San Simeon, California
Haunting Hearst Castle
This memorable tour included striking sights and an opulent ambience
The Neptune Pool: One of many architectural wonders that tour participants see along the way. —photo courtesy of Lynn Jackart
As far as the eye can see, the deep blue water of the Pacific Ocean glistens under the April sun. Small waves lap against the rugged rocky shoreline as we travel north. This is Highway 1 along the central California coast in the county of San Luis Obispo.
On the other side of the highway, clouds are hanging above the green rolling hills of the Santa Lucia Mountains, making this day trip not only colourful but very special.
When we arrived at the small town of San Simeon, a sign read, “Hearst Castle next right.” We turned and followed the road up to a visitors centre. Here we learned about the history of the Hearst family, how they made their fortune and the era in which they lived. A separate display room with artifacts showed us the life of William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), why the castle was built in this area and its history. A gift shop, café and forty-five minute video called Building the dream, documents the construction of the castle with aerial views of the countryside.
Our tour began at 1 p.m. and was called the “Experience Tour.” This is one of many different tours of the 90,080 square-foot estate which consists of 56 bedrooms, 41 fireplaces, 61 bathrooms and 19 sitting rooms in Mediterranean Revival-style architecture.
We showed our tickets and stood in line to get on the bus. These buses climb the steep, winding road up to the castle and travel at a certain speed to coincide with a narrative audio tape welcoming us to the castle and interesting sights along the way. The winding road also gave us a wonderful view of the ocean and surrounding hills.
Beginning an adventure
When we reached the castle, we were greeted by our tour guide, who asked us to follow a few rules. We had to turn off the flash on our cameras (flashes harm the delicate tapestries), stay with the group and only stand in designated areas.
At the start of the tour was the magnificent Neptune Pool. The clouds had parted and the bright sunshine highlighted the famous shimmering pool, it was surreal. The clear blue water, towering white columns and marble statues constructed on a hill made it seem like it was floating. We followed the group and visited the Esplanade and Gardens, with more beautiful statues, manicured gardens and concrete patios. Many staircases led from one level to the next and the view of the Pacific Ocean was spectacular.
Casa del Sol—an 18-room guest house—was next. We visited four bedrooms, four baths and a sitting room. The breathtaking main house is Casa Grande (60,645 square feet) where the dining halls have hand-carved ceilings and the sitting room walls are covered in giant tapestries dating back hundreds of years. We were shown a very large armchair where Winston Churchill sat and smoked his cigar. If you closed your eyes you could picture the smoke-filled room and dark ambience. A movie theatre and massive billiard room were also part of the tour.
An intricate walk through hidden doorways, secret passages and rooms led us to the indoor swimming pool. The empty pool was inlaid with one-inch blue Venetian glass and gold tiles from floor to ceiling. I envisioned the pool filled with water, celebrities and movie stars such as Clark Gable and Greta Garbo swimming and diving into the glittering blue and gold water—it was like a dream. The tour drifted outside where two sunken tennis courts kept the ball in the court.
A magnificent experience
The tour of the castle ended and we got back on the bus. The ride down the mountain was different from the ride up to the castle. We travelled again at a certain speed and another narrative audiotape continued our tour. We passed empty wild animal cages where Mr. Hearst kept bears, lions, leopards and cheetahs along with many other animals. There were rolling hills of grazing land, servant’s quarters and an air strip where Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes and Charles Lindbergh once landed their planes.
The bus stopped at the visitor centre where our tour had started. We had stepped back in time where movie stars partied and enjoyed opulent surroundings, and money was no object. It was an unforgettable experience to visit this magnificent Historic State Monument that is now operated by California State Parks.
We walked to the car and drove back to the highway. As we turned south I looked back up at the castle on the “enchanted hill.” The clouds were starting to close in and cover the hill; its secrets were safe.
