Cal Neva Resort Still Lives... Sort Of

The Cal Neva Resort renovation is still in progress. For those who don't know, the Cal Neva become famous when Frank Sinatra bought it in 1960 and then invited his Rat Pack buddies Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop to hang out there. Many other celebs hung out there as well, including a young actress named Marilyn Monroe.

The Cal Neva sits on the state line at Crystal Bay on the north end of Lake Tahoe

A vintage photo with cars from the early '60s.

Unfortunately, in recent years, the resort stumbled. New owners went through bankruptcy, and the resort has resembled a ruin more than a hotel.

Then, in January of this year, along came Larry Ellison, the big cheese at Oracle Corporation. If you aren't familiar with Mr. Ellison, he's one of the richest of billionaires, and he likes to invest in land. Among other places where he has a large stake is Incline Village, where he has been building what will no doubt be a grand residence. One of his last big deals was buying nearly all of the Hawaiian island of Lanai for a mere $300 million. (The Cal Neva ruins only cost him $36 million.)

So finally, the Cal Neva has a deep-pockets owner.

Local word is that Ellison's "team" presented renovation plans to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. That alone is a significant step forward and gives locals hope that the Cal Neva site is on track to once again become a glorious hotel.

I'll try to update as appropriate.

P.S. The Cal Neva and Sinatra and Monroe all figure in my novel Tahoe Blue Fire, one of the favorites of my books. It has 505 reviews at an average of 4.6 stars. You can check it out for only $3.99 on Kindle. Here's the link: Tahoe Blue Fire