McKinley Chalet Resort - Denali National Park and Preserve, AK

Donna G

We stayed three nights. We ate three dinners at the Karstens. There is a pricier steak house we never tried but I’m sure it’s good. We were just happy with Karstens so we never felt the need to go elsewhere. Servers were all great! Musicians were great! We had breakfast sandwiches and cinnamon rolls we ate at the bar there. We loved the stores and the photo shop where we had an awesome picture taken for our Christmas card. The walk to and from our room was a bit much especially in the rain and in the dark it was impossible to see especially if there were animals. Luckily they deliver your luggage to your room and back to the train station for you. There was a shuttle we could have waited on but you still had to walk so rather than wait we just walked. The room was in desperate need of updating. No wifi in rooms. It was spotty. The main lobby had WiFi. The amount of dust along the edge the walls was gross. The faucets were very dated and didn’t work well. The ceiling paint was chipped. No mini frig or safe. Our door lock quit working the last day. The transportation to and from the park was great! It’s close to the park. We heard there was one hotel that had been updated. I’d have chosen that one maybe.

Sally Baltes

We stayed here at the beginning of our land cruise. Chalet had the feeling of a rustic lodge which was nice. It is HUGE! Front desk folks were super nice. Coffee shop with some grab and go items was pretty reasonably priced. Low rating is basically due to the actual room we stayed in. Could really use an overhaul. The wallpaper was coming off in the bathroom. There was thick, heavy mold on the tile and grout in the shower.

Felicia M

Excellent location and views. Good amenities and facilities.

Variable service - some are great, and some just makes you feel like you are bothering them with your questions. I honestly felt discriminated against because I'm Asian - one lady rudely interrupted me before I could finish my question.

Comfortable rooms but the type of room you get is luck-based - some are old, some are modern.

Some buildings get WiFi, some don't. Self-service laundry available. At the time of this posting, it's starting at $4 wash and $3 dry.

Communications between staff members are spotty. They will not give you early check in or late check out. They cannot assign you different rooms. It's honestly a mixed bag but it is not a good Holland America experience. Very weird for someone who's used to staying at hotels where the front desk gets more flexibility.

Denise

I arrived through Holland America. Handed my keys on the bus, no need to check in. I was in building K. I attached a picture from my window showing just how close I was to the noisy common area. Not seen in this picture are the garbage dumpsters, where there is noise constantly. Super close to the main road too. The room was clean. The door barely locked and you could see quite a bit of light from underneath. The bathroom smelled like mildew, the shower curtain, I believe. The towels were clean and super fluffy, which was awesome. The shower had abundant hot water and great water pressure. The beds were old, saggy and the bottom sheet kept coming off of mine(the twin bed). We were carrying a lot of cash(tips were welcomed everywhere), and a safe would have been an asset. After dinner, we walked around the property and it was beautiful. Location is fantastic. Lots of choices for meals. With some updates, this could really make all reviews 5 stars.

Steve R

Great overall experience the two nights we spent here. The staff were very friendly and always extremely helpful. We stayed in a Signature Creekside Cabin duplex which was perfect for two people. The cabin was very clean and spacious and right on the creek. Love the sound of the creek especially sitting on the porch having coffee in the morning or a drink at night. Room was equipped with a coffee maker, refrigerator, microwave and a full bathroom with tub and shower. You can tell a lot of thought went into rooms to make you comfortable including nice little touches like fresh ground coffee, paper plates and utensils, can opener / cork screw and if you needed anything you just had to ask. ||The cafe onsite was as good or better than any restaurant in Denali. We ate dinner there both nights, ordered breakfast to go one morning to eat at the cabin and had a piece of rhubarb coffee cake one day. The salmon dinner my wife had one day was the best we had in Alaska and the halibut fish & chips and turkey pot pie were both good as well. For dessert the rhubarb pie was good but our favorite was the homemade apple pie. For breakfast in the cabin we split the blue berry pancakes which were awesome and enough for two. ||Overall this place tries to do everything to make your stay perfect and a special shout out to our server one night (Megan) and everyone who worked at the front counter for the great service they provided. ||I would suggest making dinner reservations for parties of 4 or more during your stay since the wait can be long. Unfortunately they do not make reservations for parties of two which is something I hope they reconsider in the future for people staying in their cabins. ||We will definitely stay here again since Denali National Park is so big and beautiful it needs to be visited multiple times.

Myra W

It was rustic but plenty nice enough, the view from our bedroom window was phenomenal. The food at karstens was okay, the breakfast at the steak house (sorry, can’t remember the name) was very good, did not eat dinner there, the onsite coffee shop was good. There was a restaurant across the street - Black Bear Coffee - it was really good. All in all our experience was a good one.

DEpping

The view is great, but beware if you are not part of a tour. Although we were independent travelers that had our own car, we were assigned to the lodge that does not have parking. Therefore we were required to leave our car at the main building. There is a shuttle that is supposed to service the entire property but it was only available once during our stay. This was an easy downhill walk to the lodge but required a steep climb back to the main building. The lodge has no wifi availability. The steakhouse was pricey and, other than the chowder, the food was unremarkable.

anne332

Paid $385 per night (2 nights stay) for " room assigned on check in". Room furniture was very old and had a slight musty smell. Very different from photos on booking.com. There was no wifi signal in the rooms. Cell signal is weak in Denali National Park in general so basically no network in rooms. Hot water was cool during peak usage period. No housekeeping.||Hotel is very conveniently located with some shops opposite. Its restaurant in Denali Square is good. It provides shuttle to train station and other points in park if you dont have a car. Its also a stop for Tunder Wilderness Tour and Park Connection bus.||Would be ok if its below $200 per night.|