Yosemite View Lodge

We stayed here for 2 nights. It is a nice motel. great location to YNP and beautiful river view but the room (1061) was far below my standard. which I sort of expected. this lodge is so close to the entrance and price is reasonable. This place gets endless business no matter what. Our bed mattress and pillows sucked!!! So be prepared or bring your own. Blanket and towels had a couple stains. the room is well cleaned but old and needs an update but as I already mentioned no matter what this lodge gets business so they don’t care.
I do recommend this lodge. We had a lunch at The Ahwahnee and thought good we didn’t stay there. definitely NOT worth paying $$$. Driving between the lodge and park was nothing trouble and you only enjoy the scenery.

Pleasantly surprised at how nice Yosemite View Lodge turned out to be. It’s located right next to a YART pickup station so you don’t have to drive into the park yourself.
The best part is that our room was right on the riverbank. Pretty amazing to see the river splashing right at your doorstep. There’s a tiny kitchenette as well as a gas fireplace in the room (which was a nice touch).
The next best thing is the shower… with dual heads at either end of the tub. After a day of outdoor fun there’s nothing better than a nice HOT shower with amazing water pressure.

Seriously, you could not pay me to stay at this place ever again. We were SO excited when we pulled up to the lodge, lots of pools, a restaurant and best of all, right on the riverbank. We were excited when we got to our room, spacious, big jetted tub and a deck overlooking the river. The sound of the river 20 feet away was so relaxing.
Everything was great, right until we pulled down the covers of the bed. Yellow stains, discoloration, a flaky mess and… drum roll… PUBIC HAIR! There is no way these sheets were cleaned prior to our arrival. It’s 11 PM, there’s nowhere else to go so we called the front desk to request a sheet change. After several rings, an unprofessional «hello» and a 45 minute wait, a guy shows up with «new» sheets. These sheets were sooo worn and one was noticeably yellow in comparison. The guy hands me the sheets and leaves. Okay, I guess I’m changing my bed.
I pull off the old sheets, discolored mattress, no mattress pad. Then I pulled the cases off the pillows. OH MY GOD. DISGUSTING. I have no other words. Blood stains, pee stains. Completely disgusting. At this point its 12 AM and I am so thankful I brought my own pillows. We throw those awful things on the floor and cry ourselves to sleep.
…later…at checkout…
I wait 20 minutes to talk to the «Shift Leader.» Nice person who told me that they could not discount my room and gave me the card of the owners including the «director of housekeeping.» I believed them, it seems like a pretty oppressive place to work.
So then we called the Owner/​Housekeeping Manager, Rick. What a Jerk. Defensive and unapologetic, he told us that the problems with the room were no big deal and that the absolute best he could do was offer a 20% discount on future stays. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Why would I ever stay here again? I was at least hoping that the man would feel some sort of guilt and empathy. No. Apparently disgustingly dirty linens should be accepted without question. Excuse me, this is a $ 400/​night rack rate establishment? I think not. I don’t care if I’m paying $ 60/​night there should be clean linens and clean pillows on my bed. Completely unacceptable.
Other Miscellaneous issues: Jetted tub did not work, would shut off after 3 min. The fireplace did not work. We requested that both of these amenities be serviced for our second day and neither were fixed.

* Stayed here for New Years weekend 2016.
* The front desk was very helpful although we could not check in earlier than 3:00 P. M, which was the normal check in time.
* The room was clean and comfortable for the most part. It included a balcony, stove, pots, pans, utensils, microwave and fridge. The bathroom was large compared to most places near Yosemite.
* The restaurants were surprisingly better than I was expecting since it was in the middle of nowhere. The pizza and steak were good.
* The shop in the front desk was ok because the inventory was low and the shelves were half empty but they did have some good craft beer.
* The location was great. We were right next to the entrance to Yosemite. There was also a «YART» bus stop in front of the hotel for people who didn’t want to drive in the snow. It runs from 6:00 A. M to 6:00P.M.
* Overall, for a 3 star hotel, I would recommend this place for the right price. We paid $ 222.00 for 2 nights, which is a great deal compared, to other lodging near the area. Glamping at its finest.

I just stayed here a week ago and had a great time. The room was comfortable, clean, and looked recently remodeled. The staff was also friendly.

If I could give this hotel negative stars, I would! This is the dirtiest hotel I’ve ever stayed in. The rooms are in need of serious updating; the bedspreads look like they haven’t been changed (or laundered) since the 70s, the floors are sticky, the bathrooms are dirty and with pink tubs. The furniture is old and stained, including two chairs in our room that were so dusty the fabric was black when it should have been red. The dinette chairs had what appeared to be feces smeared on one of them. There is no hot water unless you call the front desk and ask for it. And you get all of that at $ 250 a night during the offseason. The positives include, location which is near the entrance of Yosemite and right on the Merced river, the pizza is outstanding and room size is ample with a kitchenette. I have pictures but am unsure how to upload… Perhaps separate.

My girlfriend and I wanted a winter getaway and saw a Groupon deal for a two night stay at Yosemite View Lodge so I booked it. The hotel itself looks rather outdated as do the rooms. The ladies at the front desk are very nice and informative. Our hotel room was clean and the small kitchenette and supplies were nice. We tried both their Pizza and the restaurant over the course of our two nights there and I thought both were just ok. Service at the restaurant was great even if their prices are a bit much.
I would highly recommend checking your room for any unwelcome bugs, my girlfriend was stung by a scorpion our last night there and it was pretty painful but not life threatening. Park entrance is a short 10 minute drive, very convenient. I don’t think I would stay at this Hotel during any other season when the prices rise as I cannot se myself paying more than $ 100 a night for this place.

I love camping in Yosemite, but this was one of the best experience. Nothing like going on a 6mile hike in the winter, and being able to go back to a hotel and take a nice bubble bath.
I would strongly recommend this hotel, extremely clean, everyone is friendly, and the view of the river is amazing!
Note* I got a groupon so I only spent 230 total for two nights in a suite. The tag on the room said 400 per night, so I strongly recommend waiting for the groupon. I went during December, which explains the cheaper price but it was worth it and am already planning to stay next December.

After getting a room deal on groupon (about 4 times already), this has been our go to spot. It is 4 minutes from the entrance to Yosemite on the 140. We always get a river view room. Beautiful opportunities to take pictures. They allow our dogs without issue which makes this spot a go to place. Friendly staff, a little kitchenette with dishes and utensils to cook or prepare food and a balcony to enjoy the scenery. This trip we saw a female turkey wandering around. The food at the restaurant was good. Well worth the stop and stay.

Absolutely amazing! I have yet to encounter more friendly staff at a hotel/​lodge, and if you have dogs they are super dog friendly. The room is cozy, clean and the view from the river room is worth the extra twenty bucks! I read some other reviewers say their water wouldn’t warm up but it’s freezing here and the water warmed up very quick for me. The location is unbeatable, literally a five minute drive to the south entrance of Yosemite. The mini kitchen is well equipped and even had a tiny dish soap and sponge. All the complimentary bath products are environmently friendly a huge plus! All in all for the price I will definitely be back! Lastly as I mentioned, super dog friendly, I brought my two rescue pitbulls for a training trip to the park and the staff were incredibly nice! One last thing, there is no reception, the WiFi is $ 10 and it’s great, but there’s no reception anywhere near or in Yosemite, you’re in Yosemite you don’t need Facebook!!!

We wanted to stay close to the park and had stayed about 20 years ago. Well things have changed a lot since then. This is not a lodge, more like a 3^rd rate motel. It is VERY expensive for what you get. But that is not the end of it. The rooms were dirty and low end. The bed squeaked all the night. The pillows were none existent, the blankets flimsy and whimpy in very cold weather, the sliding door has a good ½ inch of space when we closed it, there were ants in the bathroom, the bed cover was filthy beyond imagination, the floors were greasy and very dirty– you get the picture. On top of it, the suite we had was $ 300/​night. So we dropped a cool grand for what should have been a $ 250 stay.
The staff was very nice, except the restaurant, or lounge as it was called, where they were very rude and obnoxious.
I do not have another recommendations and Unilocal always removed my 1 star rating anyway.
I will post the pictures with ants and the dirt on the blankets.

Let’s get one thing out of the way right now: it ain’t cheap.
But it’s a couple miles drive from Yosemite.
But it ain’t cheap.
Yosemite.
No Cheap.
‘Semite.
N’Cheap.
Anyway, the pricing here *is* extremely seasonal. If you’re going between Memorial and Labor day, the prices will be at their all-​time highest. As you back away from those holidays, the pricing gets more reasonable.
We stayed here in March, after taking a nasty rock climbing fall. I could barely walk, let alone up stairs. They were very accommodating, the only room they had on the first floor was one of their nicest rooms so they took pity on us and gave us the upgrade.
They also have some decent food at the restaurants here. They are cheaper and more convenient than the stuff in the park.

I want to give credit to the lovely woman at the counter who greeted me warmly, and made me feel at home right away. Also, the gorgeous and gigantic photo behind the counter of Yosemite Valley is quite impressive.
I also had occasion to speak with the grounds person, and he was very helpful and warned me of bears and food in vehicles.
I would give this hotel more stars, except for the room itself-​outdated, dull, not welcoming at all. I felt like I was in a half-​way house somewhere. If they improve the rooms, this place would be quite a deal for staying so close to Yosemite Valley.

I was taken in by the photos of the sweeping river, but it was so low, that it was more like a muddy ravine. Also, the room was SO cold, and all I wanted was a hot bath but this place is huge and the water never got warmer than mild.
It was okay, really needs an update and there’s a lot of random stuff on the hotel grounds, like rusted and discarded grills, bits of scrap metal, cleaning supplies in the middle of the field. You don’t see it unless you start walking through the trees, so it’s a pretty background but not worth the price we paid over the holiday. Sort of reminded me of this camp I went to in Junior High during the day. From these reviews (and the pics I see) it seems that some parts are more updated than others. Maybe we got an older building because we came with the dog.
The positives are the full kitchen, with stove and microwave and mini fridge, if I were to stay in Yosemite for a week, this is literally just outside the entrance (so the prices are probably lower than cabins inside) but it provides everything. Just bring your own groceries because the gift shop is where you would go if want five dollar yogurt and ten dollar chips as well as wood carved into the shape of elf shoes and scarves with bears on them.

I read the negative reviews and I «get it» buuuuuuut… wow…
If you’re NOT staying in Yosemite, this was the closest thing to it! Gosh, the sound of the Merced River lulled us to sleep each night. I loved sitting on the balcony, sipping some SoCounty wine and overlooking the beautiful views. Sunset was stunning with the pink/​orange hues coloring the river.
The kitchen served our needs just perfectly for the three days.
The hot tubs and indoor pool were enjoyed daily.
The ginormous jetted tub was a fun addition but being drought-​minded, I felt bad taking a bath.
The arcade was even attended by all of us for some air hockey battles.
The Groupon deal made this place our destination whilst visiting Yosemite and I would stay again if the price was right.
I still give it 4 stars because I would stay again but…
Negative stuff:
STAFF: Gah. I didn’t really have one positive experience the whole time. Not overtly rude but it was like «customer service» was not a priority. In fairness, it was spring break and a lot of people arrived at once but check-​in was a MESS!!! They have to realize that they’re setting the initial tone for our experience and it was a bummer. Day one complete, days two and three… we tried to be engaging and it just fell dead. Even smiles can go a long way.
CARPET: I realize they are going through renovations and perhaps our room is on the list eventually but I honestly don’t think I’ve ever stayed in a room with a worse carpet. It was gross. Doesn’t mean it was clean but the staining was everywhere and just blech. This probably led to…
STALE SMELL: We left front/​back doors open for hours to get the smell out of the room. Probably the carpet.

Definitely get the Groupon if you can. I believe it was $ 219 for a 2-​night stay. Taxes ended up being $ 16.88 for me. The room rate listed behind the door was $ 400/​night and I can’t believe that’s the «standard» going rate. Groupon also came with a spa package (which was basically like a face cleanser and some other items). Call early to reserve a room, give them your Groupon number and MAKE SURE they give you a confirmation number. No confirmation number means no reservation in the books. I called about 2 days before I went to confirm my reservation and found out they missed putting it in when I first called, luckily there was no issue putting a reservation down on the spot.
As for getting in, you won’t have mobile service, so I relied on an old school GPS system and just following signs for Hwy 140 out of Yosemite. Overall, very convenient location as it’s just a few hundred feet from the Hwy 140 entrance into Yosemite. If you’re coming from the 41, you definitely should plan on some added driving time.
Establishment was about what you’d expect. It’s very motel-​ish so to speak. One restaurant (connected to a tasty pizza place), four pools, and an arcade. Definitely try the pizza here, I think you’ll be surprised. Lobby was under construction as of early April 2015. Parking is fairly plentiful but there can still be some competition with your neighbors for the «prime» spots.
Rooms were okay. I had about 4 bugs total in my room, not awful considering we’re in the great outdoors. Do everything in your power to get a river view room, not a mountain view. The view of the river is half the value here (the other half being the proximity to Yosemite entrance). With a river view, you could presumably sit naked on your balcony with a glass of scotch, and no one would be able to see you unless they deliberately wrapped their heads around the wall or jumped into the river bed.
The fan in the room was obnoxiously loud, and doesn’t have a digital temperature setting. The bathroom smelled slightly like mildew, but not too bad. No issues with the plumbing, but maybe slightly on the noisy side (very forgivable for an old building). The bath tub is pretty neat, dual shower heads with spa jets in the tub. There’s a novel of a sign posted next to the bath tub with instructions on how to operate. I refused to read the instructions, so I was never able to get the speed setting to change, but that wasn’t really an issue for me. The kitchenette is fairly complete, so you can cook if you wanted to, but I think most people would be frustrated with the equipment unless you happen to be Yoda-​sized.
Entertainment is a bit of an issue at night, so I would suggest drinking a lot (BYOB) or going for a star walk. My TV went out as I was watching The Hobbit so I never found out what happened in the end.

We rented a room through Expedia for $ 200 a night during spring break. When, I arrived I asked if there were any rooms available and they quoted my $ 89.00. Now, I later learned that we had the more expensive rooms with a balcony that faces the Merced River. This room also had a huge jetted bathtub and a kitchen with two burners, microwave and half-​size refrigerator. The room was quiet, but the beds were hard and the pillows flat. There is a store, a restaurant and a pizza place in the complex along with several pools, including an indoor pool.

First and foremost, the Yosemite State Park entrance is 100 yards from this hotel.
The river view from is unreal. The sound of the river for a few days outside your room will no doubt take anything off your mind. We moved our chairs from the inside outside and sat by the river for hours with great homemade drinks. They have deck chairs but the inside chairs were so much more comfortable.
The bathtub was a huge two person (sitting side by side) jacuzzi complete with jets and two opposite side shower heads. Aside from the outdated pink color or the tub, it was phenomenal. I took two baths and really relaxed and slept incredibly well.
The kitchenette was a bit weird but ultimately really handy! It was stocked with utensils, plates, glasses and even pots to cook. There was a two burner stove, microwave, fridge and sink.
El Portal Market a half mile up the road towards Merced was really convenient. It had all the essentials (water, sandwiches, snacks, fruits, alcohol — although expensive — and anything you might need) for your stay. It was nice to have a stocked fridge of what we wanted while we were there.
Breakfast was a buffet which was a plus. We came in after it ended and they allowed us to take food to go. We didn’t mind because we ended up eating breakfast on our porch over looking the river. Not a bad way to start any day. They even gave us large to go cups of orange juice.
The hot tub by our room wasn’t hot but really didn’t matter since we had a private jacuzzi in our room.
Our stay here was really fun. We enjoyed the convenience of the location and also all the amenities this hotel offered. I would definitely stay here again and recommend it to all my friends going to Yosemite.

The hotel its self is good. The river view room is very comfy. Just make sure you request the bottom floor, that way you get a nice big balcony. They have ice machines, laundry area, an indoor pool with a jacuzzi (was very pleasant after a long hike) we ate at the lodge restaurant, it was pretty good but service was a bit slow (then again we were a big group in February)
It is very easy to find. And only 30 mins away from Yosemite village. The pizza place was closed so that was a real bummer. I don’t know if it was because of the season but a pizza place should never be closed at 7pm! The little store they have at reservation is very poor. They really need to keep it better stocked.
I took off a star because I called a couple days after because we forgot some expensive hiking boots in the back. I talked to JESSICA from reservations and she was no help at all. Apparantly the house keepers dont lookin the back patio to clean. So according to JESSICA the next guests probably took them. She never said sorry or anything but was very short. I would go back as long as they FIRED JESSICA. Lol jk but seriously that girl needs to be better trained since she works in hospitality.

This place is a solid 3 stars. It’s a motor Inn for the most part. The rooms are accessible externally; not through a shared interior hall.
The views are very nice. Especially if you are lucky enough to get one that is on the side with the river.
The best part about this hotel is that it is literally seconds from the Yosemite National Park entrance. This is as close as you can get without being inside the park.
The room we had smelled unfortunately. It was a double bed room with a fireplace and had a balcony that overlooked the river. It was quiet and clean I must say. I thought the bed was comfortable. There is a small kitchenette with a stove, microwave, toaster and fridge. The bathroom had a huge jetted tub too. I didn’t use it though.
There is a restaurant on site too. I wrote a separate review on that place.
You should know however, there is no cell phone reception. No service. We have AT&T and Sprint. They were both dead. If you want access to WiFi it is $ 10 a day. I just watched TV and player games on my phone though.