Our hotel in Pismo Beach was a short drive from San Luis Obispo. We just happened to be staying on a Thursday night and were able to check out the famous Downtown Farmer's Market on Higuera Street. Live bands, fresh produce, and abundant street food vendors make for a very enjoyable evening. We shopped and ate our fill, then burned off the calories walking up and down the street before returning to our hotel.
We are staying at the Cottage Inn by the Sea. It's a no-frills kind of place, but we unexpectedly discovered that the hotel pool terrace was a spectacular spot to watch the sunset.
We got an early start and continued our drive up the coast to San Simeon to tour the Hearst Castle. It was built in the first half of the 20th century by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and is a magnificent showcase for his collection of art and artifacts from all over the world. There are a variety of guided tours to available and we chose the Experience Tour, which gives an overview of the castle to first-time visitors.
The Neptune Pool is the outdoor pool (yes, there is an indoor one!) and is flanked by marble Greco-Roman collonnades.
The interior spaces are just as luxurious and immense as the outdoor ones. In this photo of the interior Roman Pool you can get an idea of the scale when you see the gentleman walking in front of the statue on the left. The tiny mosaic tiles on the walls and in the pool were made with flecks of gold to produce a shimmery effect.
An intriguing fact: the mansion was designed by a female architect. Julia Morgan was a pioneer in her field and worked with Hearst on the project from its inception in 1919. The entire estate sits on 127 acres and contains 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, and 19 sitting rooms. It is too large to see it all in one day, but I feel that our tour gave a general idea of the sheer opulence of the estate.
The property and its contents were donated to the state of California in 1957, and it is now managed as part of the state's park system.
San Luis Obispo Farmer's Market
Higuera Street | San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 | Every Thursday night from 6pm - 9pm
Hearst Castle
750 Hearst Castle Road | San Simeon, CA 93452 | (800) 444-4445 Tours available daily
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