And now for our final tour of Hearst Castle: a look at the Cottages and Kitchen.

First we visit the wine cellar in the main house. Mr. Hearst would offer guests wine with dinner but was otherwise stingy with his alcohol. Nevertheless, this cellar holds over three thousand bottles of the good stuff.

Time to explore Cottage B (which is a funny name to call the first cottage built on the property, back in 1922). It has stunning views to the north of the Santa Lucia Coast Mountains.

That regal ceiling is fit for a king… or a Prime Minister. Winston Churchill has stayed in this cottage.

Period clothing is displayed throughout the cottages. These wardrobe pieces leave an impression of the guests who inhabited these rooms and the general sense of style among the elite.

On to Cottage A… ironically built after Cottage B, in 1924. Go figure.

The windows below overlook the ocean five miles west. On a clear day you can see about a hundred miles to the south.

Among other notable guests, George Bernard Shaw has stayed in this cottage.

Now for the kitchen in the main house. All of the meals were prepared in this kitchen and all guests were expected to dine communally in the refectory each evening. One night Winston Churchill tried to order room service to Cottage B (one of our guides said he asked for a pot of tea, another guide said it was a snack… can’t these people get their stories straight?! :-). Mr. Hearst called the Prime Minister himself to say that room service is not offered at the Castle and he’d have to come up to the main house himself. WRH was not afraid to lay down the law!

I love the attention to detail in the kitchen decor. Great knick knacks and mouth watering fake food… check out those cookies below. As his waistline attests, Mr. Hearst loved dessert.

This is the architectural drafting shed just outside the main house. Architect Julia Morgan told Mr. Hearst they would remove the eye sore of a shed as soon as the Castle was complete. It was never finished and the shed still stands today.

We couldn’t resist one last visit to the Neptune Pool before leaving the property. I would have laid out there all afternoon if given the chance.

Here’s mom, dad, and me:

How inviting is that cerulean blue water?

And that wraps up our time at Hearst Castle! As I noted in the Grand Rooms tour post, I would still love to go back and try an Evening tour (offered each year in the fall and spring; actors in period costumes roam the grounds like guests did during Mr. Hearst’s weekend soirees back in the day).

A recap of my Hearst Castle posts:

– Grand Rooms Tour

– Upstairs Suites Tour

– Cottages and Kitchen Tour

Hearst Castle is doable as a day trip from Los Angeles or San Francisco, but it’s worth it to enjoy this coastal area overnight and really make a weekend of it. Nearby Moonstone Beach offers a variety of affordable hotel options right on the waterfront, and nearby Cambria has no shortage of charming restaurants and cute shops. A beach just north of Hearst Castle is home to several dozen elephant seals. If you have time to go further north, Hearst Castle is very close to Big Sur. In the south, you can find attractions like Avila Beach, Pismo Beach, and (more inland) the quaint Danish village of Solvang. Wineries abound throughout this area so your options are as bottomless as your glass of merlot. It’s a great stretch of coast with lots to see and do.