Stays in Anchorage
Without a car, I would stay downtown. Hilton Anchorage, Sheraton Anchorage Hotel, Clarion Suites Anchorage Downtown and Aspen Suites Hotel Anchorage Downtown keep you within walking distance of the Alaska Railroad depot and the north end of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, about 11 miles along Cook Inlet to Kincaid Park. The Hilton and the Clarion Suites both have an indoor pool and hot tub; the Hilton is closer to the depot. The airport side suits an early flight or a floatplane trip. The Lakefront Anchorage has its own dock on Lake Hood, the world's busiest seaplane base, where the FAA has counted nearly 600 takeoffs and landings on a peak summer day. Wyndham Garden Anchorage Airport and Puffin Inn of Anchorage are on the same side of town. From there, everything else means a car or the bus. Merrill Field Inn, east of downtown, is a plain motel stop. Girdwood, about 40 miles south along Turnagain Arm, is the mountain base: Alyeska Resort, the most reviewed of these 16 hotels, has the lower terminal of its aerial tram inside, and Carriage House Accommodations is a 9-minute walk from Girdwood Park. Bird Creek Motel and Brown Bear Saloon & Hotel sit on the highway by the Arm, near Beluga Point. BlueWater BaseCamp, north of town, is near the Eklutna Lakeside Trail. Guests rate Alaska House of Jade Bed & Breakfast 9.8 and Base Camp Anchorage Hostel 9.4; Wilderness Place Lodge is set up for fishing trips.
For a first trip, sleep downtown or on the airport side, then drive out: Anchorage is a base, and the Seward Highway south, the Glenn Highway north and the Alaska Railroad's trains to Seward and Denali all leave from here. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) lies on the west side of town; People Mover Route 40 runs from its South Terminal to the Downtown Transit Center via Spenard Road in about 20 minutes, and North Terminal arrivals take the free airport shuttle to the South Terminal first.
Summer is when the city fills: the Coastal Classic train to Girdwood and Seward runs only from mid-May to mid-September, and the Denali Star, which leaves the depot every summer morning for Talkeetna, Denali and Fairbanks, keeps a similar season. In winter, the Iditarod ceremonial start takes over Fourth Avenue and D Street on the first Saturday of March, during the last weekend of the Fur Rendezvous festival, so downtown rooms that weekend are the ones to book first.
Anchorage in numbers
Carriage House Accommodations
57 reviews
A hot tub and spa retreat near Girdwood Park
Check availabilityWhy guests love itA stay at Carriage House Accommodations tends to settle into a routine fast: mornings near Girdwood Park, afternoons in the spa, and the hot tub reserved for evenings once the fitness center quiets down. The nine-minute walk to Girdwood Park makes an easy addition to any day, and Double Musky Inn, a minute away, becomes the default dinner spot for most guests. The roughly hour-long distance from the airport keeps day-trippers away, which leaves the property feeling calmer than Anchorage's downtown hotels.
Alaska House of Jade Bed & Breakfast
77 reviews
Anchorage's top-rated stay near Far North Bicentennial Park
Check availabilityWhy guests love itGuests at Alaska House of Jade Bed & Breakfast consistently mention the same thing: it simply feels different from Anchorage's business hotels, in the best way. The included breakfast becomes a daily highlight rather than an afterthought, and the short taxi ride to Far North Bicentennial Park turns into a regular morning routine for anyone staying more than a couple of nights. The longer airport transfer, close to twenty-seven minutes, barely registers once the quieter, more personal setting sets the tone for the stay.
BlueWater BaseCamp
57 reviews
A trail-focused stay near Eklutna Lake's hiking network
Check availabilityWhy guests love itGuests at BlueWater BaseCamp tend to structure the whole stay around Eklutna Lakeside Trail, five minutes away by taxi, rather than treating hiking as a side activity. The in-room kitchen gets real use here, since the property sits far enough from Anchorage's restaurant scene that cooking becomes the practical choice most nights. Hikers traveling with dogs lean on the pet-friendly policy heavily, and the quiet, trail-adjacent setting delivers a genuinely different pace than anything downtown offers travelers.
Wilderness Place Lodge | Alaska Fishing | Adventures
42 reviews
A fishing-focused lodge just minutes from the airport
Check availabilityWhy guests love itWilderness Place Lodge feels far more remote than its twelve-minute distance from the airport suggests, and most guests arrive with a specific fishing or adventure trip already planned around the property's calendar. Room service covers the nights nobody wants to head back out, and full-service laundry becomes genuinely useful across a multi-day stay built around salmon season. Gwennie's Old Alaska Restaurant, six minutes away, is the rare exception when guests do venture off the property for a meal.
Base Camp Anchorage Hostel
326 reviews
A downtown-adjacent hostel with a shared kitchen and sauna
Check availabilityWhy guests love itBase Camp Anchorage Hostel tends to draw travelers who'd rather cook a meal in the shared kitchen than eat out every night in Spenard, and the sauna becomes the evening routine after a day of sightseeing. The nine-minute public transport ride to the Anchorage airport keeps costs down for anyone skipping a rental car, and Jackie's Place Restaurant, five minutes away, covers the nights nobody wants to cook. It reads as genuinely communal rather than a stripped-down hotel substitute.
Alyeska Resort
4,764 reviews
Girdwood's ski hotel, with the Mount Alyeska tram leaving from inside
Check availabilityWhy guests love itFor a family, the useful question is who gets what. Children have the indoor saltwater pool and hot tub, the tram ride itself and the flat first stretch of the Winner Creek Trail, which leaves from behind the building and stays under the trees, a good outing for younger walkers. Adults lose some options with kids in tow: the Nordic Spa is for over-18s only, and Seven Glaciers is a long, formal dinner at the top of the mountain. Forte at the base is the easier family meal.
Brown Bear Saloon & Hotel
265 reviews
A roadhouse cabin stop with mountain and inlet views
Check availabilityWhy guests love itStaying at Brown Bear Saloon & Hotel tends to mean fewer amenities and more actual Alaska, which is exactly the trade some travelers are after. The nine-minute run to the Beluga Point pullouts turns into an easy stop for whale watching if the timing lines up with the tide in Turnagain Arm. Dog owners lean on the pet-friendly policy heavily here, since fewer roadhouse stops along the highway extend the same courtesy. Dinner usually happens on-site or at Turnagain Fish Company, five minutes away on foot.
Bird Creek Motel
163 reviews
A roadside motel steps from Bird Creek Trail Access
Check availabilityWhy guests love itGuests at Bird Creek Motel are usually already deep into a Seward Highway road trip by the time they check in, and the minute-long taxi ride to Bird Creek Trail Access makes fishing or a short hike an easy add-on before dinner. The rooms feel more furnished than the budget rate suggests, and apartment-style options work well for groups traveling together. The forty-three-minute distance from the airport keeps this firmly a road-trip stop rather than a city base.
Sheraton Anchorage Hotel
1,805 reviews
A downtown spa hotel near the Anchorage Museum
Check availabilityWhy guests love itSheraton Anchorage works well for a family stay in the city before or after a trip into Alaska's wilderness. It is downtown, about eight minutes on foot from the Anchorage Museum, whose science and Alaska Native galleries suit curious children. The hotel has a restaurant, a cafe for quick breakfasts, a gym and a spa for parents. Breakfast and parking are extra, Wi-Fi is included, and the airport is about twenty minutes away by taxi.
The Lakefront Anchorage
3,362 reviews
Floatplane views and a private dock on Lake Hood
Check availabilityWhy guests love itFor families, The Lakefront Anchorage turns an airport night into part of the trip. The hotel sits right on Lake Hood, where floatplanes take off and land through the day, and children can watch the traffic from the shore near the hotel's own dock. Two restaurants mean dinner is easy after a flight, parking and Wi-Fi are free, and the airport shuttle makes early departures simple. Ted Stevens International is about fifteen minutes away by taxi.
Aspen Suites Hotel Anchorage Downtown
44 reviews
An in-room kitchen steps from the Anchorage Museum
Check availabilityWhy guests love itAspen Suites Hotel Anchorage Downtown works especially well for guests staying several nights and wanting to skip a few restaurant meals along the way, thanks to the in-room kitchen available in some rooms. The six-minute walk to the Anchorage Museum makes it an easy stop before or after a work day downtown, and White Spot Cafe, eight minutes away, covers breakfast on mornings nobody wants to cook. The eighteen-minute transfer to the airport feels manageable on departure day.
Wyndham Garden Anchorage Airport
1,270 reviews
Budget-tier indoor pool and hot tub near the airport
Check availabilityWhy guests love itWyndham Garden Anchorage Airport tends to surprise budget-conscious guests with how much it packs in for the price, especially the indoor pool and hot tub combination rarely found at this rate elsewhere in Anchorage. Business travelers lean on the business center between meetings, then use the hot tub once the fitness center empties out for the evening. The ten-minute public transport ride to Ted Stevens International keeps things simple for guests skipping a rental car, and ADRIANY'S BITES covers dinner just three minutes away on foot.
Clarion Suites Anchorage Downtown
1,085 reviews
A downtown stay steps from Delaney Park
Check availabilityWhy guests love itClarion Suites Anchorage Downtown tends to appeal to guests who want downtown Anchorage without paying extra for breakfast or parking, both included here rather than itemized. The seven-minute walk to Delaney Park becomes a regular morning habit for longer stays, and Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop, five minutes away, is a frequent stop for guests wanting something beyond the hotel's own offerings. Business travelers lean on the dedicated meeting space more than at comparable downtown properties nearby.
Hilton Anchorage
2,884 reviews
A downtown pool and hot tub near 5th Avenue
Check availabilityWhy guests love itHilton Anchorage reads as one of the more central options for guests who still want a proper indoor pool and hot tub without heading out to Spenard or Girdwood for one. The two-minute walk to the Alaska Public Lands Information Center makes planning a day trip easy before returning to swim in the evening. F Street Station, also two minutes away, covers dinner without much thought, and business travelers make steady use of the event space for downtown gatherings.
Merrill Field Inn
497 reviews
A budget stay built for Anchorage's fishing travelers
Check availabilityWhy guests love itAnglers and hunters make up a noticeable share of guests at Merrill Field Inn, drawn specifically by the fish and game freezers that few Anchorage hotels bother offering. The rooms stay basic, but free breakfast covers mornings before an early trip out, and the airport shuttle spares guests the cost of a taxi for the twenty-two-minute ride. Rice Garden Anchorage, a minute's walk away, becomes the default dinner spot for travelers not planning to cook that night.
Puffin Inn of Anchorage
1,290 reviews
An unfussy Spenard stay with breakfast and a shuttle
Check availabilityWhy guests love itFor families passing through Anchorage on the way to or from the wilderness, Puffin Inn keeps costs down and logistics simple. The free airport shuttle avoids a taxi with luggage, and the included breakfast covers the morning before an early start or a drive south. Rooms and suites are basic, so expect a functional night rather than a holiday stay. The hotel is in Spenard, about fourteen minutes by taxi from the airport, with downtown a short drive away.