Yosemite - Cheap Sleep for 5, w/Bath

Lisa P.

Peaceful, Worshipful, Joyful
Joined
Aug 27, 1999
We are 2 adults w/ 3 tall teens, planning 3-4 nights at Yosemite for next May or June, 2008, as part of a longer trip to California. We'll be flying in, renting a car and driving from San Francisco. We won't have any camping gear. We have a strong preference for having a bathroom (not walking outside to a distant bath house at night). Other amenities wouldn't matter at all - just clean and safe. We'd like to be in the Valley, if possible, or very close by, though we know driving into the park each day will cost in gas what we may save on cheaper lodging. Budget is tight!

Where should we look first, for the 5 of us to sleep and eat as cheaply as possible, w/private or shared bath?

Thanks for your help!!! :)
 
Unfortunately "cheap" and "in the Valley" don't go together, especially when you want a bathroom. The cheapest accommodations in the Valley that have a bathroom are the cabins with bath in Curry Village, which are $120/night for two people and an additional $13.75 for each extra person. Getting five people in a cabin should be possible...but it would be a tight fit. The beds are double beds, and you'd need a rollaway. You also MUST reserve those a year and a day in advance, by calling first thing (or going on the Internet - www.yosemitepark.com) or you won't get in. Your cheapest option is the tent cabins in Curry Village - but that means the walk to the bathroom in the dark.

Other options...Cedar Lodge in El Portal is reasonably priced (though I'm not sure if the rooms accommodate 5 people), though it's ~45 minutes from the Valley. There's other motels available in El Portal as well, but I know people who have stayed at Cedar Lodge and liked it. Redwood Guest Cottages near Wawona offers houses for rent, complete with kitchens, etc, and there's quite a variety available...though those aren't cheap. Wawona is ~45 minutes from the Valley also, but close to the Mariposa Grove of sequioas.

Hope that helps.
 
The Yosemite View Lodge is the closest lodging oustside of the park, we stayed there last year, when the road was closed further down and it was so easy to get into Yosemite! The rooms at YVL can accommodate families of up to 8 but this room sounds ideal for you -

Mountain View Family Suite
Each standard Family Suite has a bedroom with two queen beds and parlor with queen sofa sleeper (sleeps 6), completely outfitted kitchenette with coffee maker, large spa tub, dual shower, telephone with data port, Cable TV with CNN, ESPN and HBO and a balcony with views of the Merced Canyon.

We ate dinner one night on our patio as the kitchenette was well equipped for an easy meal of cold meats, salad and bread :) The view was gorgeous as we ate!

Yosemiteroomview.JPG


Claire ;)
 
You also MUST reserve those a year and a day in advance, by calling first thing (or going on the Internet - www.yosemitepark.com) or you won't get in.
No joke on this part! My family went to Yosemite last year and I felt completely ridiculous booking my reservation at the Ahwanee the night before we left for our West Coast Magic Cruise . . . but I got the reservation for the days I wanted, for the room I wanted, and it was an amazing four days in Yosemite.
 


When we go we usually camp, but I have stayed at both Curry and Hosekeeping camp and in all honesty, walking from a cabin to the shower house at night isn't bad. There are lighted paths and you can use a flashlight for extra light. Plus you could ask to be located close to a restroom/shower house. At Curry village they have 2 shower houses with multiple restrooms scattered. I have stayed in the canvas tent cabins, cabins with and without baths and all were fine. But you would need to specifically mention that you have 5 as some cabins looked bigger than others.

There is also the Yosemite Lodge. It's ok. But I haven't stayed at the lodge since prior to the flood and the building that we stayed in was removed due to damage.

Food can be at a premium, I mean you are captive to the concession prices unless you pack it in. BUT, unles you are staying in a motel room or hardsided cabin all food needs to be left in the food storage lockers provided due to bears breaking into cars. You can purchase hamburgers and pizza as well as salads and deli sandwhiches at various resturants located in the valley. Plus there is also a grocery store (decent sized) to shop for what you need (fruit, cereal, meat, milk, frozen foods, etc). Remember, there are picnic grounds located in the valley that you can use for a bbq, just buy some charcoal briquetts.
 
I stayed at Yosemite Lodge for several days after Christmas, and it was much nicer than I remembered from a visit several years earlier - they had re-done a lot of things like carpet, paint, etc. They lost 230 rooms at the Lodge after the flood in January 1997...

One thing you need to be aware of regarding food...a LOT of food places close EARLY - like 5:00 or 6:00, and I believe only the pizza place in Curry Village is open past 8:00 at night. So after 5:00 your choices become a lot more limited. I don't think the food is that unreasonably priced actually - maybe because I'm used to Disney prices. :-)
 
We stayed at the Cedar Lodge last year as well. It was fine for the 4 of us. We were there while the road was still closed due to the rock slide (don't know if it still is) and there was absolutely no traffic getting into the park. We had a deluxe queen room w/ 2 queen beds and a pull out couch. They also have a junior suite. Prices were reasonable in my opinion.
 


Thank you all. We'll probably stay at Cedar Lodge or similar. We hope to be done before the end of May to avoid the peak summer crowds. So we're less worried about a reasonable drive in to the valley floor - just want to be close by and have access to inexpensive, comfortable beds and cheap, decent food for several days. Our three young people (ages 17-19) have big appetites! Thanks for all the great tips! :)
 

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