During our road trip in the western United States, we visited Yosemite Park. In order to limit the hours of driving before the hike and to maximize our time in the park when we woke up, we took a hotel on the way: the Yosemite Westgate Lodge.
What did we think of this Californian Hotel? Let’s start with some useful information, then the strengths and weaknesses of the Yosemite Westgate Lodge, and photos taken during our overnight stay.
Where is the Hotel Yosemite Westgate Lodge located?
The address of the Hotel Yosemite Westgate Lodge is 7633 CA-120 in Groveland, California.
The location is ideal for visiting Yosemite Park. In fact, as the photo below shows, it is on the main road to Yosemite National Park.
We were coming from San Francisco and did not have to make any detours before the hotel. The entrance to the parking lot is directly from the main road.
The next day, we did a long walk (an ascent to the Nevada Fall). We drove on the CA-120 and turn at the intersection to access the Yosemite Valley.
A quick reminder: Yosemite Valley is the most touristic place in the national park. It is from this place, which has a large parking lot, stores and restaurants, that the most famous hikes start (Nevada Fall, Sentinel Dome, North Dome, Taft Point…).
Is the Hotel Yosemite Westgate Lodge the only accommodation in Yosemite?
No, there are other accommodations available. We chose this one because of the excellent prices it offered compared to the competition.
There was another hotel earlier on the road: the Rush Creek Lodge & Spa at Yosemite. But its price was more than double. Close to the Westgate, there is also the Blackberry Inn Yosemite and the Yosemite Ridge Resort.
There are also camping areas in Yosemite Valley. If you’ve rented a camper or are ready to sleep in a tent, this is a great idea. In the morning, if you didn’t run into any aggressive bears in your tent overnight (yes I’m serious, there are specific prevention guidelines as bears sometimes approach tents), you’re within walking distance of activities and enjoy great views.
What are the room types at Yosemite Westgate Lodge?
The hotel is not a very large establishment, but it does have several dozen rooms and several types of room configurations (one or two beds, for people with reduced mobility…).
All the rooms have the same size: 485 square feet. This is a nice size for one or more nights.
For the rooms with one bed, there is a bed and a small sitting area. For the rooms with two beds, the sitting area is absent and replaces by a second bed.
The different equipment in the rooms and in the hotel
The following is a non-exhaustive list of the hotel’s room facilities:
- A refrigerator
- A microwave
- A television with satellite channels
- A desk
- A wardrobe
- …
The outside of the hotel has a large parking lot. It is very easy to park right in front of your room because the establishment looks more like a motel (with a private entrance to each room) than a big hotel with a single corridor.
There is also a swimming pool. It is relatively small and is not always open. In October, it was empty and closed.
A restaurant is very close to the hotel, accessible by foot from your room and open every day from 7a.m. to 9p.m.: The Lucky Buck Cafe. It has good reviews on Google, but we did not try it. We had taken for dinner some microwave food.
What are the prices for a night at Yosemite Westgate Lodge?
In October and mid-week, we paid $159 excluding tax (or $182 with tax) for a night.
Filtering the prices by dates, I see that the price are from $130 to $325 excluding tax.
The highest prices are from May to early September. The most expensive nights are on Friday and Saturday because these are the nights used by people coming in Yosemite National Park during weekends.
Our Yosemite Westgate Lodge Review
We arrived early at the hotel and waited for our room to be ready. The reception was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, more focused on the operational than on interaction or smiling.
Despite the presence of the road next door, the environment is quiet. It is even quieter in the room since we were never disturbed by the noise during the night.
The entrance to the room is pleasant. It is spacious, well furnished. It’s not a beautiful hotel, but it has everything you need. We had a room with two beds.
The bathroom was also quite large, with a rather average quality shower.
We were surprised to read in the booklet of the hotel long and explicit safety instructions (do not open the door without checking, watch the surroundings when you are in the parking lot, do not leave anything in your vehicle…). I imagine that they exist because there have been problems in the past and because the hotel is in a very isolated area. However, we did not have any particular concern or fear.
Overall, our short stay at the Yosemite Westgate Lodge was positive. It’s not a classy hotel, but it’s fine as a stopover on the way to the national park.
The strong points of the hotel
- Good quality / small price
- Spacious room
- Quiet
- Large parking lot
- Perfect location on the road to Yosemite Valley
The weak points of the hotel
- Standard services without more
- No evening activities and the restaurant next door closes early
- Formal reception without any sympathy (which was rare during our stays in the USA)
DenisAs a professional blogger, I take advantage of my flexible schedule to travel a lot. I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list!
