Hotel California, Baja Mexico

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up in the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night...

Since the late 1980's there have been a long running rumor that the Eagle's song Hotel California was penned at a hotel of the same name down the coast in the small town of Todos Santos in Baja Mexico.  Other than the fact that Eagles front man Don Henley has unequivocally denied it, it makes for a good story.  The cover photo from the album is actually of the Beverly Hills Hotel, though there have been plenty of rumors about the album cover and the song's meaning.

My wife kidnapped me to Mexico for a long weekend and we ended up visiting Todos Santos, which has bcome a modest artist community located about an hour north of Cabo San Lucas.  We were there for an arts festival that included poetry readings, some traditional cultural dances and hot cuban jazz.

We did enjoy dinner at the Hotel California.  The food was high quality, the beer was cold and they have their own house brand of tequilla.  What's not to like?

• Amazon: Hotel California
• BBC: Hotel California for Sale
• USA Today: The Real Hotel California?
• Travel Info: Todos Santos, Hotel California, Los Cabos Guide
• Wikipedia: Hotel California