Yosemite View Lodge, El Portal

Just back from stay a night at YVL, the location is good close to the entrance of the park, the indoor pool is good. The room condition is acceptable iand if you can sleep with a loud heater all night. The problem for us is no internet access, no signal for ATT carrier for cell phone use, very expensive to just make a phone call or access the internet., The food in the restaurant is tasteless eventhrough the service is good.

We left a bag with iPhone/iPad/camara adapter on counter. We called so we could return to get it. Front desk, house keeping claimed they couldn't find it. Front desk said they would check and call back. After hours waiting I called again and front desk received an answer from house keeping but didn't follow through. Wonder how a bag just disappears! Very dishonest.

Pros We got a room with a loft. It is large and clean and comfortable. Plenty of room for 4 or 6 if you bring an air bed. The Merced river can be heard rushing by from anywhere on the grounds. If you want a room overlooking be sure and ask for a room on the river. Cons That said, the single star I is due to the staff. They were rude and lax in guest security. Don't try to check in before 3:30. It was in the upper 80s so we were hoping we could get in our room early but I got a curt no. So we went in the sitting room (very nice with fireplace) but before we could sit one of the desk clerks that was carrying on a lively conversation with another employee while I was waiting for my "no" darn near jumped the counter to inform my wife that our small dog was only allowed in the room. We were a bit taken aback by the rude manner and then startled when she asked if "there was a problem" when we didn't move fast enough. So we went outside, found some shade, and waited. None of the 3 restaurants were open for lunch but the view of the river made up for it. That night we were in bed when someone with a key opened the door without knocking only to be stopped by the chain. My wife let out a scream and we hear in the darkness a man ask if we called maintenance. We said no and he closed the door and was gone. The night desk confirmed no one had been sent up but they will "keep an eye out for anyone around the rooms". We were flabbergasted! I went down stairs and insisted the door key get re-programmed which he seemed to be reluctant to do. I suppose I should have called 911 myself. While I was waiting in line to check out the guest in front of me was upset about something and asked for a discount because he "didn't get the services promised". I don't know what the complaint was but the manager (assistant manager?) gave the answer that tells it all. "I won't give you a discount because I know you won't be back anyway". He got that right for both of us.

I'm hearing some reviews that sound very errational. I have experienced the badgering of employees in the yosemite area personally, and they are continually trying to defeat the other hotels. I wonder if these terrible reviews are actually employees of the opposing hotels in the area.?? I didn't even need to sign in to post a review.. I could be anyone posting!

When you go Yosemite, most people are looking for a place to stay that is close to the parks attractions for a good price.... this is it. We had a clean,quiet ground level room facing the river which is all you really need after a long day on the trails. Pizza restaurant was crowded at night but service was fast and food was good including salads. For us, YVL is the best location to stay if you get a room in the valley.

Beautiful, peaceful location with only a 10 minute drive to Yosemite entrance. There are several swimming pools & they are open until 10 pm, so it is a great place for an evening swim after a long day at the park. The room I stayed in was clean, in good condition & had a nice private patio overlooking trees & wilderness. I really enjoyed our stay at Yosemite View Lodge & would definitely go back..

We have stayed at the Yosemite View Lodge at least 5 years in a row and it's always as great as the last time. The river view rooms are obviously the best (worth the few extra dollars) and the spa-sized tub is the second reason we stay here. During the summer months, the most recommended place to visit at the Lodge is the pizza place. Their pizza is to die for. Keep in mind that there is a section of the hotel that is newer than the other. I highly recommend this wonderful place.

It was really dirty. The carpet was very very old and black in some places we didn't take off our shoes. Hot pink tub that I would touch with a ten foot pole. I am not a clean freak either. We paid $199 for one night and it was like a dirty run down motel 6. Worse on the inside than the outside. Only two redeem features. Location & a beautiful river view for some of the units. You will be grossed out and will find it hard to enjoy.

Ok, so my husband & I have travel quite extensively stayed in anywhere from 5 star to 2 star, so we know luxury. The View Lodge was exactly what we were expecting for the price, not luxurious but perfect for the trip. We were very happy, it was clean, the bathrooms were fully stocked with towels & it had AC. That was invaluable! My brother’s family was there too & they stayed in the park thinking of convenience but had no AC. They much rather have stayed here and dealt with the 20 min drive it takes to get in the main "town" in the park. Had a great time, perfect for what we needed, would stay there again. Now if you have a 5 person family or bigger I think your going to have difficulty where ever you stay, Burners & fridge in hotel are not meant for a Thanksgiving Dinner but are great for snacks :-)

This place is close to the entrance of Yosemite. We booked a year in advance for our rooms. Rooms were assigned far apart even though I requested rooms to be close together. My family was separated. The kitchen was not what the web site displayed.The one sink could not even fit the one frying pan/one dutch pot to be washed.It had ants and was too small for a family of 6. Service was poor. We requested a wake up call and it did not happen. We requested to have the aircondition looked at in the morning since it was not working the first night before. Had to make a call in the early morning before leaving for the day and again in the early evening when we returned since it was not looked at.Requested to have the kitchen sprayed, it did not happened so I brought insect spray and spayed myself. One room was old..and could use a make over. Flies/mosquitos entered the bathroom through the bathroom broken screen as well as through the bent screen door. As you entered the room, the rug was very worn out and old. Two spiders were found in the sheets. Overall this experience was extremely disappointing. The nice thing about this lodge is the grocery store even though they did not carry any medication for insect/bug bites, hotel lobby, spas, and pools. We may give it a second chance, but only if we are desparate.