David Whitley is hit by surprise after surprise when he visits Hearst Castle, a publishing magnate’s dream house overlooking the Central California coast.
Hearst Castle, in summary
- Hearst Castle is arguably the world’s most extravagant private home, overlooking California’s coast.
- It was the pet project of William Randolph Hearst, a publishing tycoon and art collector.
- The property features Mediterranean-inspired architecture and priceless artworks.
- Visitors explore the estate on guided tours only, including pools, cottages, and Casa Grande.
- Every detail reveals the lavish lifestyle and eccentricity of its famous owner.
The dream life of William Randolph Hearst
It’s a theoretical scenario that all children and most adults attempt to put themselves in: If I was so rich that I could do anything I wanted, what would I do?
I suspect most of us haven’t got the imaginative powers to come up with something that’s fantastical but feasible enough to wow the rest of the world. But one man had. And luckily, he also had the cash to throw at it.
From a childhood campground to a palace
Before arriving at Hearst Castle, which sits on a mountaintop overlooking the Central Californian coast, I didn’t really know much about William Randolph Hearst. I knew that he was a big name in publishing, I knew he was American and I knew that Citizen Kane was loosely based on his life.
I left dying to get hold of a biography and read more about the man, as he sounds like one of the most extraordinary characters of the last 150 years or so.
Exploring the estate and its wildlife
Hearst was born in San Francisco, the son of a Missouri miner who hit rich when he found silver. Despite Will Hearst’s self-cultivated image of being a self-made man, his father gave him his first break when he put him in charge of the newspaper he’d acquired – the San Francisco Examiner. It was the start of an empire.
And when you’ve got the sort of fortune that’s unfathomable to most people, you can do what you like with it. Hearst, according to the tour guides, was something of a polymath. He was a voracious art collector, political campaigner and brainbox who spoke numerous languages.
Pools, cottages and priceless interiors
On the arty side, he snapped up statues, tapestries, sculptures and paintings from all over Europe and North Africa to have in his collection. Many of them were a couple of millennia old and his haul was a feat of pilfering that even the British Museum would be proud of.
But where to put all of this booty? Well, from 1919 onwards, Hearst and his architect Julia Morgan embarked on what Guinness World Records regards as the costliest home ever built. Millions of dollars were pumped into turning his childhood campground into a staggering take on Mediterranean opulence.
Casa Grande and the ultimate luxury
The only way to visit Hearst Castle is on a tour. You climb up the hill from the Visitor Centre, passing the private air strip and possibly some zebras who are the ancestors of those who lived in Hearst’s private zoo. Most of the land stretching across the horizon still belongs to the Hearst family, so they can frankly keep what they like there.
Arriving at the castle, two thoughts strike. Firstly, it seems designed with the views in mind at every turn. The second is all important, however – it’s not the gaudy kitschfest I was whole-heartedly expecting.
A home that leaves every visitor in awe
Outside is the Neptune Pool, and it knocks any resort pool I’ve ever seen into a cocked hat. It’s surrounded by classical pseudo-temple architectureand were it not for those pesky guards, I’d be jumping right in.
The guest cottages would be regarded as mansions in their own right elsewhere. Lavishly decorated ceilings are reminiscent of European palaces, and hugely expensive Persian rugs hang from the walls. The likes of Winston Churchill spent a lot of time here – Hearst always liked to have guests round, and would shower them with gifts. A Tiffany ring waiting on the dinner table would be par for the course. He’d invite tennis champions over to play games of mixed doubles on his tennis courts, teaming the best of the best with no-hopers who had barely picked up a tennis racket in their life.
Inside Casa Grande
The main house – Casa Grande – ramps everything up a few notches. Medieval wooden choir stalls have been transplanted wholesale from churches in Catalonia, and priceless tapestries are kept in the pool room as decoration for a game of billiards.
It’s a truly extraordinary home, built by what appears to be an extraordinary man. I defy anyone to leave not hungry to know more.
How much do Hearst Castle tickets cost?
Hearst Castle tickets cost from $35. Book online via the official site.
More California travel
Other California travel articles on Planet Whitley include:
- How West Hollywood became the gay capital of Los Angeles.
- A visit to Death Valley – the hottest place on earth.
- Why Dante’s View may be the best view in California.
