Not your typical tourist attraction, the ruins of the never-completed $80 million Sheraton Rarotonga Resort is a series of derelict hotel buildings on the largest of the Cook Islands.
While there are plenty of beaches to visit, hiking, watersports, and other things to do on the island, we found ourselves strangely drawn to this abandoned hotel on Rarotonga.
Today, the ruins tell a tale of politics, organized crime, and a curse.
Sheraton Rarotonga’s cursed derelict buildings
One look at the dilapidated buildings and we knew we found what was labelled on our map as “Sheraton Hotel Derelict”. The sign on the gate said, “Private entry, day tours only, see the blue house.”
Cautiously, we entered the property, scanning each of the desolate buildings before we noticed a blue shack behind us and across the street. While Jeff headed there to pay, I began taking photos. First of the goats, as they were right in front of me, then of the first of the vacant hotel rooms.
“Hey!” I barely heard the shout over the engine of the motorbike as it pulled up alongside me. A short, hefty man jumped off the bike, and I quickly explained that my husband had gone to the blue house across the street.
Without acknowledging the shack, he requested $5 each. In exchange, he shared a story fueled with organized crime, politicians, tribal land, and a curse, all resulting in 40 years of deterioration of a once $80 million property that never opened.
From the best of my recollection, I share the tale here
It was the mid-80s when Italian contractors were hired to build the $80 million Sheraton Rarotonga Hotel. Rather than using local labour, they brought in 360 Italian workers. As one can well imagine, this did not please the local people, especially the Takitumu tribe, the keepers of the land.
The Italians soon built a 250-room hotel and were ready to develop the land. Their plan was to re-route the waterfront road around the complex, thus allowing for a man-made lagoon filled with the sea where the original road sat.
The required government consent had to come from New Zealand, as the Cook Islands were their protectorate. At that time, Winston Peters was the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Rather than granting permission, he threw them all out of the country.
Our guide dramatically added that Peters discovered that they were, in fact, the mafia. The abandoned hotel soon became a collection of derelict buildings.
Many years later, Hilton came in and tried to finish the job, but it was too late, as the land had been cursed by a local from the Takitumu tribe. Hilton needed supplies from Australia. They gave $7 million to a representative who travelled to Australia to get the materials, but that person never returned.
An interesting twist, in one version of the story, we were told it was the chief of that tribe who absconded with the funds, but this could not be verified.
As a result, Hilton lasted only six months.
More images of the derelict Sheraton Rarotonga
Now it sits, and visitors can walk through the grounds and even into the chambers. As we walked through the vacant rooms, we imagined this would be the ideal setting for a horror movie, a scary sleepover, or an overnight initiation challenge.
In some ways, the abandoned Sheraton Hotel Rarotonga is fascinating; in others, it’s just creepy.
A few of the rooms had personal belongings, suggesting squatters. Honestly, I don’t think I could sleep in this scary hotel. Could you?
Practical information on visiting the Sheraton Rarotonga ruins
- Bring cash to pay for your entry.
- Take a “tour”, if offered. The story is even more interesting when told by a native.
- Wear shoes and watch your step. Broken glass is everywhere.
- Don’t lean on balustrades, and watch for hazards such as missing sections, hanging wires, and broken glass / floors.
- Be respectful of the belongings of the few people who seem to be living in the ruins.
More about the derelict buildings of the Sheraton Rarotonga
Want to know more? Here is what’s going on at the abandoned Sheraton resort:
- The ‘cursed’ resort of Rarotonga: Rundown beachfront property with mafia links for sale again (New Zealand Herald 2016)
- Abandoned Cook Islands Sheraton may open 30 years late (Hotel Management 2016)
- Curse of the Cook Islands – and a chance to turn a derelict hotel into a tourist hotspot
(The Guardian 2017)
Rarotonga accommodations that won’t scare you
To date, there is still no Sheraton or Hilton in Rarotonga. However, there are plenty of great Rarotonga accommodation options. Check out the Rarotonga accommodation options and prices at Booking.com.
Other Rarotonga activities
Rarotonga is a tropical paradise in the Cook Islands, a group of South Pacific Islands that are about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. Watersports, hiking, adventure, or relaxation, Rarotonga has it all. The snorkelling around the island is fantastic. Plus, there are plenty of other fun things to see and do in Rarotonga.
Save on your trip with these resources
These are our go-to companies when we travel. We believe this list to be the best in each category. You can’t go wrong using them on your trip too.
- Flights: we use Expedia for the best and cheapest flight options.
- Accommodations: we use Booking.com (hotels), VRBO (self-contained), or Hostelworld (budget).
- Cars (gas or electric): we use RentalCars to search for deals and dealer ratings.
- Motorcycles: we have heard good things about BikesBooking.
- Private guides: we often find the best option is to work with a private guide from Viator.
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Check out our travel resources page for more companies that we use when you travel.
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Would you stop and take time to explore the derelict buildings of this cursed hotel?
Disclaimer: We worked with the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation. They provided complimentary entrances, tours, and sample items to assist in the writing of this review. The opinions expressed here are strictly our own.
Caroline
That’s insane that the hotel was never completed! But makes sense, I honestly wouldn’t have thought the Mafia would’ve been involved or that the land was later cursed. It honestly sounds like a movie! … i wonder if they would ever think about making it into a horror film!
Tess
Wow such a fascinating story behind this hotel! I’d definitely be interested in visiting it someday. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Elyse
Such a good read! Thanks for sharing
MicheleinPlaya
What a fun story!! We have a few similarly abandoned and derelict hotels and resorts here along the Riviera Maya. No tours, however. Just scary dudes with machine guns who we try not to make eye contact with…ever.
Sharyn McCullum
What an eye opener! I believe there are lots of these abandoned hotels not just here, but other countries too!
Christy S.
Wow, I love how creepy and dystopian this abandoned hotel looks! Thanks for sharing it with us.
Lucy
This hotel and concept is very fascinating, I loved reading this! I wonder what materials were used and if non-traditional construction methods were carried out due to things such as the Italian labourers or if they had no affect on the construction process?
Carol
What a wild story! Thanks for sharing. You’d think that all govt permissions would have been accomplished BEFORE spending millions to build.
Bill
Great story, goes to show you should never pi** off the locals. We have an unfinished hotel not so far from were I live seen it once in passing looks quite odd.
Handmade Jewelry Haven
Wow! That IS creepy!
How fascinating that they give tours in such a condemned set of buildings.
It surely would have been beautiful though!
Thanks for sharing!
– Lisa
Bee Halton
What a great story and post!
Kanishka Acharya
I love to read spooky stories of abandoned buildings! The pictures are so creepy…
Indrani
Whoa what a story! So unfortunate everything was abandoned else it could have been a beautiful property.
stevebethere
Wow! that was an eyeopener very interesting and eerie at the same time 😯
Have a derelicttastic week Rhonda ➡
Emily
I am such a sucker for urban exploration! You are so lucky, this looks like it would be such an adventure!
Natalie
Wow ! This is both super creepy and super cool. I love touring places like this, Ive added this one to my ever-growing bucket list! Thanks for sharing the story too, so interesting.
Luci
That does look like a wicked place to go visit. I believe I would be able to go through the hotel with a group of people, during the daytime.
Medha Verma
Oh I just feel sad looking at those ruins and learning the story about how Sheraton was meant to open a hotel there but never could. I do love exploring ruins, and your pictures are really great to see inside the derelict buildings, especially the rooms. Pretty sad also that Hilton tried to take over and run the hotel but never could because of the ‘curse’. At least someone can make money from running tours inside it now 😉
Virginia Allain
I belong to several groups on Facebook that are about abandoned places. I’ll post this to those groups.
Fascinating story and pictures.
Carrie
Woohoo I am so glad the locals/New Zealand government kicked the Italians out before they could complete that monstrosity! It’s so rare that local people actually win against the forces of capitalist greed, especially on small island nations with less political power like this. Now if only the Italians could be forced to come back and clean up the mess they created of the local environment…
Jill Chapman
Very interesting! You never know what you’ll find when you travel. I have only lived at my current location for 20 years but a friend who has lived here all her life says that Indian burial grounds were disturbed in the making of the interstate here. It is numerically proven that the exit and area where the burial grounds are have had more accidents – and more fatal accidents – than any other area in our state. Curse? Maybe!
Jenn and Ed Coleman
Wow, what a story. Definitely creepy but cool in an urban decay sort of way. It makes you wonder just how much work it would take to re-open the hotel. (or open in the first place)
Fiona Maclean
Fascinating and tragic. It’s the kind of thing we associate with a long-gone era, yet these were started within my own living memory. I’d love to visit the Cook Islands and find out more – there seem to be so many tales!
Carissa
I would definitely explore this! I am always fascinated of a place that has abandoned and has a great story behind it. I would not miss to hear the story personally by a local there for a complete experience so going there must be the only way! Thank you Rhonda for sharing these useful tips!
Carol Colborn
What a sad story. Cursed for not honoring the kand and it’s people. I wonder why they built so much before trying to get permission?
Julie Kemp Pick
Hi Rhonda! You really captured the essence of the Sheraton Ruins. This resort had so much potential. It’s a shame that it never came to fruition. I agree with Linda that it’s incredible the ruins have become a popular tourist destination. Leave it to you to discover such a fascinating find!
Linda
What an interesting topic for a blog post. We often see derelict buildings on our travels. We saw so many abandoned projects in the south of Portugal. But we have not seen the Sheraton ruins on the tropical island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. Amazing that they have actually turned this into a tourist site. But then, it seemed it did come with a colourful story.
Rhonda Albom
I don’t think it’s a “proper” tourist site, more of one person capitalizing on the curious people stopping by.
Tammy
Abandoned buildings give me the creeps, but that bathroom tops it all. Ewww! 🙂
Tami
I’m always curious and will explore nearly any place I come across. So yes, I would walk through this old hotel during the daytime but not at night!! I do think it’s horribly sad, though, that so much time, effort, and money was wasted.
Rhonda Albom
Walk through at night? Not me either.
nicole
I visited when I was there in 2008. Its such a weird story but leave it to Winston to screw things up just like he is doing now. Raro is beautiful though even without a Sheraton or Hilton.
Amy Franks
Gosh that’s a shame it ended like that. I wonder if they will put it down or leave it there?
Hilary
Hi Rhonda – how very sad … really awful to see it left as it is without the dangerous items removed. The Italians sound like the Chinese now – who bring everything with them when they start a project. Must be interesting to see … and thanks for the tour around – cheers Hilary
Paul Pietrangelo
This is a creepy place. I was surprise that you even went into the place, The pool was amazing even the stools that people would have been sitting on them. I can picture the scene in my mind, music playing, people swimming in the pool and others sitting on the stools having a drink. Very interesting Rhonda. See ya for now.
Cruisin Paul
L. Diane Wolfe
The show Hotel Impossible would’ve had a field day with that place. Such a waste but what a tourist attraction. I have a fascination for abandoned places – even have a whole board of it on Pinterest.
Ryan Biddulph
Rhonda so eerie and neat! I love this type of stuff. From the stories to how nature takes over, to the goats chilling in the area, it just fascinates the heck out of me. Nothing like seeing the jungle slowly dominate any man-made structure. Makes one realize that nature always wins in the end. Far different reason but I recall seeing so many beautiful French mansions being overtaken by the jungle in Kep, Cambodia. Mold, vines, so interesting to observe. Reminds me of some of your lovely snaps.
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Fascinating! I’m surprised someone hasn’t set it up big time as ruins to visit and explore, complete with gift shop. Creepy and what a shame no one came in soon enough to finish it, cursed or not.
Rhonda Albom
The “tour” hasn’t been commercialized. I think that adds to the mystery.
Comedy Plus
That’s a lot of money to flush down a toilet. What a shame.
Creepy looking now, but I’d bet is was beautiful back in the day.
Have a fabulous day. ♥