NPR Reviews Provided by
Wawona Hotel

You're going back in time
User:
sukhoi_584th from: California
Published Date: Nov, 26, 2023 Travel Date: Nov, 1, 2023 Rating: 4 Very cool collection of historic hotel buildings. But be aware they're old and have idiosyncrasies.
1 - The website should clarify if rooms without bath have a sink or not. We learned that only the Annex rooms have a sink, and the other buildings have no sink.
2 - The drinking water situation for rooms without sink once the single exterior water filling station is shut off for the winter is absurd. You have to wait in line at the front desk so you can hand them individual containers to fill at the restaurant. How is there not an interior public accessible water filling station, or a winterized exterior one that doesn't need shut off? We weren't going to have the desk fill our Camelbaks and collection of water bottles, so we ended up having to use the public bathroom sinks which was a bit gross.
3 - Our door knob pulled off when trying to exit the room, and looking at it it didn't seem like that was the first time. Luckily there's a knob on the deadbolt you can pull but it'd be hard for someone with arthritis to grip it.
4 - The lobby piano player has been doing it for 40 yr, and it's great to see that get people to hang out in the lobby instead of hiding in their rooms.
5 - The bar should stay open as long as the piano player not close an hour earlier.
Subratings:
- Value: 3
- Location: 5
- Service: 5

A comfortable stay in lovely surroundings
User:
jokiwitraveller from: Tauranga, New Zealand
Trip Type: Couples
Published Date: Nov, 1, 2023 Travel Date: Oct, 1, 2023 Rating: 4 Stayed 18 Oct for 2 nights in Washburn Cottage Rm 7 and had a pleasant and comfortable stay. I decided to book Wawona as we were driving in late at night from Fresno airport and didn’t want to drive into the Valley. It was great to wake up and explore Glacier Point (40 mins drive). We also took the opportunity to hike Sentinel Dome and Taft whilst in the area. So location wise it was perfect.
I requested a ground floor room. We hardly heard any other people but we’re so pleased we opted for ground floor as if you’re on 1st floor, you have to lug your heavy suitcases up the outside stairs! No lift.
Our room was lovely and spacious, very clean and the bed was fabulous, so wide and so comfortable. Yes the bed was high but I loved it. Easy to get into and I’m just 5ft 1”. We slept SO well and the whole cottage was silent. We opted to have an ensuite bathroom as it’s cold at night in October to walk to a communal one and am so glad we did! The bath tub was perfect to relax in after our day hiking. It’s amazing how often you’re in/out of your bathroom too.
We missed having a fridge but we took a soft cooler bag and filled it with a bag of ice ( you help yourself to ice) so it wasn’t a big deal. We put our milk and wine in there. In the morning we ate our own cereals in our room (just take your own bowls and spoons). We wanted to hike early and not hang around waiting for breakfast.
The first night we ate at the Wawona Hotel restaurant which was convenient. We both had the beef pot roast. It was nice and tender just needed bit more seasoning in my opinion. It’s gluten free which I appreciated.
The hotel was busy. You can’t book dinner until you get there and they’ll add you to the list. There’s a gentleman playing the piano early evening but he’s surrounded by plastic shielding? Still? Spoils the atmosphere.
There’s tea and coffee but not left out throughout the day. For me this was not good as you’re not provided with a kettle, tea/coffee in the room!
Overall, I recommend staying here. Just know that you don’t get full hotel facilities (no phone, no tea/coffee in room, no mini fridge..) and you’ll be fine. But you will get a comfortable bed and hopefully a very pleasant stay like we did.

Aramark HORRIBLE Customer Service
User:
O8211AYdebbiew from:
Published Date: Oct, 29, 2023 Travel Date: Oct, 1, 2023 Rating: 1 The Hotel is run by Aramark who is not customer focused, and only cares about the dollar. I live in CA and have been to Yosemite many times. I’ve hiked all the hikes on the valley floor that interest me. The purpose of this trip was to go to Mariposa Grove and see the sequoia trees. We know the shuttle service to the grove was cancelled for a while due to road repairs. The hotel had a 7 day cancellation policy. We checked the road repairs right before the window to cancel closed and the road was still scheduled to be open before our trip. As the trip got closer we went online to check if the room had a room frig and saw that the road work was extended and the shuttle service is still cancelled. At this point in time I could no longer cancel my reservation.
In order to now get to the grove you must hike in 2 miles (one way, 4 miles round trip) and that only gets you to the shuttle drop off. I have an ankle injury and while I can walk short distances a 4 mile hike just to get to and from the drop off point is no do-able. I called the hotel and explained my situation. Most people will agree that the point of going to Mariposa Grove is to see the trees. Not much else in that part of the park. If you can’t hike to the tress the trip to me is pointless. First I was told if I cancelled I would lose my deposit ($263). In spoke with a supervisor who was very nice and said I could transfer to the Lodge on the valley floor but that was an additional $100+, but I had no interest in that part of the park, been their done that. I asked if I could just move my reservation out a few weeks when the shuttle would be back up and running and was told no.
I was so excited to finally be seeing the giant sequoia trees. That is now not going to happen. I have such a sour taste in my mouth I will probably never go back to Yosemite. If I do I will NEVER stay at an Aramark property. It’s just sad that companies are so large they no longer care about the people. I am very disappointed in Aramark, and the national Park service.

Don't let the charm fool you
User:
pelaminnesota from: Minnesota
Published Date: Oct, 28, 2023 Travel Date: Oct, 1, 2023 Rating: 2 Don't let the exterior charm fool you. We had very poor customer service. Arrived at 2:30- was told check in wasn't until 5. Seems so late for check in. We had already done plenty of hiking so we were very tired. There was nothing to do in the area due to the late season. Even the nearby store was out of half its items. We sat on the nice front porch for over two hours waiting to check in. At 5:00 they told us the room still wasn't ready- check back later. So we had dinner in the restaurant. Food and service were good. The room was finally ready after dinner. The female afternoon clerk was so crabby and unhelpful. But the evening clerk was very helpful and cheerful (the male with dreadlocks.) The room was very old fashioned with few updates made. No outlets in bathroom. Claw foot tub was too hard to get into. Tiny corner sink with no storage. Beds were literally 4’ high. Had to use a chair to climb onto the bed. There was no table or chairs to relax or play games. I know it was a park hotel, and they usually have little amenities. This hotel probably works fine for hikers that want little out of a hotel except a bed. But this hotel was so limiting. We had a much better experience at the Wuksachi, a few hours south in Sequoia National Park.
Subratings:
- Value: 1
- Location: 4
- Service: 2

Charming!
User:
marykind from: Los Angeles, California
Published Date: Oct, 20, 2023 Travel Date: Oct, 1, 2023 Rating: 5 Charming! Gorgeous grounds, historic lovely place! We had a room with a bathroom, it was comfortable, warm and cozy and we loved it:) The front porch of the main building is the best place to hang and check emails or sit on the lawn and watch the sunset behind the trees. Close to the Mariposa Grove. Wonderful place to stay if you want to explore Yosemite beyond the Valley:)
Subratings:
- Value: 5
- Location: 5
- Service: 5