Chena Hot Springs Resort - Fairbanks, Alaska

Jerry Marquardsen

A great place to stay to see the northern lights from October to April. Hot Springs were awesome. Stayed there four days ice museum, swimming pool, hot tubs and springs. Restaurant ambience was delightful. Food and drink were excellent. I stayed in a dry cabin outside but no running water than an outhouse. Wasn’t sure how that would be but turned out. It wasn’t major. Could shower at the pool. Nice getaway place.

Shane Renner

I visited just for the hot springs (did not stay at the hotel). Springs were wonderful. Loved the covered walkway leading up to the springs.

Locker rooms were a little icky, but I guess that’s probably to be expected with any sort of public-use locker rooms.

Overall I was very impressed and so happy we made the drive from Fairbanks.

Sandy H

The best things about Chena Hot Springs: the ice museum, the tour of their greenhouses and the hot springs. ||A tour host can make a huge difference in a person's experience and we were lucky to have a great one. He was patient and friendly and we had a great time touring the ice museum and the greenhouses. ||The hot springs, once you are in them are great, but getting in and getting out mean you have to go through the changing rooms twice and it is rough. There was such a mass of humanity in the changing rooms with so little room, I kept thinking that they needed a constant cleaning person working in there, but there wasn't one--it bordered on gross.||The restaurant was small and it was difficult to get a table. We ended up sitting at the bar. The food was good, but very expensive for what it was.||We had booked dog sledding, but arrived late because the road was treacherous. We were told we were out of luck, but because I had booked two rides, we were in time for one of us to ride. My husband got to ride, but he had to ride with another couple. I'm sure they were surprised, because when you book this ride they do not tell you that you will have to ride with strangers, nor do they tell you to arrive well before your ride. ||My verdict is that it was an okay experience. The venue is trying to make money on everything they can here and you will understand this when you see the high prices on all items. I think they are understaffed and need to expand, because some areas are overcrowded.

TK

Me and my Father stayed in the Forget-me-not cabin. it was a dry cabin with a private real outhouse. Even though the Cabin had a bathroom, not sure why we weren't able to use it. But, we still had a blast. The food at the restaurant was expensive and some of it was just not at all enticing, due to most of the food was probably frozen. The place is definitely unique and has breathtaking scenery. The staff is actually very helpful and friendly. My father and I felt that since some of the cabins are actually quite a bit of a walk, The Resort, should either let those Guests use a golf cart or provide a ride to those cabins and certain activities. I will say that we were definitely Blessed to have gotten to see and take pictures of the Aurora Lights the first night we were there. The Activities there though pricey, some were definitely worth it. While others were more like gambling. I have to mention the Guy from the Ice Museum that was our Guide of the ATV Ride Made it well worth every cent. It was great to see my elderly father not only look like a teenager again, but made him feel like a teenager again. My very special thanks to him. The Hot Spring was nice to go lounge in and relax, especially after a spectacular hike on some trails where all around you is beautiful of Mother Nature and Great painter of the Galaxy God himself. This place is definitely a must visit on any Alaska vacation.

AYDIN KIYGA

I stayed at the facility for 1 night. I am informing you about 2 problems I encountered. I checked in at 17:45. I made the payment and deposit and went to the cabin. The cabin heating was not working and it was 0 Fahrenheit inside. I went to the reception and reported the problem and they immediately sent an authorized person to the room. They cleaned the heater filters and got the heater working again. They added a small heater to the cabin. At 12 o'clock at night the temperature in the room returned to normal. I had to sit in the cold. I also bought an ice museum ticket and a drink for the next day (December 2 at 11 a.m.). When I went to the museum at 10:55 a.m. the next day, the door was locked. I waited for 5 minutes and went to the information office where I bought the ticket. The attendant there tried to reach an official by walkie-talkie. No one came. I told the attendant that I had to leave the facility and it was 11:20 a.m. Why are you selling tickets if I can't enter the museum? You charged me 41 dollars for museum entrance and 1 drink. I asked the attendant to give me a refund and he said no. I sent an e-mail about the reservation before and they responded. Now they don't answer my e-mails. Definitely not worth traveling all this way to see

Jane Hanley

We didn't stay the night but wanted to visit the Hot Springs as part of my extended weekend trip to Alaska. The hot springs pool is an 18+ pool at the resort and was not overly crowded. It is deep enough for swimming and lighting is kept dim enough that you should be able to see the beautiful night skies clearly. We left just before sundown so we didn't get to see the explosion of stars.

This is an open pool with a boulder edge. I'm just over 5' tall and could stand with my shoulders well above the surface of the water but there isn't any good place to just sit around the edge. There is a ramp that goes into the pool that was crowded with people sitting on the smooth concrete edge, next to the handrail.

Once in the pool, we were able to find a spot where we could relax and talk but, after paying around 50.00 for entry and towels, we stayed less than an hour.

The locker room for changing was a standard gym locker room with sufficient showers for changing. The floors were very wet and slick.

All in all, I'd return, if we went as a guest of the resort, but not for just a trip to the hot springs pool.

Russell B (Wuddle)

Made a half day trip of it. Visited the ice museum and hot springs. The ice museum was cool, but they had a mechanical issue that melted a good amount of the attraction. Were we told that before we paid 20 dollars per person plus 20 more for an apple martini? No. Probably wouldn't have gone had I known the issue.

The hot springs were nice. It was hot... like real hot. The pictures on the site are very deceptive. It may have been that nice at one point in time, but it no longer is. As much as a tourist trap as it is, and how expensive it was, I would hope for better facilities.

In general, ice museum 2 out of 5 stars, hot springs 4 out of 5. So average it out and 3 still feels generous.

Nick Siviglia

We spent one night and went to the Hot springs. It was a great experience. -15F degrees but I still had to pull myself out as it was so hot. Awesome view too. The room was good and clean. The food was tasty. I highly recommend spending some time here.