The 4-star Jerma Palace Hotel was the finest hotel in southern Malta from 1982 until its closure in 2007—after which it became yet another proof that entropy always increases in a system left to itself.
For 25 years, the Jerma Palace Hotel was the largest and finest hotel in the south of Malta.
It transformed Marsaskala from the quiet fishing village it was in 1982 into a bustling town of nearly 10,000 residents by the time the hotel closed in 2007.
The 4-star resort remains a subject of local myths and conspiracy theories.
What we do know is that it was built and operated by a Libyan company back when Libya was a dictatorship sponsoring terrorism...
...that following the 2008 financial crisis it was purchased by firms shrouded in corruption claims...
... and that since then, it has simply been left to the elements.
Today, all that remains is a naked concrete skeleton—used as a public toilet, a graffiti canvas, and an illegal dumping ground.
Yet life goes on around it.
For those who dare to slip past Jerma Palace's poorly secured gates...
...the area still offers a perfect spot to fish or snorkel despite the dramatic, decaying backdrop.
