How to Enjoy a Stay at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite

From U.S. presidents to foreign heads of states, the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park has played host to guests for almost a century. In 1925, architectural drawings were created and the challenge of getting all the building materials to the construction site began. Over 5,000 tons of stone, 30,000 feet of timber, and 1,000 tons of steel, had to be hauled over the treacherous mountain roads. It opened in 1927. Today, this hotel offers spectacular views of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome and Glacier Point. Hotel guests can enjoy carefully appointed rooms with a natural mountain design and furniture, a heated swimming pool and tennis courts. Visitors who do not stay at the hotel can still enjoy drinks, some food service, the lobby bar, shopping in the lodge boutiques and the wonderful atmosphere of the property and its grounds. Complimentary valet parking is provided and many visitors park here and take the shuttles to other Yosemite Valley attractions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. If you want to stay at the hotel itself, you’ll need to check into the availability of rooms several months to a year prior to your trip. It’s a very popular resort inside a very popular and crowded national park. The guest rooms in the main lodge are decorated in a Native American motif with rich fabrics and warm woods. You’ll have a choice of one king bed or two double beds. There are a few suites that include a parlor and bedroom and two large suites. One of the larger suites was once a private dining room, a lounge and a chapel during WWII. Today it features the only Jacuzzi tub in Yosemite National Park. The Mary Curry Tresider Suite has a four-poster canopy bed with a romantic charm. In 1983, Queen Elizabeth II stayed in this suite, and since then the room is fondly referred to as “The Queen’s Room.”
2. Apart from the main lodge, there are 24 cottages you can rent. These cottages have newly renovated (March 2008) private baths and also feature American Indian décor. Other amenities include ceiling fans, television, telephones, a small refrigerator and a stone patio. Air conditioning is not available but it’s usually not needed.
3. Dining at The Ahwahnee is a wonderful experience. Although men are no longer required to wear jackets in the main dining room at night, they must be in long slacks and a collared shirt. Reservations are for lodge guests first, then Yosemite Park guests (persons staying at the Yosemite Lodge or Wawona Hotel) so you may not be able to dine there if they’re full. They also serve breakfast and lunch in the dining room and out by the pool. Sitting by the pool, enjoying a cool drink is one of the most enjoyable things to do whenever you visit the park. Then you can peruse a couple of the shops in the first floor lobby area.
4. The Ahwahnee also features a few very special culinary events during the year. In autumn, as the leaves turn, and days grow cooler and the nights chilly, you can enjoy a Vintner’s Holiday. These Holidays packages include wine tasting seminars presented by celebrated wine experts, a Meet the Winemakers Reception and tickets to the five-course Gala Dinner in The Ahwahnee® Dining Room, with elegant gourmet dishes paired with fine wines. A few of the wineries featured at these events include Karly Winery, Plumpjack Winery, Robert Mondavi Winery, Mumm Napa, and Tres Sabores. Next is the special holiday dinner which has been hosted annually since 1927. The Bracebridge Dinner transforms The Ahwahnee into a seventeenth-century English manor for a feast of food, song and mirth. This is a historic and artistic four-hour pageant depicting a Yuletide Feast of the Middle Ages. Over 100 performers portray the families, servants and minstrels of that era. Several of these dinners are held every December and you’ll need to make reservations as early as possible.
5. Finally, the Chefs’ Holidays are held every January and February featuring well-known chefs. Every session features a "Meet the Chefs" reception, cooking classes and demonstrations, a behind-the-scenes kitchen tour and a delicious five-course Gala Dinner. Past and future chefs include Traci Des Jardins of Jardiniere, San Francisco, CA., Gavin Kaysen of Café Boloud, New York City, NY, and Susan Spicer of Bayona, New Orleans, LA.
6. This is a truly wonderful hotel in a magnificent national park. Visiting it is more of an experience than just a hotel stay.

Tips & Warnings

• Since you're somewhat limited in the roads you are allowed to drive in Yosemite Valley, you must park your car and take shuttles buxes to many of the Valley attractions. Try parking at the Ahwahnee (it's free) and you'll be able to spend a bit of time enjoying the hotel and the grounds.