Went over NYE and the amenities were mostly amazing: an incredible indoor pool area, smores everyday by the fire which they provided for, fun ice rink, and enchanting lobby area. We had kind of noisy neighbors on the first floor and people would talk outside of our rooms, and sometimes our door wouldn't fully lock so we'd have to pull it but otherwise a great experience. Most customer service people went above and beyond with general requests. We supposedly had a "balcony" premium room which didn't have any chairs on it (it was raining though, but still would have been nice for the other days ). It's a great place to spend a whole rainy day by the fire, or just spend a few hours at while embarking on a big adventure elsewhere.
Only complaints are the inconsistent dog policies, food, and distance from Yosemite itself. The theme of our trip seemed to be incorrect or inaccurate info regarding pet stuff. We booked online through Chase where it said it all rooms were dog friendly, but only upon calling the resort did they confirm that only some rooms were dog friendly. We booked then the "pet package" which was supposed to include a swath of dog amenities including a bed and treads. We were then told by staff that the dog package really only covers the dog fee, no amenities, but then they later gave us a bowl, tennis ball, and poo bags, but none of the other items.
Tenaya also offers dog daycare services. We were told by one concierge person we just needed to show up at 8 am to drop our dog off with vaccination records, nothing else was needed. But when dropping off at 8 am, a second concierge person said we needed to have made a reservation 48 hours in advance. That second concierge person charged us $20 per hour and said we'd need to be there right at our end time to pick our dog up, but a third concierge person said that we could just come back whenever, no biggie, kind of negating the need to pay that $20 per hour fee for the amount we booked in the first place. They said the dogs are taken to a kennel on the property and are walked once an hour but I don't fully believe that. They also advertised in-room pet-sitting services but those apparently weren't available the day we were there.
Food itself at the restaurants is kind of lackluster. It's not awful, but not great, especially for what you're paying. Bring a cooler with pre-packed food or head somewhere else nearby. Also keep in mind that this is about a 5 minute drive from the Yosemite National Park Entrance, NOT the Yosemite Valley entrance which is about an hour away. You will still need to drive a long way and back up and down windy roads each day if you want to access the Yosemite Valley where El Capitan, Half Dome, and the other key sights are. It's a lovely drive, but if you don't do well at night driving, bad weather driving, or get carsick during windy road driving, that is worth taking into account. If you want to experience truly waking up and going to sleep in Yosemite Valley each day, this is not your resort.
Still had a great time, but dog owners should be extra cautious and careful to make sure that any dog amenities or services they're hoping for are fully booked and acknowledged as there is inconsistent info across websites and among the people at the resort itself.
