Berengaria Hotel
This Halloween, we decided to visit a spooky abandoned hotel in the Troodos Mountains. The Berengaria Hotel has a colourful history, and is a bit of a tourist attraction these days. So lets take a wander...
Grand View
We first visited Prodromos a few years ago, with a view to exploring this beauty. However, at the time it was blowing a typical Autumn gale, and I got soaked having walked a few metres from the car. So we returned yesterday to have another look at this famous ruin.
Anyone For Tennis
We say famous with good reason. The Berengia Hotel (named after the wife of King Richard the Lionheart) is a bit of a tourist attraction. As we arrived, we saw other mask-clad visitors wandering the grounds. We stopped for our picnic, and gave them time to leave. Urban exploring doesn't really sit well with crowds. It ruins the air of mystery.
Once we had finished and tidied up our rubbish, we found the hole in the fence that explorers have been using for years to enter the premises. There are signs all around the place saying Danger and Keep Out. So do bear in mind that if you enter a place like this, you are doing so at your own risk.
Anyway, our particular hole in the fence led us to the old tennis courts.
Steps To Heaven
So what is the history of this place, and why is it abandoned?
Back In The Day
The Hotel was built in 1930, by Mr Kokkalos, a resident of Prodromos Village. He funded its construction using his savings and contributions from his friends. It opened in 1931, which is a timescale a lot of modern construction projects would do well to emulate.
Mr Kokkalos had noted that mountain holidays were gaining popularity among tourists, and he was not wrong. For over half a century the hotel was a haven for Royals and the Nobility. King Pharouk of Egypt, Winston Churchill and a president of Israel were notable guests. The hotel's casino, night club and luxury furniture all helped to attract both local and international visitors.
Incidentally, we found the above picture on property website. If you have a spare €2,300,000 you can buy the joint. A lick of paint and off you go...
Spooky Entrance
Ok, so you will probably need a bit of Polyfilla too.
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Related Blogs:
The Abandoned Hospital at Amiantos Mines
The Cyprus Asbestos Mine is situated right in the heart of Troodos forest. Following a continuous operation of 84 years, the mine came to a sudden closure in 1988, leaving behind large volumes of waste tips, a badly designed mine pit and an unacceptable environmental scar to an otherwise heavily forested natural beauty area. It also left behind a hospital, which now stands abandoned on the other side of the valley. While environmental steps have been taken to turn the area near the mines into a nature park, the hospital has been let to nature.
Return to The Abandoned Ranch
The other day we saw an article about a mysterious church that had appeared in the Kouris Reservoir because of the low water level. When we got there it turned out to be a case of bad journalism. However, as we were in the area, we decided to revisit the abandoned Rancho Appaloosa, to see how much it had changed since we first found the place, in 2016.
Pantheon Hall - Part 1
We've always loved urban exploring - visiting abandoned old buildings - and Cyprus has more than its fair share, from old hotels to forgotten hospitals for disused mines. When we discovered the place we are about to show you though, we really hit the Urbex Jackpot. This place is amazing, and has a remarkably colourful past as well.Related Pages
MapBerengaria Hotel
This Halloween, we decided to visit a spooky abandoned hotel in the Troodos Mountains. The Berengaria Hotel has a colourful history, and is a bit of a tourist attraction these days. So lets take a wander...
360 PanoramaPantheon Hall
We've always loved urban exploring - visiting abandoned old buildings - and Cyprus has more than its fair share, from old hotels to forgotten hospitals for disused mines. When we discovered the place we are about to show you though, we really hit the Urbex Jackpot. This place is amazing, and has a remarkably colourful past as well.
360 PanoramaPantheon Hall Now
Several months after we made our tour of Pantheon Hall, we returned with our new 360 camera for a few more snaps.
Good Pages To Visit
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Paphos Chat has been created for people who like our site and want to chat using Facebook. You can also easily upload photos of any size here. A lot of people are members of the Facebook chat group and the main forum. It's entirely up to you.
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eBookCyprus Road Trip 01: the Kathikas - Panagia Loop
Let me take you on a journey around the region of Paphos, Cyprus. Starting at Paphos itself, we travel to Akoursos, then Kathikas, Kritou Terra and Simou. We continue past Lasa and Kannaviou, before taking in the delights of Panagia. Getting a bit more adventurous, we visit the abandoned villages of Statos and Agios Fotios, before passing through Choulou, Letymbou and Polemi, and rejoining the main Paphos - Polis road.
The route is suitable for all types of vehicle, and requires no off-roading. The guide contains about 130 photographs including shots of all the road signs you need to pay attention to, as well as some of the highlights you may experience along the way.
There are also several maps which will help you keep your bearings.
You can do this journey in a day, or you can break it up into chunks. You can also do it in reverse, to get some completely different views. It is entirely up to you.
