Yosemite View Lodge, El Portal

The Lodge has nothing to do with Yosemite Blue Butterfly Inn!!! My ratings are for Yosemite Blue Butterfly Inn.

out of date & looking tired, inside & out. alot of concrete externally, not what you would expect in such a beautiful area. Also, lacking in on-site amenities; one awful fast food restaurant & a second restaurant which cant cater for the total number of guests without having to wait an hour for a table in the middle of nowhere! Our room had a river view, which is ideal( you dont wanna be looking over the front onto the carpark- more concrete!) but our sheets hadnt been changed & there was an empty condom wrapper under a pillow!!!yuk! the staff were fine, except for one in the tiny bar, who took alot of working to them to smile, let alone pipe up a conversation! wont go back if we can get in elsewhere, unless they kick themselves up 5 gears!

I liked the variety and the beauty of the Merced River on your balcony. I don't even stay in the park anymore since I've discovered this place. The view of the river and the comfort of the Kitchen, Fireplace and Spas are more than you get in Yosemite. I used to work up there and choose to stay here evey year. I just wish they didn't remove the discount of people who have stayed there previously.

Big rooms, comfortable beds, well-equipped kitchenette, clean smell. The absolute best part was having the Merced river right outside of our balcony. We had a hot tub in the bathroom, however there is no note indicating that the operating panel for the jets is behind the towel rack (not the most obvious place one would look for it). The outside of the hotel definitely looks ordinary, but once inside the room it looks really nice. The staff at the front desk was very helpful, especially because we asked to have our room changed from a king size to a double queen after we reserved the king size. They were always pleasant and ready to help. The pizza place was conveniently located, and the pizza was good. We didn't eat at the restaurant. Price of basic staples at the convenience store by the lobby was comparable to prices at home (Oceanside, CA). Overall, a good experience. Would definitely return again.

We just got back from Yosemite and the Yosemite View Lodge. We loved the location, the pools and the Pizza place is wonderful. Our room had a kitchenette and after buying groceries in the small store, we were able to cook and supplement with take out salads from the pizza shop (excellent pizza too!). The prices weren't overly outrageous at the store or the pizza place. We had one meal at the restaurant and felt it was overpriced. It felt different than a normal hotel, in that you had to go to the lobby to get pool towels, etc, but the rooms were clean and when we would hang our door knob hanger requesting our room be cleaned, it was done within the hour. We can't wait to go back next year!

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.

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!

If the Yosemite View Lodge is not *the* closest hotel to the boundary of Yosemite National Park, it has to be in the top 5 or 10. The rooms are rather pricey, but definitely spring for the river view rooms. We stayed on the second floor of what the front desk staff referred to as the 'new building' with a river view, and we were absolutely blown away by the proximity of the building to the river. A sidewalk and some rocks are literally all that separate you from the river. Several swimming pools and hot tubs are scattered throughout the property. The room was also very well-appointed. It included a kitchenette with new appliances (refrigerator, microwave, and range), dishes for 4, and pots/pans for actually cooking in the room. The main building has a little grocery store, where we bought some eggs, bisquick and milk, so we ate in the room both mornings! There is also a sit-down restaurant and pizza place on the property. The hotel provides a yosemite guide service in the main building which, being our first visit to yosemite, we found very helpful. Overall, the room was expensive ($200/night) but the room and services were what I would expect from a 4-star hotel.

The location of this lodge is terrific--right outside of the park. The rooms are a bit older, and the heating system made one side of the room much warmer than the other. The food in the restaurant was excellent, but a bit pricey.

We would go back, but only because of the location. When we made our reservation we requested a room on the river with a patio, not a balcony but a patio and that the room be an end room. They told us no problem... We get there and our end room with the patio had been given to someone else. After spending all day in the park we were not ready to argue. We got settled and decided to go and have some dinner... What a treat that was! There is only 1 place to eat and it was packed. They also close at 9pm. The wait was hours long. We decided to go in the bar, nice but small. We finally got a place to sit down at the bar and decided to order dinner. We were told that they only serve dinner to SINGLES in the bar! Our response was, fine put us on two tabs.... We finally received our dinner and it was worth the wait. The Bartender was very nice and so was the company. The next morning we went to have breakfast only to learn that it is buffet only. We decided to give it a try... it was the worst buffet that I have ever seen! All the food items had been sitting there for a long time. We had coffee and left. The room was nice and clean. The view is awesome! Best night sleep I have had in a long time and I owe that to the sound of the river.