Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument Travel Page by Dabs

"San Simeon was the place God would have built--if he had the money." George Bernard Shaw

I've been wanting to visit Hearst Castle for as long as I can remember but it's never been close to another destination that I've been visiting, it's 4 1/2 hours from Los Angeles and 5 hours from San Francisco but when I mentioned to Kat (keida84) that I wanted to visit on this trip she suggested an overnight in Cambria and a few points to stop on the way up and we had an enjoyable two day trip through California's central coast to go along with a visit to what I'm sure must be the most impressive (former) personal residence in the United States. Just the Neptune pool and the Roman pool were worth the trip!!!

Visits to the Hearst Castle are by guided tour only and although expensive I would highly encourage you to spend the extra money and do more than one tour. Had we just done the overview tour, I probably would have walked away disappointed at not seeing more as each tour shows a different part of the castle although every tour includes the two fabulous pools.

On the bus ride from the visitor center to the Castle, you get the first glimpse of the Castle. From several kilometers away, sitting all by itself on top of the Enchanted Hill peeking through the trees surrounding it, the Castle seems to be swallowed up by the nearby mountains. But once you've stepped off that bus and walk up those stairs to the Neptune Pool be prepared to have your jaw drop! And remember that this was built by one private citizen, not a monarch, not a tsar but William Randolph Hearst, a businessman who made his fortune in publishing (oh, and he probably got a little inheritance).

Once inside the Castle, your mind doesn't dare think what it would have been like to own this place, no this isn't a home for common folk like us. But I did imagine what it would have been like to be a guest at the Mansion during the golden days of Hollywood when Cary Grant could be seen playing tennis or Clark Gable could be spotted sitting poolside. But I guess a commoner like me probably wouldn't have ever made the guest list