Lodging Will be tough to find at this late of date for Yosemite. With a small group you could find cancellations, but I would think a large group would be much harder. You need to make Yosemite reservations 1 year in advance, to really get what you want. I would think you would be able to find something for the coast though.

You should definitely look into Yosemite West. It's inside the park but not in the valley. Still well located.

http://www.yosemitewest.com/

When is your trip? You can often get cancellations at Yosemite Lodge, but it looks as you probably need 3 rooms, so that might not work. If you do go the VRBO route, make sure to ask how many miles it is from the house to Yosemite Valley and how long it takes to get there. We have a VRBO rental considered in the general area of Yosemite but 3 hours away. You need some place no more than 30-40 minutes. You might be able to get a tent cabin in Curry Village in Yosemite Valley. Do not stay any where near Merced as that is too far & too dull.
Btw, it is almost a full day drive from Yosemite to San Francisco and most of a day from Carmel/Monterey to Yosemite. Nice to see it all, but kind of a lot of driving...
In Carmel/Monterey area, we prefer Pacific Grove and like to stay at Asilomar State Conference grounds designed by Julia Morgan. You might be able to find a really nice VRBO rental there that would allow you to do some of your own meals & save some money.

<<<Btw, it is almost a full day drive from Yosemite to San Francisco>>>

Driving straight through, it's only 3-1/2 to 4 hours from san francisco to Yosemite.

We drove from Yosemite to Monterey and it didn't take us a day to do the drive. It was like 3.5 hours since we left from the Mariposa Grove at the south entrance. If you leave form Yosemite Valley it's only an extra 30 minutes so still no big deal.

We stayed her (Yosemite West)when we got married in Yosemite. Nice place, decent price. Loved the deck!

http://www.vrbo.com/83769

In Big Sur, I liked this place but not sure if they have big accomodations. The [mongolian] huts are near each other though. Nice open space and the views are great!

http://treebonesresort.com/

Glenoaks in Big Sur is also nice and the rooms are right next to each other.

http://www.glenoaksbigsur.com/

Oh, and the vrbo I recommended (in Yosemite West) is about a 30-40 min drive to yosemite valley

yes, 3.5 hours (without traffic) from San Francisco. If you hit traffic, that's another story...but not a whole day.

"One option I'm considering is VRBO homes but would prefer to stay in a resort if we can find one that maybe has large units. Any resorts with 3 bedroom units"

VRBO is probably your best bet. SF and Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur aren't really places were you find the condo resorts with large units. You will find mostly hotels and motels and then individually-owned homes.

There is one that I can think of, Pajaro Dunes, that might met your needs, although the location isn't the most convenient. It be about half way between Santa Cruz and Monterey, so you will have roughly a half hour drive to get to where you want to be.

http://www.pajarodunes.com/

Oh geez - I meant "it IS about half way..." I do know proper English, I promise

Thanks for the suggestions. I just realized I forgot to mention that the trip is in mid April. So that probably rules out the tent cabins. I'll check out Yosemite west. For Carmel, I was thinking condo at Carmel Valley Ranch or a VRBO house. For SF does anyone have ideas in Mill Valley?

You will most likely have to hike to Maripossa Grove in April. The road will likely be closed still(could be open, but not likely). Tioga Road will most likely be closed too. Glacier Point Road will most likely be closed.

Mill Valley is a suburb - there aren't many options for staying overnight. Are you visiting someone there? If not, how did you choose that location for spending the night?

sorry I guess I meant marin county. I was thinking of renting a house in sausalito or in the Mt tam area. I thought that could give us access to SF and also access to the attractions there (ie. muir woods, mt tam, stinson beach, pt reyes). Given that we are 11 people, I also thought we'd have an easier time finding a house that could fit us. Would our only options be hotels in SF??

Also, any thoughts on trying to fit in Yosemite on this trip? Good chance this is Mom's only trip to that area. We're east coasters and she doesn't get on an airplane much. I'd like to show her as much as I can.

If you can find a house in Sausalito or the Mt. Tam area - or anywhere in Marin county for that matter - go for it.

From there - you could drive to Yosemite (Over the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge and not have to fight traffic going back into/through SF) - and then take the "back" way from Yosemite - over to Carmel/Monterrey (again avoiding most of the heavy bay area traffic) - maybe 4 hours - and from Carmel back to SF - it's 3 hours or so.

All very doable half day jaunts.

I agree with that - for 11 people, if you can find a house you like, do it.