Hearst Castle, San Simeon, CA

[riverdees05]

My wife is wanting to go to Hearst Castle. Would appreciate recommendations on time of the year to go and timeshares to consider trying for an exchange. Thanks.

 

[vacationtime1]

May/June is fog season. Hearst Castle was positioned high enough to be above much of the fog, but you could lose the beauty of the coastline those months.

Dec/Jan/Feb are the coldest and rainiest, but that is relative.

 

[Luanne]

I don't think there are any timeshares close by at all. You might want to look for a hote/motel in Cambria just for the night.

 

[Passepartout]

Aug/Sept would be my choice. I don't think there are many TSs all that close. Oxnard or Santa Barbara may be the closest, but there are some acceptable hotels in (is it Cambria?) below the Castle. They run multiple tours of the castle and with some planning you can take 2-3 in a day. (Inside/outside/ and a movie of the life/times of W.R.Hearst) We did a memorable trip including Disneyland Anaheim, Hearst Castle, a drive up CA1 (Pacific Coast Highway) with winery stops and a few days in San Francisco with DW's son.

 

[clifffaith]

We've been to Hearst Castle several times from Worldmark Pismo Beach. I think it is a two hour trip, and we stop in Cambria for dinner on the way back. I actually have a week in June, and two separate weeks in September in Pismo if you're interested. There are only 20 or so units so they are hard to come by; anytime at least 3 days pop up we grab them since Pismo is only about 3hrs north of us. No clue how I stumbled upon three weeks just by checking periodically.

 

[VegasBella]

I think San Luis Bay Inn would be a good choice. It's in Pismo Beach, NOT San Luis Obispo, just fyi. And it's a bit remote but very nice and beautiful.

Hearst Castle is going to be a drive from anywhere. And the drive is along Highway 1 which is mostly just two lanes, one in each direction. So give yourself plenty of time, bring some snacks, and take a camera.

San Simeon has some Elephant Seals. You will probably want to see them. This website explains when they come and why. My favorite is when the babies are on shore. But some people prefer to come watch when the males are most likely to fight. https://visitsansimeonca.com/what-to-do/elephant-seals-san-simeon/

 

[Talent312]

We did Hearst Castle in a day trip from Monterey Bay.
We ended in the day in Fresno, of all places, on the way to the mountains.

 

[Luanne]

I've been to Hearst Castle twice. First time we started in Monterey and drove down Highway 1. Almost missed our tour as it took us much longer than we anticipated. We spent the night in Atascadero (near San Luis Obispo) with friends. Second time we started from the San Francisco Bay Area. My memories of this trip are a bit foggy. I think we spent the night in Cambria, did the castle the next day, and from there went on to San Luis Obispo.

 

[easyrider]

We stayed In San Luis Obispo at the Courtyard by Marriott for a couple nights for our visit to Hearst Ranch. It was about a 40 minute drive. The drive is very scenic. I did look for a timeshare nearby and there is a nice Worldmark at Pismo Beach but the Worldmark at Pismo Beach is usually full.

Our trip was after Thanksgiving week and the weather was great and there were not as many tourists in the area.

Bill

 

[Colt Seavers]

Our favorite way to vacation on the Central Coast is to stay one night in or around San Luis Obispo and drive to Hearst Castle and the elephant seals the next morning. The drive from Pismo to San Simeon is a little over an hour and is not on the windy part of the Pacific Coast Highway.

That evening we will continue up the coast and stay at a timeshare in Carmel or Monterey as we love that area and the timeshares there are nice. In all my years of searching I have seen availability at Worldmark Pismo or San Luis Bay Inn maybe two times. Keep in mind that if you are driving from the San Luis Obispo area to Monterey it takes about the same time to go around on the 101 as it does to drive along the coast but the coast will be very windy and less populated.

The elephant seals are one of our favorite parts of the trip and should not be missed. Although there are various recommendations about when the best times are to visit we have been there several different times of year and they have always been plentiful on the beach.

 

[riverdees05]

Thanks, we plan to do the Biltmore in NC in 2019 and Hearst Castle in 2020.

 

[vikingsholm]

I'd suggest late March/early April or November as a travel time.

 

[Stressy]

We did March. From Worldmark Solvang. About a 2 hour drive. As stated, probably one hour from Worldmark Pismo Beach. San Luis Bay Inn would be a nice place to stay as well although a tiny remote but at the beach. We were on a college visit to SLO. Cal State San Luis Obispo. Worked our way backward from San Simeon. LOVE the Calamari at Custom House in Avila Beach. The clam chowder at Splash Cafe in Pismo. We didn't mind the drive to any place. Used Solvang which is cute in and of itself as a base. Helps to be or know a Worldmark owner. Clifffaith sitting on 3 separate weeks in Pismo is incredible. Well done!

 

[WalnutBaron]

We've been to Hearst Castle several times from Worldmark Pismo Beach. I think it is a two hour trip, and we stop in Cambria for dinner on the way back. I actually have a week in June, and two separate weeks in September in Pismo if you're interested. There are only 20 or so units so they are hard to come by; anytime at least 3 days pop up we grab them since Pismo is only about 3hrs north of us. No clue how I stumbled upon three weeks just by checking periodically.

To the OP, if you're looking for a great opportunity to see San Simeon and the central coast of California, I'd highly recommend taking clifffaith up on their generous offer to rent to you, preferably for one of the September weeks when the crowds will be down and the weather will still be warm without fog (or "the marine layer" as we prefer to describe it here in California). The drive along Highway 1 is spectacularly beautiful, so you won't mind the distance between Pismo Beach and Hearst Castle. If it were me, I'd plan to do my Hearst Castle tour toward the end of my week at Pismo and then continue south after the tour, spending a night in Santa Barbara and a second night in Ventura before finishing my trip seeing some of the sights in L.A. and flying home out of LAX. There are a variety of tours available, but I'd recommend the Grand Rooms Tour and the Hearst and Hollywood Tour (only available in the fall months). You can also visit the amazing Roman and Neptune pools on your own between tours.

 

[nightnurse613]

If I remember correctly, there are hotels scattered all along the way from Cambria to the Hearst Castle Visitor's Center. In fact, I see Travelzoo listings for Cambria Pines Lodge quite frequently. Most of the hotels have been there for well over a quarter century but there are some that are quite modern (and mucho dinero). The drive from downtown (quaint) Cambria is about 20 minutes-there are two parts to the town. Of course, once you are at Hearst Castle you are almost obliged to take Highway 1 (stopping at the Seal Rookery by the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse) and up the coast, past Big Sur and arriving at Carmel and the rest of the Monterey Bay Peninsula. Be warned, the driver will probably not see much; the road is narrow and windy...

 

[Vacation4us]

If you enjoy wine, stay in Palo Robles for a day and go wine tasting at the surrounding wineries. Great Zinfandel’s in that area. Absolutely beautiful scenery as well. Paso has a nice downtown as well as really good restaurants. Then, go to Hearst Castle the next day, about 45 minutes away. May/June and Sept/Oct are the best weather months.

 

[pedro47]

Which is large the Hearst Castle or the Vanderbilt Biltmore Easter in Asheville, NC. I am talking about the actual square footage. We have been to the Biltmore in Asheville.

I feel, I have answered my own question, just by looking at a few pictures and reading about the Hearst Castle and the Biltmore.

The Biltmore is the largest with over 178,926 square feet.

The Hearst Castle is just over 90,000 square feet.

 

[riverdees05]

We made it to the Biltmore at the end of September and now are starting to seriously look at a trip out west to see Hearst Castle and surrounding area. Any updates?

 

[riverdees05]

We've been to Hearst Castle several times from Worldmark Pismo Beach. I think it is a two hour trip, and we stop in Cambria for dinner on the way back. I actually have a week in June, and two separate weeks in September in Pismo if you're interested. There are only 20 or so units so they are hard to come by; anytime at least 3 days pop up we grab them since Pismo is only about 3hrs north of us. No clue how I stumbled upon three weeks just by checking periodically.

We've been to Hearst Castle several times from Worldmark Pismo Beach. I think it is a two hour trip, and we stop in Cambria for dinner on the way back. I actually have a week in June, and two separate weeks in September in Pismo if you're interested. There are only 20 or so units so they are hard to come by; anytime at least 3 days pop up we grab them since Pismo is only about 3hrs north of us. No clue how I stumbled upon three weeks just by checking periodically.

Would be interested if something comes up in March-May 2020.

 

[DaveNV]

Which is large the Hearst Castle or the Vanderbilt Biltmore Easter in Asheville, NC. I am talking about the actual square footage. We have been to the Biltmore in Asheville.

I feel, I have answered my own question, just by looking at a few pictures and reading about the Hearst Castle and the Biltmore.

The Biltmore is the largest with over 178,926 square feet.

The Hearst Castle is just over 90,000 square feet.

Hearst Castle has several buildings. Biltmore is one large building. It’s not surprising that Biltmore is bigger, but I wonder who is doing the math.

Dave

 

[Passepartout]

I support staying at least a night in the town of Cambria at the bottom of the hill the castle sits on. There are several tours of the property, and all the tours start at the visitor center. You can't just stay up at the castle and go from one tour to another as there is an orientation for each one. You'll want to take at least a couple. Grounds/gardens/pools, and then another one indoors. It's well worth the trip. Different than Biltmore. I don't consider one better than the other- both are worthwhile.

I'd probably couple this with a TS stay in Santa Barbara or Pismo or Paso Robles.

Jim

 

[clifffaith]

Hearst Castle was part of our honeymoon trip in 1985. And I'd been there at least twice with my parents and once on a school trip as a kid. Then we didn't go back until three or four years ago and were very impressed with the "new" visitors center. We took guest casitas and kitchen tour since I don't recall seeing those areas in the past. We'll be at San Luis Bay Inn in Avila Beachat the end of this month (third year in a row gone on Halloween) and I have a hankering to see the main house again.