Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Mexico San Blas Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa

A wild Hollywood resort thwarted by mosquitoes.

San Blas, Mexico

Added By
Facebook100001543962563
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
A canopied entrance to the once luxurious hotel (Flickr/oladybug0)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladybug/49192...
Wreckage where the Playa Hermosa once stood (Flickr/oladybug0)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladybug/49186...
Vines creep up the side of the hotel (Flickr/oladybug0)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladybug/49191...
Remnants of the luxury tiling (Flickr/oladybug0)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladybug/49192...
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Playa Hermosa was first discovered by American celebrities in the 1950s, and quickly began a 20-year stint as the ideal location for heaving drinking, drug-fueled benders and steamy love affairs.

The resort was built in 1951 and opened to a grand ceremony presided over by the President of Mexico, Miguel Alemán Valdés. Valdés saw an opportunity to turn San Blas into one of the most premiere resort towns in the country, attracting tourism from around the world. While standing in front of the impressive and elegant hotel to give a brief speech, President Valdés was overwhelmed by mosquitoes and no-see-ums, forcing him to abandon the ceremony entirely.

Despite the foreboding bug problem, Playa Hermosa opened its doors and quickly became a hot Hollywood hangout. In the 1950s, Lee Marvin made his way to San Blas for boozy fishing trips on the coast. During that time, Playa Hermosa began to gain a reputation as a free-for-all, and other celebrities came in droves. Liz Taylor and Richard Burton even ventured to San Blas to escape the media during their turbulent relationship in the 1960s.

The most notorious of the Playa Hermosa's clientele was the lead singer of the Doors, Jim Morrison. Allegedly, Morrison spent a drug and alcohol-fueled vacation in 1969 in one of the hotel's rooms, and penned the lyrics to L.A. Woman.

Morrison's stay was the apex of Hollywood's involvement in San Blas and the Playa Hermosa, and shortly after the hotel began to fall into disrepair. Horrible mosquitoes drove away glamorous celebrities and the hotel entered a new phase, mostly housing ex-pats during the 1970s and 1980s.

Since then, the Playa Hermosa has continued to decay, and is now only a washed out relic on the beach. There are no substantial plans to restore the hotel, and its ruins are surrounded by a fence. Still, adventurous visitors armed with bug spray can peruse the outer regions of the infamous hotel by walking about a mile from the main plaza in San Blas.

Related Tags

Shops Places To Stay Ruins

Know Before You Go

Down a sandy road in San Blas, easily found by asking locals or consulting a guidebook

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Yucatan Family Adventure: Meteors, Pyramids & Maya Legends

Explore Maya temples and learn about the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Facebook100001543962563

Edited By

atimian

  • atimian

Published

September 7, 2011

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.visitsanblas.com/sanblas.html
  • http://atrampabroad.com/forgotten-places-playa-hermosa-hotel-san-blas-mexico/
  • http://www.moon.com/destinations/puerto-vallarta/the-nayarit-coast/san-blas-and-vicinity/sights/hotel-playa-hermosa
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Blas,_Nayarit
Playa Hermosa
Playa Hermosa
San Blas, 63743
Mexico
21.526141, -105.27873
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Mexicaltitán de Uribe

Mexcaltitán de Uribe, Mexico

miles away

Alta Vista Petroglyph Complex

Chacala, Mexico

miles away

Cementerio de Sayulita

Sayulita, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico

Mexico

North America

Places 596
Stories 61

Nearby Places

Mexicaltitán de Uribe

Mexcaltitán de Uribe, Mexico

miles away

Alta Vista Petroglyph Complex

Chacala, Mexico

miles away

Cementerio de Sayulita

Sayulita, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico

Mexico

North America

Places 596
Stories 61

Related Places

  • Melnik, Bulgaria

    Historic Melnik

    This tiny Bulgarian town offers a stunning location in the mountains and a storied history.

  • Hot Wells Hotel and Spa. (Creative Commons)

    San Antonio, Texas

    Hot Wells Hotel and Spa

    Ruins of a once-opulent grand Victorian resort.

  • Wall 1.

    Athens, Greece

    Divani Palace Acropolis Fortification Wall

    A preserved portion of an ancient Athens barrier is displayed in a hotel basement.

  • Looking up to the glass floor.

    Athens, Greece

    Roman Tomb in Zara

    The ruins of an ancient Roman tomb hidden in the basement of a trendy clothing store.

  • The hotel.

    Rome, Italy

    Palazzo Naiadi Roman Baths

    Ancient ruins hidden underneath a modern luxury hotel.

  • View of the temple in the grounds of the hotel.

    St. Paul's Bay, Malta

    Buġibba Temple

    The ruins of a megalithic monument sit right in the garden of a luxurious Maltese resort.

  • Hotel Alex Johnson.

    Rapid City, South Dakota

    Hotel Alex Johnson

    One of America’s oldest and spookiest hotels, thanks to the residency of ghosts, dead presidents, and Alfred Hitchcock.

  • The Utter Inn on a frozen lake.

    Västerås, Sweden

    Utter Inn

    A floating underwater hotel, created by a Swedish artist.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.