"One of the 1000 places you need to see before you die" ⠀
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That's what they said about the Ariau Towers Hotel before it was swallowed up by the jungle. The history of this place began in the 80s of the last century, when the French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau went from Belem in northern Brazil to explore the Amazon River basin.
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Cousteau was so inspired by the area that he came up with the idea to create a hotel in the heart of the Amazon rainforest in the style of local Brazilians. The hotel provided awareness of the problems in the region, provided guests with the opportunity to get to know the forest without having to penetrate further than the outskirts, and provided more than 400 direct and 300 indirect jobs for local residents. ⠀
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The unique complex consisted of seven towers-bungalows on stilts, towering over the rainforest and interconnected by a system of wooden bridges about 8 km long. In addition, there were 2 swimming pools, 2 observation towers, 2 restaurants, 2 helipads, a white sand beach, 4 bars and an auditorium with a capacity of 450 people. ⠀
The most famous people of the planet, actors, politicians, even royal families rested here. The hotel brought in more than $ 12 million annually, grew rapidly and developed ... until its owner died, whose heirs could not share the wealth that had fallen on their heads. The employees of the hotel stopped being paid, for which they dismantled the hotel bit by bit, leaving only the frames of the buildings.