BajaNomad

Hotel Punta Pescadora question

makana.gabriel - 12-18-2008 at 06:17 PM

I have read that Hotel Punta Pescadora was built by Desi Arnaz shortly after his completion of the Eldorado in Indian Wells. Can anyone verify that and add any dates/details?

Ken Bondy - 12-18-2008 at 07:01 PM

I've never heard that and I've been going there since 1974. It is my understanding that it was originally Mexican owned, designed and built by a guy named Jorge Escudero. I got to know the second owners, Bill and Kathy Ward, and they never said anything like that.

BTW it is Punta Pescadero.

[Edited on 12-19-2008 by Ken Bondy]

Ken Bondy - 12-18-2008 at 08:28 PM

I rooted around a bit in my Baja library looking for some history on the hotel Punta Pescadero. All I could find was in Senterfitt's 1973 edition of "Airports of Baja California", p. 212A where Arnold says, in the section on Punta Pescadero, "Managed by George Escudero, who also directed building and scouted up tons of straight mesquite for the poured concrete roofs, worried through various problems, it was all worth it as you relax in a room with sunken fireplace, swim in a tiled pool, or swap hangar flying stories with George." Escudero also designed and supervised the construction of Hotel Las Arenas, which architecturally is very similar to Pescadero with the sunken fireplaces, etc. It's certainly possible, but I have never heard nor read anything about Desi Arnaz being involved in Hotel Punta Pescadero.

Crusoe - 12-19-2008 at 04:32 AM

For what its worth......In the 50s and 60s Desi Arnaz's big hang out was the Del Mar Beach race track in San Diego County. He had a beautiful beach front home there and he and Lucille Ball did alot of entertaining in this house with all the who's who from Hollwood. He loved the horse racing crowd and was at the races each day.He was a very nice individual and very generous. ++C++:D

Baja&Back - 12-19-2008 at 08:56 AM

My info is that Pescadero, Las Palmas & Punta Colorado were all Bobby Van Wormer projects.

Ken Bondy - 12-19-2008 at 09:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Baja&Back
My info is that Pescadero, Las Palmas & Punta Colorado were all Bobby Van Wormer projects.


Niemann's "Baja Legends" says (p.226-228) that Van Wormer built Punta Colorada and bought the Hotel Palmas de Cortez (originally the Hotel Bahia de Palmas) and Playa del Sol, but doesn't say anything about a Van Wormer involvement in Punta Pescadero. It does say (p. 230) that Hotel Punta Pescadero was built in 1968 by Johnny Mitre and Jorge Escudero. So far I can't find anything (including my own memory) which says that either Van Wormer or Desi Arnaz had anything to do with Pescadero.

This is interesting, we used to sit on the veranda of Hotel Punta Pescadero for hours talking to (then) owners Bill and Kathy Ward about the history of the place, and I don't recall anything being said about Arnaz or Van Wormer being involved. Obviously the Wards knew Bobby but only as another East Cape owner.

gnukid - 12-19-2008 at 09:45 AM

They used to tell a story about the old owner/buyer (not Van Wormer) who took a loan for nearly 5 million to develop it and stole the money and left. The Hotel was then placed in receivership by the state and had managers but no on site owner. This explains why the hotel was traditionally empty and of very slow to non-existent service plus an automatic %10 included tax plus 20% tip on overpriced everything. Of course the margaritas and food were always excellent and I have had many news years eve parties there over the years.

We used to play a game when we were younger, who can walk farthest out to sea over the rocks at low tide without touching the water, that is until the sea monster attacked.



[Edited on 12-19-2008 by gnukid]

Ken Bondy - 12-19-2008 at 10:21 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by gnukid
They used to tell a story about the old owner/buyer (not Van Wormer) who took a loan for nearly 5 million to develop it and stole the money and left. The Hotel was then placed in receivership by the state and had managers but no on site owner. This explains why the hotel was traditionally empty and of very slow to non-existent service plus an automatic %10 included tax plus 20% tip on overpriced everything. Of course the margaritas and food were always excellent and I have had many news years eve parties there over the years.

We used to play a game when we were younger, who can walk farthest out to sea over the rocks at low tide without touching the water, that is until the sea monster attacked.

[Edited on 12-19-2008 by gnukid]


I vaguely remember that. That's probably about the same time that the Wards got involved. My kids played the same game with the rocks and saw the same sea monster!!!;D
They also discovered hermit crab races at Pescadero. They would corral all the other kids at the resort, go down to the beach, catch as many hermit crabs as they could, and the races were on. Good memories!!

gnukid - 12-19-2008 at 10:30 AM

Down on the beach, we made a picnic and decided to do it right. The ladies wore dresses and we carried them down the path and had a fine time swimming and relaxing. As I sat on the sand under the shadow of a panga, I witnessed a morey eel come out of the water standing 6 inches high and 6 feet long, he slithered up the sand to the nearby picnic to grab our sashimi in his mouth and returned to the water.

Probably the wildest thing that ever happened at Punta Pescadero I have ever seen...

David K - 12-19-2008 at 10:48 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Crusoe
For what its worth......In the 50s and 60s Desi Arnaz's big hang out was the Del Mar Beach race track in San Diego County. He had a beautiful beach front home there and he and Lucille Ball did alot of entertaining in this house with all the who's who from Hollwood. He loved the horse racing crowd and was at the races each day.He was a very nice individual and very generous. ++C++:D


Of interest maybe... that beach house that Lucy and Desi stayed in belonged to my parents... at 3010 Sandy Lane, Del Mar. It was the house I grew up in and every summer my parents rented it to them and we moved out for three months! It was a deal begun by the Fletchers who owned the home first. I guess the extra summer income was a big plus, and the house was right on a huge sand beach... perfect for parties... and directly west of the race track/ fairgrounds.

We lived there from 1957 to 1964-5... It was the first house on the beach as you entered Del Mar on 101. Lucy even held me when I was a baby (my mom told me).

My folks rented to Desi the summer after he and Lucy had a divorce, and then that was it... Desi bought his own beach home a bit down the beach from ours... and lived their until he died.

The house on Sandy Lane was torn down some years after we sold it and replaced with a big 2 story place, the beach disappeared with the El Niņos of the early 1980's and now a giant jetty of rocks protects the beach homes of Del Mar.

Ken Bondy - 12-19-2008 at 10:48 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by gnukid
Down on the beach, we made a picnic and decided to do it right. The ladies wore dresses and we carried them down the path and had a fine time swimming and relaxing. As I sat on the sand under the shadow of a panga, I witnessed a morey eel come out of the water standing 6 inches high and 6 feet long, he slithered up the sand to the nearby picnic to grab our sashimi in his mouth and returned to the water.

Probably the wildest thing that ever happened at Punta Pescadero I have ever seen...


Hey, that was the sea monster!!!:lol:

Ken Bondy - 12-19-2008 at 10:51 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Of interest maybe... that beach house that Lucy and Desi stayed in belonged to my parents... at 3010 Sandy Lane, Del Mar. It was the house I grew up in and every summer my parents rented it to them and we moved out for three months! It was a deal begun by the Fletchers who owned the home first. I guess the extra summer income was a big plus, and the house was right on a huge sand beach... perfect for parties... and directly west of the race track/ fairgrounds.

We lived there from 1957 to 1964-5... It was the first house on the beach as you entered Del Mar on 101. Lucy even held me when I was a baby (my mom told me).

My folks rented to Desi the summer after he and Lucy had a divorce, and then that was it... Desi bought his own beach home a bit down the beach from ours... and lived their until he died.

The house on Sandy Lane was torn down some years after we sold it and replaced with a big 2 story place, the beach disappeared with the El Niņos of the early 1980's and now a giant jetty of rocks protects the beach homes of Del Mar.


Wonderful history David. Do you know anything about Desi's involvement/lack of involvement in Hotel Punta Pescadero? This thread has really got me interested.

David K - 12-19-2008 at 11:00 AM

Thanks Ken... I have no knowledge of Desi in Baja other than his fishing trips and being the ladies man!

A lot of Hollywood types flew to the Cape area in the 60's. John Wayne was big Baja fan... He even liked the remote places, like Gonzaga Bay.

Punta Pescadero

mulege marv - 12-19-2008 at 11:23 AM

my wife and i loved Punta Pescadero . it was were we stayed one of our first trips to the east cape and retuned several times until the prices just got absurd. we enjoyed the peace and quite it had. my wife would spend hours gathering shells and snorkling at the reef in front of the hotel. then there was the big lizard that lived in the pool. he would hide in the trap and swim out and scare the s*** out of the wife. vidal and jose the bartenders, were the best ! here is a pic of "my child bride" with vidal.

bar2 pp.jpg - 45kB

Ken Bondy - 12-19-2008 at 11:31 AM

marv WOW do I remember Vidal. What a wonderful guy, friendly, helpful. What a great memory this is. Hope he is still on this side of the sod. I remember one time I tried to order some kind of fruit drink from him, using my hack Spanish. I think the words I used contained something like "pedo". Vidal cracked up and told me that I had just ordered a fart. Great photo, thank mucho for posting this.

[Edited on 12-19-2008 by Ken Bondy]

Ken Bondy - 12-19-2008 at 11:41 AM

Here's my whole family at a Pescadero get-together about ten years ago:

Ken Bondy - 12-19-2008 at 11:46 AM

Here's another one of our favorite Pescadero guys, can't remember his name (Jose???) but he was great:




[Edited on 12-19-2008 by Ken Bondy]

Ken Bondy - 12-19-2008 at 11:57 AM

Anybody remember Hugo? He ran Pescadero in the late 70s. Last time I saw him he was running a taxi/shuttle operation at Los Cabos airport. Another great guy:


capt. mike - 12-19-2008 at 01:44 PM

Ken i think Baja Legends by Nieman has the most correct stuff on Pescadero. i was going to recommend that but you got it.
i love staying there. but it has been a wlile. there is a lot of discussion on BBP about the place. when we were last there for a long 3 day weekend it was when the bank had repo'd it and a management team was running it.
we heard all the rumors on how it went back to the lender.
never got the answer on how it was corrected, the financials.
but it is running now.
when shall we go back!!:light:

Kell-Baja - 12-19-2008 at 05:57 PM

What a great thread.

Copy of post on the BBP 2 days ago

Stickers - 12-19-2008 at 08:38 PM

"We just got back from Punta Pescadero for Thanksgiving and i thought people might like to know that it is still terrific. The food was much better than it has ever been. The rates are lower than before and the hotel is really clean. We have been going for a long time and it seemed pretty expensive for a while but is now better. We didn't use the full meal plan which may have made a big difference. They are really bad at publicizing themselves so I think they are off many people's radar (so to speak). But it is still our favorite spot in Mexico".

bartenders

mulege marv - 12-20-2008 at 08:44 AM

pic of the other bartender "jose" with me and my child bride 1997 i think . i wonder if the pic of the young ladies on the boat is still pinned up above the bar ? every guy knows which one i am talking about !!!

[Edited on 12-20-2008 by mulege marv]

pp.jpg - 41kB