Hearst Castle, a complex with a 165-room Mediterranean Revival manor and, for spill over guests, three massive cottages, does represent the best work of California's first major woman architect, Julia Morgan, back in the 1920'ss. It also demonstrates that with enough money anything is possible every carting chunks of major European antiquities up onto a peak overlooking the ocean.
There's a unique mix here. You find catsup and paper napkins on huge, history old monastery tables, and a phone booth near some of the finest paintings and tapestries in the world. Hearst savaged whole rooms to find parts for his Pacific view palace. In fact, he never got everything in the place the estate still owns massive amounts of artwork that's stored. When William Randolph died in 1951 at age 88, the estate went to California. Today, it's one of the most popular attractions in the state even though it's a bit awkward to reach.
There are just too many options. You can bus down and back, try Amtrak into San Luis Obispo, or drive up or down Highway One to San Simeon and it's turnoff. If you drive down, plan time at Big Sur and Point Lobos State Parks. One thing is certain: You need to reserve tickets far ahead for the general downstairs tour and, most especially, for the special extended tour upstairs.
Whatever you like in the line of art, architecture, or horticulture, you'll find it at San Simeon. The exterior pool is particularly nice, and the stonework and sculpture around the pool deserve closer attention than most pay to the details. A bit of research --try a book on Julia Morgan and some preparation on the Castle will let you look at the estate's one hundred and twenty-three acres with knowledgeable eyes. Don't miss this one. It's worth a three-day weekend, despite the trip and the confusion of group tours. Morning tours in the summer, when the fog's in and the mountain peak stick up through the mists, give a sense of Italy and a feeling of what it must have been like when you could keep what you earned and excess was expected from the rich. Winter visits, particularly after storms clear the air, offer incredible vistas.
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