During our travels throughout Cuba, my brothers and I made a point to stop by the small town of San Miguel de los Baños to see the abandoned Gran Hotel y Balneario. The once luxurious resort was modeled after the Grand Casino in Monte Carlo. The hotel became the top destination for wealthy vacationers visiting Cuba and featured a full service restaurant, baths fed by natural springs, and glamorous neoclassic villas, 

Then, in the 1950's, pollution from a nearby sugar mill contaminated the water and forced San Miguel de los Baños to be abandoned. Today, residents have moved back into the once-dilapidated resort villas, but the glorious Gran Hotel y Balneario still sits empty. 

After slipping the guard ample compensation, my brothers and I were given an extensive tour of the property. View above^