Rush Creek Lodge Yosemite, MercedRush Creek Lodge Yosemite in Merced, United States has a corrected score of 3.7 ± 0.2 (fair evidence, 2 of 4 platforms), ranked 4 of 20 hotels we score in Merced. Its platform ratings, normalised to 0-5, average 4.0 before correction: Booking.com 4.1, Tripadvisor 3.9. Rooms from about $797 a night (cached, not a live quote).Rush Creek Lodge is a full-service resort at the Highway 120 West entrance to Yosemite National Park in Groveland, California. Its 143 hillside villas, lodge rooms and suites come with a restaurant, tavern, year-round heated outdoor saltwater pool, two hot tubs and a children's playground. Guests can join daily activities, guided tours, hiking and fishing, and there is a spa, gym and sauna on site. The lodge suits families and outdoor travellers who want comfortable modern accommodation close to the park gates. Rates start around $797 a night, so it is a premium choice, and some guests have reported occasional maintenance problems and uneven service.What stands out

Clean, spacious rooms

Good family activities programme

Heated outdoor saltwater pool

Spa, gym and sauna on site

Watch out for

Some maintenance issues reported

Service can be inconsistent

Better-scored in Merced

Hilton Garden Inn Merced, Merced: 4.1 ± 0.3 (thin evidence, 2 of 4 platforms), from $146 a night. Hilton Garden Inn Merced is a new-build hotel at 1001 S Coffee Street, just off Campus Parkway and State Route 99 in Merced, California.

El Capitan Hotel, Merced: 4.0 ± 0.2 (fair evidence, 2 of 4 platforms), from $144 a night. El Capitan Hotel is a boutique hotel in downtown Merced, California, in the Central Valley on the route towards Yosemite.

Evergreen Lodge Yosemite, Merced: 3.7 ± 0.4 (thin evidence, 1 of 4 platforms). Evergreen Lodge is a mountain resort on 20 forested acres near Groveland, California, about a mile from Yosemite National Park's western entrance and the Hetch Hetchy…