Ok, I’m stumped and hope that my CC friends could help me out.
My mil who does not do anything on line wants to visit Yosemite in September. A couple of years ago, she and my fil went to Yellowstone. I looked on line for them and booked them a hotel. Now mil has asked me to do the same for Yosemite.
The problem? When I looked on line and plugged in different dates, I could not find any availability. Well, they had one place that had shared bathrooms and a tent. They are in their 80’s and I don’t think that a shared bath is optimal. They are active 80’s but still.
Can someone help me with accommodations for Yosemite? Where to stay? Maybe a little on what to do but they usually take care of that on their own and it won’t be very strenuous.
There are accomodations in El Portal, California which is just outside the park on the west side. Of the two, the Yosemite View Lodge is nicer than the Cedar Lodge. These are the closest lodgings outside the park (the closest to Yosemite Valley, that is, which is where I’m assuming they want to go). El Portal also has the Blue Butterfly Inn which is actually on the grounds of the Yosemite View Lodge. I haven’t stayed there. The Yosemite View Lodge has nice rooms with balconies overlooking the Merced River. It is expensive for what it is, but that’s true for all Yosemite area lodging.
There are also motels in Oakhurst, south of the park, near the Wawona entrance, but this is a longer drive to the Valley.
It is not unusual for the park’s lodgings to be sold out far in advance. I agree with you that the tent cabins would be inappropriate for older people. This used to be called Curry Village, now I think it’s Half Dome Lodge. (The concessionaire and the park service are in a trademark lawsuit). The bathrooms are a distance to walk depending on where your tent is located and if your in-laws need to get up in the middle of the night to go, it would be difficult for them. There is uneven ground, rocks and it is very dark.
You can keep checking back for openings. I haven’t tried with the new vendor, but with the old vendor you had to cancel within a week of going so things would open up now and then.
What’s their budget? If I were their age I would want to stay someplace both nice and convenient. I would do the majestic Yosemite hotel or the Yosemite valley lodge and be right in the valley. When we were younger we would do the tent cabins, but I wouldn’t expect elderly people to enjoy that. The last time we went we rented an rv and decided next time we’d spend the same money and just stay at a nice hotel in the valley.
Budget? They are comfortable and could afford whatever it costs. They are older and thrifty.
The tents would not work at all.
@socalmom007, I didn’t see any availability at the majestic Yosemite hotel? Maybe the valley lodge but that looks to not have private bathrooms. I’ll keep looking for availability.
Thanks @TatinG for the areas around the park, I’ll look there also. I am very unfamiliar with the area.
@tx5athome thanks for the tip to keep checking, I’ll do that.
I am not used to the new names. But if you can get in the Yosemite Valley Lodge (previously Yosemite Lodge) is probably the best, they have multiple food options (nice restaurant, cafeteria, etc…). The Majestic Yosemite Hotel (previously the Ahwahnee) is stunning, but high end and pricey (in my opinion it is worth it though). We have also stayed at the Big Trees Lodge (formerly the Wawona). It is really nice, but not in Yosemite Valley. In the valley, once you get there you don’t need a car because the bus system is great. With all the rain we have gotten in California this will be a spectacular year for Yosemite waterfalls.
I would definitely NOT recommend the tent cabins as they are cold and drafty. I agree to continue checking or suggest they may want to choose dates when lodging is available. If you have lodging away from the park, a lot of time will be spent going back and forth between lodging and the park. I have only stayed at whatever cabin or other lodging (non-canvas) we could book IN the park.
It’s unlikely you’ll find anything in the park at this late date, so your best bet is to find something just outside an entrance. Tenaya Lodge is nice, if you can find a room.
Inside the park, the Wawona Hotel (oldest in the park) is charming, but only half the rooms have ensuite bathrooms. I didn’t love that when I was in my 40s, so I can’t imagine an 80 year old Will. You really need to book at least a year ahead.
The Ahwahnee, or whatever they call it now, is stunning, but unless you find a cancellation, they aren’t going to be staying there this summer.
You may have some luck with the cabins near Mariposa Grove, but again, these usually book far in advance.
Yosemite Valley Lodge - all rooms have private bath. There are also a couple of rooms at the old Curry Village that re cabins with private bath. There is also a group of private homes that are actually in the park, but not in the valley. It’s called Yosemite West. The homes rent out privately. But they are likely larger than a couple needs.
I’ll contact them and see what they want to do. I’m thinking that bathrooms down the hall aren’t going to work but will they be willing to stay outside the park?
Or we can figure out when reservations open up and book something right away. Although as they are in their 80’s that might be dicey.
Big Trees Lodge, I think, is the new name for the Wawona Hotel. This lodge is close to the southern entrance to the park and is a distance from Yosemite Valley. 30 to 45 minutes, maybe.
Yes, since it is an old turn of the century building, some rooms are shared bath only. That’s the one place in Yosemite I’ve never stayed so I can’t comment on it.
I went out for a week of hiking with friends. We rented a house just outside of the park through Airbnb, but you need to rent a car to get around. For our last night, we stayed at the Ahwahnee (now the Majestic Yosemite Hotel). That would be a great place if you could get a reservation. We went in early April and got lucky getting a reservation.
A few years ago my H and I went to Yosemite in the fall. We stayed several nights at the Wawona which I guess is now Big Tree Lodge. We had a room with a bath. It was beautiful but one drawback was the only restaurant was at the hotel and after a few days that gets old. It also isn’t ideal for driving to the valley. We had 2 more nights booked at the tent cabins. We went and checked in and after a bit of thought we decided we just couldn’t stay in them. We lost our money but they were bad. This is from someone who doesn’t mind tent camping. I think we ended up in a motel in Mariposa. I have also stayed at Yosemite lodge which why not luxury is decent and in a great location.
So since September seems to be booked today I have been trying to look at October. But I can not get the website to load. It’s offline for maintenance right now.
But thanks, I feel better putting some effort into this and giving them options. Everyone is so helpful
We went the end of October, stayed in the Grand Majestic in one of the cabins. It was lovely and so convenient to use their bus system. You do run a risk at that time that the falls will not be good, but it rained while we were thee and they were spectacular.
First, I really want to thank everyone who responded here and the VERY helpful PM’s. The people on this site are invaluable.
As I suspected, mil balked on staying at the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, I told her that it was highly recommended to stay there if you wanted to see Yosemite and that location was everything. I told her how things filled up fast that they needed to make a decision if this is what they wanted to do.
I am sure that Yosemite was a bit of a lark, something that would be nice to see. I told her that they needed to investigate and know exactly what they want. So I put it on them to figure out. Hopefully they are taking me out of the equation [-O<
