We booked a house, Edelweiss, at a great price. On the way in from San Fran., we stopped in Oakdale and got our food, wine, and beer for the three day stay. House was very clean and comfortable, and quiet. We used the BBQ to grill dinners, and prepared all our meals there. Noticed that a burger was going for $14.00 at the Valley floor. Yosemite is a big park, so it is a 20 minute drive to the Valley floor, but if you want to go to Glacier Point, or Maripossa Grove, or Wanona, you're close also. Since the house is on the hill, it is a climb to the front door. I would stay here again.

If you plan to visit Yosemite State Park you should know that during autum there is no water in the Yosemite Falls, Mirror Lake and many more. The Mammoth Gandola is not open until after Nov 8 when the season picks up. There was water in the Vernal Nevada John Muir Trail - it is beautiful but round trip is 6 hours -make sure to bring lots of water and lunch. The hike has a nice trail, beautiful scenary and shaded areas. It is well worth it. You should also know that to get to Yosemite you must deal with winding roads, lots of them. There is a supermarket in Yosemite Valley --- if you stay and i recommend you do in Yosemite scenic wonders --purchase groceries at the store. Do not bother with eating at the grill next to the market. The burgers are not the best. You will need basic essentials like oil and condiments and fruits and whatever else you plan to eat but as far as cooking supplies is considered the house is fully equipped except there is no baking racks for cakes or cookies in our case. The drive from the vacation rental to the valley is about 10-15 minutes long, not a bad drive. We stayed at the little bears den, it was all great except that it has two floors and once the second floor was occupied we can hear everything!!! Also, the house did not have a washer or drier and it does not have air conditioner or a blow drier. This unit does not have a view and you do not have phone signal (ATT, I-phone). Do not expect internet and know that you will not get all channels (Dish TV). Do not be fooled by "housekeeper in" at the valley. The charge is $85 dollars a night for a camp site space not worth it considering you have community showers and restrooms. The other hotel near by is also expensive and must be booked in advance. The best part about this accomodation is that you can prepare you own meals excluding the additional costs of eating out in not the best of places or accommodations. There is a lot to do in Yosemite we stayed 3 nights and four days. We drove to Mariposa and saw the Sequoia trees, very beautiful. You will be in a remote location so when you pack make sure to bring things to do to keep yourself busy. If you are able to bring bikes, do it. The bike riding is excellent. You can bring your dog to the valley but cannot bring your dog to the trails. Overall, in this area your best bet is to stay at this modest location and do not stay in a room without A/C in the summer and bring extra closthe because there is no place to wash it unless you plan to hand wash it.

This review is about the studio condos at Yosemite West, booked via Scenic Wonders. The studios and lofts are in two blocks just by the first parking area in the complex. The first job is to locate the reception, which is in the upper floor of block B, farthest from the parking area. I had done some research and picked studio B107 which has the advantage of being a corner unit, so it has a side window and a balcony, and does not look out over the parking area. They call this a 'mountain' view
First impressions were that the apartment blocks look a bit tired and due for refurbishment. The studio inside was the same with rather old fittings and a motley selection of cutlery and crockery. The pull-down bed worked OK but its design means there's a massive gap at the head-end, so no good for sitting up in bed enjoying a cup of tea in the morning!. We had to be a bit creative to get enough light to read in bed as well.
As pointed out elsewhere, there are no shops at Yosemite West - the Valley Floor shop (which is well provisioned) is about 30 mins drive and the Wawona Store is about 20 mins in the other direction.
The outside grill worked fine. The location of the building amongst the trees means that there is not much direct sunshine and being September, it got quite chilly once the sun did disappear in the evening.
The Valley, Wawona and Glacier Point are all within 20-30 mins drive. Overall, we enjoyed our 3 night stay and would recommend it for the location at least. Just don't expect luxurious accommodation!

First of all beware of two things, one is the fact that some cottages do not have air conditioning and even though for most of the year you do not need it if you happen to go during a heatwave as we did you'll be sorry you chose this place.

The place was very clean and our cabin offered a BBQ and full kitchen with utensils, pots and plates. It even had a dishwasher. I found the outside deck to be too small to sit five people and our place had practically no view. ...and get this, for almost $300 a night we got no internet/wi-fi, what a surprise! (it even rimes)

I found the people working at the office not to be as polite as I would like but then again mountain folks tend to be a little less cordial (or fake) so it may have only been my impression.

All in all it was a good experience but if I was to return I may just stay elsewhere, I hear Curry Village campgrounds have free wi-fi and have cabins for a decent deal.