Places to stay in Yosemite National Park

This post is mostly a inspired by my stays at Yosemite Lakes Hostel
(31191 Harden Flat Rd. Groveland, CA 95321) which was once the best
kept secret in the valley. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and
have been visiting Yosemite on a yearly basis since 1996. For 5 years
I never paid more than $30 per night at Yosemite Lakes. This hostel
(lodge) is located a few miles outside the park's westernmost gate. I
paid $69 per night (with my AAA discount) and was very disappointed
with their service because they did not offer air conditioning. One of
the clerks told me it was broken and another clerk told me that a
different clerk must have turned it off. In any case, there was a
small portable fan sitting on the ground in my room and I was told to
use it to keep myself cool. It made too much noise to allow me to
sleep so I did not use it. I was very uncomfortable in the heat which
had reached into the 90's during the day time. Air conditioning is
considered a basic service around these parts. Every major lodge, B&B,
Hotel, and Motel offer it. If you decide to stay inside the hostel at
Yosemite Lakes you must share tv, bathroom and shower amenities with
the other guests. Since I had only paid $50 per night the previous
year and only $35 per night the year before that I was thoroughly
disgusted with the simultaneous doubling of prices (within a 2 yr time
period) as well as the reduction in service. I used to love staying at
Yosemite Lakes. They had the best prices ($30 per night was really a
bargain!!!) and I did not mind sharing the shower and restroom
facilities which were kept relatively clean. Also, not too many people
knew of this place so I could make reservations just a couple days
beforehand and get the room I wanted!

I took a look around at some of the other places and thought Yosemite
Westgate Lodge (Buck Meadows) looked like the most attractive
alternative. I didn't get to see the rooms at the Westgate Lodge but
did get to see a room at Buck Meadows. They were charging $89 per
night and offered 1 double bed, a/c, your own private bath/shower, and
cable tv ($109 per night for 2 Queen sized beds). There was a ceiling
fan and a small desk with a chair. They also offered access to the
small pool outside complete with hot tub. For $20 more I think it
might be worth it to try this place out next year. Then again, the way
Yosemite Lakes is increasing their prices year in and out, they will
probably be charging the same, if not more than the Westgate Lodge by
this time next year. The Yosemite Westgate Lodge and Yosemite Lakes
are both on Highway 120 which is the main road which leads into
Yosemite National Park from San Francisco. It takes about 1 hour to
get from the Westgate Lodge to the park entrance and about 40 minutes
from Yosemite Lakes.

I will divulge the results of my research here. Remember that this
info is based on 1 person, 1 night's stay in August. The prices may
vary depending on the time of year. For example, in December, Yosemite
Westgate's prices drop to around $69 per night for 1 Queen bed.

Yosemite Gatehouse Lodge - Address:34001 Highway 120
Phone:209-379-2260 Rates:$86 per night (as according to their
website). I couldn't get a hold of anyone here when I showed up at
their door at 11am. The sign on the door said that the office opened
at 3pm. This is the closest hotel to the park entrance (maybe a 10
minute drive). The place does not look well maintained at all. There
are huge potholes in the driveway and it really looks dumpy from the
outside. I became very excited when I saw the dilapidated conditions
because I thought to myself, "here is a potential jewel. They can't
possibly charge high rates here because it's such a dump." Well, looks
like my assumptions were wrong. You might want to confirm the pricing
yourself though to make sure they are not outdated, if you can manage
to get hold of someone at their office.

Berkshire Bed and Bath - $95 per night. This large, quaint, charming
home offers a hot tub and a nice cozy bedroom. You have access to your
own shower and bath. There is a basketball hoop outside next to the
parking lot. The owner of the house was a tall, kind of lanky
caucasian male who seemed like a nice enough person. There was also a
small friendly white dog who followed me wherever I went (I guess he
was the house "pet"). There was a "For Sale" sign outside of the
entrance so if you want to stay here next year you might want to
inquire further to make sure someone hasn't already bought the house
and made it into something else. Berkshire B&B is even further away
from the entrance of the park. Perhaps 10-20 minutes further than
Yosemite Westgate (sorry I didn't bother to time it).

Manzanita Hill Bed and Bath - $125 per night according to their
website (8-21-04). I did not go into this place since I was in a hurry
to get home, not to mention I'm not really into B&B's. From the
website though, it seems like a nice place. This B&B is even further
from the park entrance than Berkshire.

The next 3 places are all in the small town of Groveland which is
probably about 1 1/2 hours from the park entrance.

Yosemite Motel - $77 per night you get a Queen size bed or if you want
to save a few bucks:$35 per night one double bed inside a teepee.
Their Motel seemed like decent accomodations. I snuck a peek inside
and it looked very basic, a bed, your own bathroom, wall mirror etc.
The girl who worked there who was probably about 23 yrs old seemed
like a nice person and told me that there was lots of stuff to do
around there including a couple of lakes nearby that they enjoyed
swimming out of. This sounded intriguing to me because the local folks
always know the best places to hang out. You can't get this kind of
advice from the bigger places! The teepee idea sounds good because
it's cheap. It's basically a round concrete slab with a teepee built
on it. Inside there is one double bed (could be a Queen) and one
incandescent lightbulb (with no lamp shade). The topmost portion of
the teepee is open to the sky so if it starts to rain, you will get
wet!

This "Motel" calls themselves a Motel, but to put things in
perspective, the Yosemite Westgate Lodge is more of what people expect
in a Hotel. They get living refinements such as swimming pool, hot
tub, ice machines, a nice, clean, brightly lit lobby behind a granite
countertop behind which a cheerful hostess willingly answers all
questions.

For the Yosemite Motel in Groveland picture this: Remember the movie
National Lampoon's Vacation (starring Chevy Chase and Beverly
D'Angelo)? There was a character named Uncle Eddie who owned a farm.
Picture Uncle Eddie setting up a Motel onto his farm (everyone in
shorts and t-shirts, lemonade made with his daughter's loving hands).
That's more what the Yosemite Motel is like. They don't have a lobby,
they have a window that you walk up to, to ask the hostess your
questions. Starting to get the picture? This is more a description of
the outside however. Don't get me wrong, the rooms inside are clean
and cozy. And don't forget, they know all the best swimming holes in
the area!

Groveland Hotel - $159.60 per night. AAA discount offered after
October 15. This historic hotel was actually offering around $140 per
night, but that price did not include some other mandatory fees that
get tacked on so by the time you add everything up it comes up just
short of $160 per night. This seems a bit outrageous to me considering
they are charging so much more than everyone else. The accomodations
were very simple. A bed, your own shower and bath, and a nice view
down the streets of Groveland (or should I say "street" of Groveland
since there's really only 1 long street). The ambiance was a notch
higher than any other place I visited on this day, as the furniture
all looked antique. The wallpaper was a beautiful old colonial
pattern. I guess if you enjoy staying in historic places this is the
Hotel for you but I say "keep the $70, I'll be staying somewhere
else".

All Seasons Groveland Inn - $130 per night according to their website
as of 08-21-04. I was unable to go inside of this Inn when I got to
Groveland but it seemed like a nice enough place to stay. If you goto
their website the pictures you see are pretty much what it looks like
from the outside.

That's it for now, feel free to post questions, comments, flames,
here. This email address ) doesn't work, hasn't
worked in quite some time so if you try to send me an email it will go
unanswered!

Steven

Steven,

Thanks for the info. It's really valuable.
I'll be in Yosemite on Sept. 8th or 9th. so when I look for a place to
sleep, I'll keep in mind what you've said.

Thanks! and continue the research, please!

Xavier.