The Best Hotels in Fairbanks, Alaska

With views over the gently curving Chena River and the White Mountains, yet just a few blocks from downtown Fairbanks and the Fairbanks Ice Museum, this hotel in Fairbanks offers spacious rooms in sedate creams and browns, with leather-upholstered headboards, a fitness center and a gift shop. There is a choice of restaurants, the fine-dining Northern Latitudes restaurant, decorated with northern lights-inspired art, and Red Lantern Steak & Spirits, where you can feast on reindeer meatloaf washed down with a local microbrew or paired with the excellent wine list.

On the banks of the Chena River, the charming clapboard houses at River’s Edge Resort are shaded by birch trees and have tranquil views over the water. This is one of the best hotels in Fairbanks: the well-equipped, self-catering houses have simple interiors that are all the better to frame the leafy garden views. If you don’t want to cook, try the wild-caught Alaskan salmon and halibut as well as tender steaks on the terrace of resort restaurant Chena’s Alaskan grill. The location is super-convenient for the airport and only a short drive from downtown.

One of the sleekest of the Fairbanks hotels, the Hyatt has modern rooms decorated with contemporary verve. Warm hues, pale chocolate walls and polished blonde wood furnishings dominate. Lounge areas with sofa beds are separated from the main bedroom by an opaque, tree-etched screen, giving your traveling companion some privacy. As well as the wide breakfast offering, there’s a bar for light bites, plus numerous fast food joints a short drive away. Petrolheads will wish to check out the nearby Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum.

Right across the street from the airport, Pikes Lodge has 180 rooms and 28 cabins, sitting amidst lush gardens. Many of the rooms have river views, some have balconies too, and perks include a steam room, riverside deck, lounge, and Aveda aromatherapy products in the rooms. The decor is old-fashioned but comfortable, with chintzy bedspreads, dark wood headboards and curtains with flounced pelmets. Pike’s Landing restaurant is next door, with dishes emphasizing fresh local produce, including the finest Alaskan seafood.

With spacious suites featuring pale-lemon walls and furnishings in approximately 50 shades of tan, Candlewood has more than enough room to spread out, even if you’re traveling with a ton of suitcases. The suites have kitchenettes so that you can self-cater with ease, and are ideal for a family and longer stays. For exercise junkies, there’s the extensive fitness suite, plus bike trails outside. During the summer you can barbecue in the gazebo with mountain views, while in winter you can take advantage of the nearby Birch Hill ski area. There’s a shopping mall across the highway for all your Barnes & Noble and fast food needs.

Overlooking the Chena River a five-minute drive from the airport and surrounded by a living picket fence of fir trees, this reliably comfortable Fairbanks hotel receives consistently good reviews for its efficient service, amenities, and handy location – particularly if you have an early flight to catch. The pitch-roofed building has cream-walled rooms featuring blue or brown carpets and smart dark wood headboards. The beds are notably good quality, made up of soft white linen and stylish throws. The continental breakfast receives good reports, and there’s a fitness room.

Hampton Inn and Fairbanks Suites’ rooms have plush Hilton-brand Hampton beds and all the amenities you’d expect from a Hilton, including a flat-screen TV, microwave, and well-designed, spacious bathroom. Larger family rooms have more space, two queen-size beds, and the same unfussy decor, with warm-gray walls and mid-brown furniture. Amenities include an indoor swimming pool, whirlpool tub, fitness center and a complimentary hot breakfast with eggs cooked the way you like it. Downtown Fairbanks and its range of restaurants are a 10-minute drive away.