The Enchanted Hill at San Simeon

~ A Post for Valentine's Day ~

One of the most romantic places to visit in California is the Hearst Castle, which sits majestically atop one of the highest coastal mountains in San Simeon. The builder of this grand manor was William Randolph Hearst, a publishing tycoon who preferred to call his estate La Questa Encantada ~ The Enchanted Hill. Between 1919 and 1947, Hearst worked with San Francisco architect Julia Morgan to built a romantic estate. Styled in Spanish Colonial, Mediterranean and Neo-Classical architecture, the estate included the Casa Grande and three grand guest cottages that were decorated and furnished with exquisite furniture and art that Hearst collected during his travels around the world. The estate also included beautiful terraces with vast views of the San Simeon mountains and the Pacific Ocean, acres of beautiful gardens paved with enchanting walkways, two opulent pools, a mile-long shaded pergola that was lined with fruit trees, and a zoo to maintain the animals that roamed freely on his ranch land.

William Randolph Hearst had a thirty-five year love affair with the beautiful Hollywood actress Marion Davies. During their time at La Questa Encantada, they invited thousands of guests, including notable public figures and Hollywood movie stars, to visit the castle on the hill. Hearst made travel arrangements for their guests to take an overnight train to San Luis Obispo and then journey forty miles by a chauffeured car to arrive in San Simeon at sunrise. During the day guests would have their choice of an assortment of activities including tennis, swimming, ocean sailing, horseback riding, or just strolling through the beautiful gardens. At sunset, guests gathered at the Casa Grande for cocktails and conversation, lavish dinners, and the evenings concluded with the viewing of a Hollywood film in their private theatre.

In 1947, Hearst's health began to decline and he needed to be closer to his physicians, so they chose to make Los Angeles their primary residence. At that time, Heart was still making renovations to his San Simeon estate and he paused all building until he could return, but he passed away in 1951, never to see La Questa Encantada again. Ten years later, Marion Davies passed away in 1961.

In 1958, the Hearst family donated the Heart Castle to California as a memorial to William Randolph Hearst, but the Hearst Corporation continues to maintain thousands of acres of the surrounding ranch land through the Hearst Conservation Project. The Hearst Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 1972 and became a United States National Historic Landmark on May 11, 1976. Today, the Hearst Castle is a museum that is maintained by the California Department of Parks and Recreation and it is open to the public for tours. I have visited the Hearst Castle and it truly is a magical and romantic place.

Although William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies departed long ago, their romantic legacy is present everywhere in this enchanting castle and it remains just as they left it in 1947. I like to imagine that after the tours close and the public has left the castle, William and Marion are still strolling through the romantic gardens of their La Questa Encantada.

Top photo courtesy of Creative Commons

The photographs below are from my visit to the Hearst Castle.