The abandoned multimillion dollar resort complex that housed the most luxurious gambling hotel on the Adriatic coast

The Lost Trails · Apr 10, 2022

Located on Krk island in Croatia, this multimillion dollar hotel and resort complex was the most elite tourist facility in the former Yugoslavia. It was a project designed down to the smallest detail and envisioned by Bob Guccione, the founder of Penthouse magazine. Guccione's intention was to build a grand hotel complex that would bring rich foreign tourists into the unexpected luxury of socialist Yugoslavia. In the mints of the Cold War, he decided to invest 45 million dollars (250 million today) to build a luxurious gambling hotel on the Yugoslavian coast, complete with Penthouse Pets who would serve the elite guests. The complex was composed of two hotels, Palace and Tamaris that together shared 1800 beds, two swimming pools, 17 tennis courts, a mini golf course, bowling alley, casino and a beach bar.

After it's completion in 1971, it became an instant success, with locals retelling stories of pools filled with champagne and wild parties. The high lite of many guests was the Penthouse casino located in the center of Palace which could be compared to the finest casinos in Las Vegas and other major gambling centers. In those first years of operation, wealthy guests from all over the world apparently consumed about 100 kg of lobster and 50 kg of caviar per night. One of the most famous guests was the former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, who reportedly left a $2,000 tip and his son a gun under his pillow.

However, the casino went bankrupt after only a year and Guccione was forced to abandon his dream hotel due to unsustainable costs and the alleged inability to provide his foreign guests with everything they were used to, which could not be purchased in the communist state. Following his withdrawal, the complex turned to mass tourism to avoid bankruptcy and for the first time, local tourist could visit it, have a drink or swim on the beach. But Haludovos demise began with the fall of the former state.

During the Yugoslav wars it was used as a shelter for refugees and the subsequent privatization gave the final blow to the complex which hosted its last few guests in 2001. The new owner started selling all the useful inventory of the hotel at a local auction, which was bought by the locals for their apartments, and with each piece sold, Haludovo lost what little chance it had to return as a tourist resort. Today, amongst all the destruction and vandalism, the main buildings still remain standing as a creepy reminder of the once elite destination. If you are interested in the video exploration of the place, with the complete history and old video footage, you can check it out here:

BikinGlynn · Apr 11, 2022

Ooh I love that brutalist style. Another place I have a strange urge to ride my bike around

Hayman · Apr 12, 2022

BikinGlynn said:
Ooh I love that brutalist style. Another place I have a strange urge to ride my bike around

The 'brutalist' style works because of the size and the congruent nature of the buildings. Think of the equally brutal Lloyd's building in London. Those horizontal long concrete trough structures are a bit of a mystery. They appear to be cover from the elements, but why not an overall roof? And the decks slopes downwards at the ends, as if to let rain water or melted snow have a way of disposal. But there are no gutters or downpipes - so the water would have fallen directly onto those below. Have the metal gutters, etc been stolen? And what about all the staircases with nothing to stop people falling off the ends of the long stone or concrete steps? In the video, the commentators say there was nothing to show where there had been any holes to support railings, etc. A really well made video.

J_a_t_33 · Apr 13, 2022

Incredible! Love it!

The Lost Trails · Apr 20, 2022

Hayman said:
The 'brutalist' style works because of the size and the congruent nature of the buildings. Think of the equally brutal Lloyd's building in London. Those horizontal long concrete trough structures are a bit of a mystery. They appear to be cover from the elements, but why not an overall roof? And the decks slopes downwards at the ends, as if to let rain water or melted snow have a way of disposal. But there are no gutters or downpipes - so the water would have fallen directly onto those below. Have the metal gutters, etc been stolen? And what about all the staircases with nothing to stop people falling off the ends of the long stone or concrete steps? In the video, the commentators say there was nothing to show where there had been any holes to support railings, etc. A really well made video.

Glad you all enjoyed it!
Good point about the rainfall, haven't thought of that at all. The roof was flat, so the gutters and pipes for the main building were hidden on the rooftop. That's also to be expected in such a future looking building. As for the concrete stairs, we noticed afterward that all the railings have been stolen. They were all wooden and attached directly to the walls of the stairs to give them a floating look. That's why in the video, we didn't find any holes in the stairs to support the railing, because there weren't any.

Hayman · Apr 21, 2022

The Lost Trails said:
Glad you all enjoyed it!
Good point about the rainfall, haven't thought of that at all. The roof was flat, so the gutters and pipes for the main building were hidden on the rooftop. That's also to be expected in such a future looking building. As for the concrete stairs, we noticed afterward that all the railings have been stolen. They were all wooden and attached directly to the walls of the stairs to give them a floating look. That's why in the video, we didn't find any holes in the stairs to support the railing, because there weren't any.

Some Victorian railway stations used the wrought iron or cast iron columns that supported the roofs also as drainpipes, to take away the rainwater falling on the roofs without the need for visible piping. It took some ingenuity to attach the staircase railings as you described, while making them strong enough to prevent a fall.