They Built a Luxury Hotel… Then Abandoned It: The Haunted Phuket Resort

There are a lot of beaches and luxury resorts on the island. Every year millions of tourists come here seeking sun, relaxation, and adventures. However, there are some locations in Phuket which are less known because they have an unusual, dark, and even mysterious atmosphere. One of such places is an abandoned Phuket Peninsula Spa & Resort which is located nearby Nai Yang Beach and is known for paranormal legends and ghost stories.

This abandoned resort looks interesting because it was not just an old hotel which was closed after many years of working. This place was supposed to be a luxury development which was never finished and opened for people. The abandoned and unfinished resort was left to nature and to the weather.

The resort was supposed to be an upscale development which would be located near Nai Yang Beach and Phuket International Airport. According to reports of the early 2000s, about 56 luxury apartments and seven villas were planned to be constructed. The location was quite attractive because the development was going to be located among tropical landscapes and near Phuket beautiful coast.

At first, it seemed as though the project had a promising future ahead of it. The Hyatt Hotel chain had reportedly been involved with ideas of running the development, and Phuket Peninsula Co. had been behind the project. Nonetheless, major issues arose in relation to the development, including whether the area was encroaching onto land linked with the Sirinat National Park.

The building was eventually halted and the luxurious resort left unfinished.

An odd-looking abandoned building resulted from this venture. While many of the abandoned buildings tend to be completely ruined, portions of the resort had reportedly remained looking as though construction simply stopped. The resort had bathrooms, mirrors and other fitting amenities installed in the rooms and even some remnants of the luxury that it was supposed to provide remained visible. Except for that – nobody came.

With time, the area started growing vegetation. The walls of the buildings became weathered, their windows broken and rooms darker than ever before.

However, another very strange incident occurred in February 2013 on this property.

According to The Phuket News, about 60 to 70 percent of the roof was damaged in the fire. The fire was highly unusual, because it appeared that the electricity supply had been cut off in this property for many years. In this regard, it was impossible that the fire was caused by some electrical malfunction. As a result, the police began investigating the theory that the fire was caused by accidental ignition by those who entered this abandoned place.

Thus, another element of mystery was added to this abandoned property.

It should be mentioned that all mysterious stories about this abandoned place started appearing when this resort was abandoned. It was reported that the visitors to this place felt very uncomfortable atmosphere and even fear in this resort. In addition, some guests heard strange sounds in empty rooms or hallways. Others felt as if they were being watched during the exploration of this deserted place.

Among the most common legends that are related to the resort, one says that the spirits of those who had some connection to the abandoned resort come back at night. It is said that there are some odd figures that can be spotted in the rooms and around the resort as if it was still operational in some parallel world.

The legends go even further and say that ghostly guests gather inside the abandoned complex, making use of the rooms and other services, although the resort has not been in use for years.

Also, there are legends of some spirit that was tied to the owner or people involved with the construction of the resort. The spirit is supposed to haunt the resort and scare anyone who enters the abandoned buildings or tries to take away anything from the resort.

Nevertheless, there is a difference between legend and proof.

There is no scientifically proven information about the haunting of the Phuket Peninsula Spa & Resort. There are no scientifically proven pictures, videos, or investigations which prove the existence of any ghosts in the place. The majority of the stories are associated with visitor experiences and some other urban legends.

However, there could be many different normal explanations for all the strange stories which have been told by the visitors. Any abandoned buildings have the ability to make weird noises due to the changes in temperatures and the movements of the wind through damaged windows and even animals in empty rooms. Darkness can turn normal things into scary images, while the information about the haunted site can make people overly attentive.

However, the absence of any proof has not prevented the resort from becoming part of the list of mysterious abandoned sites of Phuket.

Maybe the most intriguing aspect of the Phuket Peninsula Spa & Resort is not really about a ghost at all. It is about an idea of luxury which never materialized.

This place was built for vacations, for relaxation, for creating positive memories. Yet, it turned into empty structures, deserted and ignored. Rooms intended to be filled with guests gaze out at the tropical landscape but no one occupies them. This abandoned resort proves how fast things can fade away as soon as plans, finances, and legal issues start clashing with each other.

But there will always be people who are interested in the unusual, paranormal. An abandoned luxury resort, incomplete rooms, an incident with a fire, many years of neglect and rumors of unexplained encounters – it is the perfect recipe for creating a modern legend about a haunted place.

What is not known yet is whether the weird phenomenon observed by people visiting this place is really a ghost or something else.

But if at any time you find yourself close to Nai Yang Beach and start hearing tales about an abandoned hotel hiding behind the bushes, keep in mind that the real story of the Phuket Peninsula Spa & Resort already has enough mystery in it.

And after the night covers the ruins of the deserted hotel, it becomes clear why some people are convinced that the hotel was never really empty.

Maybe the visitors just left.

Or maybe, according to the legend, they never did.