Post #637066 by TikiVato on Fri, May 18, 2012 12:38 PM

I never said I wasn't going to drink today, I said I wasn't going to drink as much as yesterday. But I think I was telling myself a lie.
I got to the cultural center about eight this morning. Bars don't open til 10am in Baja. I so wanted a bloody mary to ease the pain.
Alfredo Derek had not arrived to work yet. I was able to track down the operations manager (Alfonso Gonzales Vega) who has worked there nearly as long as the place had started with the renovation. Alfonso took me on a one on one guided tour of the Hotel and Casino. This is his account and history of the cultural Center:

The Hotel was first named the Playa Hotel. It was later renamed "EL Hotel Riviera del Pacifico". The bar that I went to yesterday was part of the hotel. When the hotel was completed, construction was started on the casino and in between the casino and the hotel was a lounge area used for dinning and dancing (Emperado dinning and Emperado Lounge), now called the Salon Catedral).

Attached to this area was a separate room that housed a bar. I was able to convince Alfonso to grant me access to the room and allow me to take photographs. There were several paintings behind the bar. At first glance, my jaw dropped. The paintings appeared to be done by the same artist of the bar in the hotel. Unfortunately the signature read "Ramos Martinez". The mural had demons and all, I could have sworn this would be a Bowers mural and I was devastated that I found the Martinez signature.






Read "Ramos Martinez"

I asked him if he knew anything about a bar within the hotel or casino named the beachcomber. Alfonso contacted the curator, Maribel Quintero. She told Alfonso that there was a bar on ground level, below Los Emperado. That bar was named the Beachcomber. Alfonso said the bar was completely destroyed by vandals and looters. It was turned into an art school.The Beachcomber was located on the other side of these windows.

I was able to convince Alfonso to use his key and let me into the place just to say that I was there. He allowed me in and I took photos of the area.
Bar area:
more bar area:

Kitchen area for the Beachcomber:

Alfonso and Maribel were extremely gracious and I hope to do a return trip with anyone wanting to see the cultural center and drink a $4.00 Casadores margarita. Sven, I did purchase a book the the 75th anniversary of the Del Hotel Ensenada. Lots of pictures of a lifestyle long ago. Unfortunately no pictures of the Beachcomber bar. I can take it to IMP at Don's in June and you can browse through it or borrow it for a few weeks.