Wawona Hotel, Yosemite National Park

Went there with class trip in 8th grade - we stopped at the hotel to rest - it was like a wwII era poss mountain villa/hotel complete with giant roaring fireplace - all that was missing was giant flags. Overall I loved the atmosphere although the staff was next to non existant...

When you check into the Wawona do not expect tv's, phones, room service, valet parking, internet,. whatever else you can think of thaty would be considered "expected" in a modern hotel. This hotel is a wonderful step back into time. We have been sitting on the front porch in our adirondack chairs, chilling, and people have come up to us to ask us what to do??? Well, we are doing it. Nothing. You can relax. Thomas Bopp makes the stay even more perfect. the dining room is very good, family fare,. Try the PineNut Pie! The best. This is an amazing part of Yosemite. Very few crowds, and very peaceful. Shuttles take you down to the valley, or to the Mariposa Grove. My husband and I went to the Wawona for our honeymoon 28 years ago. We have gone back every year since. We have had some of the same staff that entire time. We have always had courteous service, and wonderful memories Shouldn't be giving away so much information on our favorite place. But if you do go, enjoy. Just don't expect the 21st century

As you pull up to the Wawona Hotel it is one of the most idyllic settings you will ever see in Yosemite. Beautiful vintage buildings and postcard inspiring Sierra Nevada setting. But the grounds is where the inspiration stops. After 4 nights of camping we were looking forward to a night of being pampered at the historic hotel, but found it to be anything but accomodating for a family of four on a Yosemite vacation. We walked into the lobby at 3:00 in the afternoon to claim our reservation and were met by a surly receptionist that informed us we could not check in until 5:00pm. Oh yes, and check out time is 11:00. While our room was one with a shower, it was fairly unimpressive. I appreciate the attempt at keeping the historic theme, but in this day and age it is possible to keep the authentic historic feel but use modern fixtures. I was the last of our foursome to shower and my shower was "warm". Next we were off to dinner. Having worked in the food service industry I was looking forward to an evening of being wined and dined. Alas I was EXTREMELY disappointed. The pricing was ridiculously high ($30+ for any entree including pasta), and the service was extremely ordinary. That evening we asked for extra blankets and ended up having to argue with front desk that we were only "allowed" two extra for our room. All in all the stay was a nice break from tent camping, but certainly not worth the nearly $500 it cost our family of four for one night, dinner and breakfast. With the Delaware North Company running the show in Yosemite you'd think they could do a much better job with the historic facility.

For what we got at Wawona, it would have been better to stay in one of the Curry Village tents in Yosemite Village. If this is your first time visiting Yosemite, then stay in the village. That’s where all the info is, most of the trails begin, and it’s so convenient it hurts. There’s a shuttle that loops around the village and stops at all of the lodging facilities, museums, shops, restaurants, and most of the trails. Believe me, after finishing some of the hikes you’ll want things to be that easy and convenient. Instead we were stuck having to drive about 45 minutes on a winding road from Wawona to the village so we could see the sights and hike. It was worst going back. After these exhausting hikes the road back after dark is unlit and took a bit longer. We ended up cutting our days short because of it. Now about the hotel…we stayed in the Moore Cottage, which has about ten rooms that share one toilet, and one shower with toilet. It was cold in April, but surprisingly on arrival, the shower and WC were warm. Problem was, the doors don’t fully close and don’t close automatically, so when I was went to shower, someone had left the door wide open-leaving me with a bathroom too cold to use. I had to stick a tissue in the door to keep it closed so it could warm up again. I waited ten minutes, went back and someone else had taken the shower. Ended up not showering during our entire visit (three days, two nights-gross). The room itself was fine. For being a historic hotel that looks great on the outside, it’s sad to see they haven’t taken the time to make it look better on the inside. The bed was okay. Reminded us of the first bed we bought for $100. Thin, pathetic, but did the job after a long day of hiking. It’s true they have no amenities, and the rooms though a bit drafty were actually relatively warm since they provided us with a space heater. Breakfast on Saturday was excellent! We got to choose from their menu, which had enough variety to satisfy most (excluding vegans). And the waiter was really accommodating. Everything was made to order and included in our room rate. Sadly, Sunday morning was different. The hotel was much more packed, and our only option for breakfast was a buffet of dry tasteless food. The eggs-dry. The potatoes overly salted. The Belgium waffle sticks, dry and cold. The “baked goods” seemed to come from the freezer section of a grocery store or a local Holiday Inn Express. Was not worth our time. To be fair, I’ve heard that during summer months they have an amazing Sunday brunch, but that just makes me feel worse. Like, great, summer people get a lame shuttle to Mariposa Grove and a brunch, some BBQ outdoor thing. Us off-season folk can’t even get a warm showers or waffles. One great thing about the Wawona was the weekend entertainment. There’s a piano player that sings old tunes about Yosemite. Everyone sits around the fireplace and listens. Also the cocktail waiter Erik was amazing! He remembered my drink order from the night before. However, for socializing, it’s better to stay in the village. Yosemite makes for a very communal atmosphere. Strangers bond during and after hikes. So if you’re a social person, you’re going to want to hang out and have a drink with your newfound friends, not race away to a hotel so far away you’d rather sleep in the car. (Oh and if you’re wondering, I’m originally from Houston and live in Los Angeles, so I’m not one to shy away from long drives.)

We were in Yosemite for a wedding and spent two nights in the Moore Cottage. The room was large and the bed was comfortable. Most of our day was spent hiking: Maraposa Grove, the Swinging Bridge, the Meadow, etc., thus we spent little daytime in our room. In the evening, we drifted to the lobby to sit by the fire, have a cocktail, enjoy Tom Bopp and his throwback to another era tunes, and dine. I had the best spinach salad ever. Although showing its age a bit, the Wawona Hotel provided us with just what we needed. We had a great experience.

It was quiet with beautiful views and comfortable rooms. Free lift tickets to ski area and very friendly employees. The food was excellent and the staff were all very helpful.

Two nights at the Wawona and I feel like I've just returned from a two week vacation.. wow. No TV, internet or cell phones. Just a quiet little hideaway on a gorgeous meadow. You won't regret it, just be prepared for no cell phone coverage, and be totally ready to kick off your shoes and just relax!

If you are prepared for noise in terms of thin walls & loud footsteps & you can handle sharing a bathroom, then this is the place for you. I slept more soundly at Wawona than I did anywhere else on holiday. It is located in a peaceful area (or it was when I stayed) and the size of the rooms is quite generous. It's nice not having TV & a phone and relaxing with all the guests in the main lounge area. The cleanliness was fine, the staff were helpful & the restaurant, although expensive, served quality food. The only thing to watch out for is if you have a rental car and are staying at Wawona - don't do the Grand Tour because all of the attractions are very close to Wawona and you'll spend your time doubling back on the roads. There's heaps of accommodation in the town of Oakhurst nearby if an extra 20 mins driving doesn't bother you.

This hotel is awesome if you enjoy history and quiet luxury. We were surrounded by older couples and tourists speaking different languages, only a few children in sight. The hotel staff is wonderfully accommodating and helpful. The dining room is gorgeous and the chef is superb, the food scrumptious! The only negative thing that comes to mind is the wooden porches make guests sound like they're clomping by the rooms at all hours. You can't sleep in here due to the noise of early risers; however, if you like to go to bed early and rise early, it's the perfect place. Half-Meow, the cat, is always stalking birds on the lawn and is a friendly cat, made me miss my kitty! The Wawona has everything on premises for a relaxing, enjoyable vacation. We can hardly wait to return next May!

This hotel was historic and beautiful, but if you're looking for a place to rest and relax in air conditiong, this is not the place for you. We ended up having to stay here last minute due to problems with reservations at another hotel, so we ended up in a room without a bathroom. This was the biggest inconvenience I have ever encountered in a hotel. There were public showers, however we chose not to use them. There was a sink in our room so we could get cleaned up a bit. There were bathrooms at each end of the hotel for us to use, but again, quite inconvenient when you have to use the restroom at 5am. The location is also quite far from the valley, another big inconvenience. However, if you're looking for a beautiful historic hotel, and don't mind no air conditioning, or a possibility of no bathroom in your room, then this is the place for you!