Narrow Gauge Inn — Hotel in Oakhurst

This review is very long overdue, however if you are looking to visit Yosemite and you want to be close to the park, be surrounded in the woods in a beautiful and rustic location at a good price, this is a true hidden gem! In addition, it's great for any occasion like a family reunion, weekend getaway, or in our case,we had our beautiful wedding here! It was a weekend long trip and our friends and family stayed here a well!

And If you plan to go - for any occasion, GEORGE, (the manager), the restaurant manger (I'm sorry I am blanking on his name), Sarah - who is kind and patient, and the entire staff at Narrow Gauge Inn are so sweet and made so much effort to make our wedding memorable.

When I was searching for a wedding venue and a place for our guests to stay for the weekend, I looked at nearly every venue. From doing a small ceremony inside the park to looking into large hotels like The Majestic and Tenaya Lodge. Narrow Gauge Inn was a perfect hidden gem because whether you want a small intimate wedding or a larger celebration, Narrow Gauge Inn can accommodate to your needs. I listed off more reasons below as to why it's a great place for a wedding or for any occasion.

Beauty and Charm: Narrow Gauge Inn is intimate, rustic, friendly, surrounded by gorgeous mountain views, and it's located ONLY 4 miles outside of the South Entrance of Yosemite (the Tunnel View side - a must see while in Yosemite), the staff treats you like a guest in their home, it's also the neighbor of another one of the most charming places ever - SUGAR PINE RAILROAD - literally less than 3 minutes to walk there. A great experience if you have the chance, you take a train ride through the forest and into Lewis Creek. My nieces loved it and it was definitely a family highlight.

Flexibility: This is not a "one-size-fits -all" or a "package" style wedding venue. Which is great! Most of the places I visited had strict rules on time management, fees, minimums on number of guests - so many logistics. George and the hotel staff have worked with weddings of all types and know how to adapt from an intimate elopement weddings to a larger wedding.

The Restaurant: The Dining room is enchanting, romantic, and classy. There are huge windows throughout the restaurant with some incredible views. I recommend visiting around sunset so you get to experience the views and the natural lighting of the large windows. Then, after sunset when it's dark, the stone fireplaces are so cozy and romantic. The food is high quality. It's hard to find quality at those prices honestly. Hats off to the Chef! The Chef did a fantastic job at the wedding, and my guests kept going on about how it was the best food they've had at a wedding. The restaurant manager was great too (I'm sorry I blanked on his name), but we were so pleased with him.

The Staff: I can't go on enough on how nice everyone was. George, the manager, is informative, ambitious, professional, and he was great at helping the process move fast! Good guy, good sense of humor too. And Sarah continued to always be so kind and patient with me on the phone when I would call in to ask questions and adjust reservations. She was always smiling when you walk through the door and so patient with the customers. And everyone else I met on the staff was also sweet, professional, and helpful! I truly would not have enjoyed the wedding as much as I did, without such kind people helping us!

Again, I couldn't recommend this place enough! And we will always remember our incredible weekend at The...

For over 10 years I passed by this Inn many times and each time I thought to myself I have to try this place once. Finally, I booked a one night stay for Nov 28th this year, Thanksgiving day. We left our house in Bay Area at 9 am and got there at 1:20pm. The receptionist got my name. While staring at her computer, she says be patient with me, I’m new. Ok, we waited. After at least four minutes she says your reservation is cancelled. We’re stunned. Why? Booking.com has cancelled your reservation, she says. Hard to believe, I ask for manager. Mr. Petal comes out and says Booking.com has called you and emailed you and has canceled your booking because your card couldn’t be charged. My network is not at its best and is spotty and slow, but I was able to check my emails, check my phone, check my bookingapp and there is nothing. I check my account and there are two credit cards that could be used. I show him. One doesn’t work? The second was a debit card and would definitely work. I show him my emails, my phone, and my account info and ask him to help me find booking.com’s emails or calls or notification of cancelling my reservation. I have been using their services for over 20 years and never had any issues. I made this booking two weeks ago, on Nov 15th. If there were any issues with my account I should had been notified sooner. A few days prior to the reservation day, I even called the hotel to see if I could add another night. The receptionist found my reservation and said nothing of having any issues….Mr. Petal insisted that the booking.com cancelled your booking and sorry. It’s Thanksgiving day. No where is open. We are in a jungle and it’s a cold day and colder night is coming. He says let me call and find you a room for you. He is happy and wants me to give him credit for finding a room $10 less than his room! He doesn’t understand. It isn’t the money, it’s the experience which he ruined very badly. He doesn’t understand. After about 15-20 minutes of feeling (fill in the blank) we walked out. After 15 years I reserve this hole in the jungle on Thanksgiving day and drive four hours to get there and this was my experience. Why? Because they overbooked? Perhaps. They had no moral, no ethics, no courtesy, no decency to think twice before canceling my reservation, not even in Thanksgiving day. Later when I returned home I found email from booking.com sent at 11:30 saying “ great, the hotel has accepted your cancellation.” And another one at 11:34 saying my reservation was cancelled. My reservation was cancelled by the hotel at 11:30 the day of my reservation. Just like that. Who would do that? What do we rate the merchants for? Why do we go back to a merchant? What is it that attracts us customers? Wrong Mr. Petal, wrong. From now on and for ever every time I drive by your Inn I will remember this ugly and nasty experience and that how you ruined my favorite Holiday and our trip. We will never...

For over 10 years I passed by this Inn many times and each time I thought to myself I have to try this place once. Finally, I booked a one night stay for Nov 28th this year, Thanksgiving day. We left our house in Bay Area at 9 am and got there at 1:20pm. The receptionist got my name. While staring at her computer, she says be patient with me, I’m new. Ok, we waited. After at least four minutes she says your reservation is cancelled. We’re stunned. Why? Booking.com has cancelled your reservation, she says. Hard to believe, I ask for manager. Mr. Petal comes out and says Booking.com has called you and emailed you and has canceled your booking because your card couldn’t be charged. My network is not at its best and is spotty and slow, but I was able to check my emails, check my phone, check my bookingapp and there is nothing. I check my account and there are two credit cards that could be used. I show him. One doesn’t work? The second was a debit card and would definitely work. I show him my emails, my phone, and my account info and ask him to help me find booking.com’s emails or calls or notification of cancelling my reservation. I have been using their services for over 20 years and never had any issues. I made this booking two weeks ago, on Nov 15th. If there were any issues with my account I should had been notified sooner. A few days prior to the reservation day, I even called the hotel to see if I could add another night. The receptionist found my reservation and said nothing of having any issues….Mr. Petal insisted that the booking.com cancelled your booking and sorry. It’s Thanksgiving day. No where is open. We are in a jungle and it’s a cold day and colder night is coming. He says let me call and find you a room for you. He is happy and wants me to give him credit for finding a room $10 less than his room! He doesn’t understand. It isn’t the money, it’s the experience which he ruined very badly. He doesn’t understand. After about 15-20 minutes of feeling (fill in the blank) we walked out. After 15 years I reserve this hole in the jungle on Thanksgiving day and drive four hours to get there and this was my experience. Why? Because they overbooked? Perhaps. They had no moral, no ethics, no courtesy, no decency to think twice before canceling my reservation, not even in Thanksgiving day. Later when I returned home I found email from booking.com sent at 11:30 saying “ great, the hotel has accepted your cancellation.” And another one at 11:34 saying my reservation was cancelled. My reservation was cancelled by the hotel at 11:30 the day of my reservation. Just like that. Who would do that? What do we rate the merchants for? Why do we go back to a merchant? What is it that attracts us customers? Wrong Mr. Petal, wrong. From now on and for ever every time I drive by your Inn I will remember this ugly and nasty experience and that how you ruined my favorite Holiday and our trip. We will...