I was just talking about this place with my wife and she told me I was mistaken about the dinner. After reviewing the web site it looks like I made a mistake about assuming we would have a meal. It's a very nice place with an incredible view. read more

What a once-in-a-lifetime find! This place is a jewel of a B+B, quiet, well decorated, with an incomparable view. People who leave bad reviews because of their errors are not fair! You are staying in someone's home, not a motel. So, you have to act like a houseguest. If that bothers you, the B+B experience isn't for you, but if you like personal care, quiet, and romance, with everything you could possibly need to be comfortable, tucked away in the panormamic Sierras, then you will LOVE quaint and rustic Penon Blanco! I felt like we were staying with friends, not at a hotel. Complementary beer and wine awaited us in our room after our long day. This is the type of caring detail that makes the B+B experience. Yosemite is huge... I mean huge, so map distance is deceiving. Roads are winding and steep, and you have to go slowly. But why would you go to Yosemite and rush? Take the time driving to enjoy the amazing scenery! It takes less than an hour to reach the heart of Yosemite Village, and it is a very enjoyable, scenic drive. Now, for the food....OMG it is fantastic! Home prepared with love, care, and pride to detail. Served at an impeccably set table complete with candlelight, silver, and fine china. This is not your usual hotel continental breakfast of sickly sweetrolls and cold eggs, this is the BEST breakfast I have ever had! We even had eggs benedict one morning! Fresh fruit, rolls, juice, tea, coffee, delightful and delicious!!!! What a way to start your day! Margie's cooking made a breakfast fan out of this usual breakfast skipper! The owners are very present, but never obtrusive. They can offer all kinds of interesting and helpful information about the area, and are glad to, if you ask. This the the kind of B+B experience that makes others seem cliche and commercial. This is the REAL THING! It made our journey to Yosemite memorable and special, and we would return in a heartbeat for more of this romantic home atmosphere, Margie's fabulous hospitality and breakfasts...!Don't miss the chance to experience Penon Blanco for yourself! read more

Margi and Wolfgang are the best hosts! They were super friendly without being formal, attentive without hovering, informative without pushing any particular schedule or activity. The B&B felt welcoming from the moment we arrived to the afternoon we left, and -- taking all of Margi's suggestions -- we had a wonderful hike that ended in gorgeous views, and we ate at some great local restaurants. Wolfgang's home-brewed beer -- highly recommended! We were very excited when we found out that the beer waiting for us in our suite's mini-fridge had been brewed by one of our hosts. We saved it for our last night at the B&B, and we knew from the first sniff that it was going to be good. Mmmmm, beer! Did I mention "highly recommended"? We had two mornings of Margi's gourmet breakfast, which featured fruit and yogurt, cinnamon bread, bagel quarters with cream cheese, German pancakes (the thin kind, if you're familiar with it, topped with syrup, fruit, nuts, and whipped cream), fluffy pancakes, eggs, chicken, prickly pear juice. Coffee for me, herbal tea for my partner. This was also my first experience of a breakfast that included dessert -- chocolate one day, red velvet cake the next. Incredible! Every single thing at breakfast tasted fantastic, and Margi & Wolfgang are always making sure your coffee (or herbal tea) is full and hot. (PS -- The coffee was very good and apparently the herbal tea was, too.) Cool feature: Margi e-mailed us weeks ahead of time to ask if we had any food allergies or preferences and what kind of hot beverage we liked with our breakfasts; the same e-mail also asked if we'd like anything to be waiting for us in our mini-fridge (so glad we said yes to the beer!), whether we wanted to book in-room massages, and a few other questions along those lines. Very thoughtful! There are some "house rules," as an earlier reviewer noted -- but the rules are few and sensible. For example, you have to take your shoes off when you enter the house (true at many people's houses...especially when you're likely coming in from hiking!), and you're expected to turn off lights and the fireplace and TV when you leave your room. Honestly, though, shouldn't we be doing that, anyway? Among other things, all those items cost money to run, and it's only polite not to run up the electricity bill to light a room for hours while no one's in it! There were no gratuitous or unusual rules; they were all commonsense issues. The WiFi service was fast and solid; I logged on a few times for various reasons (read: addiction to facebook updates, MUST POST ALL VACATION PHOTOS IMMEDIATELY), and it was always working and always fast. Have I mentioned the view yet? WOW! Stepping out of our room onto the big stone patio, we were immediately staring down into a valley with a lake and lots of beautiful foliage. We could see quite a ways into the distance, because the air was super clear and crisp. The room was gorgeous and spacious, including the two-room bath (the first contains the Roman-style tyle shower, sinks, "beauty" area, and more than enough space for the mini-fridge, coffee machine, extra mugs, etc.; the second room contains toilet, bidet, and another sink). We had originally booked the Joaquin Murrietta Room, but Margi & Wolfgang upgraded us to the John Muir Jr. Suite! That was pretty cool news -- all the room prices are entirely reasonable, but our budget for weekend trips right now is relatively tight, so -- while it looked awesome -- I hadn't even considered the John Muir Jr. Suite when booking a room, originally. The upgrade was a pleasant surprise! I loved the room decor, from the furniture to the chess/backgammon table to the lighting (oh, and the many lighting options made "romantic lighting" very quick and convenient to arrange...in case you were wondering). We will definitely return to Penon Blanco Lookout B&B. This is the best place I've ever stayed, and the room rates are very good, too. I look forward to getting out there again soon -- I'd love to stay in each of the available rooms, because they all look fantastic! read more

Honest and long-winded review time. First off, let me say - I enjoyed my time at Yosemite National Park a whole lot. It was a great visit and experience. I also want to say that I did have a good time at this Bed and Breakfast but there are definitely some things that I think people should be aware of before they go. The roads in this whole region are curvy as heck, and mountainous as heck. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise but it was, we are from the desert where it is flat and easy to drive. The road we took is not one you want to take - it was Highway 49 through Mariposa and other villages, at one point the curves up the mountain (with cliffs on one side) were so intense, tight, narrow, and steep that we went like 15 through that way and my mother was very scared. After that once we got to the Bed and Breakfast, Margi told us of other routes and noted that she would have never sent us through that area, so plan accordingly and ask Margi which route to take, she is very helpful. Even other routes that are much easier to drive are going to be mountainous and curvy so be prepared for that. FYI This bed and breakfast is also very remote and off the beaten path and the roads to and from are not great, to get to anything like a gas station or a shopping market, or restaurant will be a bit of a drive and take a while. Another thing, there are 3 large dogs who have the run of the grounds and the first floor of the Bed and Breakfast. Guest rooms are upstairs so you wont have to worry about the dogs when you are upstairs, but whenever you come or go you are going to encounter at least one of the dogs. This didn't bother us, but I know this could make some people uncomfortable. I have a friend who is terrified of large dogs and would rather pay the full price of the room if necessary and then go pay extra money elsewhere rather than stay there with three large dogs so I want people to know. Next, there is no cable or antenna TV here and the internet is limited to e-mail only. They do have movies on VHS tape that you can watch in your room, the selection is limited and dated but good, we used it each night. But if you or someone else in your party needs TV, up to date movies to watch, or internet, then you may want to reconsider staying here if you are staying more than a day or two. We stayed here for a full week, so if we weren't open to this it would have been a disaster. We spent most of our time in Yosemite or driving to and from Yosemite, then relaxing in our room and going to sleep so this didn't bother us. In regards to the formal breakfasts, yes they are formal. Formal place settings, candle light, flowers, nice china, three courses. It may make some uncomfortable but my mother and I enjoyed them and just did our thing during, so it is up to each individual to decide if a formal breakfast is something they would be comfortable with. Margi and Wolfgang are kind of awkward sometimes, but they are nice and well meaning and accommodating so we didn't find this off-putting. As I said, we did our thing and didn't let the formal dining affect us. The views are amazing - we were in the Lookout room and from our balcony we could see so much beauty. We would sit out there and have some beers and smoke and hang out and it was extremely enjoyable. In the end, it is a good experience if you can get past the things above. It is more of an old fashioned experience, but it is nice and comfortable and the breakfasts were great and the views made up for the lack of TV, internet, and movies, so I would say give this place a chance. I just thought I'd write an honest review to make sure people know what they are getting into before they come. read more

Penon Blanco Lookout Bed & Breakfast The expectations and reality of this place disappointingly did not match up. Unfortunately I have to say that this was my first and last experience with a bed and breakfast. The positive thing about this place is the beautiful view from the bedroom looking out to the lake and mountain that can be enjoyed from a large wrap around porch. When we first drove up to this place I thought I made a wrong turn since it did not look like a bed and breakfast. It was not a welcoming entrance given that there were yard tools, machines and lawn equipment everywhere. The front entrance has a tented room next to it that is hiding many piles of gardening and maintenance equipment, just as you enter. When we arrived, there were no warm welcomes and I felt more like an intruder, while we waited outside for 20 minutes because she could not hear our knocking and the doorbell was broken. We were immediately asked to take our shoes off (I get that), but we received no help with our luggage to our second floor room. This was the first of many rules that were enforced: lock up VCR tapes, shut fan off before showering, no face products are to be used that contain a certain ingredient, close all the curtains when leaving for the day to keep the furniture from fading, not to mention that we were reprimanded for not using the correct bread dish, etc. The first night there was issues with the water and we told we could not shower, until the next day. If you do not eat all of her breakfast, she will ask questions and make you feel uncomfortable about it. The worst part however was when we had a family medical crisis about 2 hours away, for which we had to leave one night early from our 4-night stay. No other family members could be there in time to help my niece in the hospital. I explained this to Margi and she said it had nothing to do with her and I had to pay the full $175 for that night regardless of the circumstances. Nice right? She also tried to charge me extra for each night because my daughter slept on the day bed instead of sleeping with me, but I baulked and she took that extra charge off my bill. They state in their advertisement that they are close to Yosemite National Park. It's actually a 90-minute drive. They also live on one of the most dangerous roads you can take in Yosemite, without guardrails. Next time, we will book far in advance to get a better place, however, this was our only option when we booked read more

We booked through booking .com but when I got the confirmation (within a few minutes) I read more about the place and realized it wasn't a good choice for a family with teenage boys! I called Margie and she refused to give us our money back!!!!! Said the booking was not refundable!!!! Horrible woman. Dont book it if you have a family!!!! read more

It is just another example of greed with the two night minimum. Its all about money folks and not your comfort...Very sad these people try to harness you in to staying two nights. Glad I did not book after seeing other reviews...... read more

10/10 would recommend! We can't wait to come back! They have the best property in Yosemite. They're poised right on the edge of this kind of cliff that overlooks a huge expanse of trees, a lake - it's unreal. And the food was phenomenal. I have food allergies that make me pretty difficult to cook for, and Margi and Wolfgang happily accommodated. If I could give six stars, I would! read more

We felt like intruders "in Margi's home" vs. paying B&B guests. We felt she was certainly a micro manager. Made us shower before getting in the hot tub, then came out to "show us" how to get in the hot tub. Way to detailed and time consuming "show us how," the mood of being in the hot tub and relaxing with the view was over before we got the chance. Also when Margi cleaned our room, she put all of my toiletries in a drawer. A stranger touching my toiletries is too intimate for me. I am renting the room and it I want to leave my toiletries out on the counter I should be able to. I am entitled to some privacy when I am renting a room. She even asked us to leave our door ajar to get heat into the room. No thanks, my husband will keep me warm if I SHUT the door. I felt like I was a freeloading GUEST in HER home vs. a PAYING GUEST in A BED&BREAKFAST. It was uncomfortable and my husband and I have been turned off of the B&B circuit for awhile after staying in them 3 -4 times per year. When I am paying money to stay someplace the attitude needs to be different than when I am couch surfing, okay? read more