Ghost town with 'world's first 7-star hotel' left to rot in UK tourist hotspot

13 February 2024 , 14:07

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Varosha in Northern Cyprus was once a thriving, state of the art resort (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

An abandoned ghost town with a 7-star hoteL has been left to rot for decades after years of looting and neglect.

But despite the crumbling buildings that surround it, the luxury complex remains untouched and is still the town’s centrepiece from when it first opened in 1974, becoming 'the world's first seven-star hotel'.

The town - Varosha in Northern Cyprus - was once a thriving, state of the art resort loved by the celebrities of its time, and earned a breakthrough in tourism in the 1970s. According to the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus government, who control part of the island, the mega Golden Sands Hotel is owned by King Charles – a claim that Buckingham Palace has told The Mirror "is not something we recognise" .

The luxury complex was so big that it housed its very own railway line to carry guests around from room to room. But reports say the hotel was open for a mere few months before it was abandoned and left to rot. Today, the Golden Sands Hotel appears untouched by looters and preserved despite the crumbling buildings around it - giving it the nickname of 'the untouched hotel'.

A Turkish military sign is seen in front of abandoned houses in the Varosha quarter (Getty Images)

Within its glamorous ornate walls, furniture, dishes and crockery sets have accumulated mountains of dust for decades gone by. The building is still being closely patrolled by guards and requires permission to enter the nearby grounds. Varosha, once described as 'a tourist mecca of Cyprus' and the 'Vegas of the Mediterranean', is home to 45 hotels, 3,000 commercial properties, 60 apartment hotels, 21 banks, 25 museums, 20 theatres and museums, and 99 entertainment venues. The large number of properties left to decay has been described as “a monument to diplomatic failure”.

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One property in Varosha was home to Italian Hollywood superstar Sophia Loren, while the resort was a favourite holiday spot for a number of celebrities, including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, and Brigitte Bardot.

The large number of properties left to decay has been described as “a monument to diplomatic failure” (Getty Images)

More than 3,000 properties outside the Golden Sands Hotel were vandalised and hit by looters. This is because Varosha was badly impacted after being caught up in a battle between Turkey and Greece in 1974. The Turkish army reportedly arrived in the town to protect Turkish Cypriots from Greeks. Locals had no choice but to flee, fearing they could be massacred by the invading Turks.

The area was then fenced off by troops to prevent anyone from getting in - with signs warning it was a “forbidden zone”. Tourists were also banned from entering and taking pictures but some slipped through the cracks, managing to sneak photos of the town's decay. The United Nations has since used the area to try to bring the two battling groups together, but it remains controlled by the self-declared country of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus.

Zahra Khaliq