Yosemite Cedar Lodge

We stayed at the Yosemite Cedar Lodge for two nights end of June 2019 while being on a three week road trip on the West Coast. Coming from Mariposa we arrived at Yosemite Valley on a late morning, hiked for some hours and the finally went on our way tp the hotel at around 5 pm. The hotel is located directly at the street coming from Mariposa so you can't miss it. From Yosemite Valley/Visitors Center it took us around 30 minutes to reach the hotel. From Mariposa it was around 45 minutes in I remember correcty. There is plenty of parking space in front of the reception but also at the several houses where the guests reside. So you shurely will find a place for your car. The check-in at the reception was ok. Not overwhelmingly friendly, but still ok. With the room number and the door keys we went to the building with our room which was located on the first floor, not the ground floor. So we had to take our luggage up some stairs as there is no elevator. No big deal for us but for others it may be bothersome. The room itself was quite big but dark. Basically a typical hotel room (not meant in a bad way!). The style felt typically 80ies/early 90ies. But it was clean, we had no bad smell and everything was working. The bathroom was not that big but ok for a two-night-stay. But we had way more nice bathrooms on our trip than in the Yosemite Cedar Lodge. The power sockets unfortunately where placed offside from the bed. So to charge your phone etc. you have to plug it in on the other side of the room. Not really practical when you want to use your phone as a morning alarm and charge it over night. Not a big thing, but it is the little things that count and build the picture. What we were really missing was a microwave. We had that on almost every hotel we stayed in. As the Yosemite Cedar Lodge is on a remote location you sometimes want to have something warm to eat without spending a lot of money each evening. They have two restaurants on premise but after a long day hiking (and spending a hell lot of money for the vacation in general) you sometimes just want to finish the day or save a bit of money. Also as the hotel is not that cheap (compared to what you get). The only thing you'll find is a small deli roughly 15 minutes with the car. Another thing that we were missing was a safe. Also not big issues - but remember: Building the picture. Quite disturbing were the water pipes that were loud as hell. No matter if you flush the toilet, wash your hands or take a shower. I never had waterpipes that were that loud. What you don't want to miss today, especially as a traveler is a good and stable internet connection with a good speed. Unfortunately Internet is not free, you have to buy a pass für 9,- USD each day that is valid for some hours and only one device. So be sure to enable tethering on your device. If I remember correctly it is not even 24 hours but only 12. Considering the price you have to pay per night it is ridiculous. What we really liked was the indoor pool that is available. The outdoor looked good as well but was way more crowded. Really relaxing after a long day. So, would I stay there again? Generally speaking yes if you want to stay more or less close to Yosemite Valley and come from the Mariposa direction. It is clean, spacious and provides all the basic things you need. But in the end I can't give more than 3 out 5 because of all the little things we were missing or that helped to build the picture. If it would have been cheaper I could imagine going for a 4 point review. In Germany we call that the price-performance-ratio. And that is max. mediocre for the Yosemite Cedar Lodge. Read less

A great value place, half an hour drive from the park entrance. Bonus to find a VERY heated spa open until 10pm, just perfect after a cold day of -8 celsius. Food at the hotel restaurant was average at best, but a lovely restaurant was to be found closer to the park. The Cedar lodge shop was great for snacks and breakfast items. Clean, neat and spacious rooms - great heating. Dated decor but snug and excellent value. Read less