The third day of my trip was the least busy, and I very much needed the time to recuperate. Here are the stops I made on this relaxing day!
- Hearst Castle
- Elephant Seal Vista Point
I started my day with a small breakfast of leftovers from the night before and did some work in the morning before checking out of my Airbnb. I then drove up the coast to San Simeon, home of Hearst Castle.
The state runs different timed tours for various parts of the castle, including the grand rooms, the upstairs suite, and the kitchens, as well as various seasonal and limited time tours.
The Grand Rooms tour is suggested for first time visitors, and that was the one I ended up choosing. It is recommended that you reserve a timed tour online prior to your visit, but I missed my reserved time by 5 minutes 😣.
The reservations are exact because a bus leaves at each reservation time, carrying you up the mountain to the hilltop where the Castle is located. For a second I thought I came all this way for nothing, but the lady at the ticket office was kind enough to book me on the next available tour, which was two time slots ahead as the castle was very crowded that day. This gave me enough time to eat a snack as there are no food or drinks besides water allowed on the tour.
The bus ride up the hill offered some great views of both the castle at the top and the surrounding mountains and ocean, and our bus driver told us that there are times when we can spot horses, cows, and even zebras as we drive up (I was not so lucky).
When we reached the hilltop, the tour started in the castle’s gardens, where we saw more expansive views of the landscape as well as a beautiful outdoor pool and patio area. We then moved inside to see the grand rooms themselves, including a dining room, lounge, gaming area, and movie theater.
All throughout the tour our tour guides provided us with interesting details about Hearst’s family, business and personal life, as well as facts about the castle itself and its surrounding area. The tour concluded with a walk through Hearst’s decadent indoor bathhouse, which awed everyone with its glitter and gold.
After the bus dropped us off back at the visitor center at the foot of the mountain, I drove another 5 minutes up the road to watch some elephant seals basking in the sun. This was a perfect contrast to the maximalist Hearst Castle and gave me some much needed relaxation and reflection. After watching the seals cuddle with each other on the beach for a while, I decided to start the longest and unfortunately least scenic part of the trip – the drive to Monterey.
Before anyone comes after me, the drive from San Simeon to Monterey would usually be beautiful as it would be a straight shot up California Highway 1, but a portion of the highway was closed during my trip due to landslides and wouldn’t reopen for another half year.
Therefore, in order to get from San Simeon to Monterey, I had to loop around inland using Highway 101. While still pretty, this route was nowhere near as beautiful as taking Highway 1 would have been – and it added extra time to my journey! Additionally, in order for me to now see Big Sur, I would have to loop downwards south from Monterey, which would add even more driving time to my journey :(.
Nonetheless, I eventually made it to Monterey and had a quick dinner at a diner before settling into my third (and final) Airbnb for the night.
Joanne's Journey 