One Brick at a Time

by Margaret and John Fleming

The history of the Hotel Villa Granada is bound up with the history of Puerto Peñasco and the life of Roberto Fleisher, Sr. and his family. Roberto was born in the U.S. but has lived in Mexico most of his life. He had dual citizenship until the law changed and he was forced to choose. He had a business in Mexico so he chose it, but he is totally at home in either language or either culture. Now in his 70's, he is a delightful and interesting person, one who could accurately be described as a courtly gentleman.
Roberto came to Puerto Peñasco in the early 1960's to take a job at the Hotel Playa Hermosa. He had been a desk clerk for 6 months in Nogales when he was 19 years old, and then a bookkeeper for a maquiladora there, in spite of the fact that his only training in accounting was a year in high school.
When he was hired as manager of the Playa Hermosa, he expected to receive some training, but after 2 or 3 days the owner said, "Goodbye. You're on your own. I'm going back to the U.S."
"But aren't you going to stay and show me the ropes?" asked Roberto.
"I hired you to manage," said the owner. "So do it. Goodbye." And he left.
Roberto did it.
In those days the Playa Hermosa was one of the few hotels in town. It had 20 rooms in front and 12 in back, as well as a restaurant and bar. It was on the beachfront then; the area in front of it, where the Hotel Plaza las Glorias is now, has been filled in since. It was definitely the place to stay. Wealthy Americans from Tucson and Phoenix came: auto dealers like Kelly Rollings and Bill Breck, the mayor of Phoenix, and other dignitaries.
Roberto got a salary plus 10% of the profits. But, as the hotel started making more money, the owner became reluctant to pay Roberto his 10%. So Roberto began looking around for something else. His wife's family knew the owners of the old Hotel Peñasco, also called La Posada--the stone hotel built in 1928--and he asked them if he could lease it. At that time the hotel had 4 rooms with air conditioning and private baths and 8 rooms whose occupants had to use the public bathrooms.
Many of Roberto's clients from the Playa Hermosa followed him to the Posada. There were times when he ran out of rooms to rent, but he set up cots in the lobby, the kitchen, and the laundry. Once when his wife was away, he rented out his own room and slept in the lobby with the extra guests.
Roberto and his wife did almost everything; they had only 2 employees, a cleaner and a night watchman. He served a desk clerk, host, maintenance man, and bartender. His wife operated a restaurant on the front porch and did the cooking.
In those days the rich people who owned boats lived in the Old Port. The city was just a tiny village. Margaritavilla was the red light district.
Roberto bought the land where the Hotel Villa Granada is in 1965. He began by building just 2 rooms--what are today #4 and #5. There was nothing but desert behind them. When he could afford it, Roberto built rooms #1-3, then rooms #6-10 and a patio between. He planted bougainvilleas in the patio. He was still managing La Posada but would send guests over to the Villa Granada when the Posada was full. The hotel got its name because an architect friend of Roberto's said its design was Moorish.
There was another hotel in town called Hotel Mexico, which stood about where the Friendly Dolphin Restaurant is today. It burned down and was not rebuilt.
Meanwhile the Villa Granada was growing, one brick at a time. Roberto borrowed money from a bank in Hermosillo to build the lobby, a restaurant, and a bar. The lobby had a magnificent stone fireplace. Roberto's loan was the first one that bank had ever made to anyone in Puerto Peñasco.
At about the time Roberto added the second floor to the Villa Granada, he gave up working at the old Hotel Peñasco. He was too busy to run both places. Later the third wing of the hotel was added, containing 10 more rooms. Each room had an original painting by Roberto's mother. Roberto inherited her talent because later he painted many more works of art which are still hanging in the hotel's public rooms.
In the 1970's the Hotel hosted many banquets. President Lopez Portillo and Secretary of Hacienda Luis Echverría were among the guests. A train from Mexicali brought many prominent people to the hotel.
When the hotel overflowed, Roberto used his old strategy. One New Year's Eve a group of teenagers from a church in the U.S. were camping on the beach. The weather got so bad that they came and begged Roberto to let them stay in the hotel. He had no rooms, but he set up cots in the lobby for them, and they had a wonderful time. Another time the electricity went out in the bedrooms, but for some reason was still on in the bar. Again Roberto brought out the cots and invited everyone to sleep in the bar
At some point a lattice was built between the first two wings, and the bougainvilleas climbed up and eventually overspread it completely. It was a cool and attractive place to sit outside or to have parties and banquets.
A friend of ours remembers the hotel in the 1980's. Every Sunday the kitchen would roast a pig, and there would be lots of accompanying dishes. Everyone who bought a ticket could eat as much as desired. It was a fun-filled party time every week. During the evenings, there was live music by local musicians. The Villa Granada was definitely the place where the action was.
In the early 1990's when we gave up camping and started getting to know the city, we used to stay at the Villa Granada. By now there were other hotels--Plaza las Glorias, Playa Bonita, Costa Brava, Viña del Mar, Paraiso del Desierto--but we loved the Hotel Villa Granada because it had so much character. By this time a swimming pool had been added, but it was the kind made by putting a plastic liner in the ground. Later a real in-ground concrete pool was installed. The inside bar had windows built so it faced the pool as well as the dining room. A new restaurant was added at the end of the building. The hotel was still a place for action and fun. Pool tables sat in the lobby, and live musicians played on weekends.
In the last few years, various mishaps have befallen the hotel. It has changed hands and changed managers. Having operated as a skeleton for some time, it is now for sale. But its endearing character is still there. The lattice over the patio is gone, but the bougainvilleas are growing, and if a new lattice were built, would quickly climb to cover it. The restaurant is empty, and the bar is silent, but that could be easily changed. We hope that someone will see the potential and restore the Hotel Villa Granada to its former glory.

For Spanish