Julie304

A co-worker and I are hoping to add a personal day to a Juneau business trip this September. Does anyone have any suggestions for clean, safe and reasonably-priced lodging? We've been leaning toward the Best Western Country Lane. Any comments on this property, good or bad?

We'd also be interested in any suggestions folks might have for good restuarants in the area (again, seeking something nice but reasonably priced). We'll probably plan to spend the day at Mendenhall glacier. Is it necessary to have a rental car in this area or can we get by with public transportation for one day?

Thanks in advance.

Elainee

Do NOT take the public bus to M glacier. We did!! It took forever to get there and it is quite a distance from the bus stop to the glacier (about a mile, I think). Then we did not know the bus schedule for the return. It did not seem as if the bus ran very frequently. We ended up calling a cab to come pick us up. Not a great day!! But the glacier is well worth doing. I would rent a car for the day if possible. No recommendations on restaurants, they all seemed to have salmon with sugar sauce (I liked it).

Deborah

I stayed at the BW Country Lane in May. The hotel was fine, but it depends on whether you want to stay in town or not. The hotel has a shuttle that will drop you off in downtown Juneau. They will also drop you at the bus stop for Mendenhall Glacier and then from there you do have to walk about a mile to get to the glacier. I didn't really mind the walk because it was a beautiful day. The BW is also very close to the airport. They have a continental breakfast in a.m. and cookies in the lobby most of the afternoon. There is not much else out in that area though. If you want to stay right in downtown Juneau, The Driftwood Lodge is a reasonable hotel. It's walking distance into town. I did walk by the property. It's nothing fancy, but I met some people that stayed there and they said it was fine. There is a beautiful view of the mountain from there. They also have a shuttle to/from airport. If you do stay at the BW, there is a Travelodge within walking distance that has a Mexican restaurant where I had delicious halibut tacos!! The staff at the BW was very nice. I would stay there again because it is also much closer to the ferry. Hope this helps.

MileKing

The GoldBelt Hotel is fine, but somewhat pricey.

Retired_teacher

Best Western Country Lane would be a good base if you plan to spend the day at Mendenhall. You could use their free shuttle service to transport you to their facility from Juneau, thus eliminating the need for a rental car. The van will also transport you to within a mile of the glacier, but it can not enter park property. We gave the driver a pick-up time for our return trip and he was very prompt. My husband and I stayed at Grandma's Feather Bed which is the other BW property out by the airport. They offer a full breakfast to order which almost pays for itself ($10.00 more than Country Lane) and they have a small restaurant at the facility for dinner. There is also a luggage storage area at BWCL that both properties share. The down side to this location is that there is no nightlife out by the airport.

Julie304

Thanks to all for the helpful responses. No other suggestions for good restaurants in Juneau? We were hoping to have a least one nice dinner while there. It would be great to find somewhere with a nice sampling of local cuisine. Thanks

abram

We had a great meal at Twisted Fish.

jor

A mile walk from the bus stop to the glacier? There is no way you can get any closer accept walking.

All hotels in Juneau are expensive and very average. The ship harbour is where to look for the best restaurants.

Retired_teacher

Okay jor, I will correct myself. The National Park Service does not allow shuttle vans such as the one from Best Western Country Lane on park property, so the vans drop riders off at the entrance. You must then walk approximately a mile to the visitor's center along a wide sidewalk area that parallels the highway. From the visitors center it is an additional hike of somewhat over a mile to the waterfall near the glacier and farther still to the glacier itself. I am in agreement with you 'except' for the statement that, "There is no way you can get any closer 'accept' walking".

Deborah

The BW Country Lane was not "expensive". I got a great AAA rate there. This was the property that Julie asked about and most of our responses were in regard to staying there. It is a mile from where they drop you off to go to the glacier, but it was a very nice walk for me anyway.