Hurricane Odile Ravages Los Cabos / Cabo San Lucas Hotels and Community
(Hat Tip to Brian Cohen for the news)
I wasn’t aware of the severity of the damage to Los Cabos, Cabo San Lucas, and other Baja California cities until I saw the photos from this article from The Daily Mail UK. I was in Cabo last month, so seeing some of the photos from the destruction is very sad. It was such a beautiful region of Mexico with very friendly people. It is sad to see what this storm did to the landscape. It really hit home when I saw the photos from the Hilton Los Cabos resort where I was staying. I can’t imagine what it was like to stay there during the storm. I can only imagine the hours of non-stop terror, extremely load noises, and fright-filled sleepless nights. Here are some of the photos from the article. If you have ever stayed at the Hilton Los Cabos, you will recognize the location of this photos.
I still can’t believe the destruction. It is just unbelievable. This is how the Hilton Los Cabos Resort looked just a few weeks earlier…
If you have any upcoming trips to Baja California, check the hotel’s website to see if there is any major damage to your hotel. Most hotels are closed temporarily for repairs and may not be open for several weeks or months.
If you travel often (which I hope you do), you are bound to experience something like this. The experience of going some place and having a great time, appreciating the local people, the beautiful landscapes, and taking in the sights. When something bad happens to a place you have been before, you get this strange feeling. I don’t know how to describe it, it kind of feels like someone has ripped part of your memory and tarnished your vacation, even though it already happened. I hope you understand what I am saying.
I’ve had similar thoughts after visiting New York City before 9/11, visiting New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina, visiting Aruba before Natalee Holloway went missing, and now Cabo San Lucas before Hurricane Odile. Maybe I leave bad luck wherever I go, or maybe I have good timing that I get to visit places before bad things happen. I don’t know.
What do you think? Do you ever feel that way too? Let me know below.
Wow, tough to look at. I stayed at the Hilton Los Cabos 2 years ago. Great place to stay, it looks like it will take the entire area a long time to recover, very sad.
I saw a photo of the new Hyatt Place also, it took a pretty hard hit. I wonder how the Hyatt all inclusive is doing?
I’m sure all the hotels and resorts have some sort of damage. Hopefully they will be able to rebuild and reopen soon.
My mom originally planned a trip to Cabo that will take place a few weeks from now. Would it still be possible to do a trip there? Also, she used Virgin America Elevate points to book the flight from SFO. If she cancels her flight, then will Virgin America refund the points for no fee?
Possibly, call Virgin America and see if they can cancel or rebook the flight. They should be accommodating.
I believe if she has the Virgin America Visa which has higher fees she can cancel or change without fees.
Such a sad situation …prayers for all the families and businesses who took an emotional physical or financial hit from this …. Thanks for commenting on this grant
You’re welcome Alex, I feel the same as you. Very sad situation.
Hi Grants,
Thanks. I thought about it when I was at Yellowstone Park since after your review we plan to visit this place next year.
Hai
I was just at the Hilton for a week in Aug 2014, so sad to see this! It is a great place and the staff made it even better. Glad no one was hurt.
Yes, that is the most important part. I’m glad everyone is safe.
Hey Grant. I’ve been meaning to email you / post about our trip to Cabo. I’d love to share stores with you about our trip, and vent a bit about getting caught in our own hurricane while down there… but it all seems moot and insignificant now. I know EXACTLY how you feel. We were in Cabo, the week before last for 5 days. It’s just so fresh in my mind. I was zipping back and forth from the marino in Cabo San Lucas down to Costa Azul in San Jose and up to Cerritos looking for surf everyday. And now, seeing all the destruction — my heart just breaks. We met so many great people that really went above and beyond to take care of our family (including our 2 year old son) during our trip. Our flight was canceled (Southwest from Orange County) because of Hurricane Norbert passing by, and we were forced to stay another day. For as much as that sucked, we were very fortunate as we were able to stay another night in our hotel and keep our rental car for another day — without having to trek all the way to the airport to find out our flight was canceled. The hotel staff at Marina Fiesta was amazing. I can’t say enough about them. They did everything in their power to keep us comfortable and safe — at the sacrifice of their own families. The staff did not even go home. They stayed on premises 24 hrs — one woman had her kids come to the hotel since she couldn’t go home — and did everything in their power to help us. I was so amped up to write Southwest and give them my feedback about our experience traveling internationally with them — there were definitely some hiccups with their system — and ask them to help compensate us for the extra hotel night and car rental — but now… I feel guilty even thinking about trying to get anything for our misfortune, when our situation was so menial compared to what’s gone on there this week.
I pray that Cabo comes back online soon and that tourists will continue to go down there, even if the infrastructure hasn’t been completely re-built. It’s our tourist dollars that will help all the residents get back some of their lives as soon as possible.
Hi Mike,
It is a very nice thing to say. I just wonder what happen during that time if your rental car was damage due to hurricane?