Tenaya, Wawona, or Ahwahnee

Hi! Can anyone help me choose which of these hotels is the best value. I know the Wawona, does not have air or private baths in each room. I know the Tenaya is outside of Yosemite. What are the benifits for staying at the Ahwahnee, and is it worth the hight price tag? Does anyone know if I have to pay for parking at any or all of the sites mentioned? Have you ever stayed at any of these sites. Please write your suggestions and comments. I would love to know and use input from people who have been to these sites to assist in my decision making process. Thanks for your help.

Smiles!!

Tenaya, Wawona, or Ahwahnee

Hi sunluvinfun ~ we still don%26#39;t know WHEN in the summer you are planning your trip, but here goes. (My two cents ~ if you don%26#39;t have kids and can postpone your trip until after Labor Day, you%26#39;ll experience better weather and slightly decreased crowds.)

';Good Value'; is totally subjective.

*Ahwahnee ~ in the Valley, immersed in the beauty of Yosemite, most expensive, the Valley is CROWDED in the summer but you are right there!

*Wawona ~ authentic, older, quieter, 45 minute drive to the Valley, near shuttle stop to Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, few meal options, Tom Bopp playing piano in the lounge, swim in the Merced River

*Tenaya ~ outside the Park, newest, has evening activities like a swimming pool, reported to have better food, one hour to the Valley, 10 minutes to Mariposa Grove

There are frequent cancellations for Valley lodgings. Check back often or look at options in El Portal (if you want to be near the Valley.)

Here is a map: nps.gov/yose/鈥OSEpark2003.pdf

Tenaya, Wawona, or Ahwahnee

I am planning on Mid July. No set dates but I%26#39;m a teacher and will have to be back by September for 15 of my favorite friends:)

Smiles

Thank your for responding to my post. Do you know how far outside the valley Tenaya is?

Tenaya Lodge is in Fish Camp, so it%26#39;s going to be an hour and 15 minutes from the Valley, plus any light traffic you might run into (or line at the gate which could happen in July).

nps.gov/yose/鈥ileages9-2007.pdf

One of your posts on the Napa forum mentions you enjoy good food and wine, and a nice place to stay. If that%26#39;s the case, I%26#39;m going to vote Ahwahnee or Tenaya Lodge for you. Tenaya Lodge is definitely more modern with what seems like more amenities than the Ahwahnee. But the Ahwahnee situates you well...it%26#39;s between Tuolumne Meadows (1 1/2 hour drive north east) and Glacier point (1 hour drive south east) and smack in the middle of some excellent, though crowded Valley sightseeing. Picking between the two, I think it will come down to what%26#39;s more important to you as far as saving drive time vs. slightly nicer/newer place to stay.

Happy planning.

I would add that parking is free at all these locations. If you are especially interested in visiting the valley, I would really recommend staying there for at least part of your trip. The long round trips get to be tiring, especially in the busier months.

You didn%26#39;t mention the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls. Were they booked up? Because that would be my first choice for the days I wanted to visit the valley. Cancellations would almost certainly occur if you keep trying.

I have only had the opportunity to stay in the Ahwahnee once, but I did love it! However, you have to keep perspective when you talk about anything being ';worth the price.'; All of your accommodations in and and close to the park cost about one ';level'; higher than what you would pay elsewhere, simply because of their location. So you pay motel prices for a tent cabin, hotel prices for a motel-like accommodation, and luxury hotel prices for a full-service hotel accommodation. That%26#39;s the price of proximity, because Yosemite is a fair distance from everywhere!

Probably for this coming July, the Ahwahnee is fully booked. However, it would be a fantastic place to stay. We%26#39;ve dined there when staying at other places in the Valley or camping over the years. Yosemite Lodge is like motel units, but the next best thing to staying in the valley and you could probably land reservations for July.

Last January we stayed at Tenaya and just loved it. It had all the amenities of a resort. It%26#39;s like an old lodge in the lobby with a huge fireplace. They have 2 swimming pools, spa, restaurants and campfire activities. Plenty of free parking. I wouldn%26#39;t want to do the drive more than a few days back and forth to the valley from there.

My first choice would be the Ahwahnee, second the Tenaya Lodge. The food is much better at the Ahwahnee than at Tenaya Lodge, we have done the holiday buffets in the Sierra House but it does not compare to Ahwahnee%26#39;s, Jackalope%26#39;s is decent but pretty mediocre. Have fun in Yosemite! :)

We stayed at both the Awahnee and The Wawona during our visit last July 4-10.

The Ahwahnee- beautiful room, lovely bath, big tv, very quiet. Pool is not huge, but not crowded either, the lobbys are beautiful. They serve a complimentary teain the grand lobby every afternoon, lovely! We had dinner and breakfast in the dining room, food and service was very good. So convienent to all valley locations. Worth every penny in our estimation.

The Wawona- we stayed in a room with bath, although it was a very hot day/night, we slept with the window open and fan going and we were not uncomfortable. The lobby was quite charming, rooms are fairly small but furniture is nice. If you are there on a saturday night in july do not miss the BBQ on the Lawn, it was great. The swimming tank was refreshing, hubby had a great time in the lounge that night listening to Tom Bopp(sp?) sing. We had breakfast in the dining room, no wait for a table, adequate buffet (nothing very special, but perfectly good food and sevice for the price). I think the distance to the valley would bother me if I was trying to do a lot, we were only seeing the pioneer village and the sequoias while we were staying at the Wawona on our way out of the park.

Never stayed at the tenaya so can%26#39;t help you there.