Jane

I need some suggestions for hotels in:

Anchorage
Danali
Fairbanks
Valdez
Seward
Homer

We will be traveling via train, bus, and ferry. Any help would be appreciated!

KK

In some areas, you will be more likely to find B&B's in Alaska than hotels, and at better rates than the hotels.

Loved Seven Gables Inn in Fairbanks (large B&B, lovely rooms, excellent breakfast). Highly recommend.

Stayed and L&K's B&B in Valdez. Had to share a bathroom, but it was with the couple we were traveling with, so no big deal - don't recall if they had a room with a private bath. Gorgeous, contemporary house, just standard bedrooms, continental breakfast.

Land's End in Homer is supposed to be really nice, but they didn't have rooms available when we were there. We ended up at The Bay View Inn, which was very nice and reasonably priced (not actually in town, however.)

In Seward, we stayed at the Harborview, which was basic hotel rooms (but seemed very new & clean).

We stayed at the Chelsea Inn in Anchorage one night, which I don't particularly recommend. Rooms VERY small & not very nice. I think I remember having a problem with the tub faucet, which they fixed, but overall, I was not comfortable here. Anchorage is going to be the hardest/most expensive place to stay.

Up near Denali, if you stay near Talkeetna, the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge is very nice; standard new hotel-type rooms, great deck near the restaurant where you can get a bottle of wine & go out and gaze at Mt. McKinley. Nice restaurant, too.

This was all in June, 1999. We flew into Anchorage and rented a car to get around, so I don't have a thought on the logistics of getting to or around any of these places without a car.

lynette

We went in 2000 and I found the Fodor's Alaska book well worth the cost. When we got to our destination, the information from Fodor's was right on the money. We stayed with friends for a few weeks, so I can't comment on hotels specifically, but the descriptions of the towns and restaurants was all super. Hope this helps.

Lynette

Jason

In Anchorage, we stayed at the Comfort Inn. Very spacious rooms, although not as centrally located as some of the others. Anchorage has many of the major chain hotels.

In Seward we stayed at the Alaska Saltwater Lodge. Nice B&B/Lodge which is about 1 or 2 miles out of "downtown" Seward, but right on the water.

In Homer we stayed at Lands End. Great location at the end of the spit and would recommend it.

In Denali we stayed at one of the many hotels near to the park entrance. Frankly, I can't remember the name. Denali Bluffs perhaps.

curiousx

I stayed at the West Coast International Inn in Anchorage and would not recommend it except as a moderately-priced overnight before an early flight out.

It seemed to be the place that cruise companies were using to put up their crews while in transit (but not the 'officer' level).

Jane

Thanks!
I made a reservation at Land's End in Homer on the net, and I am checking out the Seward suggestions. Buying the Fodor's guide is a good idea. I have Frommer's and Lonely Planet guides but don't feel confident with their hotel recommendations. I had an unpleasant experience with a Frommer-recommended hotel in Canada last summer.

Any more recommendations??

DD

Stay away from the Captain Cook in Anchorage. The rooms are perfectly fine but the service (front desk, managerial) is very poor.

Deborah

In Anchorage, I stayed at both the Spring Hill Suites and The Holiday Inn. SSH is further away from downtown, but you have a car, it's nice and includes breakfast. The Holiday Inn is downtown and convenient for walking down there. I stayed at The Denali Bluffs in Denali. I thought it was the best place up there.

Have fun. You will love Alaska.

John

If you're training it to/from Seward or Denali, the Comfort Inn on Ship Creek (Anc.) is walkable from the train station, plus it's new and not bad.

P

SEWARD: Morning Calm B&B Website: http://seward.net/~morningcalm/ E-mail: [email protected] Our room here was spacious, very clean, and decorated in a Korean-Alaskan motif. There are two room that share one bath. Full breakfast generous and very tasty. Close to the harbor, very quiet. 2002 rate for 2: $65 + $5.85 tax. I highly recommend staying here.

Brenda

You don't mention when you will be traveling to Alaska. If you plan on being in Anchorage for the summer season, expect very high hotel prices. If off-season, you can snag a nice room for about 70-90 per night.
Anchorage suggestion near airport: Holiday Inn Express, Courtyard By Marriott, Regal Alaska, I think it is now a Mellinium.
Downtown: Clarion Suites, Westmark, Hilton, Voyager, Hawthorne Suites. All conveniently located. Captain Cook is probably the best, but also most expensive. Stay away from the Holiday Inn. It has had lots of problems in the past and was frequently noisy and located near late night street action, not the kind you want. I would not trust it has improved much.

lcuy

Seward- windsong lodge, 2 miles out side Seward by exit glacier. Rustic setting, killer views, nice rooms and a fabulous restaraunt- Resurrection Roadhouse- on the property.
HOmer- Ocean Shores Motel was very nice.

Jane

Thank all of you for your great input. I thought you might be interested in the final choices. Taking everything you wrote and various guide book information into consideration, I have made reservations at the following for next July:

Anchorage--Aspen (opening 1/2003)
Denali--Denali Bluff (included with railroad ticket reservations to Denali)
Fairbanks--Bridgewater
Barrow--Top of the World (included with Alaskan Air package to Barrow)
Valdez--Aspen
Seward--Seward Hotel (formerly the Best Western)
Homer--Lands End
Anchorage--Best Western at airport.
Thanks again!
Jane

Sammie

You selection looks great except in Anchorage. Best Western is were we had unpleasant experience with dirty sheets that were used by someone who stayed there before us. And they refusued to change them or give us another room. This place looks like the cheapest sleezy motel

Tell me more about your trip to Barrow. How long, when and why?

Jane

Sammie:
Was it the BW Barratt Inn at the airport?? If so, I will cancel my reservation.
We are going to Barrow from Fairbanks on the Alaska Air overnight tour--leave one morning and return next day. It includes air, hotel, and tour of the area. I booked it on Alaska Airlines website.
Why? We want to see the arctic area--but for a short time only!! My husband is a "birder" and we live in South Texas. It should be exotic for us!!

Sammie

Unfortunatelly this is the one, Jane.
The BW Barratt Inn. They are not in the airport, but a short distance from it.

Connie

I don't think any of the hotels are actually on the airport property. Most are a few blocks away.

joan

Jane, if you are still searching for an Anchorage property, let me recommend the Sleeping Lady B&B. I booked it for four couples, none of us are the "b&B type". What a hit! This place is a newly built (by the owner) gorgeous home, with a fabulous hot breakfast, immaculate rooms, right in downtown, walking distance to several restaurants and the downtown park.
Here's the website:
http://www.anchsleepingladybnb.com/

Hope this helps!

Don

I agree with the postings regarding the Barratt BW in Anchorage. IMO, it is overpriced, barely adequate in quality, and their staff is undertrained. The only really strong point is a locked cage for leaving baggage between stays. If you are using Anchorage as an anchor point for trips outward, having a secure place to leave extra baggage is great.

Micath

Don, any hotel near the airport will store your stuff. We left our bags for a whole wekk in Courtyard by Marriott and they very nice about it