2026-03-01 10:00
publication
2026-03-01 10:00
The Hotel Anaza, a dream on the seafront in Spain, has been empty and decaying for over 50 years, as its demolition cost is approximately EUR 2.3 million. This is one of the most famous abandoned buildings in the Canary Islands. It owes its gloomy fame not only to its ominous silhouette, but above all to the tragic story of five people who died in this place.
Hotel Anaza – known locally as the “ghost hotel” – has been an urban eyesore on the Acorán coast, south of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, for over fifty years. 22 floors with 741 rooms were built right on the seafront in 1973. However, two years later it turned out that the investor did not have the appropriate permits and, additionally, the area was not properly prepared for such a large investment. Later it was just a slippery slope – the developer ran out of money and apparently fled the island, leaving behind a concrete monster whose current value is PLN 48,000. euro.
The tragic result of an attractive ruin
Already in 2016, the authorities responded to the threat by ordering the revival of the facility with a 4-meter-high fence. Warning signs also had to be placed around the area to effectively block access to the facility. In 2019, officials renewed the order to secure the facility, extending it to include the obligation to install monitoring and post warnings in several languages.
Despite these restrictions, the walls of the building became a silent witness to the death of five people who entered it illegally. The last tragedy took place in December 2025, when a 13-year-old girl lost her life. The list of fatal accidents here is staggering. These include:
- unsuccessful parachute jumps directly from the roof of the structure;
- falls into cliffs through unsecured cracks in the ceilings;
- risky parkour performances that were filmed inside the ruins by thrill seekers.
Currently, anyone caught violating the entry ban must expect a fine exceeding EUR 500 (approx. PLN 2,200).
A landmark decision: expropriation and demolition
An official announcement in the provincial bulletin (BOP) confirmed the approval of the forced expropriation of the property. The reason given was failure to fulfill the so-called social function – the building has been in a terrible shell state for years and does not have the required permits. According to reports from Express, interested parties have one month to submit any appeals.
The grand finale of the facility's history is scheduled for 2026–2027. This will be a huge logistical challenge, not only due to the exposed location on a cliff, but also the need to safely dispose of dangerous asbestos. The cost of this operation will be financed by taxpayers' money. In total, over EUR 2.3 million will be paid.
What about the almost 900 owners listed in the land and mortgage register of this ruin? Most of them are foreigners. They will not receive a refund of advance payments paid to the developer.
The global trend of “urban exploration”
While the Canary monument awaits demolition, reports of other forgotten giants appear on the Internet. Josh, an American YouTuber known for his trips to Chernobyl and the Paris catacombs, recently published footage from the largest abandoned resort in Japan. His recording shows the progressive degradation of the once luxurious hotel, which had a thousand rooms.
In his latest report, the traveler takes viewers to the Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa to discover the remains of Utopia Kaga. Opened in 1987, this complex, also known as Kaga No Sato, was a unique religious amusement park. Although its construction cost a gigantic amount of 28 billion yen (approx. PLN 700 million), the center did not survive the effects of the burst of the Japanese speculative bubble and was finally abandoned in 2005. Today, the luxurious temples, roller coasters and the monumental, 73-meter-high Kaga Daikannon statue remain only a memory – the decaying structure has been losing the fight against nature for years because the costs of its demolition turned out to be too high.
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