Often I’m asked what I think would be the perfect tour if I was visiting Alaska.  Fortunately, I’ve found that each client I work with has different interests and we’re able to customize each trip to meet their unique interests in travel and adventure.  But since I’m asked so often, its easy to imagine the tour I would customize for myself if I was taking an Alaska trip – based on my experience living in Alaska, and working in tourism here. All our packages can be modified to either travel by rail, motorcoach or rental car.  I think the best of option would be to travel in combination of all three modes.

My perfect tour would start out with a visit to Anchorage and then the Kenai Peninsula.

Day 1, Arrival Day! Pick up a rental car in Anchorage and check into the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and Spa.  What better way to adjust to a long day of travel then to take in a spa treatment before enjoying dinner in downtown Anchorage.  My favorite for dinner is the Glacier BrewHouse in downtown Anchorage just up the street from the Sheraton. They have great food and plenty of fresh Alaskan seafood options. (more…)

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On a short trip to Seward to visit with relatives last summer, my family and I stayed at The Holiday Inn Express. We arrived late in the afternoon, after a hike at Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park near Seward. Our harbor view room was ready upon arrival and the kids were anxious to go swimming in the hotel’s pool.  Our room had views of the small boat harbor, but the hotel had a comfortable lobby with large two story windows looking out over the bay so we spent more time there visiting with our relatives then in our room. Our hotel room had two very comfortable queen beds, along with many other amenities.  Before having dinner at a nice seafood restaurant called Rays located next door, we stopped and watched the charter fishing boat captains come into the harbor and display their clients’ catch of the day – large halibut, fresh silver salmon, and ling cod prevailed as the primary fish caught.  (more…)

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The Grande Denali Lodge is one of Denali’s premium hotels and presides over the Denali Canyon area just north of Denali National Park’s entrance.  The hotel is located high on the hillside and has impressive views of the valley and the front country of Denali National Park.  The hotel has a main lodge with the restaurant, lounge, and gift shop in it in addition to the the front desk.  The 166 guest rooms are in separate buildings next to the main lodge.  The interior of the main lodge has high log ceilings and large windows to enjoy the views. (more…)

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My family and I consider ourselves passionate average golfers.  We play a few times a week and maintain a family membership at one of the local golf courses near our home in Chugiak.  Naturally when Alaska Tour & Travel started a blog I just had to provide some information on golf opportunities in Alaska for my fellow golfers. Our family ranges in skill levels from average to still learning.  Golf courses in Alaska may not be the plush green courses found in the lower 48 but we do have a nice variety of challenging courses all within a short distance from downtown Anchorage hotels.  If you have an afternoon or morning free you should consider one of the many choices you have within Anchorage and the surrounding communities.

I’ll start with “our” course, the Palmer Golf Course, located in Palmer, Alaska which is about a 45 minute drive from downtown Anchorage. This is a public course and an 18-hole regulation length course.  In my opinion the best time to play is in the late afternoon.  Two reasons for this time of day – one it is a great way to end your day and two we have a lot of daylight so you can play well into the midnight sun hours.  The breeze is always evident in the afternoons and this helps considerably on mosquitoes but also makes it a challenge on your game.   (more…)

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The Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska is not likely similar to any aquarium you’ve ever visited and is distinctly different then a Sea World type theme park.  It is uniquely Alaskan and covers many things specific to Alaska like its eco-system, wildlife, sea life and even has an exhibit on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. We visit the Alaska SeaLife on a regular basis.  Each and every visit we seem to discover something new.  The SeaLife center is a great family affair.  Admission is for $20 adults and $10 child (ages 4-11). The Center offers displays to keep the young minds entertained but also has informative displays for adults to learn from. The upper level is set up so you can explore everything from a salmon’s life span, touch tanks, an observation deck, and entry to three different wildlife exhibits called the Rocky Coast Gallery which has harbor seals, sea lions and sea birds.  (more…)

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