Page 26 - THE BOOK BREEZE 1

A Romantic Introlude at

The El Cortez Hotel

Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton
were well known Hollywood actors at
the highlight of their careers in the late
1960’s and early 1970’s. Known for
starring together in love stories such
as “Cleopatra”, “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof”
and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”,
they were also well known for their
own love story which spanned sever-
al decades & 2 marriages. Their rela-
tionship was described as “crazy” and
“mad” fueled by alcohol. However, the
real love story is best told in their own
words. In “The Richard Burton Diaries”,
published in 2012, Burton wrote about
a night they spent together at the El Cortez Hotel in San Felipe, B.C. in July,
1970. I was born in 1963 and by 1971 my parents had discovered San Fe-
lipe, specifically, Club de Pesca. I have fond
memories of camping on the beach there, right
next to the El Cortez Hotel. By 1973, my par-
ents bought a house in Club de Pesca where
my brothers and I spent summers and school
vacations. I became good friends with the hotel
owner’s son Victor and I have fond memories
of spending a lot of time at the El Cortez Ho-
tel. Specifically, I remember the Spanish style
bungalows, the El Cortez Restaurant, the Barefoot Bar and the elegant El
Cortez Bar that looked out over the Sea of Cortez from the 2nd floor of the
restaurant. At night, you could see the full moon rising with it’s light shining
into the dark bar. Often, there was a piano player entertaining the crowd or
classic Mexican love songs playing over the speakers. The bar and hotel had
the essence of mid-century modernism, much like you see in Palm Springs
or Las Vegas.
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