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Abandoned Views: A Photo Essay from the Azores

January 9, 2016 By Ryan Victor 2 Comments

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

Urban Exploration in the Azores

The once-luxurious Monte Palace Hotel was constructed in the 1980s by a French firm hoping to capitalize on beautiful views of Lagoa das Sete Cidades – the twin green and blue volcanic lakes that have come to symbolize the splendor of the Azores.

A hotel may not seem like a terrible idea now, but the Azores’ tourism industry was almost non-existent in the 1980s. Tourists wealthy enough to stay in such an opulent place were just not coming to São Miguel.

A unique experience in the #Azores: hiking to an abandoned luxury hotel. #urbex Click To Tweet

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

Limited infrastructure on the island made Monte Palace difficult to reach, and its theoretically beautiful location wasn’t enough to bring visitors there. The weather at the top of the volcanic caldera is notoriously unpredictable, with fog covering the summit most days of the year–and blocking the view the hotel was trying to offer.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

After eighteen months with few visitors, Monte Palace’s owners became unable to keep up with their creditors, and the hotel was shuttered. For the next decade or so, the owners paid for armed guards and dogs to watch over the structure and its amenities, keeping out looters and trespassers.

Even that became too expensive, and the owners eventually gave up on saving the hotel. Left unguarded, Monte Palace was open to anyone who wanted to take a piece of it. It wasn’t long until all the windows, doors, and fixtures had been scavenged. What’s left is a shell of a once-great, if ill-conceived, hotel, now open to urban explorers, hikers, and adventurous tourists.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

There’s something beautiful about an abandoned building like this. I don’t think the hotel’s concrete structure will be falling away anytime soon, but it’s amazing to see nature reclaim its territory.

Despite all the engineering marvels that have been made and the synthetic materials used to build structures, nature has a way of creeping in and taking over. Dirt blows through, making a foothold for plants to grow. Algae and lichen coat the walls, providing a new and more natural façade. Animals find a home in the spaces that humans have vacated.

Abandoned places like Monte Palace remind us of the fragility and impermanence of the things we toil to create.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

In some ways, it’s disappointing this hotel never succeeded. The views are amazing on the rare clear days, with one side facing the Atlantic and the other overlooking the lakes. Having scrambled up to the rooftop, I can say the hotel may have the most beautiful view on the island.

On the other hand, I’m also grateful there are still some spaces that have not been tainted by the development of tourism. The town of Sete Cidades has a few restaurants, but little else to make it a tourist hotspot beyond its magnificent vistas.

Perhaps the perpetual fog that limited Monte Palace’s success protected Sete Cidades from the rising prices that can affect local people when luxurious hotels pop up.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

Tips for Urban Exploration

Know what’s legal.

In the U.S., urban exploration is often illegal. Property owners have a greater responsibility for what happens on their land, and they can be held liable for any injuries if they don’t make a strong effort to prevent trespassers. That’s not to say that urban exploration is impossible here, but there are fewer opportunities.

Be careful.

Wear thick-soled shoes to prevent shards of metal or glass from penetrating them. Step carefully, look before you touch, and stay aware of your surroundings.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

Bring a flashlight.

Even with an iPhone flashlight app, I was unable to explore the basement of the hotel without a proper flashlight.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

Leave no trace.

You’re here for the experience and the photographs. While some graffiti artists have done amazing work like The Freedom Tunnel in New York City, altering the site (intentionally or unintentionally) can diminish the experience for other urban explorers.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

Take nothing with you.

When exploring abandoned buildings, it can be tempting to take a souvenir, like a lightbulb, rock, or chunk of wall. As in the point above, resist the urge–make sure you leave the site for others to explore.

If you’re interested in trying out urban exploration, check out the top ten cities for it, and be sure to read these additional guidelines.

PIN IT!This photo essay on urban exploration tells the story of an abandoned hotel we discovered while hiking in the Azores.

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Filed Under: Educational and Experiential, Europe, Off the Beaten Path, Portugal Tagged With: abandoned places, Azores, destinations, featured, photo essay, Travel Styles, urban exploration

Comments

  1. Karin says

    December 12, 2016 at 1:55 pm

    This place looks amazing! how did you learn about it? 🙂

    Reply
    • Ryan Victor says

      December 20, 2016 at 5:09 pm

      We found it completely by chance on a hike from Sete Cidades. The trail starts in town at the bottom of a volcano and you hike up to the rim of it. When we reached the rim, the hotel was only 500 feet from the trail. There were no signs to tell us to keep out, so we went exploring.

      Reply

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Hi! We're Jen and Ryan, an American couple on a journey to travel the world while working from the road. We're passionate about outdoors adventure, ethical travel, and healthy living. Passions and Places is a space for us to share our stories and tips with you, but most importantly, we hope to inspire you to seek your own adventure.

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Where are we now?

passionsandplaces

A couple with a passion for travel. Often outdoors or off the beaten path. Hoping to inspire you to seek your own adventure. 🇮🇳Currently in India!

Instagram post 2191170098524765290_2202320042 Aaaand, we’re back! 👋🏼 If you haven’t seen our most recent post, we spent the last 10 days at @tushitameditationcentre, on a silent meditation retreat/intro to Buddhism course.

Not talking wasn’t a huge challenge, to be honest (and we were allowed to talk during discussion group time, so it wasn’t *totally* silent). And the chance to disconnect from news, social media, and Black Friday madness was a blessing. But it was super scheduled without much downtime (which Ryan likened to “being in prison” 😛) and it wasn’t always entirely comfortable.

We are most definitely not Buddhists, but we attended because we were curious to learn more and see what we could take from it, we were eager for the opportunity to unplug, and we wanted to try out a silent meditation retreat that’s far less intense than Vipassana. And by those measures, it was a success. ☸️
Instagram post 2181767217346285437_2202320042 See you next month, world! 👋🏼 We’re going fully offline for a silent meditation retreat in Dharamshala for the next 10 days. 🤫 Feeling equal parts anxious and excited about it (and not at all disappointed to miss the Black Friday madness). We aren’t too sure what to expect, but @tushitameditationcentre comes so highly recommended to us, and we’ve been planning on coming here since we started hearing about it years ago. And we made it just in time for the last session before they close for the winter.
Instagram post 2181468904554414561_2202320042 NEW POST! Thanksgiving is almost here, and that means Black Friday is coming up soon…but more importantly, if you ask us, is Small Business Saturday! We love to support small businesses, especially ones that make travel and outdoor gear. Every year, we publish a blog post highlighting some of our favorite products from small companies, and our 5th (!) annual edition of the post just went up (blog link in bio!).
Instagram post 2181036266123272829_2202320042 After a year mostly in the lowlands of Southeast Asia, Ryan’s been itching for a serious hike. Fortunately, the Himalayas of northern India has no shortage of them. Triund Hill is the most popular hike around Dharamshala, thanks to its well-developed trail and fantastic views of the snow-covered Dhauladar Range. The hike took around 6 hours, and it ascends almost 3,000 feet, but it’s a technically easy trail - and a reminder that slow and steady wins the race (or in this case, is rewarded with epic views). 🏔 Swipe for more pics!
Instagram post 2180230819271388840_2202320042 NEW POST! We keep talking about how amazing our @indochinajunk cruise was, but that’s only because it was! Our new blog post shares all the details of the trip, including the luxurious rooms, impeccable service, and other-worldly scenery. But one of our favorite parts of the trip was when we got off the ship to ride in these bamboo rowboats, which took us even closer to nature (blog link in bio!).
Instagram post 2175883765262593882_2202320042 NEW POST! Last weekend was the 8th annual Dharamshala International Film Festival, and we couldn’t believe our luck when we realized we’d be able to attend. We spent the whole weekend watching amazing independent films from India and around the world, and we just wrote about the experience in our latest blog post (link in bio)! 📽
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