Wanderlust World Wanderlust World William Randolph Hearst never called La Cuesta Encantada home—not permanently, at least. The media titan treated his sprawling San Simeon estate as a grand retreat, a place to entertain Hollywood royalty, political powerbrokers, and literary giants in unimaginable luxury.
At its zenith in the 1920s and 30s, the castle hummed with 60 to 80 live-in staff—butlers, valets, chefs, groundskeepers, and artisans maintaining 165 rooms across the main Casa Grande and three guest houses. Up to 100 invited guests might arrive by private train or plane for weekend-long soirées.
Marion Davies, Hearst's longtime companion, was the de facto hostess. Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill, Calvin Coolidge, and Amelia Earhart all signed the guest book. The indoor Roman Pool, tiled in gold-flecked mosaic, and the outdoor Neptune Pool, framed by Roman columns, set the stage for legendary gatherings.
Hearst himself occupied a relatively modest suite. Financial pressures forced him to leave in 1947, never to return. The castle became a state park in the 1950s. Today, tourists wander halls where the 20th century's elite once debated, danced, and shaped history—guests in a home its owner never truly inhabited.