Walter Finch
A SPANISH resort that once promised to be the ultimate holiday destination – complete with three golf courses, an artificial ski slope and beaches filled with imported Caribbean sand – has been given a new lease of life.
Marina d’Or in Oropesa del Mar, Castellón, was the stuff of holiday dreams when construction began in 2000.
Over seven years, developers built more than 12,000 apartments in what was set to become one of Spain’s most ambitious vacation complexes.
The vision was grandiose: alongside the planned golf courses and ski facilities, the resort would feature themed areas inspired by countries around the world.
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Today, it is a ghost town of empty streets, shuttered businesses and a general sense that residents had simply ‘left everything behind’.
The dreams of entrepreneur Jesús Ger, the mastermind behind the project, began to unravel almost as quickly as they had been built.
Environmental permits for the most ambitious elements never materialised, and then came 2008.
The global financial crisis hit Spain’s property market like a sledgehammer, and Marina d’Or was no exception.
Property values plummeted, mortgage payments became impossible for many owners, and the developer was left with hundreds of unsold apartments gathering dust.
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By 2014, Ger’s company had declared bankruptcy.
Four years later, the five hotels, local attractions and more than 250 shops and apartments were handed over to investment fund Farallón. The writing was on the wall.
The final nail in the coffin came on September 17, 2023, when Marina d’Or officially closed its doors.
What followed was perhaps the most unexpected chapter in the resort’s troubled history – it became a viral sensation on TikTok, but not for the reasons its original developers would have hoped.
Videos shared by a Brazilian family under the account Explorando Juntos showed the eerie reality of the abandoned complex in February 2024.
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The footage struck a chord with viewers, turning Marina d’Or into an unlikely internet phenomenon.
But this story has a twist. Just as Marina d’Or was capturing imaginations as a symbol of Spain’s property bubble aftermath, new owners were already plotting its resurrection.
Magic World Resort, the rebranded complex now under the ownership of Grupo Fuertes (the company behind ElPozo foods) and hotel group Magic Costa Blanca, opened its doors for the first time this summer.
The new management has pumped €40 million into renovations and has set its sights firmly on the British market.
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Deals have been struck with easyJet Holidays and online travel agent On The Beach Holidays to bring package tourists back to what is now the largest hotel complex in the Valencia region.
The strategy mirrors the success the group has had in Benidorm with its Magic Natura resort.
The ambition extends beyond British shores, with tour operators from Iceland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Latvia and Sweden all showing interest.
The complex now manages five hotels with more than 1,200 rooms, plus two urban hotels in nearby Villarreal, 150 tourist apartments and five theme parks.
Whether Magic World Resort can restore the lustre that Marina d’Or once promised remains to be seen. But after years in the wilderness – and a brief stint as TikTok’s favourite ghost town – this corner of the Spanish coast is ready for tourists once again.
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