Let us take a step back in time and consider just how Cabo was established and how it became the legendary destination for those in the know. Here is a shortened story of those early dreamers that transformed Cabo San Lucas and the southern region of the Baja from a desolate, Wild West on the tip into the must visit, internationally acclaimed oasis that is Los Cabos.
We will explore the earliest histrionics in another ramble, for now we will take a look at the first 7 hotels that set the tone for this transformation.
The Palmilla – established 1956
The very first hotel was the Palmilla Hotel that opened in 1956. Rod Rodriguez had the gall and foresight to throw caution aside and bought and developed Punta Palmilla after first establishing the Rancho Las Cruces. The son of General Abelardo Rodriguez former President of Mexico, Rod established Rancho Las Cruces south of La Paz for the affluent Americans willing to fly down for legendary fishing. After early success he expanded to San Jose and the bought the Punta Palmilla. This 400 acres of mostly ocean front land was bought for a whopping $15,000 in 1954. In 1956 Hotel Palmilla opened with just 15 rooms. Rod’s wife Lucille was a Hollywood actress and the celebrities flocked to this site via small planes that would land in a private airstrip nearby. His partner in this second project was the pioneering American Bud Parr. Expanded to 53 suites in 1984 and a Jack Nicklaus golf course in 1991, then was sold and completely refigured in 2004 into the One & Only Palmilla with 172 rooms and suites. The Grand Opening was shortly after John Travolta’s massive 50th birthday bash. This $90 million transformation has suites up to the huge Villa Cortez with its private beach and over 10,000 sq ft of luxury mega villa. If you have to ask the price you can’t afford to stay in the villa.
The Hotel Cabo San Lucas 1961
Bud Parr from Southland first started coming in the early 1950’s for the fishing. The only way down was a private plane or a long boat trip down the Pacific side. After partnering with Rod on the Palmilla he decided to try out a second location where there was a decent boat launch and a remarkable reef at Chileno Bay. This certainly paid off and he was ready to further expand by buying the Hacienda in 1977 after the dredging of the Cabo Marina. The Hotel Cabo San Lucas started out modestly as the tourism was limited to the few wealthy fishing enthusiasts and the celebrity set including John Wayne, Desi Arnez, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Lucille Ball and Kirk Douglas. Perched upon a rocky bluff with amazing views the hotel was a favorite for many decades. It has since been torn down to make way for the Chileno Bay project with its impressive beach club, Tom Fazio designed private golf course, private estates and Hotel.
The Hotel Camino Real – 1964, renamed Hotel Hacienda in 1977
The Real Hotel Group from Mexico City was renown for building luxury boutique hotels and gambled on Cabo before there was much of a market. Bud Parr purchased it in 1977 and renamed it Hotel Hacienda. The location was near the tuna cannery and built next to the airstrip that was just behind the beach. The airstrip would later be dredged up and made into the Marina in Cabo. What an ideal location that had fishing right out the door and an exceptional swimming beach protected by Land’s End. The bunkered villas were unique and the pools had such a great view that it attracted wealthy clients. It was demolished in 2005 then resurrected as the Hacienda Beach Club luxury private residences. BP’s Bar at the property is a tribute to Bud Parr’s legacy.
Hotel Bajo Colorado 1970 and renamed Hotel Twin Dolphin 1977
In the corridor there is the horseshoe shaped bay, Bahia Santa Maria, that is a favorite for snorkeling excursions and a favorite for the tour boats as this is one of the best protected swimming areas. The Hotel Twin Dolphin was bought and expanded by David Haliburton Sr, a rich Texas oilman. This iconic location was a favorite hotel that had a unique boutique quality and a wonderful staff. Santa Maria Bay has course granite pebbles instead fine sand that easily brushes off the skin. The second beach Playa Las Viudas made the hotel even more a favorite location for Bob Hope and Ernest Hemingway, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and later Jerry Garcia. The massive three developments in the formerly one Twin Dolphin is now composed of Maravilla Residences, The Montage Residences and the Montage Resort Los Cabos. The beaches are still open to the public but you are now parking further away and walking from there.
The Finisterra 1972
Luis Coppola and Luis Bulnes partnered and built this first hotel on the Pacific in 1972. One of the original oceanfront hotels that is still standing to this day. Imagine climbing this promontory and thinking, this would make an excellent hotel location. What was an engineering marvel at the time with its cliff side location and views of the bay to the south and expansive Pacific views to the south also made the project quite the challenge. Whale watching is easily done from your balcony. Just don’t try swimming here on a rough day as the Pacific drops off quickly to thousands of feet and the nearest land is Antartica just over 7000 nautical miles away. The huge palapa restaurant by the pool has withstood a few storms. And the millions of turtles that have hatched over the millennia call this beach home. Redesigned and renamed Sandos Finisterra Los Cabos in 2014 it is now an all inclusive resort.Mar de Cortez 1972
The original building of the Hotel Mar de Cortez was opened in downtown Cabo San Lucas in 1972 by Simon Yee and Carlos Ungson. Carlos Ungson is the son of Benjamin Ungson that arrived in Mexico by way of his native China is 1935. Bud Parr convinced young Carlos that his future was in Cabo and drafted him to help run the Hotel Cabo San Lucas and later manage the Palmilla and Twin Dolphins. He made enough money to buy up what was cheap land inland and north. Opening Mar de Cortez was a stroke of genius as there were no affordable options to the celebrity laden properties along the beaches and bays. Mar de Cortez has watched the town build up and surround it from what was once a desolate location. It is still a value priced hotel that is very much unchanged 45 years later.
Hotel Solmar 1974
At the southern-most tip of this amazing peninsula is the Hotel Solmar. I guess you could in theory have built even further south but one man, Luis Bulnes decided to donate this craggy mountainous land and make it a national treasure called Land’s End. If you drive down Federal Highway 1 from California you will eventually end at the door of the reception area of what is now Grand Solmar at Land’s End. They are delighted to check you in to what might be one of the greatest locations of all the great Cabo Resorts. Don Luis was a young Spaniard that scored a job at Impresas Pando tuna cannery, at that time the largest in Mexico. He made his mark not as the jefe at the cannery but with his fishing fleet that would finance his resort empire. The original timeshare members were not all happy when their 25 year lease was up and the old hotel was torn down to make way for the huge 11 story 5 star resort with 6 pools and 5 restaurants.
In summary we must all pay a hardy thank you to these early achievers and pioneers of Los Cabos. These men, women and their families achieved greatness through hard work, sweat and unwavering determination that is hard to fully imagine. Their success was a combination of blind luck and timing. The fact that the celebrities and wealthy started the Cabo tourism trend due to the limiting access by private plane or boat capable enough to make it here was a filter that drove the luxury minded hotels. That trend has continued as we see the latest round of luxury resorts and communities opening everywhere. If you long for the Baja of old don’t despair you will just have to go a few miles up on either coast and away from the lights you will find hundreds of miles of unspoiled beaches, rolling cactus hills and rocky mountains.
KT Morgan
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