Chena Hot Springs Resort

Diria que é indispensável ficar alguns dias no Resort ao visitar Fairbanks. Foi um dos pontos altos da viagem.

I liked their location. I liked the hot springs I like the hot tubs. I also really enjoyed the restaurant and gift shops.

My family and I spent 4 nights at Chena Hot Springs. We come from an area that doesn't experience all the seasons so seeing snow is a real treat. The hotel is an hour away from Fairbanks and with their spotty wifi and no cell service you're pretty much forced to use their shuttle, which cost $90/person, one way. The area was absolutely beautiful. We stayed in the Bear Family Suite. It was nice and spacious. There was a microwave, sizable fridge, large dresser, open-air closet, TV, and table. Beds were comfortable and extra blankets were provided. Shower was super small and didn't work right away. We had to have someone come and fix it and even then it wasn't the best. Showering at the pool was way better. The room is heated through their geothermal system so the controls on the wall are merely decoration. We weren't informed of this at check-in so spent our first night extremely warm. It wasn't until we asked for help with controlling the heat that they gave us this tidbit and recommended leaving windows open to cool down the room. All the staff we interacted were super friendly and helpful. The surrounding area was beautiful, which made for pleasant hikes. Wifi is spotty so bring things to stay busy. Their main restaurant is crazy expensive. We eventually switched to their cafe, which had Costco products sold individually. They also had some soups, salads, and sandwiches that came from the restaurant but in smaller portions and more affordable. Their clam chowder was delicious and their salads had veggies from their greenhouse. They have frozen pizzas that they'll cook up for you, so that was nice. The hot springs was amazing. It was a bummer that it was adults-only so our teenagers couldn't enjoy it. We understand the reason why but that meant the kids got bored at the indoor pool a lot quicker. We booked their aurora viewing tour. It was such an amazing experience. This was my friend's second time in Alaska looking for the northern lights and she said this was a better experience. We got lucky on the night we went. Overall, we would come back again. The pros outweighed the cons.

The hot springs were fantastic, and all the staff were very friendly and helpful. I was very lucky to see the aurora, but even if I hadn’t, I’m sure I would have been completely satisfied with the hot springs, the beautiful natural surroundings, and their wonderful hospitality.

Hot springs were amazing.

Shuttle drive was friendly and provided excellent service.

Hot springs were amazing. Restaurant food amazing, we had scallops. Aurora borealis drink amazing. Northern lights tour amazing. So very cool that there is a greenhouse and thermal plant. Ice museum amazing. Appletini yummy. I would like to see the owner invest back into the hotel. Peeling wallpaper in hallways. Microwave and mini fridge would be nice. Restaurant staff was seriously understaffed. We didn't have a problem with room temperature because we like it cool, but others did. 2 gift shops were very nice with large variety of things. Overall amazing resort, but updating would take it over the edge!!!

Except for one staff person, the people were all great! The problem was that I arrived late at night and even though I am somewhat disabled and using a cane, the desk person said no one could help me get my luggage to my room! In addition it was an upstairs room and they have no elevators at all! There was an ice bucket in the room BUT you can only get ice from the main office. They have to open the machine for youl

Wonderful experience. Tried it despite several negative reviews and found those to be totally in error. Chena Hot Springs Resort does not have the word "luxury" in their name so we did not expect luxury. The room we occupied was very clean and quite comfortable. The outdoor temperature was 33 deg. below zero when we arrived but heated by the geothermal springs, the room was not the least bit cold. Yes, there is only one restaurant. We were there for five days and ate there every breakfast and dinner. The breakfast meals were cooked as ordered and plentiful. The lunch and dinner menu offering spanned several cultural style dishes from burgers to sushi. They were well prepared, tasty and also plentiful. We found the prices no more costly than prices we pay these days in the lower 48 states. Our days were easily filled by tours of the greenhouses where most of the restaurants produce is grown, exploring the sled dog facility and also excursions by sled dog, wondering at the ice sculptures, learning how the hot springs are used to produce the electricity and heat for the resort, daring to take a dip in the hot springs (the outdoor temp. was 21 deg. below that day!), and especially viewing the magnificent aurora which was occuring the week of our visit. Doing our homework before our vacation went a long way to ensuring we had the adequate attire for the weather so we enjoyed the challenge. What made our stay even more enjoyable were the wonderful employees all of whom had a smile for us every day and did not hesitate to fill any requests we had and made our stay so pleasant.

The hot springs are wonderful, and more in the middle of winter! BUT I just returned to Chena Hot Springs after 18 years, and I'm still outraged by the awful locker rooms!!!! That's the only reason I gave it such a bad rating. Chena Hot Springs has some very nice facilities, like the restaurant and others. So, so difficult is to improve the men's locker room with more space and, above all, with seats to take off your pants and wall hooks for your clothes while you change? So you don't have to leave everything on the wet floor and have to balance while you change? It's unbelievable how little consideration they show. Even the worst gym has better locker rooms. Please IMPROVE THEM as soon as possible!!!!

Our family of 6 visited Chena Hot Springs last week. The hot springs pool was very unique and enjoyable. The changing room was cramped and crowded and $5 towel rental (on top of paying to get into the springs) was disappointing. We toured the ice castle which again, was unique, but disappointing. We were in a large group of people- squeezed into a waiting area before being allowed inside- and then found it difficult to enjoy the museum because there were too many people inside. We had hoped to eat in the restaurant, but the wait to be seated was over one-and-a-half hours and we had tickets to ride to see the northern lights, so we did not have time. We instead went to the only other option for food, the cafe. There was a good coffee bar but other than that only two salads (total) and frozen pizzas to choose from. The SUSV ride was very bumpy (which was expected). The yurt was completely full; while there were games available to play (as advertised) there was no room to do so. Our chairs were lined up in rows so that we could not talk to each other easily, much less enjoy games in between viewing the lights. The staff was friendly and we appreciated the warm drinks and snacks.

The resort definitely lives up to the definition of a “resort” in terms of the activities and experiences offered. Between the hot springs, tours, ice museum, and aurora viewing, there is a lot to do and the setting feels uniquely Alaskan.
That said, the facilities themselves feel quite rustic. The rooms and some common areas could benefit from more frequent cleaning and updates. The hot springs pools are amazing but the lockers, restrooms, and floors could also be maintained more regularly to improve cleanliness.
After learning more about the property and its geothermal energy projects, I appreciated the unique philosophy and self-sufficient approach behind the resort. It feels less like a luxury resort and more like an experimental community centered around geothermal energy and nature.
Overall, I’m glad we visited and had the experience, but travelers should come with the expectation that this is a rustic, adventure-focused resort rather than a polished luxury one.

Took a day trip to the hot springs. It was negative 38 degrees with a bit of wind when arriving. Even with the cold the hot springs still felt good! Very relaxing. Had breakfast in the restaurant. Ice museum was small but nice. Dog kennel had a lot of dogs was interesting to hear the knowledge of the guide. Food was good. Everyone was nice!

Took visiting family out for the experience, against my better judgement. We are familiar with the "resort" as a local resident, so expectations start low. But this visit went below our normal expectations. Staff was rude, unhelpful, and unwilling to help. The heat in the room DID NOT WORK, not just cold, even with the -20 temps. We had to ask for assistance, not 1,2,3,4......but 8 times! Before they assisted into the late hours of the night. Front desk and maintenance were rude and simply did not take the situation serious. Snarky comments from all. Upon checkout, we addressed our concerns and brushed off by the "manager" along with snarky comments. Spoke to the GM's, listened to our concerns, and keep pointing out we already had a "resident discount" so we already being compensated. They continued to point out the discount, as if though we asked for it. They should not offer one if this is how they treat people who use it. Might I add, money was not an issue, we simply wanted resolution, not a refund. Food was less than desirable, and wait staff argued with each other in front of guests. Worst experience ever. Go out for the day, but save yourself the headache and disappointment and do not rent a room. The negative attitudes, disrespect, lack of cleanliness, and overall disregard for anything will have you leaving frustrated and regretful for visiting.

At first was overwhelmed by all of the activities but we ended up loving it. We did dog sledding and loved learning about mushing. We went to the ice museum which was unique and worth the tour we thought. So different! Hot springs were more YMCA vibes than Blue Lagoon but that was fine with us—we loved it! Make sure to bring quarters for the lockers. We did the aurora tour at night and that was also amazing! The truck you go up the mountain in was super cool! The yurt was warm. Didn’t love watching the documentary on the owner…a documentary on the aurora borealis would be a lot more appropriate and appreciated. All staff were so nice! We stayed overnight and the room is basic but it’s clean and warm and met all our needs. The restaurant is very busy, go early! The food is good but the servers are a bit overworked and it seemed like they were understaffed. But the servers were super nice and made the best of it. We did the shuttles and those were roomy, clean, and prompt. Would definitely recommend if going to Fairbanks!

Not "best of times, worst of times" but "best of times, OK of times".

Best? Hot springs are the best we've ever been in. Dog sled tour was fabulous--folks there really love their dogs and transmit that love to all who try it out. Trip up the mountain in the SUSV was quite a nice adventure. Alexsie was a great host and we all clapped even though we saw northern twinkles rather than northern lights--no fault of Chena or the staff. Sustainability is an A+: interesting low-temp geothermal power plant and terrific geothermally heated hydroponic greenhouse. Simply FABULOUS greens--who knew you could grow excellent lettuce when the outside temps were -40F (or C, for that matter). Staff are 95% great. My wife slipped on the ice and broke her wrist, but an amiable and well-qualified EMT splinted her within an hour of asking for help (a musher from Louisiana, of all places!)

OK? Moose Lodge rooms are a bit tired--the 3-star rating is well-earned. The dining room does not take reservations so sometimes you have to sit for 30 minutes to get a table--it appears that the dining area is not sized for the peak number of guests in the optimal March time frame, which might be a good business decision on their side.

We took the train from Anchorage to Fairbanks and flew back from the latter. Train was fabulous. Transfers to and from Chena were flawless. We surely would go back.

PS: CHSR is and ESOP, employee owned. Love that. Just like Bob's Red Mill

Got me a day pass for the Hot Springs. I drove from Fairbanks it was about 1hr due to a snow storm. Is one road that leads straight to Chena resort. Make sure you bring a bathing suit, towel, beanie, and a plastic bottle of water, and $.50€. We had a great time. Scenery is a Kodak moment. I recommend the hot springs.