Hearst Castle
When I visited California for the first time, Hearst Castle was a priority on my wishlist. Built in 1919 in the hills of San Simeon, the home was commissioned by publishing mogul William Randolph Hearst and designed by Julia Morgan, the first female American architect and the first woman to study architecture at the School of Beaux-Arts in Paris. Together these two minds built one of the most extravagant homes in the United States.
The Neptune Pool
What started as a simple idea of a country house in the hills, ended up in 250,000 acres of San Simeon coastline turned into a castle. When the project finished in 1947, Hearst had spent about $6.5 million on construction and an additional $3.5 million on art and furnishings from all around the world. An eclectic mixture of architectural styles, you can spot inspirations of Renaissance, Baroque and Spanish Colonial revival styles throughout the property.
La Cuesta Encantada
One of my favorite parts of the tour, was visiting the Roman pool. It was absolutely breathtaking and looked like something out of a dream. Decorated with statues of roman gods, goddesses and heroes, the roofs, dome and bottom of the pool are covered with mosaics of midnight blue, sprinkled with golden stars.
The Roman pool
If you choose to do the Grand Room Tour, then a guide will take you to various rooms inside the house, including the assembly room, refectory, billiard room, theater and of course the Roman pool. To take a look at all the tours offered click here.
Recommendation: If possible try to take the tour on a weekday (Mon-Wed) early in the morning. The temperatures will be mild and crowding will be at a minimum. Then take the afternoon to explore the surrounding area; San Simeon has a lot to offer. If you’re passionate about wildlife, then make sure to check out the Piedras Blancas Rookery, it hosts up to 24,000 elephant seals each year; while these can usually be spotted on the beach all year long, the best times to visit are during the birthing season late January through April.
The billiard room
Visiting and wandering through the gardens was definitely one of the highlights of my experience. We learned that at one point, it boasted of the world’s largest private zoo with almost 17,000 animals, including African and Asian antelope, camels, llamas, kangaroos, ostriches, elephants as well as giraffes.
Today, in what looks like something out of a surrealist painting, you can still spot zebras grazing on the hillsides next to the ocean.
Hearst Castle is honestly a must-see and something you will want to add to your bucket list. Offering a truly magical experience, La Cuesta Encantada allows us to take a step back into the past and revisit 1920’s America at its finest.