The Ahwahnee

Grand Grand Grand. A retro artifact that’s unique in the true sense of the word. We’ve moseyed about Yosemite a bit over the years— stayed at Wawona, Camp Curry, Glacier Point Hotel, seen the Firefall, visited for talks at The Ahwahnee, and now a couple nights at the grand dame of the valley. (Incidentally, the valley is nothing like we remember [what is?]—aswarm with crowds and cars and blue hydrocarbon haze.) As Michelin would say, it’s worth a voyage. The hotel retains its massive character, its sprawling public spaces, its princely location and views. ******* by its past, it mainly survives the tour groups, hordes of curious casual visitors, and the Covid-reduced staff. (We’re told that it’s 40% understaffed.) And the staff personnel we met were the best thing about our stay: Sean and Wesley in the massive Dining Room, Mark the valet, Paul the loquacious, delightful grounds-keeper. Our room, a “classic” double with a serious view, was impeccable—recently refurbished with taste and style in a manner respectful of the historic building. Front Desk Ben was swell. The Dining Room is, well, nearly overwhelming in gargantuan proportion and candle-lit atmosphere. We had two lunches there—one excellent and the other less so. (Avoid the ort-burger.) Our one dinner was a disaster for all four of us. Well, the spinach salad was edible, but the mains were not—way way overcooked and poorly seasoned. Sadly, had to cancel our two subsequent dinner reservations there. Once bitten . . . . We were mighty pleased on the whole with The Ahwahnee as a one-off experience—retro ambience, plenty of history, super staff, considering. But we may be done with Yosemite for a while now. Crowds lines traffic. Granted, the hotel provided a welcome respite from much of that. And we’ll never say never.