The Half Dome Village is located in the main Yosemite Valley and was relatively easy to find. There is an internal shuttle bus stop within the compound which makes it easy to get around the park if you prefer not to drive. Check-in is at 4 pm. We were turned away when we arrived at 12 pm. It was, in fact, closer to 5 before we got our keys.
There is a nice view of the surrounding granite cliffs from Half Dome Village.
1-Bedroom Cabin with Bath
The cabin was rustic in decor and simply furnished. The walls were so thin we could hear our neighbours clearly. Still, it was reasonably clean and the heater in the cabin was sufficient to keep us toasty. Our main grouse was the very large, but ICY COLD bathroom. With temperatures dipping close to 0°c at night, using the bathroom was a pain. For USD 213 a night, they could at least have provided a rug on the floor.
Dining Options
Only the Pizza Deck and Pavilion were open. We had pizza for dinner and the pancake bundle at the Pavilion for breakfast. The piping-hot pizza was yummy. Breakfast was cafeteria-style and just average. If you have other breakfast options, go for it.
The dining hall was gorgeous and it had a giant fireplace with a crackling fire in the evening. We saw people warming their feet in front of it. They looked real comfy.
WI-FI
There was very little data connectivity within Yosemite National Park so we were looking forward to the wi-fi at Half Dome Village. No luck there. The wi-fi at both the guest lounge and restaurant was extremely weak and painfully slow. We gave up after 15 minutes.
Staff
The front office employees were friendly enough but didn’t seem particularly knowledgeable. When we asked for advice regarding alternative routes due to the closure of Tioga Pass, we were met with silence (till they remembered google maps). Same goes for a question on whether there were any lakes within the park that weren’t dry at that moment. We were also not notified during check-in about a power shutdown after 8 am the next morning. During check-out, we finally spotted a notice posted on the front office entrance doors. Guess that was deemed sufficient notice. Judging from the conversations we overheard, many other guests were also kept in the dark (figuratively and literally).
Doubt we will stay here again.
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