A long driveway takes you to the gates of "California Castle" and begins a bit of a fantasy adventure. Think king Arthur and Guinevere, chivalry and another place of mind.
This is California Castle, a sprawling estate in Yucca Valley. It includes 10 bedrooms, eleven bathrooms, a brass swan faucet in the master, a media center, steam room, billiards, tennis pool and thousands of square feet of medieval whimsy. Some call the owner, Curtis Corum, "Lord Corum".
A Palm Springs High School grad, Corum saw California Castle as a way to escape the
slumping real estate market. Corum bought the home in March of 2006 and spent about
a year fixing it up. He scoured flea markets, garage sales and second hand stores
for furnishings that would fit the castle motif.
Several of the armored knights and
other artifacts were found on Ebay and Corum even traveled to Mexico to find the
perfect heavy wood tables, chairs and cabinets.
The 1.7 acre estate, sleeps 24 and rents out for thousands of dollars a week. It was just selected as one of the "Top Ten Unique Properties in the World" by the Homeaway Network, a vacation rental agency.
California Castle is available for rent for private parties, by the night or the
week: (760) 333-
The main house is 7,000 square and the guest house is 2,000 square feet. Prices vary.