Not even the grandest sandcastle can trump this.
Video footage has emerged of a mysteriously abandoned villa with Roman-style columns on a tropical beach in El Salvador, which has the appearance of having been washed ashore.
The clip shows explorers on La Puntilla Beach clambering around the villa, wading knee-deep into the swirling waters of the Pacific Ocean to access the building.
Video footage has emerged of a mysteriously abandoned villa with Roman-style columns on a tropical beach in El Salvador
Explorers on La Puntilla Beach clamber around the villa, wading knee-deep into the swirling waters of the Pacific Ocean to access the building
Some even brave the staircase, climbing to the top of the dilapidated structure – and ignoring the ‘danger’ signs spray-painted across the walls.
A spotlight fell on the eerie half-sunken property last month when a Salvadoran YouTuber named Cholopanza filmed himself investigating it. His clip went viral and now the ghostly property, which some say is haunted by a ‘tall man’, is drawing in visitors from far and wide and garnering multiple reviews on Google.
The graffiti on the walls, however, suggests that the cracked pale-pink villa, built using iron and concrete, has been a local secret for years.
A spotlight fell on the eerie half-sunken property in July when a Salvadoran YouTuber named Cholopanza filmed himself investigating it
Locals believe the villa used to be a hotel called Hotel Puerto Ventura
The eerie villa is located 75km (46 miles) south of El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador
A local fisherman, Oscar Valencia, said: ‘They built too deep into the beach, that’s what happened’
The best time to access it is in the morning, as the tide spills in during the afternoon, filling the rooms with saltwater.
It’s not clear why the villa was abandoned on the beachfront – 75km (46 miles) south of the capital, San Salvador – but according to Salvadoran newspaper La Prensa Grafica, locals believe it used to be a hotel called Hotel Puerto Ventura, reportedly built on the beach so tourists could feel closer to the sea.
The engineering hadn’t been thought through, though.
A local fisherman, Óscar Valencia, told the publication: ‘They built too deep into the beach, that’s what happened.
‘Before, official permission was not requested to build, and that is what happened. They went too far.’
Some locals claim the hotel was abandoned 25 years ago, whereas others insist it was deserted after Hurricane Mitch hit the shoreline in 1998.
Some say the abandoned property is haunted by a ‘tall man’ at night
The walls of the villa are embellished with graffiti, suggesting it has been a local secret for years
The hurricane is the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record and caused 240 fatalities in El Salvador, the smallest country in Central America.
While travelling over the country, the tropical cyclone dropped intense volumes of rain, leading to flash flooding and mudslides.
It appears the abandoned villa failed to weather the storm, its substructure succumbing to the pull of the sand.
Some locals claim the hotel was abandoned 25 years ago, whereas others insist it was deserted after Hurricane Mitch hit the shoreline in 1998
Hurricane Mitch ravaged Central America in 1998. The villa would not have stood much of a chance
Certain tourists take a risk in climbing the staircase to access the top of the structure
It is rumoured the villa was once turned into a Christian church, before it was left to decline
Danger signs have been spray-painted over the walls, but that doesn’t always put explorers off
A high-relief Star of David was found on the ceiling of one of the ground floor rooms
After it was abandoned, there is speculation the villa became a Christian church, as there is a high-relief Star of David on the ceiling of one of the ground floor rooms.
Tourist Julia Ramirez, who travelled to catch a glimpse of the villa with her friends, told Ruptly: ‘It seems to me a very interesting tourist place, a place that many should come to visit.’
Thanks to Flickr users Lugeralfes and Michael J for granting MailOnline Travel permission to use their imagery.
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