Wawona Hotel

The room we stayed in only had one robe for three people and it was missing the tie that would go around waist. We had to walk downstairs to washroom to go to restroom and showers. Would not stay in this type of room again, we paid almost $200 for a room a little bigger than a prison cell. Parking was terrible, had to walk a long distance with suitcases and other stuff. I am handicapped, no parking spaces for that. If you like 'rustic' and want to over pay for your stay, this is the place for you! We thought park was poorly marked with helpful signs, one way roads are terrible, if you miss a road you have to go around a circle for 15-20 minutes before you can get back to where you missed the road. One sign just said 'All other destinations' we looked for the visitors center and never did find it. We feel this place is more for younger people, two people in their 70's just can't cut it. This park is not for the handicapped. The park is massive, takes over an hour to get from one spot to another, if you want to see it all, plan to stay 3-4 days.

The setting is gorgeous. That’s about where the good news ends. The location is about an hour from Yosemite Valley and the main sites of interest. The staff were not polite or friendly, and seemed like they didn’t really care. I think they need more training. The first room we were allocated smelled strongly of urine, and so we were moved to another room (worse location, better smell). The pool was out of service when we arrived, and there wasn’t an apology or a suggestion of other amenities on offer, just a blank ignored. This was a shame, because even though nothing could be done, a polite interaction can just make things fine. Unfortunately, the staff’s attitudes were similar regardless of who you spoke to, which makes me think it is a management issue. Finally, they didn’t make up our room whilst we were here, despite us requesting it with the door knob sign. All in all, I would not recommend staying here. It should really be renamed Wawona HoStel, because it really is hostel service.

Pros: Good location within the Yosemite National Park. Beautiful heritage hotel and well-maintained. Price is reasonable compared to alternatives. Shared bathrooms were very clean and well-lit (see pics). Fountain-facing rooms are quiet, but not street-facing rooms. Has tennis courts and disc golf. Equipment provided free (not for golf) by front desk. Cons: Room was quite tight for four adults. No views of any Yosemite attraction from hotel. Can't even get a coffee until 7 am. Restaurant closes at 9 pm. No shops or restaurants within a 45-minute drive radius. No AC in room (two fans are provided instead). Was quite hot in July although the nights cooled off. Parking is a short walk from rooms and so carrying luggage was a challenge. Older bearded white guy who works at Golf Shop is extremely rude.

This is an historic hotel, so you need to prepare yourself for that. Our room was pretty bare-bones with only two outlets, one next to the bed and one in the bathroom. There were other rooms that had a shared bath in the back hall, but we chose one with a private bath. The large deck out front with chairs was very nice. The floor in the room was slanted, I'm sure with age, so that took a little getting used to. There is no fridge nor coffee maker in the room, but the do offer coffee outside the dining room each morning. The pool was closed during our stay, so we didn't get to experience that. It was very warm while we visited and the rooms each had a fan that helped a lot. The restaurant in the hotel was good and the servers were very friendly. The front desk staff was friendly and helpful. It is about a 45 min drive into the Yosemite valley, but it is much more quite here. The Mariposa Grove is only about a 10 minute drive, so nice and close.

The good: location to river swimming and Mariposa. It’s in the park so you avoid the line to get in. No a/c: Given two fans but the outlets aren’t close enough to put the fans in front of the windows and the windows face where everyone walks. Go to Pine Tree Market for extension cord (and floats for river). No ceiling fan in our room. It didn’t get cool(ish) at night until about 3am. Pool was broken so we couldn’t cool off there but thankfully a ranger told us about swimming in the river which we loved. We had a private bathroom. Weird part was we opened the door in our bathroom and it opened into someone’s room! The room smells a bit like an antique store. The restaurant is very limited choices that don’t change much and note it doesn’t have a/c either. We ate there 3 nights due to no other choices and food was often over seasoned. Service is kind but not on par with prices. Have to go to restaurant to grab coffee. Front desk is not forthcoming with any info, you have to ask explicitly about things like pool, coffee, etc. It was a fine stay but we wouldn’t stay here again. It has a lot of potential.

If you want to stay relatively close to the center of the action (about 45 minutes to Yosemite Village) and not pay an absolute fortune, Wawona is a great option. Yes, the room was very hot at night, though there's a ceiling fan and an oscillating fan included to help you out somewhat. The bed was comfortable, the towels were fresh and the bathrooms were clean. It's an old property so it's not pristine, but that's part of the charm in my opinion. The staff was friendly and everything was as described. I only removed a star due to the restaurant. The service was very quick and the wait staff were exceptional, but the quality of the food was quite poor. Avocado toast was in fact avocado white bread - not toasted at all. Overcooked eggs and underwhelming french toast. For $55 all in, I'd expect better quality. The pool was also closed, though it was full and didn't appear to be under construction (apparently it is though). I'm always confused when places take on these kinds of projects during the height of tourist season. Not a deal breaker for us but good to know if you're looking for pool time!

The inside room temperature was over 90 degrees. There is no A/C, there is no mini frig. No ceiling fan (yes, floor fans, but its just pushing around 90+ degree heat). Severa ice machines did not work due to heat. So its too hot to operate ice machines, but its ok to stick people in rooms with temperatures over 90 ? The pool was also closed during the hottest time of year. So how was someone going to keep a safe and comfortable body temperature? Go to the lobby or restaurant - think again, there is no A/C. If you are sensitive to heat, do not stay here. I understand that the Lodge wants to maintain its historical features, that's ok for the outside and decks, etc., that can all look like 1904, but temperatures are rising and the interior rooms should be up to 2024 health and comfort standards and frankly they are not.

The Wawona is a historical Hotel (during our visit-under restoration with scaffolding everywhere) where we enjoyed a delicious lunch when we arrived with great service but at dinner the food and the service was very disappointing. We stayed in a cottage that had a nice porch, but in the next room, where we could hear everything, was a misbehaving toddler that kept us up almost all night. Even with my ear plugs, I couldn't sleep. I apparently picked the wrong accommodations. Be aware that there are no TV's in the rooms, no A/C and the only place you can get WiFi is in the main hotel lobby. Because of my bad knee, we didn't do a lot of hiking and I bet I could have found better accommodations outside of Yosemite.

Main lobby and building are nice to relax in, the cocktails are good