I am now living in Zhuhai, in Guangdong province, and I spotted a place from a public bus on the very first day I arrived. It is indeed a very large building in a very lively part of the city, which is why it caught my attention. A huge empty driveway, a monumental entrance with kitsch European-inspired decorations, the sign of the hotel falling apart, all those elements offer a typical vision of decay of former luxury places in China.

What happened? I could find some reports about this abandoned hotel but they do not seem to know anything about this place, not even the hotel name (which is a bit stupid, it’s written all over the place!). Anyhow, with a few key words, one can easily find more information about it.

Paradise Hill Hotel used to be one of the first five-stars international hotels in Zhuhai, it was built in the 1980s, at the beginning of Zhuhai’s development as a « special economic zone ». Its current appearance is not that old, it got rebuilt once in the 1990s. Three years ago, it was closed down because the boss wanted to rebuild it under a new appearance, more ambitious: a higher tower, a bit like the Marriott tower that one can see from the hotel. However, the project was put on hold because of permit issues by the Zhuhai city governement.

Around the hotel

The surroundings of the buildings are an extremely nice place to wander around, with an abandoned garden and swimming pools, which look eerie in the sunset light.

Going further in the alley, one can find this old sign showing all the former leisure activities provided by the hotel.

I particularly appreciate of abandoned parcs and swimming pools so it was a good exploration.

On the other side of the building, one can also find many disused facilities.

Inside the hotel

The hotel is securely locked but if one is smart, one can still find tactics to enter. It was worth visiting the place although it was very dangerous: the old stairs were breaking under me, the paint from the walls was oozing out with a very strong smell, there were countless bugs on the rug… And the night was falling quickly so I was scared in the dark. However, I was able to notice a few interesting objects, left behind during the clearance.

This place made me think a lot of the Capital Paradise hotel in Hangzhou, which is not abandoned but which carries some similar « bad taste » luxury decorations…

I would have liked to check out some of the hotel rooms but I had to go out quite fast, as it became more and more difficult to explore in the dark. I enjoyed this place quite a lot and there is still a lot to see in the four buildings and gardens so I will come back next time.

If you are interested in abandoned luxury hotels in China, you can read my post about Beijing Wahaha Hotel. If you like abandoned gardens and swimming pools, you can definitely check my reports about Imperial Garden Villas in Beijing, about a botanical garden in Yunnan or about an abandoned olympic pool in Datong.