On my previous trip to Bali, Indonesia, I heard a couple of Russian travellers asking around for directions to an Abandoned Haunted Hotel in Bali, which I had never heard of prior to that day. Curiosity led me to ask our rented car driver whether he knew anything about it, and he said he had in fact heard of one such place nearby up the hill but he would not recommend to pay a visit.Â
Balinese people have their unique culture and beliefs, which include many superstitions such as Spirits and Ghosts harming people, therefore the driver was very cautious and did not want to take me there or go himself. However, after a long discussion and my continuous requests, he agreed to take me to the location and not only that but I also convinced him to take a walk inside and it wont be long as I just want to have a quick look. Â
Rumour has it that this Hotel was built in the 1990s but abandoned before opening for a few reasons, either the owners went backrupt or it was owned by Tommy Suharto, who was jailed right before the opening and the project was abandoned. However, to this day I am not yet sure what the true reason is and neither are most of the Local people in Bali. There are rumours of Labours being killed during the construction of the hotel, located on top of a cliff and also, business competitors were brought here and murdered and their Spirits roam around the hotel now.Â
Upon arrival at the site, the main entrance was blocked off, but there was a guard house with people inside. We negotiated with the person in charge there to let us in for 10,000 INR, which is not a large amount of money at all.Â
What was meant to be the main Lobby & Reception Area. Part of it has been cordoned off by local authorities for some reason, either the a area is too slippery and dangerous to walk on or a dangerous crime might have taken place here. The road leading up to the main Lobby and entrance are surrounded by overgrown plants and grass now. The Hotel premises and the buildings are very grand and occupies a large piece of land. There is still that eerie feeling you get walking upto the lobby on this large pathway.Â
Looking down from one of the upper floors reveal how this place has been taken over by nature and also it is now probably degraded beyond any repairs.Â
Broken Glass and lack of light makes it very dangerous to navigate this place, but I was well prepared with Torch Light and proper shoes. Also, the wreckage around this place might tell the story of how people might have suffered in this place or are there really evil spirits lurking around?
Snakes and Dragon shaped features inspired by traditional Balinese architecture rise from the terraces overtaken by nature, giving this place its extra bit of "Spooky-ness".
Water leakage is also existent in most of the Interior of the hotel, making the floor very slippery and dangerous to navigate. I would suggest to be extra careful to any visitor as a fall in this environment may well be fatal.
Inside one of the hotel guest rooms, looks very spacious and might have been a good place to live in during a holiday to Bali but now these rooms accommodate haunted spirits according to the locals.Â
One of the toilets around the public spaces shows that most of the amenities were fit out already, which means the space was very close to its opening right before it was shut down for some reason.Â
A wooden staircase leading to the basement. Most of the staircases are either broken in places or covered in water and mist, making them very dangerous. The glass are all dirty around this place and the walls have stated to decay.
The hotel is placed right on top of a cliff and the backside offers great views of the surrounding mountains. The place would have been a great retreat away from the hustle & bustle of Kuta and ofcourse the traffic jam.Â
Beautiful structures in traditional Balinese architecture are also built on the roof, which must have been planned to become an outdoor lookout venue of some sort. But situated right in between other taller mountains makes this place always misty and cloudy.Â
The place also features a number of Balinese traditional artwork which has some religious/cultural storyline behind each piece. They must have paid a fortune for these art work which are now rotting in the abandoned property.
Most of the outdoor spaces are taken over by Nature & Decay, rotting as a result of abandonment. Apparently, this hotel was featured in a TV show where a group of people were challenged to spend a night here, but after being alarmed by some weird noises and activity, no one has been able to spend a night here till date.
Stepping out into one of the outdoor terraces, reveals how great the location of this Hotel really was and the great views it could have offered its visitors, but yet it retains the spooky-ness due to the overgrown plants all over and the dampness in the air.Â
By Co-incidence, I found the Russians on the roof too. They had finally found their way to the place they were looking for but I reached first for some reason.Â
View towards one of the mountains in the area from the roof really shows what this place would have offered its visitors. Great location and views, large rooms and terraces, but now its just an abandoned and supposedly haunted hotel.Â