Don Henley stayed at the Hotel California = Urban Legend

It’s my favorite song. And that is why for years I never ever questioned that the famous “Hotel California” in Todos Santos was in fact the very same one that the Eagles made famous.

And after 14 years of visiting Cabo…I finally made the…errr… pilgrimage to this famous hotel in the middle of the Baja Desert.

I found myself in the car with my friend…and my conservative self was asking…was this a good idea to be driving out to the middle of nowhere? Between my “hola” and her “como estas” I figured we knew enough Spanish to get by.

So off we went, cameras in tow into the car we went an hour through the surprisingly (desert) lush country. Sand on the left. Dirt and cactus on the right. My eyes firmly on the windy yet very well paved road below. I kind of felt like a race car driver until I got reminded I didn’t want to get a ticket on this deserted road.

We arrived at the hotel, small and plain looking at first glance. It reminded me of old photos I had seen. I’ve since done my research and learned that the hotel has had different names. Don Antonio Wong Tobasco and his wife, Sra. Trinidad Castillo de Tabasco, began construction on the hotel in 1947 and named it Hotel California. In the 70′s to early 80′s it was known as the Hotel Mission Todos Santos and then it became the Hotel California once again.

Now… keep in mind that this small little town is … in the middle of the desert in an unknown part of the Baja peninsula. As the story goes, a real estate mystery man started a rumor in the 80”s to create excitement about the area. Call him a marketer beyond his time and one that liked to bend the truth… he started to tell everyone that listened that the very hotel was where Don Henley stayed for $2 per night and that’s where he wrote that song. By the way – he slept on a hammock. No turn down service for him.

Todos Santos grew. A fine Italian restaurant opened and attracted further attention. Journalists, tourists, and groupies (ahem) have flocked since. All while humming the song in the car on the drive there.

In 1997, a journalist by the name of Joe Cummings wrote Don Henley to verify the legend. Don Henley immediately replied by fax (there was no emails, texts or such back then), “I can tell you unequivocally that neither myself nor any of the other band members have had any sort of association – business or pleasure – with that establishment.”

Oh SIGH!

Of course – I only found this out after my visit.

Nevertheless.

It was a fine boutique hotel. Extremely colorful lobby. Charming gift shop, bar, and courtyards. The colors were from the very warm and vibrant palette only found in Mexico.

It was about 4pm and there was impromptu tango in the hotel lobby. Everyone was having fun. And who care’s that Don Henley hadn’t been there. It’s still a worthwhile place to visit while you’re in Cabo.

I wonder how many women he's delighted and danced with?

A painter spilled all his paint and used broad strokes to turn it into art

Intricate door in Hotel California courtyard