The Story of the Abandoned Casuarina Inn in Taiping
Once considered a grand budget hotel, the Casuarina Inn is located at the Taiping Lake Gardens, Perak. Its striking design and British architectural style mark its unique history, remaining there today without occupants.
It has been left abandoned for a long time, contributing to mysterious tales surrounding this hotel that no longer sees guests. For your information, the Casuarina Inn originally served as a rest house for British officers during the colonial era before we achieved independence. It was also used as a camp and dormitory for British soldiers to rest and stay temporarily. Later, the original Casuarina Inn building was left vacant for many years.
On September 12, 1972, the Perak state government took over the property after it was abandoned by the British and converted it into a budget hotel for the public and tourists. The inauguration ceremony for the Taiping rest house was performed by the late Sultan Idris Shah and managed by the Public Works Department (JKR). Its name was later changed to Casuarina Inn Taiping, as it is known today, and it was officiated by former Perak Chief Minister Tajol Rosli on May 20, 2000.
The budget hotel developed from this takeover featured 24 standard rooms and 2 family rooms. For your information, the hotel was also equipped with other facilities that provided an economic boost to Taiping due to its proximity to other tourist attractions such as Lumut, Pulau Pangkor, the Taiping Lake Gardens, Bukit Larut, and many others throughout the Larut area.
Various unpleasant, spooky, and mysterious stories from the experiences of guests who once stayed at this hotel have spread through word of mouth, perhaps because the building's condition is very eerie and it is an old structure. Due to the rumors of horror and mystery spreading, the hotel was closed around December 2010, as it was said that the management could no longer cover operating costs.
Do you remember the news back in 2010 that the Casuarina Inn was proposed as the starting point for a cable car connecting to Bukit Larut? However, the project went quiet without any updates, and the plan was not pursued further. Perhaps it is because the location is truly haunted, or perhaps it is for the safety of future visitors. Regardless, this building should be preserved due to its unique architecture and should not be left to rot.
