7 Best Hotels in Fairbanks, Fairbanks, the Yukon, and the Interior

Log columns and beams support the high ceiling in the lobby of this hotel and conference center designed to remind guests of the city's gold-rush past. More than 20,000 flowering plants grace the grounds, a ½-mile walk along the Chena River borders the property, and kids enjoy visiting the resident ducks at the Lucky Duck Hotel out back. Green touches include solar panels, carpets made from recycled materials, and a greenhouse that university students tend. The lodge contains several warm and cozy common areas, including a piano room and a fireplace lounge, as well as wet and dry saunas. There's a 24/7 shuttle for the airport and train station, a nightly ice cream social, a northern lights viewing area, and a small movie theater. Riverfront rooms cost a bit more but offer scenic views. If you're looking for a more Alaska experience, try one of the 28 rustic log cabins.

Wild and cultivated flowers adorn the landscaped grounds of this 105-acre resort bordering the Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. Trails at the 75-acre Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary connect with ones at the waterfowl refuge, which is a great option for northern lights viewing in the winter (the resort provides northern lights wakeup calls). Most accommodations are suites with full kitchens, and the Bear Lodge Hotel—also part of the resort—has 157 large rooms available in summer. The Fountainhead Antique Automobile Museum, one of the world's finest car museums, is also on the property. 

In the heart of downtown Fairbanks, just above the Chena River, the Bridgewater welcomes guests with overflowing flower baskets and comfortable, modern rooms. The lobby is clean and elegant with historic photos from the town's early days as a gold mining town. The Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center is within walking distance, as are downtown shops and restaurants. 

If you want the privacy of a cottage, a bit of elbow room, and many of the amenities of a full-service hotel, book a room at this resort on the bank of the Chena River. The individual cottages, some of them fronting the river and surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds, have patios or garden spaces. On summer evenings you can sit outside and watch canoes, rafts, and powerboats pass by. Chena's Alaskan Grill serves dinner and has a deck overlooking the river.

Its quiet location and very helpful staff make this spacious hotel near the airport one of Fairbanks's best. It has comfy furniture, rich upholstery, and Alaskan artwork throughout. If you don't feel like dining out, these suites include full kitchens and are a short walk from two large grocery stores. Or just head to Zach's, the hotel restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner; menu items incorporate ingredients grown in the hotel's flower-filled on-site gardens.

At the center of the commercial district's former heart, the SpringHill Suites has 148 very comfortable suites, each with a microwave, a refrigerator, and a well-lit work and sitting area. The hotel provides a complimentary continental breakfast buffet, and the in-house restaurant, Lavelle's, is among the city's top restaurants. Ask for a room facing the river, on the hotel's scenic side. 

Though just a 20-minute drive from Fairbanks, A Taste of Alaska is far enough outside town to make you feel as though you're at a wilderness retreat. The 280-acre property, graced with fields and forested woodlands, has great views of the Alaska Range to the south, and in winter you can see the northern lights. It's clear from the get-go that owner Kory Eberhardt was born to run this lodge, and he'll happily share stories of his family's life here: his grandfather homesteaded the property in 1947, and his parents built the lodge in 1992 with trees hewn from the property. Accommodations include a remote cabin, a two-story log home, and the main lodge. Collectibles decorate the rooms, with an endearing predilection for Elizabeth Taylor memorabilia. The room rate includes a sturdy and delicious breakfast. An extra bonus, the Paws for Adventure Sled Dog Tours mushing company is on the property, making it easy to enjoy a ride or more without straying far from your temporary home.