai Yang Beach, the Phuket Peninsula Spa & Resort (hoteliers and not noted for their imagination when it comes to thinking of property names…) is one of the more complete of the abandoned hotel projects around Phuket. I haven’t been able to find too much information about it, but what I did learn suggests that the construction work was nearing completion when a fire damaged part of the building. During the ensuing investigation by the local authorities, it was discovered that the development had encroached on national park land – something which the Thai authorities take rather seriously. As a result, building work was halted immediately and indefinitely.
By Ben Reeves
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The Emerald Bang Rong Phuket
Posted onThe Emerald Bang Rong Phuket is the place which started off my fascination with abandoned buildings in Phuket and Thailand generally. Known as the “ghost hotel” to Geocachers – which is how I came across the place, being one myself – it has a fantastic location and is well-enough completed to be fairly safe to explore.
By Ben Reeves
