This is an historic lodge in the cantonment area of Fort Hunter Liggett that is open to the public. It was designed by Julia Morgan (Hearst Castle) and built in 1933. So the building is really interesting architecturally. It is surrounded by a very nice lawn with large oaks, with tables and chairs, and has a view out over beautiful countryside with huge oaks, valley, and mountains. It is very peaceful.

There are four types of rooms - a suite (1), tower rooms (4), garden rooms (a few), and a bunch of cowboy rooms. The suite has two rooms. The tower rooms are large and have a couch that opens into a bed, table and chairs. The garden rooms are just a little smaller than the tower rooms, and have a chair instead of couch. The cowboy rooms don't have a bathroom - you have to walk outside to a communal one. The restaurant is permanently closed (it used to be in an adjoining building), and there are a couple snack bars nearby in the military facilities. There is a bar in the adjoining building that is closed Mon and Tues, which is a good thing because the military people in there are VERY noisy and you can hear them from your room. The continental breakfast is actually very good and has a lot of options.

I stayed in a tower room ($90) which was cool looking, but the tower is echo-ey so you share all noise with the tower inhabitants. I felt the garden room was more comfortable. They have recently redone all of the furniture in these two types of rooms, and there are nice touches. The bed has a thick pillow top (that was too soft for me), and down comforter. There is no AC or fan, so I don't think it would be possible to stay here in the heat of the summer. The heater is a really old long skinny thing that runs along the wall and seemed to work OK, but I don't think it could heat the whole room with the incredibly high ceilings in the winter. The windows downstairs are so old that the glass is opaque. The view is nice, so I opened the windows (and left the heat on...). Carved wood doors.

Nice size fridge with freezer, and microwave. Internet works well but is satellite, so it has a 2 second delay to load any page. There are flat screen TVs with Direct TV.

The downside certainly is the bathrooms. The toilets didn't flush right in either room. The sink dripped constantly in one room. The showers were the dirtiest motel showers I have ever seen - bring flip flops! Mold and grunge. There is no place to put your stuff, and the floor is concrete.

You can only check in between 9am and 4 pm, and they are closed 12-1. I also found it hard to reach them by phone to make a reservation. Don't get mixed up by another lodging place across the street that is a really funky old barracks.

Close by is The Indians in the Los Padres National Forest - hiking trails and a historic adobe ranch house that you can walk around in. The mission across from the Hacienda is definitely worth seeing. I don't think you can hike around anywhere else on the base, and you have to go through a check point to get to the lodge. You can drive across the mountains to Big Sur. There is absolutely NOTHING in King City, Soledad, or Greenfield. You can go east to Pinnacles National Monument. I think it is about 45 minutes west of Hwy. 101.

I had frogs in each room (but no bugs).

What an excellent place to get away from the city. Beautiful setting, beautiful architecture, and to top it off good food. You can't beat the prices either. Although it is located on a Army reserve base it is open to civilians. If you like history this is a great place to stay. Sandy and Debbie are great hosts. Call and make a reservation.

It turns out that this on time belong to William Randolf Hurst. It was his hunting lodge. There have been many dignateries that have stayed there and hold a rich history. The accomaidations though not luxurous were simple and pleasent. The Propriorters know as Rodger and Hazel McClendon where more then gracious and gave a real sence of character to the place. The meal at the resturant was plentiful in portions and cooked to perfection. The service was also very good and the employes were pleasent too. The views from the grounds were beautiful and peaceful. Hard to believe that this is on a Military Base. Although it's location is remote, there are many local attractions nearby. San Antonio Mission is the closest, Monteray, San Jose, Paso Rolbos, and some great wineries are all within a 2 hour drive. We found one of our favorite wineries, Rapazzini, was in Gilroy, the garlic capitol of California, they have a Petite Sirah, 1985 vintage, that is to die for, and the garlic products are wonderful too. So I would recomend a couple of nights stay to anyone who would like a trip back to yester year. Sit back enjoy the view and a good glass of wine. If your interested here is their email address rdminca@jps.net. But do remember this is on a military post and at times there can be alot of military personal.