The Ahwahnee Lodge

The backyard of the Ahwahnee

The Ahwahnee Hotel has been proclaimed a National Historical Site having occupied this space on the Yosemite Valley Floor for many years.

"Completed in 1927, The Ahwahnee features a unique blend of design influences including Art Deco, Native American, Middle Eastern and Arts and Crafts movement. These elements can be seen in every aspect of the hotel including stenciling, woodwork, lighting fixtures and china patterns. Every room is designed for comfort and visual delight and reflects the natural surroundings and Native American influence of Yosemite." (From their website)

It is elegant in a rustic sort of way and the grandeur is impressive. The scale of everything is immense and it is very comfortable and regal. Typically you must reserve your room in either a cottage or in the lodge about two years in advance. We simply got amazingly lucky booking it about two weeks in advance because someone had canceled two seconds before Jim got online. It was meant to be!

I spent the entire 'climbing day' here and still missed a lot. The hotel sits on many acres of beautiful, wooded property. They have an amazing thing going for themselves! There is something for everyone at Yosemite. It is a wonderful place to take pictures and just walk around.

The Bridal Lawn

A cute bench on the bridge over the creek.

One of the many falls in the background

The Solarium where I did my blogging.
The views from the many windows in
the Solarium are inspiring.

The Lobby and entrance to their gift shop.

Some beautiful onyx bowls they sell in the shop.
I bought a small one and an onyx heart
shaped paper weight, both stunning.

This is the dining room. It is immense.
At night it looks just like the Hogwarts
Dining Room in the Harry Potter movies.
They bring out these three foot tall
candlesticks for every table
that really make it magical at night.
They take dinner reservations
up to 60 days in advance!

They have a lovely buffet each morning a part
of the bed and breakfast plan we had.
I had to go alone of course as
the hikers were long gone.
I was the only diner in the area where I was seated.

No problem about being alone~
these two kept me company and waited
on me hand and foot!

When I told Toe-mas (not Thomas??)
that the guys would be jealous over the lovely buffet,
he suggested we take this photo to heighten
the jealously factor! Yeahrite!
{Flattery for $$}

The Great Lounge

The view is magnificent out of every window!

When the hikers returned we drove to Mariposa where we had dinner and spent the night. The next day was my birthday and we took a leisurely drive north to drop Chris off at the airport so he could fly home. We were sad to say our good-byes, we had had a wonderful time together, one we will never forget. Thanks you, Son, for spending this time with your parents!