The Ahwahnee shines as the crown jewel of the national park lodges. Known for its stunning interior design and architecture, The Ahwahnee was specifically designed to highlight its natural surroundings, featuring Yosemite Falls, Half Dome and Glacier Point. The hotel holds a historic heritage as it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. The destination of queens and presidents alike, this distinctive Yosemite hotel offers a perfect balance of history, hospitality and elegance.
The Ahwahnee offers a gift shop with a focus on local artisans. A decadent sweet shop, a comfortable bar and a heated outdoor swimming pool. The Ahwahnee Dining Room is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Can’t we just pitch a tent here and soak in the grandeur?
There’s no denying the major drawcards in Yosemite are the jaw-dropping natural wonders. Hiking, climbing and camping throughout this expansive and stunningly varied national park is an experience of a lifetime, but every now and again you just need a little luxury to go with the majesty.
OK, we’ve packed away our hiking boots and donned our finest. bring on the extrav- agance.
The Majestic is all about old-school elegance. Built in 1927, the hotel showcases original paintings, rugs and tapestries from the period throughout the magnificent common spaces. The entrance hall features towering ceilings over 30 feet high, there’s a chandelier-lit dining room and even a pool.
We could get so comfortable here we’d forget where we were.
Not likely. One of the most magnificent things about the Majestic is the nod of deference it gives to its unique location. The grand granite and pine façade proudly mirrors the imposing rock face of the surrounding mountains and the private rooms all open onto spectacular views of some of the park’s most well known at- tractions, like Yosemite Falls and Half Dome.
The Ahwahnee – Visit a noble lodge and monument to 1920s luxury
It costs a bundle to spend the night, but there’s no charge for wandering inside, taking in the splendor of this 1920s-era hotel. This National Historic Landmark in Yosemite Valley has several “public rooms” where visitors can soak up its 1927 architecture, designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood. Everything in The Ahwahnee (recently called the Majestic Yosemite Hotel) is built on a grand scale. From the massive hand-stenciled timber beams to sandstone fireplaces so large you could hold a tea party inside. Adorning this hefty structure are colorful stained-glass windows, Native American tapestries and baskets, Turkish kilim rugs, and Yosemite-inspired 19th-century paintings depicting the park’s waterfalls and giant sequoia trees.
The Ahwahnee – Famous
Many famous people have slept in The Ahwahnee Yosemite, including John F. Kennedy, Greta Garbo, Queen Elizabeth II, and Winston Churchill. It’s a worthy splurge to stay in one of its 123 rooms, suites, or cottages, but even if you don’t, you can still book a table for the sumptuous Sunday brunch at The Ahwahnee Dining Room, or simply sit by the fireplace in the Great Lounge, look up at the wrought-iron chandeliers dropping from the dining room’s 34-foot, richly painted ceilings, or enjoy a cocktail at the bar. Free one-hour guided tours of The Ahwahnee Yosemite are offered throughout the year; check with the hotel’s concierge desk for a current schedule.
The Ahwahnee Dining Room
As a destination dining spot, The Ahwahnee Dining Room is open year-round serving breakfast and dinner. With ceilings over 30 feet high and massive windows that take in the surrounding views, the dining room evokes a feeling of grandness and opulence. This is the setting for some of the world’s most famous food and wine events:
Bracebridge Dinner, Vintners’ Holidays and Chefs’ Holidays.
Attire
Proper attire is kindly requested for dinner. For dinner, require gentlemen to wear long pants and a shirt with a collar. And ask that women wear a dress, skirt, or long pants with a blouse. Please refrain from wearing shorts, T-shirts, tank tops, flip-flops, and baseball caps. Children over the age of four are asked to dress for the occasion as well. Breakfast, brunch, and lunch are always casual.
Ahwahnee Winter Events
Spirited celebrations brighten the frosty months
Heading the bill each winter at the Ahwahnee (formerly the Majestic Yosemite Hotel) are the annual Bracebridge Dinners, lavish Christmas celebrations featuring more than 100 performers and a seven-course feast, all of it prepared, served, and presented in a way that will transport you to 18th-century England.
The December show
The December show, a loose adaptation of an episode from Washington Irving’s Sketch Book, has been held every year at the Ahwahnee since 1927. The four-hour program features music from the Middle Ages, Renaissance rituals, traditional yuletide decorations, and plentiful food, song, and mirth. The event is held for less than a dozen nights in mid- to late December, so tickets tend to sell out fast.
The Ahwahnee – New Year’s Eve gala
Other winter events at the Ahwahnee include the New Year’s Eve gala. Which features a six-course meal, live music , and dancing; celebrations are also held that night at sister Yosemite venues Yosemite Valley Lodge and The Wawona Hotel.
The Ahwahnee – Culinary Classroom
Two annual winter events revel in the region’s excellence in the realm of the delectable: the Vintners’ Holidays and Chefs’ Holidays. For both, the hotel’s Great Lounge is transformed into a culinary classroom.
Vintners’ Holidays—a toast to winemakers’ fall harvests with two-day sessions of wine tastings, seminars, and a gala five-course dinner—is held in November and December. At Chefs’ Holidays in January, California’s finest chefs strut their stuff during an hour-long skills demonstration; the master culinarians then prepare a dinner for all. One of the perks for attendees is insider access to the Ahwahnee’s kitchen.
Beneath its 35-foot ceilings are food-related antiques like the original 1927 walk-in refrigerators, which were kept cool with 500-pound blocks of ice from nearby Mirror Lake, and the 80-plus-year-old oven, where all the hotel’s bread is still baked.