The Ahwahnee, Yosemite National Park

This place is amazing and I came here when I was a child. I used to feed those squirrels your'e complaining about while watching deer on the lawn. If you can't handle a little 'nature', then maybe you should go back to Orange County. I understand the Ahwahnee is expensive now, but it should be. It's a national treasure. That's why I only come on special occasions and APPRECIATE it. By the way, you suburban trash, make sure you spell the name correctly before maligning a place.

The Ahwahnee is a world renowned Historic Hotel. It is open to everyone, registered guests or otherwise. It was built to attract people of means who will hopefully donate money to the National Parks. People with beer pocket books should simply stay away. As long as we have been going to Yosemite and enjoying the Ahwahnee the dining room has never been 'full of mosquitoes' or 'over run with squirrels'. The hotel staff is gracious and polite. If you experience actual rudeness then notify hotel management and they will deal with it. These comments are obviously written by those people who can't afford to experience the Ahwahnee in the first place and now want compensation for spending beyond their means. They should walk through and look, then go to the hot dog stand for lunch.

It is a beautifully built lodge but don't stay there. We are going to go back to staying at the Bestwestern in Oakhurst and going in the south entrance in the mornings. The Ahwahnee is so over priced and nasty. Just nasty. Ever hear of bug spray, you idiots. I don't know why the health dept doesn't close them. Looks clean but full of all kinds of mold, bugs. Nasty place.

I have camped, mountain biked, surfed, climbed, and hiked for `30 years. I have trained with the Navy SEALS. Spiders, critters, snakes, etc. don't bother me. But as we began to lay down to sleep in Cottage #703 at the Awahnee, spiders (large black ones) came from every location and jumped on my children. I was literally killing spiders on my kids' bodies at 12:30AM. We called the front desk to get a different room and "Jess" (the night manager) laughed it off saying, "its the mountains, what did you expect?". It was July 4th and we had no where else to stay. So, I drove back home to Orange County through the night (pulling-up to my house at 7:00AM). Our friends visited the room the following day thinking we were still there and they encountered a cleaning crew who told them that there was a spider nest in the place ... they said "spiders were everywhere." We paid $430 so my children's bodies could be covered in spider bites. I am writing to the CEO of Delaware North and the General Manager of the hotel. I am also contacting the National Park leadership. Two weeks ago a boy in our area was killed as a result of a Black Widow bite ... not to be taken lightly. Delaware North is taking advantage of the Valley's beauty as they have a monopoly. They must have incredible margins because it is clear that they do not reinvest the ~$500/night back into the hotel. Beyond spiders, many people were complaining ... the place is no cleaner than a Days Inn ... it is simply lifted-up by its surroundings and its historical lore.

The women who work in the restaurant seem to hate there jobs. The Gestapo lady serves tea at 4:00 and she is a grump. She snapped at my 3 year old as he grabbed a cookie. She was totally unfriendly. You will see what I mean if you stay there. Other than that it is a grand hotel with so much history. The views and grounds are beautiful. Just don't expect good service. It must be very difficult to find people to work there otherwise I don't understand why they would continue to keep grumpy people.

We visited Yosemite last summer and couldnt get into this hotel. Sometimes it all works out. We stayed at a great place and went to the Ahwanee for lunch. We ate in the dining room and the room was over run by squirrels, literally running under the tables, on your feet. Not exactly the experience we were looking for. We told the staff and they did, well, nothing. We left with our lunch half eaten and went back to our hotel. Thank god we didnt get to stay there. The place looked a million years old and talk about being stuck. Based on a very limited experience I would not recommend this place to anyone

We have stayed at other DNC properties and this one is the biggest disappointment. It is way overpriced, the service is just OK. The bar/lunch area is just that an area with squirrels running in and out. The carpeting smells. No air conditioning in this part of the hotel. For 500 + dollars a night this area should have a/c. Also the furniture in the common areas and rooms are well worn and dingy. The pool and pool area is tiny. The food is extremely expensive. I agree with the other reviews this is way overpriced and there are other places to stay. Yosemite is magnificent, the Ahwahnee is not, not anymore at least.

I enjoy the old, rustic feel of the Ahwahnee, but it is over the top expensive. I haven't stayed there mainly because of the high prices, but having eaten there recently I was VERY disappointed in the food quality and price. The food came out cold when it was supposed to be hot, and they served food that wasn't very well described on the menu or by the waitress/waiter. So we didn't know what we were getting and what the menu tries to make seem like some exotic dish. Not even good food. Below average food at best. I noticed in their accomodation section they say that the ammenities are free. Well they aren't free, they are included in the overpriced daily rate. I read a review where it cost them $6000 for a 4 day stay. Yosemite is too nice of a park to be fooled by a hotel that wants to leave you broke from your stay there. They are lucky to have Yosemite, anywhere else they would be losing money and customers. Sorry, I wanted to have a wonderful lunch at their restaurant to show off to my guests and it turned out horrible. They appologized that I had to pay for it. I'm not familiar with other restaurants in the park, but I wouldn't recommend the Ahwahnee's at this time. It was not up to the standards it tries to portray, and of course overpriced anyway. To the person in another review that thinks we should all quit complaining, I'm really glad that he gets what he pays for. I'm not rich or spoiled and have to carefully decide how I spend my money. Enjoying nature and a beautiful National park shouldn't be only for the rich.

We have stayed at The Ahwahnee every year for many years. We get the JFK Suite with 2 bedrooms and a parlor, and have sweeping views of the cliffs and Yosemite Falls. It has a HUGE horseshoe-shaped patio with tables and umbrellas. 4 nights costs us about $6,000, but well worth basking in the history of this wonderful place. If you want modern, go down to Tenaya Lodge. If you want history and old furniture and decor that has seen movie stars, World War II, U.S. presidents and the Queen of England over the years, go to the Ahwahnee. We wouldn't miss it for the world!

I read reviews ahead of time so I understood what to expect when staying at this hotel. We stayed in the cottages which were nice, they were large and very comfortable, but not special or luxurious. It was our anniversary and they brought us some chocolate covered strawberries which was a lovely touch and they were delicious. The hotel itself is beautiful, especially the large room with the fireplace. Had it not been our anniversary though I would have been disappointed in spending this much money on lodging. Next visit I'll stay at the Yosemite lodge or in a Curry Village cabin.