Only in Dubrovnik by Duncan J.D. Smith

Farther Afield (Kupari) had opened up Kupari to foreign tourists. The bold red-painted porch and basement discotheque were indicative of the age. Despite its popularity, Kupari’s glory days were numbered. In 1991, the Serb-dominated Yugoslav People’s Army attempted to scupper Croatia’s bid for independence. During the war that followed, Kupari’s empty hotels were guarded by a small Croatian police force. On Octo­ ber 4th 1991, Yugoslav naval vessels fired on the hotels and within three weeks Yugoslav troops had taken Kupari. Not until May 1992 did a counterattack return Croat forces but by then the damage was done. Since the Croatian Army’s departure in 2001 there have been sev- eral attempts to revive Kupari. Most recently, in 2016, a consortium of local investors received a 90-year lease on the site, where they plan to create a new high end resort. They will have to have deep pockets though because all the hotels, with the exception of the listed Grand, face demolition. On a sea cliff just south of Old Town is another abandoned hotel. The luxury Belvedere opened in 1985 with over 200 rooms, a helipad and its own jetty. Just six years later, however, it too was attacked and since left to crumble. Bought at auction in 2014 by a Russian billionaire, plans are also afoot refurbish it. Other locations nearby: 46 The ruined holiday resort of Kupari 97