Americas Best Value Yosemite Westgate, Groveland

We stayed at Yosemite West Gate Lodge Sept. 19-24. The price was excellent& the location to the park entrance was as advertised-the closest-approximately 12 miles. It is located in the countryside, woods, pastures, a horse was at the fence as we pulled in-pretty. The pool was clean and the flowers were lovely. The water was too cool for us but we live in Florida and it was Sept.. The staff was courteous,gracious, friendly and helpful. Our BVI discount card which you can get online was honored for a 15% discount. They provide a fridge, microwave & coffee pot( the brand of coffee provided was delicious) We would stay there again in a heartbeat. There was also a restaurant right next door and it was quite busy especially at breakfast.

After arriving on motorcycle from an all day ride, the pool looked pretty good, until I got up close. It was full of insects, some wasps, and lots of other debris. I figured for $125 I could maybe request the pool be cleaned. Wrong. The proprietor made me feel like I was being a whimp for asking, making not funny remarks. They did clean the pool and the water was nice. With no instructions on the phone on how to dial out we had to call the office, where I spoke with the wife of the proprietor. She did not understand nor speak English very well, and she seemed to get angry with me. After arguing with me I finally understood what she was saying and got the phone line opened so I could call out. After having specifically requested no service in our rooms, both rooms were serviced anyway, which I felt was a serious breach. We didn't want them in the room and they came in anyway. Upon checking out the proprietor accused me of "fighting" with his wife, which I denied, saying it was simply a misunderstanding. He then wouldn't give us the $5 discount for the second day he promised us when we had checked in. He was rude. The best part of our stay at the West Gate was the restaurant next door, the Buck Meadows Restaurant. And of course Yosemite was great.

The management is very dishonest about the pricing of the rooms. When I called to ask for pricing of the deluxe room, they quoted me one price and said they offer AAA discounts. However, when I arrived they raised the price 60 dollars and didn't honor any discounts. When I questioned the management about the price, she said they can charge whatever they feel like depending on how full the hotel is. She said they could sometimes charge up to 400 dollars. I feel travelers should beware of this before booking a room here. I don't think their rooms with only two queen beds is even worth 200 dollars much less 259 dollars. Also, when you go to their website they don't even have any pricing listed which I'm sure is because they like to vary their prices. I would never recommend this hotel to anyone.

This is the best property off of highway 120, hands down. We went to the Evergreen Lodge to check it out, but it was too remote, and frankly this place is WAAAAY better. There ain't much up there. I really liked the staff. The manager is extremely helpful. We lounged in the pool area and just unwinded. It's a good retreat.

If you are travelling with Kids or a family, stay here. The rooms are large, have fridges, microwaves. There is a pool, and alot of space to roam around. I'll stay here again. My children loved playing in the little sandbox they have there.

Yosemite Westgate Lodge is hands down the best place to stay if you are going to Yosemite National Park, especially from the Bay Area. It is right off Highway 120. The rooms are large and spacious, and it's very modern. They EVEN have internet for free, and this is the woods! It's quite literally the woods. If you like nature, and you want to go to Yosemite, this is the place to stay. The management has really done a terrific job with this place.

I really enjoyed my stay at The Yosemite Westgate Lodge. I must say that there is absolutely nothing up in this neck of the woods, and the management does a great job providing a nice place to stay with such proximity to one of the World's most amazing places. This property is very modern and even has the internet for free, which I heard was difficult to achieve from the manager because of its remoteness. If you want a nice place to stay while travelling to Yosemite, especially from the S.F. Bay Area, this is the best place. Good place for families as well.

I have stayed at this hotel twice in the past few years and it is my first choice for a clean, well appointed and economical place to stay while photographing Yosemite. If however you are an airline stewardess or a "pansey" executive or some overly expecting "Red Neck" looking for the ritz in the mountains..then I suggest you stay at one of the hotles in Yosemite Vally...sure the price of a nights stay is $400 bucks...but what the heck...you can access your email from there. But if your on a budget..this is a PERFECT place to stay.

The name of this motel is ironic, as it is not a VALUE at all. At $150 / night, I felt robbed. The room was infested with bugs. We came across 2 big (greater than 1-inch) spiders in the first 20 minutes of occupation. The bed sheets had some sort of dirt on them and the toilet barely flushed. I will never return, and when I even drive by now on my way to Yosemite, the sight of the place makes me mad.