Aspen Suites Hotel Juneau is located near the airport and minutes from the downtown area, and a short ride to Mendenhall Glacier, Mendenhall Lake, and other popular Juneau attractions.
Skipping a Cruise to Alaska
Last year, I was invited to go on an Alaskan cruise with my son and daughter in law, however, due to work commitments, I was unable to travel for a 10-day time frame. While I was bummed that I would not get to enjoy Alaska with them, it actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
You see, while my son and his wife loved the Alaskan cruise, they wished they had more time than just a few hours to spend in the Alaskan cities. That got me thinking whether a full land vacation to Alaska would actually be more beneficial to sightseeing than short cruise stops.
With much research, we decided to create a 7-day Alaskan land adventure to visit Juneau, Anchorage, and Fairbanks.
First stop: Juneau.
Quick Facts About Juneau, Alaska
Juneau may be small but it’s a pretty big deal. I didn’t actually know anything about Juneau before I visited. There are many interesting facts about this wonderful city.
Juneau is the capital of Alaska, a tiny town and quite remote. It’s located in Southeast Alaska, often called the “Inside Passage.” It measures 48 miles from one side to the other, yet it features more than 250 miles of hiking trails.
As for the history, you may have heard about the Klondike Gold Rush during elementary school history lessons. What you may not remember is that the Klondike Gold Rush was started in the Yukon Territory not too far from Juneau. History states that in 1880, a local indigenous leader showed gold in a stream, located in a valley just above Juneau. That instigated a huge rush by prospectors to Juneau making their way to the area to find wealth through panning for gold.
Here is the most amazing fact: There are no roads going in or out of Juneau. One of the reasons is because the mountains are lined up and down the coast and right behind Juneau. There’s also a massive Juneau Icefield covering the top of each mountain range, approximately 150,000 square miles. Those factors along with the types of terrain, and most likely, the cost, prevents the construction of any roadways.
What does that mean for travelers like me and you? The only way to reach Juneau is by flight or aboard a ship.
Heading to Juneau
Before travelling to Alaska, I often thought of this state as being some far away civilization that was unreachable. But, to my surprise, the logistics of getting to Juneau was actually quite easy. In fact, a land visit was not much different than starting an Alaskan cruise from Seattle.
We flew into Seattle and rather than board a ship, we hopped on an easy 2-1/2 hour (picturesque and a bit bumpy) flight to Juneau International Airport.
When we landed, we rented a car and took a quick drive to spend the weekend at the Juneau Aspen Suites Hotel in the Mendenhall Valley. This hotel was recommended to us as being a quiet hotel near the airport, away from the busy downtown area. The room rate was way less expensive than staying downtown.
About Aspen Hotels
After doing extensive research on lodging options in Juneau, the Aspen Suites hotel brand stood out as a good choice for us. If you’ve never heard of Aspen Hotels, they claim to be the largest Alaska-owned regional hotel brand, with 16 properties statewide.
We had been warned that as soon as we found a good hotel, to book it right away. During an average summer, the local tourism board states that more than 1,000,000 visitors visit Juneau to view glaciers and beautiful landscapes.
The location of this hotel was very convenient, minutes from the Juneau International Airport and offering easy access to main roads, a supermarket (across the street) and a gas station (down the road). It’s also minutes from Mendenhall Glacier, one of Alaska’s most popular attractions.
What we thought made this hotel better than some other brand hotels, was the fact that it featured suite-style accommodations with fully furnished kitchens. In addition, the spacious and practical room layouts would easily fit the large amount of travel necessities we brought to meet the demand of Alaska travel like too much clothing, multiple pairs of winter boots, hiking boots, sneakers, hats, gloves, and more.
Hotel Amenities
While the outside of the hotel offered priceless views of the snow-topped Alaskan mountains, the inside featured a contemporary design and soothing color palette in the lobby and public spaces – creating a “homey” feeling.
And as I mentioned earlier, the Juneau Aspen Suites Hotel offers “Alaska-affordable” rates, a great location, space to fit all your luggage, but the convenient amenities were appreciated as well.
There is both complimentary coffee and tea in the lobby and in each guest suite. And let me tell you … the coffee is really good, from a local supplier called Heritage Coffee.
There is lots of parking. The hotel is super clean and situated in a very quiet part of town.
There is a large hotel guest laundry room onsite that you’ll want to use. Sightseeing in Alaska proved to be wet and muddy at times so laundering your vacation clothing is a must as you’ll quickly run out of dry clothing. This was especially helpful to not have to pack very dirty clothing for the trip back home.
There is a small fitness center with high-tech Precor equipment but to be honest, Alaska sightseeing is more than enough exercise during your visit.
There’s a business center if you need to printout out any travel documents or perhaps you’re traveling on business.
And while it may not be considered an amenity, the amazing customer service was an added benefit. Each team member at the front desk went out of their way to ensure we planned the right sightseeing trips, had driving directions, and always seemed happy and willing to help.
Spacious Guest Suites Ideal for Alaska Travel
There 78 suites at this hotel designed with a fresh contemporary décor. Our room was a Single Queen Suite on the second floor, larger and wider than a standard hotel room.
The kitchenette with full size refrigerator and two burner cooktop made for easy preparing and cooking meals. The room offered a cozy atmosphere from the convenient sofa bed and dining table to a comfortable desk area.
We shopped for food at the local grocery store to save some money from not eating out for every meal. However, because of exhaustion, we did order a few pizzas from Juneau Pizza and had them delivered right to the hotel.
As with most hotels, there was free Wi-Fi, flat screen televisions, coffee machine with free coffee, a microwave, and a toaster. The two burner ceramic cook top was easy to use and it was nice to have a pots, pans, dishes, glassware, and utensils right in our suite.
The premium bedding (even the soft sheets!) and pillows which were super warm and fluffy (and along with the quiet location) did help us sleep quite well each evening. And in our case, we may have taken a few late afternoon naps after hours and hours of sightseeing.
The weekly housekeeping service is no doubt why the suites are in such pristine condition and the cleanliness was noticeable and appreciated. I’d even go as far as saying that this was one of the cleanest hotels we’ve stayed in.
The large bathroom was decorated nicely and provided luxury bath products! The closet doors were mirrored so it provided a full view of our Alaskan attire, bundled up in layered clothing like the proverbial “Eskimo.”
Mendenhall Glacier and other Juneau Attractions
There are endless outdoor adventures in Juneau whether you want extreme adventure or low-key excursions that allow you to take photos of the natural beauty of Southeast Alaska, Inside Passage, the rainforest, and Mendenhall Glacier.
Mendenhall Glacier, located on the far shores of Mendenhall Lake, is about 12 miles outside of downtown Juneau but easily accessible by car, bus, taxi, or you can even take a guided tour. There’s a covered outdoor viewing platform along with an indoor viewing area from the visitors center, that you’ll want to see.
At the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, we spent more than four hours just wandering the many trails, trying to spot the Alaskan wildlife. This included taking 50 photos of the glacier from different vantage points and catching a few photos of bald eagles soaring above.
We stayed on the easier walking trails and still enjoyed memorable views of the glacier, the lake, and the wildlife … from a distance. Yes, there is a lot of wildlife in Juneau so have your camera ready for bears, deer, and whale sightings as well.
Visiting Juneau was a dream come true but was it my favorite city on this Alaskan adventure? You’ll have to wait and see. Fairbanks and Anchorage followed.
Final Takeaways About the Hotel
If you’re visiting the area, you’ll want to book the Juneau Aspen Suites early as it fills up fast! The suite accommodations with the extra space and amenities make a big difference after a day of exploring the area.
- Close to Juneau International Airport
- Helpful front desk staff
- Comfortable, quiet, and clean room
- Full-size refrigerator and kitchenette
- Guest laundry room
- Near dining, shopping, and the glacier
Author Bio: Originally from Long Island, New York, Donna Wright now calls Deland, Florida her home. An avid traveler, she has journeyed by air, land, and sea, to many cities in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean to exciting destinations like California, Arizona, Las Vegas, San Diego, Myrtle Beach, Lake Tahoe, Reno, and more.
This content is provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered travel or consumer advice. Inn amenities, prices, policies, and availability may change. Readers should verify all details independently and use their own judgment when planning travel.