The Best Cheap Hotels to Book in Alaska, USA

A private cabin for the same price as a highway motel? Denali Tri-Valley Cabins will immediately redefine your standard for “cheap” hotels. Surrounded by trees, the porches of these cabins are great for star- and even northern lights-spotting on a cloudless night. Best of all, the Alaskan Coffee Bean and 49th State Brewing brewery are at hand for when you need a sip of something to pep you back up after a day’s hiking in Denali National Park.

Picture the scene: you’ve just stepped off the train in Fairbanks. The Bridgewater Hotel shuttle sweeps you through a world of ice-blue skies, snow-heaped pines and distant mountains, and – despite your tiredness – the landscape is calling you to explore it. Back at the hotel, inspired by the framed historic photos and Native American-inspired artwork, you make a pot of coffee in your homely room and begin planning your trip – to the Gates of the Arctic National Park, say, or Denali National Park. Adventure awaits.

Handcrafted cabins, amazing views of the Matanuska River Valley and a restaurant full of fresh, home-cooked Alaskan food; all this and then some is waiting for you at Sheep Mountain Lodge. The rugged, forest-clad views are particularly ravishing from the hot tub, but the only way you’ll catch a glimpse of the Dall Sheep that roam the mountain slopes is through the lodge’s telescope. It’s harder to miss the hotel’s owner and his bush plane; he tends to fly it as low to the lodge as possible.

“How’s the view from the Vue?” you ask. We suppose “absolutely incredible” would suffice. Even if you’re an introvert, you’ll want to sip coffee in the communal kitchen or grill out on the patio with new friends, going on and on about how remarkable the mountains in the distance are. Although, it sounds like you’ll also appreciate the Full Vue suite: four queen beds and four pull-out couches for your closest family and friends, along with a fully equipped kitchen and barbecue area on the patio.

Start and end your adventures in Alaska at Hotel Seward. Downtown in the city of the same name, this near-century-old hotel and restaurant has rates so affordable, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were fixed in time. If you’re not pushy about tighter quarters and stair-only access, why not book a room in the historic wing for the full flavour of the place? Imagine staying in these exact rooms in the 1940s, years before statehood, enjoying the serenity of the bay.

Landed in Anchorage for a quick overnight? Fly home with a few extra bucks in your pocket by staying at the Dimond Center Hotel. They offer 24/7 shuttle service to the Ted Stevens International Airport, only 6mi (10km) away. Spend the few hours you have soaking in your room’s 72in jetted tub until the Old Cannery Bar opens for the evening, which also serves pizza, burgers and sandwiches. If you have more time to kill, the Alaska Zoo and Far North Bicentennial Park are nearby.

You’d better believe that your body and budget are both going to get a breath of renewal at Resurrection Lodge on the Bay. Relax with home-made cookies, a coffee or tea, and do nothing except sit on the deck and watch whales, sea lions and sea otters play in Resurrection Bay. Prefer to stay cozied up in bed? You’ll get the same bay views from your room. Basically, you get the bay no matter how little you pay.

Surrounded by thousands of acres of protected wildlife areas, yet close enough to downtown Fairbanks to get a cup of coffee from Creamers Espresso Yourself in minutes, Wedgewood Resort offers the perfect mix of seclusion and city immersion for any budget. Better still, their suites have separate bedrooms, spacious living rooms and fully equipped kitchens to make you (and your wallet) feel right at home. Grab that cup of joe and go for a walk in your “backyard”: nature trails through a wildlife sanctuary and migratory waterfowl refuge.