INSIDE THE GATES! LUXURIOUS 3 BDRM., INDOOR HOT TUB & POOL TABLE! SLEEPS 6-8

Do the math: what would it cost you to rent 3 little hotel rooms for 3 couples for a night? Now compare that with what it costs to rent this entire house (3 bedrooms, each with private bath and a little kitchenette; a double kitchen; a large dining/entertainment area complete with a pool table and satellite TV; an indoor 8 person hot-tub; plus a washer and dryer) for a night.

Now figure out how much time you'll spend each day driving back and forth if you stay outside the park. If you haven't done that before, it's a considerable amount of time, especially in the summer when the park is crowded and traffic backs up. Compare that with staying in Yosemite West, which is just a few minutes away from one of the main roads that cuts through the park.

Add to it that from start to finish you deal personally with Holly, the owner, who genuinely wants you and your group to have a comfortable, trouble-free time and encourages you to contact her with any questions or problems. Plus you're not in a crowded commercial area with traffic zipping by. You're pretty much in a residential community in the kind of setting you go to Yosemite to see in the first place.

The only things I marked down a point below are the kitchen because the indoor grill on the gas stove wouldn't light the night we wanted to grill some nice pork chops we'd bought, and the indoor hot tub, which seemed not to have been used or serviced recently. In fairness I should say we could have been mistaken about that, and if I'd called her, which I didn't, I'm confident Holly would have addressed it.

I'll sum it up this way. The previous time we went to Yosemite we stayed at the ahwahnee. If we were turning around and going back next week with more than two of us, we'd head straight to the Enchanted Forest (Upper).

My family stayed here at Enchanted Forest in July, 2012. This home was absolutely fabulous, exactly what we were hoping for based on the photos. The floors were spotless, the beds were comfortable, plush actually, and everything worked. Towels were plentiful, cabinets were stocked, and hot tub was filled, clean and ready for use.

My brother stayed at another similar home down the way and had a very unpleasant experience, which in comparison made clear how great Enchanted Forest really was.

The owner (Holly) and housekeeper (Danna) were falling over themselves to be helpful. I was quite impressed by their attention to all details. I can’t give this place enough stars. Enchanted Forest was hands down the perfect choice for our Yosemite vacation!

We enjoyed our stay in the upper floor of the "Enchanted Forest" very much. While not in the valley floor, the location was very convenient, not too far from the main sightseeing attractions in the park. The place was clean, quiet and very well equipped.

We hope that we can return in the spring while the waterfalls are active!