Army base offers unique lodging
Reveille plays at 0630 hours at Fort Hunter Liggett.
Overnight civilian guests at the historic Hacienda are not exempt from the early wake-up call, but the foggy morning views of the Santa Lucia Mountains make it worthwhile.
The U.S. Army base in southern Monterey County sits on nearly 170,000 acres of mountains, valleys and meadows with its main entrance about 25 miles west of Highway 101 near King City.
From San Francisco, it takes about three hours to reach the Hacienda on 101, but as I was intent on exploring the county on by motorcycle, the scenic ride along the coast into Monterey and across to 101 on Carmel Valley Road, with its sweeping views and gentle curves, is well worth the additional time.
For the more adventurous traveler, the base is accessible from the unpaved Nacimiento-Ferguson Road that twists and turns from the Pacific Coast Highway south of Big Sur for 25 lonely miles over the Santa Lucias and into Hunter Liggett.
But unlike most military bases, this one is partially open to the public: You can visit Mission San Antonio de Padua and book a stay at the Hacienda Guest Lodge.
Set in the wide valley just outside of
Hunter Liggett’s gates, the remote Mission San Antonio de Padua sits at the end of a dusty dirt driveway, offering a rare glimpse into previous centuries.
Built in 1771 under St. Junípero Serra, the mission still holds Mass and offers religious and private retreats.
The Hacienda was built in 1930 by famed architect Julia Morgan (who also designed Hearst Castle, just south), for newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. (Hearst Communications owns The Chronicle.) It operates as a small hotel and includes a restaurant, lounge, cantina and swimming pool.
The structure replaced an earlier wooden barn that was used by cowboys on the Hearst ranch. It was completed in 1930, but the Hacienda and surrounding land were sold to the Army in 1940.
In those 10 years, however, well-heeled guests at Hearst Castle were able to ride on horseback to the Hacienda, enjoy local entertainment and spend the night. There is still a full bar that serves dinner and hosts special events, mostly for base personnel.
During my visit last winter, only two or three of the dozen or so rooms were booked. As military training on the base increases in the warmer months, the Hacienda can be filled with soldiers and officers.
Note: The night I stayed, the bar’s kitchen was closed, so my food options were limited. Passing up a Subway sandwich shop, I settled for pizza at the bowling alley on the base, where groups of young soldiers were relaxing on a Saturday night.
Dining choices are not the only drawbacks. The cowboy rooms at the Hacienda are spartan. During my stay, the pool was empty and off-limits. And there is little to actually do on the base during the day, except take a tour of the small museum that is open from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and enjoy the sunset from the Hacienda. Aside from the coyotes howling at a pair of helicopters in the night, it was dead silent on the post.
The accommodations, of course, were not the point of staying at the Hacienda. It's all about the peculiarity of the experience — and enjoying the ride.