Hearst Castle

William Randolph Hearst started to build a fabulous estate on his ranchland overlooking the village of San Simeon in 1919. He called the estate "La Cuesta Encantada" - Spanish for The Enchanted Hill. By 1947, the hilltop complex included a twin-towered main building, three sumptuous guesthouses, and 127 acres of terraced gardens, fountains, and pools.

Hearst's hilltop estate includes three magnificent mansions for guests. "Casa del Mar" (Spanish for House of the Sea) was named for its spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. The most elaborately decorated of the guesthouses, it is also where Hearst spent his last years in San Simeon before moving to Beverly Hills in 1947 for health reasons.

The fanciful Gothic Study is the centerpiece of Hearst's private suite on the third floor of "Casa Grande" - the main building of the hilltop estate at San Simeon. He previewed his newspapers every night here before printing. The concrete arches were decorated by Camille Solon in 1934-35, but the historic Spanish ceiling dates from the early 1400s.

Visitors have a rare opportunity to see the white marble floor of the empty Neptune Pool while it undergoes restoration. The pool was initially drained because of leaks, but the action was also part of a larger water conservation effort at Hearst Castle during the current severe drought.