AN ABANDONED luxury resort rotting away in the Maldives with derelict villas and dirty pools has become shrouded in mystery.

A decaying island within the holiday hotspot – which is usually known for its picturesque sights and tropical landscapes – holds a string of villas which have been left for dead.

Once a promising paradise-to-be, the resort sits on one of the archipelago islands, situated southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean.

YouTube star Kale Brock revealed the mysterious area in a video posted to the social media site.

The Australian said his group spotted the eerie location in the distance while on holiday with a tour guide in the Maldives – and convinced him to take them there.

Extraordinary footage showed the group touring half-finished villas, as well as piles of debris and dilapidated bedrooms.

Broken toilets stood aside heaps of rubbish at the swanky hotel surrounded by swathes of tropical forest.

Unkempt pools overflowing with algae can also be seen alongside generators which haven’t been powered in years.

Brock told that the island was supposedly owned by a prominent Maldivian politician.

And he said that construction on the resort reportedly started over a decade ago.

The surfer and YouTuber said: “They were building for two years then for ‘political reasons’.

“We don’t really know, ostensibly maybe they ran out of money.”

He explained: “They’ve literally abandoned the project… There’s bathtubs in unopened but deteriorating boxes.”

Shocking footage also showed unopened spa equipment and massage tables – which were never used to accommodate visitors.

A centrepiece pool filled with murky water and dead bits of plants is also seen on the resort.

The only bit of life that can be seen is the lush palm trees which tower over the forgotten construction.

In one eerie corner of the island, the group stumble across an old Mazda and Nissan — both caked in rust and clearly untouched for years.

They press on to a creepy generator room, lined with bizarre, old machines.

Explorer Brock said the scenes reminded him of films like Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park, and Lost.

Chilling footage showed the most harrowing part of the island, and its supposed crown jewels.

Luxury overwater bungalows that were meant to rake in $5,000 a night sit completely empty, now just crumbling skeletons of wood and steel.

Brock is also seen strolling along a half-destroyed concrete platform where a fancy boardwalk should have been if the project was finished.

Peering out at the sea, Brock said: “World-class lives one kilometre away.”