Hotel California

Every year, tourists flock to Todos Santos. After all, it's home to the Hotel California of Eagles fame, right? Just like everyone else, Haukur and I wanted to live the legend.

When we arrived at the hippy pilgrimage, Haukur about had to stand in line to get a picture with the architectural icon. I hadn't read up about it in advance, but - with its reputation - I figured the hotel had some amazingly groovy history. Nope. Not really. Not even ghosts. Well, maybe kind of, sort of.

Group think

I started getting suspicious when I noticed that the Hotel California didn't look a thing like the Eagles' album cover. Not in the least. But, eager to believe the myth, I figured that, in keeping with its Mexican lore, the picture must surely be of a mission in the area.

Back in the '70s, Hotel California Todos Santos marketed itself as THE Hotel California of the Eagles' fame. It's owners were clever and applied for a patent to the song's name before the Eagles had gotten around to it themselves. This led to a lawsuit, which the band won and today, the Hotel California is not allowed to market itself as such any longer.

The legend is a myth

The Eagles song was a real boon for the elegant hotel. Until the mid-70s, the Baja California peninsula had been extremely isolated. That changed when railroads and highways were built between its principal cities,

By the 1970s, the '60s countercultural movement was in full psychedelic bloom. With better infrastructure came easy access to its beautiful sandy beaches and the emergence of drug trafficking, bringing a lot more tourism to the Mexican peninsula. The hotel has profited from it for the last 50 years.

Is it worth a visit? Absolutely.
https://findpenguins.com/haraldsson.gs/footprin…

P.S.
I noticed the gardener left the privacy gate open so was able to get a picture of the Hotel California's luscious swimming pool and gardens before I was thrown out.

www.hotelcaliforniabaja.com

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