Seward Lodging Recommendations?

[CaribQween]

We will be doing a land tour prior to our southbound cruise on the Radience of the Seas. We're looking at possibly spending a night or two in Seward. Does anyone have any recommendations for a nice place to stay? We're not looking for something with budget rates or anything. We'd rather have something nice that might have a view whether it be of the harbor or mountains, etc. We're not sure if we want to stay one night in Whittier and one night in Seward or possibly both nights in the same town. We're considering the Inn at Whittier so if anyone has any comments on that we would appreciate it also.

[dreamer976]

Spent one night pre-cruise at Holiday Inn Express Harbor in June. You absolutely cannot beat this place for the best views. The public areas at this property are okay, although rooms could use a little "spiffing up" for the price paid. Rates do include a decent breakfast buffet in the morning w/ cereal, donuts, pancakes, hard boiled eggs and the like. Location is good, too, for walking to shopping, restaurants, etc.

 

Our room was harborside and it was great to open the drapes in the morning and see our ship sitting there waiting for us!

[Glaciers]

I second the Holiday Inn Express. Specifically ask for a harbor view room. The Inn at Whittier is a nice little place although there’s not much to do in Whittier. The better choice would be 2 nights in Seward.

[Esha]

Another vote for the Holiday Inn. Talk about location location location !! Stayed there 2 nights. Our room was clean, though a little tired looking. Comfy bed though ! Decent breakfast spread with awesome views of our ship from the dining room.

[Chenega]

I'd also go for two nights at the Holiday Inn Express in Seward. Unless you are going out on a Prince William Sound boat trip, there is nothing to do that justifies a stay in Whittier.

[PennyAgain]

I would pay not to stay in Whittier, but then again I've been there in the winter.

[Havin'fun]

Here is another vote for the Holiday Inn. We nights stayed there for 2 last year and had a balconcy third floor facing the harbor. Really enjoyed seeing all the fishing charters leave in the morning and then seeing them return with their catch in the afternoon. Also saw quite a few sea otters swimming around. But nothing beats waking up early the morning of your cruise and seeing the ship all lite up across the harbor and knowing you will be boarding soon!

[CaribQween]

We were thinking about staying the night at the Inn in Whittier because we're planning on doing a Prince William Sound boat tour. We'll be driving to Denali for a few days and then back down to probably do a floatplane tour out of Talkeetna. We'd like to spend some time checking out Girdwood, Portage Glacier, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, on the way to Whittier. Then we'll move on to Seward. There we want to do a Kenai Fjords boat tour, the Sealife Center, and Exit Glacier. So, we're just trying to figure out where would be good places to stay throughout the land tour. Any additional suggestions welcome. I'd rather know I'm making a bad decision now rather then when I'm there :o.

[Glaciers]

If it were between Whittier and Girdwood for a place to stay for the night, Girdwood wins. It's a 45 minute drive from Girdwood to Whittier. You also need to consider the Whittier tunnel schedule that alternates direction every 30 minutes. The only way in and out of Whittier. Whittier makes for a much better day trip than an overnight destination. There's also quite a bit more to do in Girdwood.

[mapleleaves]

I recently read a nice review in tripadvisor about this place in Whittier. Looks very nice. http://innatwhittier.com/

 

In Seward, the accomodations really vary, from lovely B&B's to private cabins to a Holiday Inn. You might want to check out the options listed on Seward's web page. www.seward.com

Paddle Inn B&B http://www.alaskapaddleinn.com/Home.html

Windsong Lodge http://www.sewardwindsong.com/

[Budget Queen]

Instead of jumping into lodging bookings, I instead suggest you figure out, you "schedule" of your touring- then stay in that area. It may be you want two trips on a boat tour of Prince William Sound, or doing hiking activities out of Whittier, then it would make sense to stay the night in Whittier. Where to stay in Alaska, is location based in my opinion with the touring priority of how you wish to occupy your time. I would add all the time you can, or just make better use of it by canceling your cruisetour- adding Homer is a great option with your current listings of Whittier and Seward. Very worthwhile.

[CaribQween]

Instead of jumping into lodging bookings, I instead suggest you figure out, you "schedule" of your touring- then stay in that area. It may be you want two trips on a boat tour of Prince William Sound, or doing hiking activities out of Whittier, then it would make sense to stay the night in Whittier. Where to stay in Alaska, is location based in my opinion with the touring priority of how you wish to occupy your time. I would add all the time you can, or just make better use of it by canceling your cruisetour- adding Homer is a great option with your current listings of Whittier and Seward. Very worthwhile.

 

Oops, when I wrote that we were doing a "land tour" prior to our cruise, it was probably misleading. I meant that we were doing a land portion too instead of just the cruise. We're just going to rent a car and do it independently. We can fit a lot more in and we can stop anywhere and everywhere we want and do it on our own time (for the most part). We definitely won't start booking anything until we have our plans completely figured out. We definitely want to stay where it is going to optimize our sightseeing time. That's exactly why we were thinking about a night in Whittier. I'll take a look at Homer also. Thanks.

[Yvie]

We just got back from a land tour of Alaska (a few days around Anchorage and environs) and this is what we did: stayed at Embassy Suites Anchorage for the night. The next morning drove down Turnagin Arm taking time to stop at scenic viewpoints. Took Portage glacier cruise then stopped at Begich-Boggs visitor center. Visited Wildlife Conservation Center. Drove to Girdwood and stayed night at Alyeska Resort, had dinner at Seven Glaciers restaurant. Had breakfast next morning at the Bake Shop (great sourdough pancakes and toast). Left Girdwood at 9:45 a.m. to make the 10:30 a.m. tunnel opening to Whittier (about a 25-30 min drive) for a 12:30 p.m. 26 Glaciers Cruise (one of the highlights of our trip). Went to Seward another day and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, nice views right on the water, rooms I thought were pretty decent and I am very particular. I hope this helps with timeframes and planning.

[GweninTX]

We spent three nights in Seward and LOVED the Bears Den Bed & Breakfast. It is a lovely condo that has everything you could possibly need or want! The couple that own it bring you breakfast goodies for your stay and also hot cookies right out of the oven the first night you stay. A nice supply of fruit, yogurt, muffins, sweet rolls, bagels, cream cheese, bread, butter and jam. Also coffee (even beans to grind fresh) Wonderful beds, cable TV, flat screen TV's - I could go on and on! I can not give this place enough stars -- on a scale of 1-5 it was a 10!!

[Great Sky Girl]

We stayed two nights in the Exit Glacier lodge in Seward. It was more in the woods and not near the water. Seward is so small that it was really close to town. I had worried about that for quite a while. We thought it was new, but they told me they had been built for two years. It was very nice. I will say breakfast was included, but really not special. We loved the people and the restaurant on the property that has been there for quite a while. It's a salmon bake. I think you would love it too! We had a great self land tour after our cruise, most of which was on the Kenai Peninsula.

[patde44]

It's been many years since we did our self-directed land tour of the Kenai Peninsula, so I couldn't recommend specific places to stay; but in all cases, we stayed at B&B's, and I think that's the only way to go. The stories and recommendations that we got from the B&B operators were priceless. We stayed in Anchorage at beginning & end, and Seward & Homer, on the peninsula. We're about to take our 3rd Alaskan cruise, but I still treasure that land trip. Enjoy!

[jaspersmommy]

We spent three nights in Seward and LOVED the Bears Den Bed & Breakfast. It is a lovely condo that has everything you could possibly need or want! The couple that own it bring you breakfast goodies for your stay and also hot cookies right out of the oven the first night you stay. A nice supply of fruit, yogurt, muffins, sweet rolls, bagels, cream cheese, bread, butter and jam. Also coffee (even beans to grind fresh) Wonderful beds, cable TV, flat screen TV's - I could go on and on! I can not give this place enough stars -- on a scale of 1-5 it was a 10!!

 

 

I second the Bears Den B&B. We stayed there last year and the place is AWESOME! Lovely upper suite with fabulous view, spacious, very comfortable beds, excellent food. Owners were so nice and helpful. Beats one of the sardine-can hotels any day.

[gregandamy]

We stayed at the Seward Windsong Lodge and absolutely loved it! Great area, beautiful mountain scenery, very good restaurant on premises and free shuttle into town.