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If you are starting your search for accommodations in Yosemite, you’ll quickly find that hotels in the prime location of Yosemite Valley are very limited. There are only two hotels located in Yosemite Valley: The Ahwahnee and Yosemite Valley Lodge. Most of the time, you have to book six months in advance to secure a room for a trip; especially if you’re traveling with a group of people. The other option is to stay at one of their campsites.

If you’re not too keen on camping or can’t book six months in advance, then your next best option is the area of Yosemite West where there are numerous condos and lofts for rent via Airbnb. Yosemite West is an easy 30-minute drive to Yosemite Valley (sometimes it can go up to 45 minutes depending on what time of day you’re driving and what season). The final option for accommodations is outside of the park which can take an hour to 1.5 hours to reach Yosemite Valley.

We started looking into lodging in the middle of March and all the rooms were already booked for early September at Yosemite Valley. Yosemite West still had plenty of Airbnb rentals to choose from, so we booked a condo in April when we had a better idea of how many friends were coming with us (which ended up being six people).

The condo we booked was titled "Clouds Rest" Inside Yosemite Park and it was the perfect size for 5-6 people. Lodging prices always vary in national parks depending on the season but we booked for 3 nights during early September and it cost us $330 per night, which equaled to $55 a night for each of us. It’s not a bad price if you’re traveling with a group of friends but can be a hefty price if you’re traveling alone or as a couple.

The Loft

The condo was a two-story loft with two full bathrooms, a living room, a fully-equipped kitchen, fireplace, deck with BBQ grill, a queen size sleeper sofa, and a second floor with two queen beds. There is no air conditioning and WiFi is very slow. Be prepared to have little to no WiFi and only a fan to keep cool. This is pretty typical for the Yosemite West and Yosemite Valley area (with the exception of the hotels in Yosemite Valley). We highly suggest downloading offline maps to navigate the area because it’s hard to get reception as well.

Upstairs Bedroom

The upstairs bedroom had two queen beds, a full size bathroom and a huge open closet in the back of the room. There were plenty of towels for all of us in the bathroom and everything worked pretty well. There is hand soap, body soap and a hair dryer provided but there is no shampoo or conditioner so make sure you bring your own.

The beds were big enough to fit two adults on each bed but they weren’t the most comfortable beds. It wasn’t the worst and we were able to get some sleep but you can definitely tell that it’s not the best mattress. The closet was big enough to fit a few suitcases and we were able to hang up a lot of our clothes but the light bulb was broken in the closet so we had to use our iPhone light in the evenings and early mornings when it was dark.

Downstairs

The living room was spacious for all of us to gather around and have a nice get-together. We utilized the area a lot to chat, watch TV and play some games like Scrabble and Jenga which was provided in the loft. The couch turns into a sleeper sofa but unfortunately, it did not work well. One side of it was sinking and making it uncomfortable to sleep in. It wasn’t tolerable so we had to adjust some things around and make a bed on the floor.

The kitchen was stocked with an array of appliances from a blender to a coffee maker to a crockpot. There was a medium size refrigerator which we took full advantage of to stock our drinks and food. There were plenty of utensils, pots, pans, plates, and knives. There was one burner that wasn’t working, but other than that the kitchen was fantastic and we used it everyday.

The downstairs bathroom was a full size bathroom as well and the same deal as the upstairs one: plenty of towels and a hair dryer is provided but no shampoo or conditioner. One thing to note is that even though there were six of us staying here, often using both showers at the same time, we never ran out of hot water.

Deck

The deck was a nice place to relax and have our coffee in the morning. We would hear the birds chirping and watch the squirrels playing every morning. If we had some meat to grill, we definitely would have utilized the grill for a barbecue night.

Laundry Room

There is a laundry room on the premises, which was great since we needed to wash some clothes. It’s coin-operated and it was conveniently located right down the hall from our room. It’s regularly used so make sure the washer or dryer is open before bringing all of your laundry.

Parking

Parking is free and during the day, parking is not an issue at all but we did panic a little in the evening because we were very close to not being able to find a spot since every parking spot was taken. One night when we arrived home from dinner, there was absolutely nowhere to park. We rented a van and couldn’t find a spot wide enough to fit our vehicle. Luckily, one of our friends happened to have a smaller vehicle and moved his car to a smaller spot so that we could park in his spot. If he didn’t have his car to move we honestly don’t know what our parking options would have been. There clearly was nowhere else to park unless we wanted to block other cars. Just something to think about especially if you are staying during the high season.

Final Thoughts

Overall, our stay at this Airbnb was great. It was the perfect place for a group and we were within the park, close to the hiking trails. It’s a little outdated, but the necessities were there. We probably would have been a little more well-rested if the beds were more comfortable or if we had air conditioning but we understand that AC is not provided in most rentals at Yosemite. Since we stayed in September it wasn’t too bad, but we’re not sure how well we would do if it was in the middle of the summer. Yes, we’re spoiled with AC!

Tips

• There isn’t a convenience store or grocery store nearby, so make sure to stop by one before you enter the park. Buy water and plenty of snacks or groceries. We stopped by Von’s grocery store in Oakhurst. There are smaller shops in Fish Camp, but Oakhurst had better options.

• If you plan on washing your clothes, bring some quarters for the coin-operated washer and dryers.

• Try to avoid parking late at night. There was little to no parking after sunset.

We were in Yosemite for six days and spent the second half of our stay at Tenaya Lodge, which was right outside the park and another great option for lodging. Find out more about our amazing cabin experience at Tenaya Lodge.