Alaska Travel

Our 3 Top Haines Hotels for Alaska-Bound Travelers

When you get to Alaska make sure to go to Haines.  Situated on Lynn Canal, North America's longest fjord, it lies between Juneau and Skagway and is surrounded by breathtaking mountain scenery in an area that is home to one of the largest populations of bald eagle in Alaska.

But where to stay while you visit Haines?  We arrived there on one of the local Alaskan ferries having done our accommodation research before leaving home.  Here are the 3 top Haines hotels we included on our list. They appear in order of cost per night per room and we considered them after reading online reviews and discussing these with our travel agent.

1. Haslington Hotel

This is a full service hotel and part of the historic Fort Seward complex.  A Victorian structure with 60 rooms, it was originally the Commanding Officers’ Quarters and is now a National Historic Landmark.  Most rooms offer en-suite bath facilities and some include claw foot baths and original Belgian tile fireplaces.  Rooms include modern facilities like direct dial phones and color TV’s.  There are some rooms here with shared facilities for budget travelers.  A courtesy bus is available as well as laundry services nearby.

2. Captain's Choice Motel

This was the second on our top Haines hotels list.  Its location afforded magnificent views of Portage Cove, Fort Seward and Cathedral Peak.  It offers a complimentary continental breakfast, is pet friendly and provides Wi-Fi access for a small fee.  It had a message center with photocopy and fax facilities and is centrally located in Haines.  At 5pm the Captain’s lounge opens for thirsty travelers returning for the day's sights. This motel also has a meeting room that can accommodate up to 25.  Captain’s Choice staff are happy to make tour arrangements and hire rental cars. A large group of extreme skiers chose this accommodation while we were in Haines.

3. Beach Roadhouse

This reflects the character of Phil Busby, its very pleasant owner who goes out of his way to make visitors feel at home.  The Roadhouse seems only partly competed but that’s because it's an ongoing project as part of Phil's retirement project.  The facilities are basic reflecting more its masculine decoration but rooms are clean and comfortable featuring a fully equipped kitchen and cable TV.  The location of the roadhouse on 1 Mile Beach Road is fantastic.  It's in a rural-residential area a mile or so away from the bustle of downtown.  The gravel roads around the roadhouse are great for walking and provide wonderful waterfront views.

You won’t find 5 star accommodation in Haines, Alaska nor 5 star costs!  Each of our 3 top Haines hotels appeared clean and reasonably comfortable and was serviced by friendly locals.  As we soaked in the grandeur of our surroundings we realized that everything else including the accommodation star rating is dwarfed by this and insignificant by comparison.

 

 

 

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