Tenerife Tourist Tragedy Averted! €575 Fine For Daredevil Stunt!

British tourists have learned a very expensive lesson about respecting local laws and, frankly, common sense. Two individuals are now nursing significantly lighter wallets – and hopefully a little more self-awareness – after being slapped with a €575 fine each for trespassing on a notorious abandoned hotel in Tenerife. The incident, which occurred on Thursday, January 22nd, involved scaling the derelict 22-story monstrosity and snapping selfies, according to images shared on X (formerly Twitter) by @eldia. And let me tell you, the pictures are wild... but also deeply unsettling considering the building's history.

Tenerife Tourist Tragedy Averted! €575 Fine For Da...

This isn’t just some harmless bit of urban exploration gone wrong. The abandoned hotel, located in the Añaza neighborhood, has earned a grim reputation as a magnet for accidents and even fatalities. Just last month, a 13-year-old girl tragically died after falling from the structure. Think about that for a moment. Open vent shafts, crumbling balconies, and gaping windows – it's a death trap waiting to happen, and these tourists willingly walked right into it.

Despite prominent warning signs and a rather flimsy-sounding welded wire mesh barrier, the two Brits apparently decided the potential Instagram clout was worth risking their necks. They reportedly forced their way onto the clifftop hotel, which has been decaying for over half a century since construction ground to a halt. It's a 741-room eyesore, taking up over 2,350 square meters, and has been a source of safety concerns for years. You'd think the giant, crumbling ruin would be a deterrent enough, but apparently not.

Council workers alerted the local police, who promptly removed the tourists from the premises and issued the hefty fines for trespassing and endangering themselves. Apparently, the pair told police they were under the impression the hotel was some kind of "tourist attraction" promoted online for adrenaline junkies. While I understand the allure of the unusual, some places are best admired from a safe distance (or not at all!).

And it seems these two weren’t alone in their quest for a risky photo op. Reports indicate another pair of Italian tourists also managed to gain access to the roof that same day, but they managed to evade capture (and the subsequent fine). It's a bit of a disturbing trend, this perverse attraction to danger. Urban explorers, influencers chasing likes, and even extreme sports enthusiasts are drawn to the site like moths to a flame, often launching flares or flying drones from the upper levels. It's almost as if the risk itself is the appeal.

The future of the hotel itself remains uncertain. The Canary Islands Supreme Court ordered its demolition way back in 1998, but the owners – primarily of German nationality, apparently – have ignored the order. Funding for an explosive demolition, estimated at nearly €520,000, has also fallen through. However, there's some good news: regional and island government funds totaling €2.9 million were approved in June 2025 to demolish the building and restore the coastline. A demolition date hasn’t been set yet, but hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later. A recent estimate...