A woman hoping to treat her young child to a beach holiday in Thailand was left shocked after arriving at a resort she had booked online, only to discover the property had been abandoned for months.
In a TikTok video posted on Tuesday (May 5) that has since gone viral, the woman shared footage of the deserted resort, showing overgrown vegetation and empty buildings.
According to her post, she had booked a stay at Mai Rut Beach Eco Resort & Camping in Trat province’s Khlong Yai district after checking its listing on online booking platforms and reviewing the location on Google Maps.
The woman said she travelled to the resort with her husband and child, expecting a relaxing beach getaway. However, upon arrival, the family struggled to locate the property’s entrance.
Despite the resort appearing legitimate online — with active listings on platforms such as Booking.com and Tripadvisor, as well as a functioning official website — its social media pages no longer appeared accessible.
The family eventually entered through a neighbouring compound, where the owner informed them that the resort they had booked had long been abandoned, adding that they were not the first group of travellers to arrive at the deserted property.
Based on the resort’s website, its former owners were a Brazilian couple and chefs who previously lived in the United States and Portugal before settling in Thailand.
They claimed to have discovered Mai Rut Beach during their travels in Asia and later transformed it into a bungalow-style seaside resort with five private beaches.
Family leaves nearby lodging after unsettling atmosphere
After learning the resort was abandoned, the neighbouring property owner offered the family a room for 500 baht (S$19.56) per night, the woman said.
The family initially accepted the offer and spent some time at the beach while the husband inspected the room. However, the atmosphere soon began to feel unsettling as the woman noticed the beach was eerily quiet, with no other tourists in sight.
Her discomfort grew after her husband returned and mentioned that the room entrance was decorated with numerous talismans and sacred charms.
The family ultimately decided to leave the area.
Under the comments section of the video, which has been viewed more than 2.5 million times, several users claimed the beach area had been deserted for some time.
“Ban Chuen Beach has been deserted for a long time. It’s very lonely at night,” wrote one user.
Another shared: “I’ve been to Ban Chuen Beach and the road going through the forest feels very mysterious. The beach was beautiful and peaceful, but there was nobody around. It felt eerie, so I left quickly.”
Another commenter advised the woman to seek compensation, writing: “You should be able to get a refund for this vacant accommodation.”
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xingying.koh@asiaone.com
