Palmilla photos

I couldn't stand to leave you with depressing fire photos so here's some nice ones to look at.

Agua at the One and Only: the aftermath

I received a couple of photos anonymously of the aftermath of the fire. They speak for themselves. I'm sure the Market Restaurant will be able to handle the extra traffic. If you were planning on staying at the One and Only Palmilla I wouldn't change plans because of the fire.

Correction to the Palmilla story

Thanks to an anonymous comment by a reader, my history has been corrected.

And I quote:

"The fire was in 'Aqua' is the new restaurant with the beautiful Palapas. The other restaurant that was remodelled is called 'Market', formerly known as restaurant 'C' which is the remodelled original Palmilla Hotel Restaurant."

So there you have it. This person sounds like they know what they are talking about so I won't go too far to verify the comment. I'm sure they are probably connected to the Palmilla somehow. (I used to go visit a friend there years ago who was I believe the head sous-chef at the time. I won't tell you his name but his initials were Jim Wallace. Great guy, married a lovely local girl and has been moving up in the high-end restaurant world ever since. Somewhere along the line my age and poor memory has clouded the picture.)

Thanks "Anonymous." I appreciate it.

One and Only Palmilla Fire Update

I can't add much about the fire except that it sounds like a faulty electrical device was the cause. According to the people I talked to, the dining area and the display kitchen were hardest hit. In my estimation, the repairs will take at least a month so for you Agua fans out there, sorry. I already told you my culinary preferences so I can't even offer you a good alternative. I DO however know where the best taco stands are!!

The Palmilla is literally the cornerstone of Los Cabos tourism, with over fifty years of tradition. (She's rated a DIAMOND which is actually higher than 5 Stars.) The official name change to “The One&Only Palmilla,” came after the purchase by the Kirschner group in 2002. The hotel was remodeled immediately and was extensive, time consuming and the cost was estimated at $90,000,000 (yep, 90 million.) AND by the way, the location along the Southern coast of Baja California Sur is pretty much as nice as you're going to get.

Somehow I was left off the guest list and didn't actually attend but I heard that the grand re-opening was attended by personalities such as: Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones, and hundreds of other famous musicians, politicians, diplomats, sultans, kings and wealthy folks from around the world. Why would all these people take time out of their incredibly busy schedules to spend the night in a nice hotel? Because the grand re-opening was timed to throw an exclusive 50th birthday party celebration for John Travolta. Why else!

I don't see a lot of TV but it was covered by the entertainment channels and a big deal for weeks. The birthday cake alone (valued at $50,000 dollars) was created by one of the most famous pastry chefs in the world, and a star in the world of culinary arts. I've seen pictures: the cake was replica of one of Sr. Travolta's airplanes. Incredible.

So if ya got a little dough to spare, the One and Only is the place to go. Trust me on this.