On Valentine's Day, we drove to Hearst Castle in San Simeon, roughly two hours south of Monterey on Route 1. This 40,000 acre property was originally used as a camping retreat by a wealthy miner named George Hearst. It was later inherited by his son and newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, who built numerous guest houses, pools and gardens to flank a magnificent Mediterranean style main house, called Casa Grande. In the 1920's-30's, this private retreat entertained many celebrities and business tycoons for fancy dinner parties and movie screenings. The 250,000 acre property was actually a ranch, complete with orchards and farm animals for sustainability due to its remote location on the hill. The over 60,000 square foot main house was built in the Gothic style, which is why it resembles a castle or cathedral.
We boarded a bus at the visitor's center and drove a couple miles up a windy road to the house. There are still some animals grazing there today. In 1923, Hearst built the largest private zoo in the world to house exotic animals as if in their "natural" state. He even had a special section for polar bears. Imagine recreating an arctic environment in central California for the bears to survive.
As we approached the property, we could see why this was such a prime location. The view was breathtaking. It didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous day! Since the property was perched up high, you could see the beautiful green hillside from one vantage point, or turn and see the fog hovering over the Pacific from another angle. Kevin and I enjoyed the view from the outside more than the house itself. The grounds were spectacular. The orchards had plenty of fuit on the trees throughout the property. The gardens and terraces were filled with marble statues imported from Europe and Egypt.
One of the many guest houses on the property. The only bedrooms we were allowed to see on this particular tour were in the guest houses.
Our favorite part of the whole tour was the outdoor Neptune Pool. There were three rennovations on this pool in order to provide Hearst's wife and children with a large pool for swimming. Hearst Family descendants still use this pool for parties today. The Roman structures surrounding the pool were men's and women's dressing rooms. It was an amazing site.
Terrace overlooking the Neptune Pool
The main house itself was filled with antiques from all over the world. Hearst wanted to recreate the grandeur of the castles he had seen in Europe. The golden gates in front of the doorways were from a convent. He had the largest collection of antique Spanish ceilings in the world on this propery. I didn't know there was such a thing. Everything in his house was a collectible from his travels abroad and could not be touched. I had half a foot off the designated carpet path and the tour guide reprimanded me. He wasn't very friendly. Thank God for our main guide Linda, who was very nice and informative.
Inside the main house was a collection of various themes. This common room was used to entertain guests. The wood is very dark inside, even on a sunny day. If you look closely, you will see a painting of the Madonna and Child, a Roman marble statue, and tapestries that often came from Finland. There wasn't a common theme in the room, which is a style he carried throughout the house. We had to laugh at the many religious references throughout the property due to the fact that he became estranged from his wife and took on a mistress. His parties were a way for important people to have a good time. It was a very indulgent lifestyle that actually turned us off. He used his wealth to entertain, make exhorbitant rennovations and to create a lavish lifestyle just because he could. I was surprised they didn't talk about any philanthropies or other charitable ways of spending his wealth. He wanted what he wanted at whatever the cost. It's no wonder he fell on hard financial times by the late 1930's.
Dining Room in the Main House
This is the indoor Roman Pool located in the main house. It was completely tiled and accented with gold. It was beautiful and our favorite part of the indoor tour.
After Hearst died in the 1950's, the entire property was donated to California State Parks. If you are interested in learning about the history of Hearst Castle, click on the following link:
On the way back to our campsite, we came upon the quaint town of Cambria and enjoyed a casual Valentine's Dinner at Mustache Pete's. I was sorry to see the day come to an end!
