Birthday weekend in Cambria

The highlight of the trip is the Hearst Castle. In many of these small towns there isn't much to do but relax, enjoy good food, and take part in the beautiful coast of California. At this time of year the seals are coming ashore to shed their skin and have their pups. THe best place to spot them is Point Piedras Blancas.

Quick Tips:

I always look for Bed and Breakfasts that actually serve a full breakfast. If you are cycling around eating a hearty meal gives you a head start to the day and you often don't have to splurge on a pricey lunch at the touristy spots. I always bring a hairdryer as well. Many places do not have this amenity.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you are staying in the town of Cambria you can walk. Sights are less than 7 miles so cycling is also an option. The Bike route is on Highway 1. Otherwise driving is your best bet.

We stayed in the Rudolph Valentino Room. Each room at this inn is named after movie stars of the 20's. Many of whom stayed at Hearst Castle. The room was large it and decorated in rich reds and purple velvets with photos of Valentino on the wall. I'm not sure if Valentino would have decorated it this way but it was nice. Although it had two double beds, they were the older kind that are bigger and longer. My husband is 6'4" and was worried his feet would hang off but they didn't. A charming room with a gas fireplace and view of the hills and TV. The best part was the breakfast. A full breakfast of eggs, sausage, small pancake muffins, fruit and juice. The pancake muffins were served with applesauce, the eggs with some greens avacodo and salsa. It was the perfect start to our day trip to Hearst Castle. At night wine and hors d'ouvres are placed out for the guests as well. The hostess, Patricia, was wonderful as well and very friendly. With rates a bit less than the main street inns it was perfect.

When we first arrived in Cambria after a long drive from San Francisco, we were hungry! We set out to the old part of Cambria with going to Robin's in our minds. Being a Friday night, they were crowded, so we wound up going to Brambles, which is a block away. They were able to seat us right away. Brambles is a darkly decorated older restaurant with an older crowd, serving mostly seafood, pasta and steak. (The typical fare for many of this area's restaurants.) They had some Greek food as well. As we love authentic Greek food, we tried the Mediterranean Chicken, expecting chicken parts, but received a boneless chicken breast instead. They also charged $7 to share the plates, a habit my husband and I have when we want to try multiple dishes without spending too much money. The staff was pleasant and they have a large fireplace in one area for larger tables to sit in front of as well as a seperate bar. We thought it a little stuffy for our taste and agreed that we should have waited for Robin's.

The cuisine was a mixed bag of International. Mostly Indian but with seafood dishes as well as salads. We did not have reservations, but the wait was only 45 minutes exactly. The host said 45 minutes and he meant it! The drawback to waiting is the small entryway where everyone waits. There aren't many seats and no where to relax with a glass of wine. You are forced to stare at the dessert case as well which makes you even hungrier! We had a delicious dinner of salmon bisque, a very large spinach salad and Indian Lamb with different chutneys. The wait person was very helpful with menu selections. The only drawback was that the salad had a bit too much dressing.

Grand is the word that comes to mind when describing Hearst Castle. At $10 per tour it is the main attraction in the area. Five different tours are offered, four day and one night time tour. When you book the tours they inform you how many stairs are in each tour. The Castle is so big and they want to prepare you if you are not up to walking.

We did two tours that day. A tour of the second floor and Hearsts personal rooms and then a tour of the gardens and Casa del Mar where the Hearst Family had first lived while the castle was being built. My interest in this attraction started with a book by Patty Hearst, titled "Murder at San Simeon." Although no reference was made of this book, it did not take away from the breathtaking structure of Hearst Castle.

The focus is on the architect Julia Morgan through out the tours, of which I had known little up until now, added extra insight into Hearst himself, the era and the buildings. I would skip the big screen movie that is offered as it was not informative and the majority of the information was received during the tour.

I loved the pools and dreamed what it would be like to change in the changing rooms and go for a swim in the Neptune pool while breathing in fresh mountain air. On the tour we where informed that no one really swam in these pools and I could not imagine that it was so. The indoor pool with gold leaf tiles on the bottom was worth the trip alone. A 10 foot pool all around with a mezzanine to use as a diving board. Simply amazing!