49 Best Hotels in Juneau, the Inside Passage, and Southeast Alaska, Alaska

In a quiet residential area a few blocks from downtown, this comfortable inn has spacious and well-insulated guest rooms, all with private entrances, phones, and baths. Most have two queen beds, and one room is entirely handicapped-accessible. The owner, Tara Bass, is a born-and-raised Alaskan who knows the Skagway area inside out. Local travel tips and hilarious anecdotes are commonplace in the communal dining and living rooms. An outside communal area offers a refrigerator, microwave, and barbecue grill for guest use. 

Just three blocks from the ferry terminal and within easy walking distance of town, Nordic House is a great home base from which to explore Petersburg. One of the four rooms has its own entrance and full kitchen, but all four have access to the house kitchen, including the barbecue grills, and the pantry is stocked with supplies for cooking your own meals. There's also a reliable wireless connection and complimentary airport shuttle, as well as an enclosed waterfront deck for relaxing.

On a small pond near Mendenhall Glacier, this large, jaw-droppingly landscaped home may be Alaska's finest B&B. Owner Maryann Ray pulls out all the stops for guests, with two outdoor hot tubs; ambient fireplaces; jetted bathtubs; a library full of books and DVDs; four-poster beds with high-end mattresses; private balconies; a Skype account for free calls home; hot breakfasts; and a well-stocked breakfast nook. Maryann and her daughter Rachael are skilled itinerary planners, and Rachael is even licensed to plan and perform weddings.

A short walk west of downtown, this nicely appointed but visually unremarkable hotel (formerly known as the Prospector) is a favorite with business travelers year-round and lawmakers during the winter legislative session. Rooms are spacious and have cherrywood furnishings, leather chairs, and ottomans. T. K. Maguire's dining room and lounge, just off the lobby, serves prime rib, steaks, and seafood, and Sunday brunch is popular.

On Petersburg's main drag, Scandia House offers some rooms with kitchenettes and king-size beds, and others with in-room hot tubs and harbor views. Homemade muffins and coffee are available in the small but inviting lobby each morning. Guests who wish to tour the surrounding area can rent a car at the front desk.

A good choice for budget-conscious travelers and hikers, this motel-like lodge occupies a former army barracks where the rooms range from economy doubles to spacious family suites. All are priced accordingly, and the property offers one of Skagway's few handicapped-accessible rooms. Two of the 20 rooms are pet-friendly.

In addition to offering stunning views of Popof Glacier and Mt. Basargin, these remote and very rustic Forest Service cabins are a 4-mile boat ride from Shakes Slough Hot Springs, where you can soak in open-air and enclosed hot tubs. Guests may spot the brown and black bears, goats, and moose that frequent the area. Cabins sleep six on plywood bunks and contain basic facilities, including outhouses and woodstoves, but no water or electricity. Bring your own sleeping bag, food, and cooking utensils. Reservations are required for the cabins; make reservations through www.recreation.gov.

Tall windows front the water at this modern lodge along Craig's South Boat Harbor that offers all-inclusive fishing packages starting at $2,850 per person for four nights at the lodge, with three full days out fishing (six person minimum). Rooms are modern, and each has a private bathroom, a microwave, a refrigerator, and queen and twin beds. Six of the rooms face the harbor. Fresh seafood tops the restaurant's menu, along with steaks, delectable desserts, and Alaskan beers. Prime rib attracts the locals on Friday and Saturday night.

Conveniently located in Juneau's historic downtown, the Silverbow has contemporary, charming hotel rooms on two upper levels. Four rooms are tiny, but they're comfortable, and all rooms have flat-screen televisions and homey touches such as rubber duckies for the tubs. Guests stroll downstairs each morning for a filling breakfast, and there's a wine bar off the lobby and an Italian restaurant, In Bocca Al Lupo, within the same building.

Each room in this family-friendly downtown Victorian inn (once a not-so-family-friendly bordello) is named after a different gold-rush gal. The creaky building, one of Skagway's oldest, was built in 1897 and has been lovingly restored. The small rooms have no televisions and share a Victorian motif, with period antiques and cast-iron beds. A big homemade breakfast is served downstairs each morning from 7 to 8 am in Olivia's Restaurant.

Half the rooms at Wrangell's largest inn have excellent ocean views, and others look out on Mt. Dewey and downtown. Guests can also enjoy the waterfront view from the outdoor patio and the restaurant, one of the best in town. Room types range from singles to suites with kitchenettes.

On the outskirts of Haines, straddling Mt. Ripinski, the Cliffhanger makes the most of its spectacular surroundings, providing unrestricted views of the Chilkat Range and Lynn Canal from the wraparound deck and from the giant windows of the two suites. Guests can also relax in a deck-side hot tub (clothing optional) and explore the mountain trails accessible from the property. This remote and private home is up a steep dirt road; a ride from the ferry terminal or airport can be arranged.

Petersburg's largest hotel is a block uphill from the town's main thoroughfare, and its rooms, some with kitchenettes, have comfortable but timeworn furnishings. Rooms in the newer wing—nicer than the motel-style ones in the old wing—have newer furniture and views of the boat harbor. Coffee is always available in the lobby, and in the morning complimentary juices, muffins, and pastries are served. You can rent a car on-site, but parking is limited.

At $45 to $75 per night, Forest Service cabins make for a cheap and charming escape, but they're popular; reserve in person, by mail, or online—up to six months in advance of your planned arrival date—with the National Recreation Reservation System (www.reserveamerica.com). Most cabins are reached by floatplane or boat, but some are accessible by road. They offer bunks for six to eight occupants, tables, stoves, and outdoor privies, but no electricity or running water. You provide a sleeping bag, food, and cooking utensils.

Scattered throughout the Tongass National Forest, these rustic cabins—most of which are reached by floatplane or boat—offer a cheap and charming escape. Some are accessible by road. Most contain bunks for six to eight occupants, along with tables, stoves, and outdoor privies. There's no electricity or running water, and you provide your own sleeping bag, food, and cooking utensils.

Guests at this upscale fishing lodge a 45-minute floatplane ride from Ketchikan can choose from several accommodation styles, eat bountiful meals with all the trimmings, and fish from custom-built 25-foot cabin cruisers under the care of expert fishing guides. Rooms have good views, and area wildlife includes whales, sea lions, bears, and eagles. Fish processing and packaging is included in the package pricing. A two-night minimum stay with all meals and floatplane transportation costs $3,790 per person.

The Westmark has large rooms, many overlooking Crescent Harbor; the best are the corner suites (but all could use an update). Downstairs, the Raven Dining Room is open for three meals a day, with seafood (including beer-batter halibut), pasta, chicken, pork, and steak, and a large deck for outdoor dining. Adjacent to the Raven, the Kadataan Lounge serves up a diverse menu of bar food.

With incredible views and proximity to a hot-springs bathhouse, this isolated retreat 65 miles northwest of Sitka is one of Southeast's most prized public-use cabins. In the Tongass National Forest facing the Pacific Ocean, the cabin is accessible only by boat, and you'll need to walk in from a nearby cove. The cabin sleeps four (bring your own sleeping bags) and has bunk beds, a woodstove, a table, and an outhouse. You must arrange your own transportation and bring all your own supplies.

At this fishing lodge with waterfront cabins, you'll gather for home-cooked meals after a long day of fishing to socialize and scheme for the next day's adventure; all-inclusive packages start at $2,075 per person. There's a main lodge, a two-bedroom cabin, a three-bedroom house, and an outbuilding with five suites—room for up to 40 guests at any given time. Guests who don't want to fish can stay with fishing guests at a special rate of $295 per person, per day, including meals.