Ahwahnee Historic Building
Ahwahnee Historic Building
Ahwahnee Historic Building
4.5
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4.5
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ELKW
United States11,824 contributions
June 2019
we visited the Majestic Yosemite hotel as a tourist, we toured the ground level, the lobby, and the outdoor part. The hotel is rather old fashion, it's not very elegant or majestic, but just gives you an old fashion feeling for the interior part, it's rather old and dark inside. but the exterior of the building is more attractive, and the lawn outside is good, it would be nice to enjoy the sunshine out there if the weather is fine., I also saw a pool outdoor but it's very small, not sure if it has another pool, but only that one, it's rather below standard, doesn't match with the "hotel" grade.
Written 10 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grover R
Pensacola, FL21,930 contributions
Mar 2022
This is one of those historic NPS hotel that invokes both majesty of the location as well as the historic setting. It is an incredible and unique hotel set in an amazing setting. The exterior appears that it was carved out of the granite cliffs while the interior displays a size and scale of a glorious time past before technology made the world small. In today's world of tourism, grand public spaces like lobby's and retail areas are gone. However, here is a hotel that is as expansive as the valley itself.
We stayed here one night and enjoyed it greatly. We also ate lunch and dinner at the restaurant which is just as amazing. While expensive, it is so nice to stay in the park and to enjoy its amazing amenities like a medieval banquet size fireplace. Again, I can not say enough great things about our stay here. It is simply one of the premier stays in the National Park system.
We stayed here one night and enjoyed it greatly. We also ate lunch and dinner at the restaurant which is just as amazing. While expensive, it is so nice to stay in the park and to enjoy its amazing amenities like a medieval banquet size fireplace. Again, I can not say enough great things about our stay here. It is simply one of the premier stays in the National Park system.
Written 26 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wendy S
Pittsburgh, PA79 contributions
Apr 2021
In my opinion, this is a must see. The interior is stunning and full of interesting tapestries, art and just general architectural beauty. We ate in the dining room. You get a great view from every window. Be prepared to spend some money on dinner but consider it a once in a lifetime experience. This has been on my bucket list and it certainly delivered. The food was excellent and the menu had interesting selections. The boysenberry pie is an old recipe from the hotel and very unique. I recommend the seasonal fish and pie for dessert. It was a majestic experience to dine here after a day of a strenuous hike.
Written 6 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Leslie Y
Los Angeles, CA14 contributions
Aug 2020
The dining room is the highlight of this old historic lodge! Many years ago I was there in winter, and you see the granite mountains covered in snow. Still beautiful in August, even if no dining is now happening inside due to pandemic. Worth the visit if you aren't flush enough to stay here (over $500 night). The grounds are lovely.
Written 9 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Frank Sories
San Francisco, CA224 contributions
Feb 2022
It's been about 20 years since my spouse and I had been to Yosemite. I was happy that the hotel re-assumed its original name! We used to enjoy having a meal in the Ahwahnee Dining Room, but since there is no longer any table service, we skipped it this trip. The hotel itself makes for a beautiful and relaxing stop. Sitting in any of the magnificent public areas and enjoying the fires burning in the fireplaces, the decor, and the ambience is a pleasure.
Written 13 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
boymomdfw
Dallas, TX2,434 contributions
There is so much history in the lobby. I enjoyed walking in each room to see the photos and the history. The hotel outside is also gorgeous with the views of the half dome. Would recommend stopping in for a look around and a snack from the sweet shop!
Written 17 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1Essie45
Huntington Beach, CA1 contribution
Dec 2015 • Couples
This review, of a stay at the Ahwahnee Hotel (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel) cottages to see the Bracebridge Dinner in December 2015, is divided into several segments. It is possible that the new park management has already addressed some of the points raised in this review.
1. Getting there. We drove from Southern California and took the CA-41 N road into the park. It is a winding road and there is a reason Google Maps tells you it takes two hours from Fresno, the nearest larger city. Speed restrictions are often around 25 mph. It is a lovely road in the daytime when it does not rain or snow. Once you are in the park, follow the road to the end where the Ahwahnee Hotel (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel) is located. We left via Hwy 140 due to the snow, and yes, had to use snow chains on the way out.
2. Snow chains. Snow chains are mandatory to carry in your car between October and April. If you don’t own any, rent them before you enter Yosemite National Park. If it is snowing check road conditions, you will probably want to take Hwy 140 into and out of the park.
3. Parking at the Ahwahnee Hotel (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel). We valet parked and it was a great experience. The valets were helpful, extremely polite and knowledgeable.
4. The Ahwahnee Hotel (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel) public areas. As you enter the lobby, there is a café to the left which serves food and beverages. The lobby is floor to ceiling, and with everything beautifully decorated for the Holidays, was very impressive. Straight ahead is the door leading out towards the back of the hotel (which was supposed to be the front when the hotel was built), if you walk towards it you will pass the Concierge Desk on your right. If you turn right before the Concierge Desk instead you will see the Front Desk on your right. There is also a small store with mostly souvenirs and sweets opposite. The hallway leads on past the Front Desk, there is one large and some smaller rooms off to the left, with some wonderful large fireplaces perfect for a winter day. The main restaurant is straight ahead, and the men’s restroom to the right. To get to the Ladies’ restroom upstairs (yes, it is UPSTAIRS) you need to either take the staircase or the elevator. Plan well and don’t wait for a last-minute emergency as you may be in line behind 10 other ladies.
5. Accommodation. When we booked our stay, the Ahwahnee Hotel (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel) rooms were already sold out. We booked one of the cottage rooms instead. Know this: you pay about 80 percent of the per night rate for the location, and perhaps about 20 percent for the actual room. Temper your expectations! You are paying for being at the end of the road at the best accommodation in the park where everything has to be brought in by car and truck from many miles away. On the other hand, you can get up and open your window or door and you are right there, with amazing views and no worries about driving an hour or two and being stuck in the line of cars waiting to get into the park, which can easily take another half or full hour.
6. Baggage. After you park or valet-park your car, a bell staff with a baggage cart may help you take your baggage to your cottage room unless you prefer to carry your own. That is, you unload your car in front of the hotel, walk with the bell staff (or by yourself) through the left side of the hotel lobby to the back of the hotel, follow a walking path to the cottage where the bell staff unloads your baggage from the baggage cart and helps to take it into the cottage room. On departure, you call the front desk to ask for your car to be retrieved by the valet staff and for a bell staff to come and help you take your baggage back to your car, or carry your own baggage and and/or retrieve your car yourself if you self-parked. It’s about a four - five minute walk or maybe a little longer to some of the cottages which are further from the hotel. You cannot walk around the hotel to get to the cottages, you need to walk through the lobby. You cannot drive to the cottages. You cannot park your car at the cottages.
7. Cottages. I wished I had not read the review of the one person who complained about the lack of privacy in one of the king size bed rooms. It rather spoiled our stay as we started to obsess over it. I made two phone calls prior to our arrival and asked several different staff (call center, concierge desk) as well as at check in about the privacy of the room we would be given. If I had gotten one sensible answer, it would have been extremely helpful. The information might have been something like: there are four rooms in that cottage, numbers xyz and xys on the left face a maintenance building, numbers xyz and ysx on the right are more private although closer to the path to other cottages. Most of the time you will be fairly private no matter which room you stay in, although the path to this specific cottage heads straight for unit xyz. The door and windows by the door of each room have privacy shades, and it is true that people can see the bed in room xyz from the path when looking into the window facing the path unless the curtains are closed. You will most likely not spend a lot of time in the room during the day so this should not be a big concern. Instead we had to figure it out on our own, and yes, we did get the king size bed cottage room with the least privacy. When asking at check-in about being given the most private of the king size bed cottage rooms, the gentleman who helped us mumbled something about prior reservations. The room behind ours did not seem to be occupied until the following day. When calling from the room to say hey, this is not very private, we were informed again that if we wished more privacy we should have booked another room. Apparently one of the cottage buildings is more private and further from the hotel than the others, but it does not have a king size bed. The staff’s lack of knowledge was a little disturbing. As first-time visitors how would we have known which specific room to request? As to the cottages, most of them looked like there were four rooms to each cottage, some might only have had two. The cottages are far enough apart to afford a little privacy from each other, and surrounded by trees. The only cottage with king-bedded rooms is the one to the furthest left once you cross the little bridge and follow the path to the left. All others have different bedding configurations. Next to it is a fence with a gate to a maintenance building and during our stay several employees accessed it to retrieve or return items. The gate was right across from our room door, and the staff were very careful to be respectful, quiet and quick when they need to pass through our patio. It looked like the four bathrooms belonging to the four cottage rooms in our building were next to each other in the center of the building, we could hear what sounded like our next door neighbor flushing the toilet and they could probably hear us as well. In this specific building, the two rooms in the back seem to have more privacy than the two rooms in the front. On each side of the cottage there is a little patio with a table and chairs, and the entrance doors to two cottage rooms on each side are accessed from these shared patios. They are one-story buildings. Our room had shades on the door as well as the floor-to-ceiling window next to the door so there was a degree of privacy when the occupants of the room behind ours walked through the patio to their door. Our main window was facing the front, and as lovely as it was to open the curtains and see straight out from the bed, anybody walking on the path to the cottage or the one passing the cottage could have looked in and seen us in turn. We kept the curtains closed some, but not all of the time. Overall the lack of privacy was not really bad although something could possibly be done to reduce the ability to look into the front window from the outside without obstructing the view from the inside too much. Despite the hotel and cottages being sold out, we did not see many people at all when we were in the room.
8. Furnishings and interior. Our cottage room was quite spacious, almost square, while the room behind ours seemed to be more rectangular. Our room had a ceiling fan, a super comfortable king size bed, night stands, lamps, a table with two chairs in front of the window, a massive combination of writing desk, fridge and chest of drawers on the wall opposite the entrance door, with a huge TV screen as well as coffee/tea making equipment in that area. The carpet is striped in earth tones and was apparently produced specifically for these cottage rooms. The bathroom was white tiled with black accents and included a toilet, wash basin with cabinet and a bathtub, also bathrobes and a hair dryer. Where we would have liked some better planning for the bathroom was that the only towel hook near the bathtub was directly over the trash can and towels fell into the trash can or to the floor because they didn’t stay on the hook. The tile floor is very cold in the winter. There is not enough space for two toiletry bags and toiletries in the wash basin area. There is a shelf over the toilet where it’s possible to knock things off and into the toilet. Additional shelf space by the wash basin/cabinet and a better towel hook/rack by the bathtub would make such a difference. We felt that the heat lamp did not work, there is a timer on the wall to turn it on. The bathroom is otherwise not heated, unless you open the door to the living/bedroom area and let some of the heat escape into the bathroom. The bathroom fan was noisy. There is a floor heater underneath the living/bedroom window which barely kept the room warm enough at full speed. There is also a/c, and signs that say the a/c will not work in the winter and the heater will not work in the summer.
The living/bedroom area was quite spacious but we ended up not being able to use any of the chairs to sit in because we needed them to put things on. There is a shelf and coat rack area to the right as you enter the room, between the door and the window. It has several shelves which contained an additional small heater, a fan, a plastic crate to put all non-refrigerated food into to make the room more bear-safe, extra pillows and an extra comforter. We used the extra heater which helped make the room temperature perfect, and the extra comforter; it was very comfortable. The coat rack is the most amazing thing; it is maybe eight inches wide if that much. It will hold a suit and a dress, the ironing board and not much else. There are no other hooks, therefore the chairs had to double as wardrobe. In the winter, with wet coats, clothes and shoes, this makes things really awkward. It is also very easy to track dirt, snow, and small stones into the room even when wiping shoes outside, so walking around barefoot may not be such a good idea. There were electric outlets but we were a little alarmed at seeing a power strip under the desk which was maxed out with all the devices connected to it (fridge etc.), there are maybe three or four outlets max available, possibly more if you unplug a lamp. Cell phone coverage was weak or not consistent for our cell phone providers and the hotel’s WiFi was just enough to connect sometimes, probably better in the lobby area than at the cottages.
9. Food. We made dinner reservations for the first evening of our stay at the restaurant, and were given a table for two at the window side, directly between the coffee station and the silverware/supply area. Frequently during our dinner there was a busy waitstaff behind one or both of us. My dinner was very well presented and tasty, my friend’s dinner was served ‘au jus’ although it had been requested with gravy, and the waiter did not take it back to the kitchen or bring gravy. For a restaurant with such an outstanding reputation, this was surprising. Since the restaurant was not filled when we arrived we are wondering if we were supposed to have bribed someone to get a better table?
The next morning we took the shuttle to the food court at the Yosemite Lodge (now Yosemite Valley Lodge) and enjoyed the respectable variety of offerings, including gluten-free food items and Peet’s Coffee. It was not cheap but considering that everything has to be transported into the park, it was reasonable.
10. Getting around. It had started to snow and we took the free shuttle to the food court, then to walk the loop to the waterfall, then to the Ansel Adams gallery, and back to the Ahwahnee (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel). It was quite easy and we would definitely recommend using the shuttle over driving your car, especially when parking may be an issue and/or in the snow.
11. Bracebridge Dinner. The experience began in the afternoon of the day before the dinner (the day we arrived) when we went to sign in and discuss wine selection, and also to see the performance. We were given menus and had the opportunity to advise any food allergies or sensitivities or preferences for the dinner the next day, and then discussed wine selection for the dinner. If you would like to have wine with dinner, you can either select from the list and pay for it there, or you can bring your own and pay the corkage fee. We also enjoyed the performance which was lovely, very professionally presented and entertaining.
12. The day of the dinner we went to have our professional photographs taken (early afternoon, to avoid the long lines we saw later), enjoyed a presentation of the history of the Bracebridge dinner, then just sat and enjoyed the ambience. Later in the afternoon there was a sing-along for Christmas carols, and then we lined up to wait for the doors to the restaurant to open. From there it was all perfectly choreographed. You are escorted to your table and if, during the dinner, you need to use the restroom, you will be escorted out and escorted back in when you will not interrupt the performance. This seemed to work very well. The food was very good, well presented, and the performance enjoyable, lively, the costumes gorgeous and the very personable actors/performers who occasionally also involved the audience were very good. Following the dinner and performance the coat check area was completely overwhelmed. I stood in line for over half an hour to retrieve my winter boots and jacket to walk the few minutes to our cottage (it was still snowing). There were two staff who often took several minutes trying to match up the items and their owners and I felt really bad for them because they did the best they could. It was a stunning disconnect from the perfect orchestration and warmth of the Bracebridge Dinner which would have been completely avoidable by either assigning more staff or better organization, e.g. by having the same person(s) who stored the items assigned to be there to retrieve them. Consider this, if you are coming for the Bracebridge Dinner which is taking place at the Ahwahnee (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel), it may be worth the splurge of staying there because you do not have to think about driving back to your hotel in the dark and possibly in the snow or rain, or wait for the park shuttle to ferry you from/to your hotel in the park while you are in elegant evening attire.
13. Overall: for us it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience which we enjoyed, however may not necessarily ever repeat it. Some of the other guests had been coming faithfully every or almost every year and enjoyed every moment as if it was their first time. Some had been waiting for years for the opportunity and thought it was the best thing ever.
1. Getting there. We drove from Southern California and took the CA-41 N road into the park. It is a winding road and there is a reason Google Maps tells you it takes two hours from Fresno, the nearest larger city. Speed restrictions are often around 25 mph. It is a lovely road in the daytime when it does not rain or snow. Once you are in the park, follow the road to the end where the Ahwahnee Hotel (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel) is located. We left via Hwy 140 due to the snow, and yes, had to use snow chains on the way out.
2. Snow chains. Snow chains are mandatory to carry in your car between October and April. If you don’t own any, rent them before you enter Yosemite National Park. If it is snowing check road conditions, you will probably want to take Hwy 140 into and out of the park.
3. Parking at the Ahwahnee Hotel (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel). We valet parked and it was a great experience. The valets were helpful, extremely polite and knowledgeable.
4. The Ahwahnee Hotel (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel) public areas. As you enter the lobby, there is a café to the left which serves food and beverages. The lobby is floor to ceiling, and with everything beautifully decorated for the Holidays, was very impressive. Straight ahead is the door leading out towards the back of the hotel (which was supposed to be the front when the hotel was built), if you walk towards it you will pass the Concierge Desk on your right. If you turn right before the Concierge Desk instead you will see the Front Desk on your right. There is also a small store with mostly souvenirs and sweets opposite. The hallway leads on past the Front Desk, there is one large and some smaller rooms off to the left, with some wonderful large fireplaces perfect for a winter day. The main restaurant is straight ahead, and the men’s restroom to the right. To get to the Ladies’ restroom upstairs (yes, it is UPSTAIRS) you need to either take the staircase or the elevator. Plan well and don’t wait for a last-minute emergency as you may be in line behind 10 other ladies.
5. Accommodation. When we booked our stay, the Ahwahnee Hotel (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel) rooms were already sold out. We booked one of the cottage rooms instead. Know this: you pay about 80 percent of the per night rate for the location, and perhaps about 20 percent for the actual room. Temper your expectations! You are paying for being at the end of the road at the best accommodation in the park where everything has to be brought in by car and truck from many miles away. On the other hand, you can get up and open your window or door and you are right there, with amazing views and no worries about driving an hour or two and being stuck in the line of cars waiting to get into the park, which can easily take another half or full hour.
6. Baggage. After you park or valet-park your car, a bell staff with a baggage cart may help you take your baggage to your cottage room unless you prefer to carry your own. That is, you unload your car in front of the hotel, walk with the bell staff (or by yourself) through the left side of the hotel lobby to the back of the hotel, follow a walking path to the cottage where the bell staff unloads your baggage from the baggage cart and helps to take it into the cottage room. On departure, you call the front desk to ask for your car to be retrieved by the valet staff and for a bell staff to come and help you take your baggage back to your car, or carry your own baggage and and/or retrieve your car yourself if you self-parked. It’s about a four - five minute walk or maybe a little longer to some of the cottages which are further from the hotel. You cannot walk around the hotel to get to the cottages, you need to walk through the lobby. You cannot drive to the cottages. You cannot park your car at the cottages.
7. Cottages. I wished I had not read the review of the one person who complained about the lack of privacy in one of the king size bed rooms. It rather spoiled our stay as we started to obsess over it. I made two phone calls prior to our arrival and asked several different staff (call center, concierge desk) as well as at check in about the privacy of the room we would be given. If I had gotten one sensible answer, it would have been extremely helpful. The information might have been something like: there are four rooms in that cottage, numbers xyz and xys on the left face a maintenance building, numbers xyz and ysx on the right are more private although closer to the path to other cottages. Most of the time you will be fairly private no matter which room you stay in, although the path to this specific cottage heads straight for unit xyz. The door and windows by the door of each room have privacy shades, and it is true that people can see the bed in room xyz from the path when looking into the window facing the path unless the curtains are closed. You will most likely not spend a lot of time in the room during the day so this should not be a big concern. Instead we had to figure it out on our own, and yes, we did get the king size bed cottage room with the least privacy. When asking at check-in about being given the most private of the king size bed cottage rooms, the gentleman who helped us mumbled something about prior reservations. The room behind ours did not seem to be occupied until the following day. When calling from the room to say hey, this is not very private, we were informed again that if we wished more privacy we should have booked another room. Apparently one of the cottage buildings is more private and further from the hotel than the others, but it does not have a king size bed. The staff’s lack of knowledge was a little disturbing. As first-time visitors how would we have known which specific room to request? As to the cottages, most of them looked like there were four rooms to each cottage, some might only have had two. The cottages are far enough apart to afford a little privacy from each other, and surrounded by trees. The only cottage with king-bedded rooms is the one to the furthest left once you cross the little bridge and follow the path to the left. All others have different bedding configurations. Next to it is a fence with a gate to a maintenance building and during our stay several employees accessed it to retrieve or return items. The gate was right across from our room door, and the staff were very careful to be respectful, quiet and quick when they need to pass through our patio. It looked like the four bathrooms belonging to the four cottage rooms in our building were next to each other in the center of the building, we could hear what sounded like our next door neighbor flushing the toilet and they could probably hear us as well. In this specific building, the two rooms in the back seem to have more privacy than the two rooms in the front. On each side of the cottage there is a little patio with a table and chairs, and the entrance doors to two cottage rooms on each side are accessed from these shared patios. They are one-story buildings. Our room had shades on the door as well as the floor-to-ceiling window next to the door so there was a degree of privacy when the occupants of the room behind ours walked through the patio to their door. Our main window was facing the front, and as lovely as it was to open the curtains and see straight out from the bed, anybody walking on the path to the cottage or the one passing the cottage could have looked in and seen us in turn. We kept the curtains closed some, but not all of the time. Overall the lack of privacy was not really bad although something could possibly be done to reduce the ability to look into the front window from the outside without obstructing the view from the inside too much. Despite the hotel and cottages being sold out, we did not see many people at all when we were in the room.
8. Furnishings and interior. Our cottage room was quite spacious, almost square, while the room behind ours seemed to be more rectangular. Our room had a ceiling fan, a super comfortable king size bed, night stands, lamps, a table with two chairs in front of the window, a massive combination of writing desk, fridge and chest of drawers on the wall opposite the entrance door, with a huge TV screen as well as coffee/tea making equipment in that area. The carpet is striped in earth tones and was apparently produced specifically for these cottage rooms. The bathroom was white tiled with black accents and included a toilet, wash basin with cabinet and a bathtub, also bathrobes and a hair dryer. Where we would have liked some better planning for the bathroom was that the only towel hook near the bathtub was directly over the trash can and towels fell into the trash can or to the floor because they didn’t stay on the hook. The tile floor is very cold in the winter. There is not enough space for two toiletry bags and toiletries in the wash basin area. There is a shelf over the toilet where it’s possible to knock things off and into the toilet. Additional shelf space by the wash basin/cabinet and a better towel hook/rack by the bathtub would make such a difference. We felt that the heat lamp did not work, there is a timer on the wall to turn it on. The bathroom is otherwise not heated, unless you open the door to the living/bedroom area and let some of the heat escape into the bathroom. The bathroom fan was noisy. There is a floor heater underneath the living/bedroom window which barely kept the room warm enough at full speed. There is also a/c, and signs that say the a/c will not work in the winter and the heater will not work in the summer.
The living/bedroom area was quite spacious but we ended up not being able to use any of the chairs to sit in because we needed them to put things on. There is a shelf and coat rack area to the right as you enter the room, between the door and the window. It has several shelves which contained an additional small heater, a fan, a plastic crate to put all non-refrigerated food into to make the room more bear-safe, extra pillows and an extra comforter. We used the extra heater which helped make the room temperature perfect, and the extra comforter; it was very comfortable. The coat rack is the most amazing thing; it is maybe eight inches wide if that much. It will hold a suit and a dress, the ironing board and not much else. There are no other hooks, therefore the chairs had to double as wardrobe. In the winter, with wet coats, clothes and shoes, this makes things really awkward. It is also very easy to track dirt, snow, and small stones into the room even when wiping shoes outside, so walking around barefoot may not be such a good idea. There were electric outlets but we were a little alarmed at seeing a power strip under the desk which was maxed out with all the devices connected to it (fridge etc.), there are maybe three or four outlets max available, possibly more if you unplug a lamp. Cell phone coverage was weak or not consistent for our cell phone providers and the hotel’s WiFi was just enough to connect sometimes, probably better in the lobby area than at the cottages.
9. Food. We made dinner reservations for the first evening of our stay at the restaurant, and were given a table for two at the window side, directly between the coffee station and the silverware/supply area. Frequently during our dinner there was a busy waitstaff behind one or both of us. My dinner was very well presented and tasty, my friend’s dinner was served ‘au jus’ although it had been requested with gravy, and the waiter did not take it back to the kitchen or bring gravy. For a restaurant with such an outstanding reputation, this was surprising. Since the restaurant was not filled when we arrived we are wondering if we were supposed to have bribed someone to get a better table?
The next morning we took the shuttle to the food court at the Yosemite Lodge (now Yosemite Valley Lodge) and enjoyed the respectable variety of offerings, including gluten-free food items and Peet’s Coffee. It was not cheap but considering that everything has to be transported into the park, it was reasonable.
10. Getting around. It had started to snow and we took the free shuttle to the food court, then to walk the loop to the waterfall, then to the Ansel Adams gallery, and back to the Ahwahnee (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel). It was quite easy and we would definitely recommend using the shuttle over driving your car, especially when parking may be an issue and/or in the snow.
11. Bracebridge Dinner. The experience began in the afternoon of the day before the dinner (the day we arrived) when we went to sign in and discuss wine selection, and also to see the performance. We were given menus and had the opportunity to advise any food allergies or sensitivities or preferences for the dinner the next day, and then discussed wine selection for the dinner. If you would like to have wine with dinner, you can either select from the list and pay for it there, or you can bring your own and pay the corkage fee. We also enjoyed the performance which was lovely, very professionally presented and entertaining.
12. The day of the dinner we went to have our professional photographs taken (early afternoon, to avoid the long lines we saw later), enjoyed a presentation of the history of the Bracebridge dinner, then just sat and enjoyed the ambience. Later in the afternoon there was a sing-along for Christmas carols, and then we lined up to wait for the doors to the restaurant to open. From there it was all perfectly choreographed. You are escorted to your table and if, during the dinner, you need to use the restroom, you will be escorted out and escorted back in when you will not interrupt the performance. This seemed to work very well. The food was very good, well presented, and the performance enjoyable, lively, the costumes gorgeous and the very personable actors/performers who occasionally also involved the audience were very good. Following the dinner and performance the coat check area was completely overwhelmed. I stood in line for over half an hour to retrieve my winter boots and jacket to walk the few minutes to our cottage (it was still snowing). There were two staff who often took several minutes trying to match up the items and their owners and I felt really bad for them because they did the best they could. It was a stunning disconnect from the perfect orchestration and warmth of the Bracebridge Dinner which would have been completely avoidable by either assigning more staff or better organization, e.g. by having the same person(s) who stored the items assigned to be there to retrieve them. Consider this, if you are coming for the Bracebridge Dinner which is taking place at the Ahwahnee (now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel), it may be worth the splurge of staying there because you do not have to think about driving back to your hotel in the dark and possibly in the snow or rain, or wait for the park shuttle to ferry you from/to your hotel in the park while you are in elegant evening attire.
13. Overall: for us it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience which we enjoyed, however may not necessarily ever repeat it. Some of the other guests had been coming faithfully every or almost every year and enjoyed every moment as if it was their first time. Some had been waiting for years for the opportunity and thought it was the best thing ever.
Written 10 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
declectic
Newark, CA147 contributions
Apr 2013 • Couples
My sweetie booked a room for three nights at the Ahwahnee Lodge. Though it's expensive, we always wanted to go there and it's on our bucket list, so we went for my sweetie's 68th birthday.
The Ahwahnee Lodge is located in a beautiful setting. We adored being in a natural setting (not that home isn't a natural setting). The Ahwahnee Lodge is wonderful in itself. Large logs support it and it has fine masonry. Wonderful seating and decorations and old photos to peruse.
However, I did expect a higher level of service and a nicer room for the price charged. My sweetie said we were paying for the location. I beg to differ. Am I not humble if I expect a nice room, respect, and service?
For one thing, I would have liked a room with a nicer view (we paid the same as the other guests) and with a king or queen sized bed (we had two full beds). My sweetie said he was happy that we got a room at all. The room did have a small balcony and we had to look over a roof to see the top of Yosemite Falls.
For another thing, the brown leather settee’s two cushions didn’t match (they were covered in fabric). The furniture was not kept up, in my opinion, and it was scarred. I expected the place to be dated and I didn’t expect the furniture to be mismatched. The bathroom was updated, though the door swung open unless it was securely shut. The door had to be shut in order to use the toilet anyway. And housekeeping failed to replace the used towels, when I clearly followed the instructions. I’m sure I left the housekeeper enough of a daily tip. I would expect this poor behavior in a less expensive lodging, but not in the Ahwahnee. (I know, thwarted expectations.)
The dining room is spectacular to see, especially with the candles burning. And the views were unbeatable. I just expected some substance, too.
We had a birthday dinner in the Ahwahnee Lodge dining room We could have had a window table, but it was right next to a service station. That took some of the ambiance from the spot, so the hostess sat us at a table in the middle of the room. The pianist played old tunes on a grand Steinway. Lovely. My prime rib was a bit tough and my sweetie said it was the best steak he ever had. Dale, the server, was respectful, humorous, and attentive. He brought my sweetie a delicious desert for his birthday. This was the highlight of the dinner for me.
The next day we lunched in the Great Hall. The short wait was worth it because the hostess seated us at a table at a window (no service area nearby). The food was okay, though a bit expensive.
Then, on the last night, I wanted to enjoy surfing the internet when I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t connect. The free WiFi sign-in (that worked on the other nights) claimed I was no longer in that room. I wasn’t dressed to go down to the desk, so I just played games on my iPad. The next morning, the desk clerk said that sometimes happened, so one needed to place a 0 before the room number. Wish I had known that before. The clerk pursed her lips (I don’t know what she was thinking) when I said I had wondered if I’d been hacked. Later, the Lodge Manager said, “It’s hard to be humble.” I remained compassionate, kind, and smiling. I didn’t retort that I don’t think I need stifle my expectations of excellence or my controlled emotional reactions or my truth in order to meet his expectations of humbleness. I wondered is humble meant to him that a person needed to refrain from respectfully stating his or her thoughts and needs. I humbly expected a first-class response for the money we paid to stay in a supposedly first-class lodge.
I must say that I am pleased that my spouse enjoyed his birthday experience in Yosemite and that he liked the Ahwahnee Lodged. I am happy, too, that we had the experience. However, I won’t be staying at the Ahwahnee again.
The Ahwahnee Lodge is located in a beautiful setting. We adored being in a natural setting (not that home isn't a natural setting). The Ahwahnee Lodge is wonderful in itself. Large logs support it and it has fine masonry. Wonderful seating and decorations and old photos to peruse.
However, I did expect a higher level of service and a nicer room for the price charged. My sweetie said we were paying for the location. I beg to differ. Am I not humble if I expect a nice room, respect, and service?
For one thing, I would have liked a room with a nicer view (we paid the same as the other guests) and with a king or queen sized bed (we had two full beds). My sweetie said he was happy that we got a room at all. The room did have a small balcony and we had to look over a roof to see the top of Yosemite Falls.
For another thing, the brown leather settee’s two cushions didn’t match (they were covered in fabric). The furniture was not kept up, in my opinion, and it was scarred. I expected the place to be dated and I didn’t expect the furniture to be mismatched. The bathroom was updated, though the door swung open unless it was securely shut. The door had to be shut in order to use the toilet anyway. And housekeeping failed to replace the used towels, when I clearly followed the instructions. I’m sure I left the housekeeper enough of a daily tip. I would expect this poor behavior in a less expensive lodging, but not in the Ahwahnee. (I know, thwarted expectations.)
The dining room is spectacular to see, especially with the candles burning. And the views were unbeatable. I just expected some substance, too.
We had a birthday dinner in the Ahwahnee Lodge dining room We could have had a window table, but it was right next to a service station. That took some of the ambiance from the spot, so the hostess sat us at a table in the middle of the room. The pianist played old tunes on a grand Steinway. Lovely. My prime rib was a bit tough and my sweetie said it was the best steak he ever had. Dale, the server, was respectful, humorous, and attentive. He brought my sweetie a delicious desert for his birthday. This was the highlight of the dinner for me.
The next day we lunched in the Great Hall. The short wait was worth it because the hostess seated us at a table at a window (no service area nearby). The food was okay, though a bit expensive.
Then, on the last night, I wanted to enjoy surfing the internet when I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t connect. The free WiFi sign-in (that worked on the other nights) claimed I was no longer in that room. I wasn’t dressed to go down to the desk, so I just played games on my iPad. The next morning, the desk clerk said that sometimes happened, so one needed to place a 0 before the room number. Wish I had known that before. The clerk pursed her lips (I don’t know what she was thinking) when I said I had wondered if I’d been hacked. Later, the Lodge Manager said, “It’s hard to be humble.” I remained compassionate, kind, and smiling. I didn’t retort that I don’t think I need stifle my expectations of excellence or my controlled emotional reactions or my truth in order to meet his expectations of humbleness. I wondered is humble meant to him that a person needed to refrain from respectfully stating his or her thoughts and needs. I humbly expected a first-class response for the money we paid to stay in a supposedly first-class lodge.
I must say that I am pleased that my spouse enjoyed his birthday experience in Yosemite and that he liked the Ahwahnee Lodged. I am happy, too, that we had the experience. However, I won’t be staying at the Ahwahnee again.
Written 4 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lvet0travel
Atlanta, GA66 contributions
I have no idea what all these great reviewers see in this place. I guess it beats camping out but for $600 per night you would expect a bit more than sleeping in a tent!! The rooms are old and dirty. AC sounds like an old tuck engine. The cafe's food is mediocre at best and very expensive($17 for a sandwich!!). The pool is small. It also didn't help that it is 105 degrees so no hiking, water falls are dry, there is no water in the river so no rafting. Half the park is burned and black. I've literally stayed in holiday inn's which are nicer. There is no cell coverage and the wifi is as slow as it gets so I can't even call out to get a room somewhere else. For those travelers who love this place man you need to get around a bit more!!
Written 14 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Xalec
San Francisco, CA15 contributions
Mar 2014 • Family
The building is architecturally stunning and the setting couldn't be better but that's where it stops. You can enjoy both of these by just visiting and taking a look when you're in Yosemite. Don't stay here. The rooms are horribly outdated (think 1960's), shabby, not that clean, uncomfortable and badly decorated. And on top of that ridiculously over priced. You don't need to pay this much for the stunning location, there are plenty of other average accommodation options in Yosemite. Also the food is average at best (dinner) and awful at worst (breakfast) and dreadfully overpriced. Avoid the Sunday Brunch - that's the worst of everything.
I hate that I have had to write this review as I have wanted to stay at The Ahwahnee since I visited Yosemite as a 15 year old in 1983 and I heard about this "amazing hotel" up the road from where I stayed then. A huge missed opportunity compared to so many amazing hotels in stunning locations that I have been fortunate enough to experience. If the National Parks could hand it over to a proper hotelier to run who would do it justice they could charge 3x as much and it could be one of the best hotels in one of the best locations in the world.
I hate that I have had to write this review as I have wanted to stay at The Ahwahnee since I visited Yosemite as a 15 year old in 1983 and I heard about this "amazing hotel" up the road from where I stayed then. A huge missed opportunity compared to so many amazing hotels in stunning locations that I have been fortunate enough to experience. If the National Parks could hand it over to a proper hotelier to run who would do it justice they could charge 3x as much and it could be one of the best hotels in one of the best locations in the world.
Written 24 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No.
Next time you have a question about a destination or a place in the destination, I suggest using the active forum. This Q&A feature is seldom seen.
Written 22 February 2021
How do i register for the ranger talk and tour of the majectic hotel. Saw it once, now I can't find it. Thanks.
Written 8 September 2018
Hi. Thanks for the tour info. Do I need to register or just show up?
Written 18 June 2018
You can just show up for the tours, there is no registration process.
Written 18 June 2018
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