The glory days of Ensenada’s Hotel Riviera Pacifico

ENSENADA — At one time, the Hotel Riviera Pacifico was one of the most exclusive hotels in Ensenada, attracting celebrities like Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz during its early years. Even Jack Dempsey, the heavyweight boxing champion, was attached to the company that operated it during the 1930s, the decade when Americans traveled to Mexico to dodge Prohibition. Eventually the hotel went into decline and, after serving as a military headquarter during WWII, it never fully recovered to its onetime glory.

Today, the site has been transformed to Centro Civico, Social y Cultural “Riviera” de Ensenada, translated to the Rivera Cultural Center of Ensenada.