I am planning a visit to Anchorage in June 2004. I will be spending several days and can't decide between Hotel Captain Hook and the Downtown Marriott. Can't remember where I read some negative feedback on Captain Hook. Any advice would be welcomed.

Captain Hook! Love it!

The Captain Cook is fine hotel but 30+ years old; the Marriott is new. The Cook has generally been regarded as the nicest hotel in town for a long time, but rooms may be a bit smaller and less amenity-laden than newer places. Both are fine places, though.

You didnt ask about economizing etc but I stayed at the Chickadee B&B and it was VERY nice- they have a lovely guest suite in the lower level..two bedrooms - the other one was not rented while I was there..and a small private comfy living room with great books, movies, tv, microwave, and so forth. Wonderful breakfast too. Dont have the contact info but there's a B&B association they belong to, and may have a websit enow for all I know!

We stayed at the Captain Cook last year before our cruise, and loved it. Very comfortable, helpful staff, nice amenities -- and the Crow's Nest bar and restaurant at the top of the building is a great spot for a nightcap. The Snow City Cafe is close by for a funky fun breakfast. (I think I've posted about this before, so check the archive.)

Anchorage seemed to be small enough to be easily walkable. Enjoy your visit -- Alaska is a wonderful place to see.

If you are traveling with family I would stay away from the Captain Cook. I was there last year with children and they were had the absolute worst customer service. The sheets on one of the beds were dirty and when I caled to have them changed, I was told to "Just put the kids in that bed."

I will NEVER step foot in that hotel again.

I greatly favor B&B's in Alaska. So much more personal and great interations with natives. The Cpt. Cook is a first class hotel but caters to large groups of cruisetour purchasers. And actually, Anchorage is large and with a rental car you could see a portion of it. There is much more to it than downtown.

We've stayed at the Voyager Hotel twice and are planning to stay there again next year. It's across the street from the Captain Cook Hotel and there are restaurants in the vicinity. It doesn't have a pool, but it's clean and the people were friendly.

I've stayed at both hotels and far preferred the Marriott. The windows were floor to ceiling in our Marriott room and we could see Denali clearly for an hour or two each morning since we were so high up and it was so clear. In addition, the Marriott had a wonderful indoor pool/spa area. The restaurant was also excellent.

I found the Captain Cook to be very dark while the Marriott was light and inviting.

We stayed at the Captain Cook twice last month. The service was very good and the rooms were nice, if a bid old fashioned. The first stay we had a Jr. Suite, which was very large,on a corner with a great veiw, the second time we stayed in a standard room on an upper Flr. also a good view. The decor was somewhat dark, but we felt it achieved the nautical theme they were aiming for and was elegant. The only downside was that unless you are staying in a suite, there are no coffee makers or ironing boards, something that shocked us for an upscale hotel (as we wanted to use both).