The Galaxy: The Abandoned Floating Hotel In Thailand’s Koh Chang Island And Its Mysterious Fall From Glory

Published on October 20, 2025

Once offering a unsocial experience, The Galaxy Hotel was tucked distant successful nan verdant jungles of Koh Chang, Thailand’s third-largest island. Originally a US Navy ship, this seven-storey floating edifice has been converted into an opulent lodging action for travellers looking for an perfectly singular vacation. It was intended to beryllium an opulent edifice and a must-see location for travellers to Thailand’s tropical paradise.

The Grand Laguna Hotel, besides called The Galaxy, started retired arsenic an eager task by a billionaire who had ever wanted to ain a floating hotel. Prior to being transformed into a accepted Thai ship, nan vessel had a unsocial history arsenic a personnel of nan US Navy fleet. But nan floating hotel’s dream became a sinister tale, replete pinch financial difficulties and an overseas concatenation of events that would yet consequence successful its closure.

The Glory Days of The Galaxy

When nan edifice opened its doors to visitors, it was touted arsenic nan epitome of luxury successful nan mediate of nan jungle. With its awesome 7 floors, guests were treated to royal impermanent rooms, complete pinch plush carpets, chandeliers, and top-tier amenities. The vessel featured gathering rooms and unit areas connected its first 2 floors, while nan remaining floors housed astir 200 impermanent rooms. Its astir notable characteristic was a expansive edifice that spanned nan precocious 2 floors, offering stunning views of nan surrounding jungle and sea.

During nan precocious 1990s, The Galaxy became a celebrated stopover for travellers visiting Koh Chang, and visitors were capable to enactment successful bungalows aliases aboard nan vessel itself. At nan time, it was considered a unsocial and luxurious experience, cleanable for those seeking some comfortableness and escapade successful a secluded tropical location. The edifice was a awesome of opulence, pinch everything from its creation to nan work levels speaking to a level of indulgence fewer had seen before.

However, contempt its early success, nan edifice was incapable to support its luxury position for long.

Financial Pressures Lead to nan Hotel’s Closure

By 2012, financial pressures began to mount, and nan edifice was forced to adjacent its doors to paying guests. The land of Koh Chang had go progressively difficult to prolong for specified an royal operation. While it was nary longer unfastened to guests, The Galaxy did not slice into obscurity entirely. Visitors still flocked to nan abandoned ship, purchasing tickets to research nan eerie and decaying remnants of what had erstwhile been a sparkling awesome of luxury.

Yet, arsenic clip passed, much stories emerged astir nan hotel’s mysterious past, starring to increasing speculation astir nan existent logic for its downfall. Some locals claimed that nan edifice was cursed, citing a bid of unusual accidents and inexplicable events that occurred connected nan ship.

The Curse of The Galaxy Hotel

The root of nan curse, according to section legends, began erstwhile a ineffable Banyan character was felled to make abstraction for nan ship’s placement successful its lagoon. The tree, considered ineffable by nan section community, was believed to transportation belief significance. The removal of nan character angered nan locals, and soon rumours began to move that nan edifice was cursed. This belief was further fuelled by nan truth that elephants, a awesome of Thailand’s taste heritage, could nary longer roam freely successful nan area aft nan tree’s removal.

During its years of operation, galore workers and guests reportedly suffered from illnesses, accidents, and moreover fatalities. The locals believed that these tragic events were a nonstop consequence of nan curse placed connected nan hotel. While immoderate of nan stories were difficult to verify, nan thought of a cursed floating edifice became a portion of The Galaxy’s acheronian history.

The Struggles of Tropical Location

Aside from nan alleged curse, The Galaxy’s location posed important challenges that hampered its success. Situated successful a tropical environment, nan edifice was plagued by mosquitoes, which carried diseases for illustration dengue fever and malaria. The hot, humid ambiance made it difficult to support a comfortable ambiance wrong nan hotel. Despite efforts to air-condition nan ship, nan oppressive power made nan enactment unbearable for galore guests.

As nan edifice continued to struggle, these issues contributed to its eventual decline. The once-bustling edifice slow became a forgotten relic of a dream that had grounded to thrive successful nan tropical environment.

The Final Blow: A Mysterious Fire

In December 2024, nan Galaxy was deed pinch its last rustle erstwhile a mysterious occurrence engulfed nan ship. Despite nan efforts of 50 emergency workers who attempted to power nan blaze, nan flames dispersed quickly owed to beardown winds. The origin of nan occurrence remains unknown, and it near nan vessel to pain for weeks, yet causing important harm to nan structure.

After nan occurrence was extinguished, activity began connected dismantling nan charred remains of nan ship. By mid-2025, only nan hull of nan once-glorious edifice remained, pinch nan precocious sections being removed and sold for scrap. The vessel that erstwhile embodied luxury and exclusivity was now thing much than a shade of its erstwhile self, a awesome of a grounded dream and a tragic communicative of a once-promising floating hotel.

The Legacy of The Galaxy

The Galaxy serves arsenic a reminder to this time that moreover nan astir eager dreams tin autumn short. Once a awesome of luxury successful Thailand, it is now a deserted ruin that is gradually being reclaimed by nan jungle it was expected to display.

The fable of nan Galaxy’s curse will ever beryllium a portion of its legacy, but it besides emphasises really important it is to comprehend nan difficulties presented by some financial and biology constraints. The unfortunate demise of a once-impressive task connected Koh Chang land is symbolised by nan now-ghostly remnant of nan once-ambitious floating hotel.

The ruins of nan vessel still tie visitors who are willing successful its spooky history because of its enigma and nan eerie stories that situation it.