St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-07-25
HOTEL DEL MONTE.
Ca1ifornia,s Most Expensive Toy.

tie? may be asked. Del Monte is the
magnificent hotel at Monterey, built
and owned by the Southern Pacific
railroad company. No individual,
certainly, and no company but rail
road company, rich at that, could
afford toy so extraxagant, so i'm
mense in size and so immense in eX-
pense.. The Hotel Del Monte is Mon
terey. The beautiful bay, like dia-
mond crescent, at the foot of pur-
pie hills rising in the background,
goes for nought. In the winter the
eastern visitor goes to Hotel Del
| Monte. Not to do so would be to
overlook the show place of the Pac1f-
ic coast. In the summer the Cal1fOr-
Man, especially the San Franciscan,
takes his outing at Hotel Del Monte.
Not to do so would be to confess
himself lacking in taste and unfash-
ionable. But Nature and the old
| town of Monterey are of small inter
est to either the stranger or the ma
! tive. Hotel Del Monte is with one
exception, wholly artificial; at the
same time it is as beautiful as money
and taste could make it. The eXcep-
oak trees to be seen on the coast.
Some of these trees are giants; others
are in form and size like great apple
trees. The hotel and gardens are in
this grove, shut in and away from
the outside world-a very Eden of
loneliness and quiet retreat. All that
is gorgeous in the coloring of flowers
and the luxurious growth of the
tropics, are combined in these gar
dens, having miles of drives and pic
turesque walks, open alike to hotel
guests and residents of the town.
Five hundred rooms and a dining
room seating 500 without crowd
ing" gives some idea of the dimen-
sions of the three-story structure.
The main building is spread out by
curved wings, running back as an
nexes, and half encirclinga big flower
garden. One expects to find the ho-
tel front on or toward the bay, with
the delightful water view. But in
this, as in all things about it, Nature
was of little account when no end of
money could "beat Nature all holler,"
as MOnterevan said to me when
asked him why Del Monte turned its
back upon one of the most charming
pictures in the world. 1t is disap-
pointing to be so turned round, !"
and it is the one thing impressing the
visitor as mistake, and haunting
him with desire to pick up the toy
with a fright about face" toward
the bay.
In all other regards l think Del
Monte exceeds expectations. 1t is
more beautiful, and far more reason
The evidence of money is in the size
of the building alone. Throughout
it is refined and quiet in taste. For
instance, the dining room, seating
500, is finished almost wholly in pure
white, relieved only by natural vel
low pine, in window shutters and
mantels. The furniture is of oak
The effect is one of simplicity, but of
course a simplicity that is expensive.
The ladies' parlor and card-room are
in cOlOrs, but in such harmony that
one remembers the effect as altoge-
Their satisfying. The card-room walls
suggest "old rose" shades, the tables
and chairs are of cherry, and there is
a billiard-table as beautiful as the
fairest player could ask for The
sleeping apartments throughout the
hotel have white walls, and wood
finish is of natural pine, or other
woods of this pale yellow shade
Oak furniture prevails, carpets of
neutral tints, and the hall wall are of
delicate grays. l am going some
what into detail because there is so
much of the gorgeous money dis
play" out here, one naturally turns
with pleasure to the beautiful that is
genuine. So that Del Monte is all
that refined, even aesthetic, taste de-
mands, and one can well forgive the
Southern Pacific railroad company
for trying to beat Nature all hol-
ler."
Del Monte is not only a magnif-
cent toy, but it is unique. Words are
tame efforts to describe the gardens.
Miles OF sand blossom like the rose,
and are covered with growing forests
of every variety of evergreen trees.
The Arizona garden shows acres Of
the cactus family, no two alike, but
SO curious, and mammoth in size
that every woman who looks at them
sinks into insignificance when she re-
members her starved, ugly little
prickly-pear at home. Here they
tower up, 8 and 10 feet high, and
spread themselves over as many feet
of ground. Immense is the only
word. Immense, and don't you for
get it," declares the Californian.
Tennis courts are enclosed by wire
netting, seven or eight feet high.
There is nothing remarkable in this,
the Eastern tennis young woman
will say. All, but this high netting
is afame with nasturtiums, climb
ing and brilliant mass of color to the
very top of the net-walls. Here is
your tennis court, glowing as sum
set, and touching up your complexion
with its becoming brightness. Never
mind ribbons and gay gowns, such
as you delight in East. At Del Monte
the nasturtiums do all that for you
Croquet grounds are bordered and
scented with heliotrOpe as tall as the
players are. Fuchsias are young
trees, dropping purple and crimson
blossoms. And SO, one might go on,
indefinitely, naming plants and bios
SONS in their splendid growth and
beauty-roses alone without end,
and lawns of emerald velvet, all rev.
cling in this marvellous climate
Over the gardens the majestic oaks
spread their shade, giving through
their branches just enough of sun
shine and just enough of sea-fog to
perfect them and keep them forever
full of fresh life. An artificial lake,
dotted with islands, is reached by
green terraces, and bordered with
palms and other tropical foliage
A 11ictrreSn11e clubhouse with howl