Five Star Spirituality: Tenaya Lodge, Yosemite

What Tenaya Lodge, located at Yosemite's south gate, lacks in geographical convenience (it's 35 minutes by car from the Valley), it makes up for with its luxurious trappings, which far exceed those offered at the famous Ahwahnee Hotel.

Now that the crush of summer tourists has passed, it’s a great time to make the yearly pilgrimage to Yosemite National Park, practically a requirement of residency in California, much like eating fish tacos, drinking Diet Coke, and casting your vote for the Democratic party. Even though our mercury-topping Indian summer has confused the flora and this downer of a drought forced the waterfall spigots to shut off much earlier than usual, Yosemite is still worthy of road trip. Last time we checked, it would take much more than a dry spell to adversely affect the park's sheer granite headliners, Half Dome and El Capitan. 

 

Of course, a luxury home base always puts a shine on the dullness inflicted by global warming. Tenaya Lodge, located at the park’s south entrance, is sufficiently rustic—think double-height stone hearth in the lobby, plenty of Native American-inspired textiles, and antlers galore—but thoroughly modern after its recent double silver LEED certification and renovation: The new Contemporary suites have a strict grownups-only policy and skew Scandinavian in terms of design—think reclaimed wood floors, gallery-white walls with mountain murals, and sleek soaking tubs. It’s the type of decor that summons serenity, a concept the lodge apparently believes to be incomprehensible to anyone under the age of 18. They're probably right.

 

Once you step into the new 10,000-square-foot Ascent Spa—where pampering starts in the lounge with an herbal foot bath in a copper vessel—parched hiking trails and low lake levels turn into bygones: As a concerned environmental citizen, you’ve explored the nearby tracks (we recommend the Chilnualna Falls Trail, a moderately strenuous 8.5-miler with big-time views as you approach some would-be raging cascades), made the appropriate distressed observations about the state of the landscape, wearied your muscles in the process, and you now require some gentle kneading to reduce next-day soreness. Look no further.

 

Since adventuring is a largely a calorie-depleting endeavor (yes, even if you opted to stay on the Tenaya property for an archery class or to conquer their bunny slope of a rock wall), it’s important to replenish the burn. Tenaya’s fine-dining restaurant, Embers, serves a velvety lobster bisque topped with a dome of black truffle puff pastry, a luscious precursor to the Filet Oscar, a richer version of the classic surf-and-turf: filet mignon topped with dungeness crab—’tis the season!—and béarnaise sauce. Skip the table side preparation of the Caesar salad—it’s a lotta pomp for a truly anticlimactic dish. On the other hand, the Bananas Diablo, flambéed table side and served in a tuile cup with vanilla ice cream, is worth the theatrics. All that’s left to do is retreat to your adults-only suite for a hot soak and an onslaught of Frasier reruns. Next thing you know, you’re dreaming of those tossed salads and scrambled eggs.

 

Article and images sourced from http://www.7x7.com/play/five-star-spirituality-tenaya-lodge-yosemite