The Siberian American: California Road Trip: Hearst Castle Upstairs Suites Tour and Roman Pool

Monday, April 4, 2016

California Road Trip: Hearst Castle Upstairs Suites Tour and Roman Pool

As I have mentioned in my previous posts about Hearst Castle, I have always been fascinated by William Randolph Hearst, so visiting Hearst Castle was a dream come true. After taking the Grand Rooms Tour at Hearst Castle, I was a bit disappointed we only got to see four rooms, so I couldn’t wait to see Hearst’s private rooms.


Our tour guide was hilarious, which automatically set a fun tone to our one-hour tour. The Upstairs Suites Tour started off by showing us some of the guest rooms and the library specifically for guests. I loved seeing the ornate Doge’s Suite, which was modeled after the stunning rooms at the Doge’s Palace in Venice, Italy. Just like with the Grand Rooms, I thought the guest suite didn’t have a cohesive look, but I really liked the teal curtains and painted ceiling. Some of the other guest rooms were not quite as extravagant, but all of them had unique tapestries and ceilings. I loved how each bedroom included clothing to show us what the guests would have worn while visiting Hearst Castle.


I was most excited to see William Randolph Hearst’s Gothic Suite, where he lived with Marion Davies. His study was stunning, but I was surprised that his bedroom was plain in comparison to the rest of his house. For a man who loved extravagance, he chose to have a simple bedroom with few artifacts. I did love that he had a portrait of each parent on either side of his bed, a common practice during the Victorian era. Marion Davies also had her own room, and I loved how elegant it was compared to the others with its red four-poster bed.


Before leaving Hearst Castle, we stopped to admire the Roman Pool, Hearst’s indoor swimming pool, which is tiled from the ceiling to the floor. It took 15 years to build and features marble copies of Greek and Roman deities and athletes. We were told that the staff and volunteers at Hearst Castle get to swim in the pool with their friends once a year, and I can’t imagine what a fun experience that would be!


If we are ever close to San Simeon, California again, I would love to go back to Hearst Castle and do the Cottages and Kitchen Tour and the Evening Tour. Now that I’ve gotten a taste of life at Hearst Castle, it would be so fun to see more!


All photos in this post were taken by Olya at The Siberian American and posted with permission from Hearst Castle.
 
Catch up on our California Road Trip: 

 
Hearst Castle Grand Rooms Tour

17 comments:

  1. I still can't believe how extravagant everything is and I love it! That's so cool that they had the clothes laid out so you could see what everybody would have worn when they visited. It is funny that his actual room is so sparsely decorated considering how extravagant everything else in the castle is.

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  2. Oh my goodness this might give Versaille Palace a run for it's money on how ornate it is!! That pool room is amazing! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  3. Legit drooling over the tile work in that pool.

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  4. Wow, in California?! That's so cool!

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  5. Woah the detail in all of this is INTENSE.. that pool is literally unbelievable I'd totally volunteer there to swim in it lol

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  6. oh wow, that is amazing. how cool that the bedrooms include clothing and that the staff can swim in that awesome pool!

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  7. I never knew about the Hearst Castle but sounds like a very interesting place to tour and learn the history.

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  8. I've always wanted to see Hearst Castle, you guys have seen so many gorgeous spots <3
    Green Fashionista

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  9. all of this just looks so incredible!!! You are showing me so many things that I didn't know existed. How beautiful.

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  10. Love this post! Visiting Hearst Castle is on my bucket list and your photos are doing nothing to curb my wanderlust! I love a place with so much history and character!

    xx, Caitlin
    www.wandererandwolf.com

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    1. I hope you get to go Caitlin! It's really a neat place to see! :)

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  11. I cannot believe how gorgeous that castle is!! I can't imagine how tough it is to maintain that.

    Are you allowed to touch the furniture? Or is that weird?

    liz @ j for joiner

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  12. I haven't been to Hearst Castle in YEARS, but it's such an amazing place!

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  13. Wow!! And that pool! I want to swim there! I need to befriend someone who works there haha!

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