Haludovo in Malinska: The Abandoned Penthouse Hotel and Its Beach

Walk about fifteen minutes north along the seafront from Malinska harbour and the pine trees open onto one of the strangest sights on the Adriatic: a huge concrete hotel, empty for more than twenty years, above a busy, cheerful beach. This is Haludovo in Malinska. I am Jura, a speedboat skipper in Malinska, and in summer I pass it from the sea almost every day. Here is its story, and how to enjoy the beach below it.

A resort built as a “hotel city”

Haludovo was designed by the Croatian architect Boris Magaš and built between 1969 and 1972, when tourism on the Yugoslav coast was booming. It was never just one hotel. The resort covered about 25 hectares of pine forest north of Malinska: the Hotel Palace, the smaller Hotel Tamaris, groups of villas and the Fishermen’s Village (Ribarsko selo) on the coast. The first phase had room for around 1,650 guests.

Magaš spread the buildings through the existing trees and linked them with paths and terraces, so the forest survived between the hotels. Architects still count Haludovo among his best works.

The Penthouse years

In 1972 the American publisher Bob Guccione, founder of Penthouse magazine, teamed up with the Rijeka trading company Brodokomerc and opened the Penthouse Adriatic Club inside the Palace. It had a casino aimed at foreign guests, and charter flights brought visitors to nearby Rijeka Airport.

The glamour did not last. In 1973 Brodokomerc ran into serious financial trouble and Penthouse pulled out after only about a year. Haludovo carried on as an ordinary holiday resort through the 1970s and 1980s, and many families from Croatia and abroad still remember holidays there.

Why Haludovo is abandoned

The war in 1991 cut off most of the guests, and parts of the complex housed refugees. The resort was privatised in 1995 and changed owners several times. The Palace welcomed its last guests around New Year 2002 and has stood empty ever since, slowly losing its windows, fittings and furniture.

Many plans to rebuild it have come and gone. The municipality of Malinska-Dubašnica insists that the shore and the promenade stay open to everyone. In 2026 the Palace is still a ruin, while some other buildings in the wider Haludovo area have been renovated.

Can you visit the abandoned hotel?

The ruin is private property and the building is unsafe: broken glass, damaged floors and loose concrete. Urban explorers do go in, but I do not recommend it, especially with children. You can see the Palace well from the promenade and the beach.

The best view of all is from the sea. If you take a boat trip from Malinska, ask the skipper to slow down off Haludovo. Our guide to coves you can reach only by boat starts from the same harbour.

Haludovo beach: what to expect

Below the ruins lies one of the most loved beaches in Malinska. Here is what guests mention most often:

• Shade: thick pine trees reach almost to the water, which is rare in Malinska. In July and August come early to get a shady spot.
• For children: a large sandpit and a shallow, sandy sea floor on part of the beach.
• Swimming: very clear water that gets deep quickly off the concrete platforms. Watch for sea urchins near the rocks; water shoes help.
• Facilities: a small beach bar and sunbed rental in summer, but do not count on toilets or showers.
• Parking: paid parking close to the beach in season. For free spots, see our free parking guide.
• Dogs: dogs are not allowed in the water on the main beach, but the official dog beach at Ribarsko selo is right next to it. More in Malinska with a dog.

How to get to Haludovo

On foot, follow the seafront promenade north from Malinska harbour towards Njivice. It takes about fifteen minutes along the sea and is flat and easy with a pram. Beyond Haludovo the coastal path continues as Rajska cesta towards Njivice, a lovely walk or bike ride.

More about Malinska

Compare Haludovo with the other beaches in our Malinska beaches guide, read about the history of Malinska, or find a place to sleep in where to stay in Malinska. Everything else is in the Malinska travel guide.

Featured photo: Haludovo from the air by Arne Müseler, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons.