Once a glamorous seaside resort designed for Yugoslavian military officers and their families, the hotels of Kupari Bay were symbols of luxury, status, and leisure. Built between the 1960s and 1970s, these elegant structures stood proudly along Croatia’s sparkling coastline near Dubrovnik, welcoming elite guests to bask in the Adriatic sun. But the early 1990s brought the Croatian War of Independence, during which the resort was heavily shelled, leaving behind dramatic scars and abandoned dreams. Since then, the hotels have remained frozen in time—ghostly reminders of Yugoslavia’s complex history.
Today, rumors swirl of potential redevelopment plans that might erase Kupari’s melancholic beauty forever, making it a destination to experience sooner rather than later. Drawn by curiosity and a desire to witness this fading piece of history, my friend Eemil and I dedicated an entire day to exploring these haunting ruins.
Arrival: An Unexpected Destination
As our cab pulled away from Dubrovnik, the driver’s brow furrowed in genuine confusion: “Why would you go there? It’s such a sad place.” His reaction intrigued us further. We reassured him it was exactly that bittersweet melancholy we were seeking—history we could touch, stories we could sense. Minutes later, we stood before Kupari Bay, its crumbling elegance calling us forward.
Hotel Pelegrin: Art Amidst the Ruins
We began at the Hotel Pelegrin. Unlike typical derelict buildings, Pelegrin had become a sprawling canvas. Its walls, staircases, and hallways were filled with murals, vibrant paintings, and poignant philosophical messages, a spontaneous, collective art gallery emerging from decay. Wandering among these unexpected artworks gave a unique sense of warmth and reflection to a place so physically devastated.
At lunchtime, we found ourselves sitting in what was once an elegant dining hall. Our legs dangled from a crumbling ledge, the crystal-clear waters shimmering directly beneath us, oblivious to history’s weight. In that moment, Pelegrin felt strangely alive—beautiful not despite its decay, but because of it.
Hotel Kupari: A Living Time Capsule
The nearby Hotel Kupari was vast—its sheer size immediately captivating and overwhelming. Walking through room after room, we found traces of previous explorers who’d clearly taken shelter here over the decades: mattresses placed haphazardly, personal belongings discarded, graffiti marking the passing of years. It felt like walking through layers of time, each room preserving a different moment in the hotel’s unusual afterlife.
As we descended into the lower levels, sunlight disappeared, replaced by an eerie darkness. The air thickened, sounds became muffled, and an unsettling quiet enveloped us. This basement labyrinth felt oppressive—one part thrilling, another part haunting, forcing us to confront the deeper stories hidden beneath the hotel’s grand facade.
The Grand Hotel: Faded Elegance
No building at Kupari better captured our imaginations than the aptly named Grand Hotel. Its architecture, even after decades of abandonment, remained strikingly elegant—tall columns, intricate moldings, soaring arches—echoes of ambitious luxury. Standing amidst its grand ballroom, we could imagine lavish parties from another era, champagne flutes clinking softly, music echoing gently against these now-bare walls.
The Grand Hotel is a poignant metaphor for Kupari itself: beautiful, proud, but tragically scarred—an elegant ghost unwilling to fade quietly.
Hotels Goričina I & II: Labyrinth and Reward
Finally, we ventured into Hotels Goričina I and II, twin labyrinths whose interior passages were so thoroughly damaged that exploration became a puzzle. Collapsed staircases and blocked corridors demanded creative thinking and careful navigation. Each obstacle felt like a small victory once overcome.
Our perseverance was rewarded when we emerged onto the rooftop. Beneath the expansive blue sky, we gazed out over the entire Kupari Bay complex, a panoramic tapestry of decay, history, nature, and humanity’s imprint. It was the perfect culmination of our day’s explorations—a moment of triumph amid ruins, reminding us that the joy of exploration often lies precisely in overcoming the unexpected.
Reflections: Finding Beauty in Decay
As we left Kupari behind that evening, our cab driver’s words echoed softly: “It’s such a sad place.” Yes, Kupari holds deep sadness—the scars of conflict, the shadows of lost elegance, abandoned dreams, and faded laughter. But we also discovered beauty in that sadness: art emerging spontaneously, history made tangible, nature reclaiming spaces once bustling with human ambition.
Visiting Kupari’s abandoned hotels wasn’t just tourism; it was an exploration of stories, a confrontation with history, and a quiet celebration of the human spirit’s capacity to find meaning—even beauty—in unexpected places.