Crystal Bay Boat Rentals

About a 15 minute boat ride from Kings Beach you will find Crystal Bay point- the stateline of California and Nevada. Passing through two states at once you see the historic CalNeva where the movie Bad Times at The El Royale was based off of. This historic hotel and casino was constructed in 1926. After renovations, the hotel now has 220 total rooms with some in Nevada and some in California.

In 1960 Frank Sinatra became the majority stakeholder of the lodge. It is said that Sinatra used prohibition-era underground smuggling tunnels to allow mob members to move around without being seen. Rumor has it that these tunnels lead to the deepest part of Lake Tahoe at 1644 feet where Sinatra and his mobsters would dump bodies. It is also said that Marilyn Monroe stayed here a week before her death in 1962. She attempted suicide in one of the rooms but contacted the front desk and was rushed to the hospital to get her stomach pumped. The cabin she stayed in is still known as Monroe’s.

After several different owners, a decline in revenue and wear and tear on the infrastructure, the CalNeva was shut down in 2010. There have been repeated failed attempts to renovate and reopen the lodge. The property was bought by McWhinney, a real estate company out of Denver in April of 2023. They have announced plans to convert it into a luxury hotel. Keep an eye out for this historic hotel and casino when passing by Crystal Bay.