Reviews

farha zerin

No internet/ phone reception on rooms.***** Only the lobby has wifi. Rooms were okay, though the heater was quite old and we needed to use a portable heater to stay comfortable. It was extremely cold during our stay (around -30°F), especially since we went for aurora viewing. Food was good, but be prepared for long wait times on Friday and Saturday — we waited nearly an hour to be seated. Dog sledding was absolutely awesome! The kids loved it, and the dogs were super friendly — definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The aurora tour was decent. Having a yurt available made a big difference — they provided coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and ramen, which was perfect in that freezing weather. The staff were very nice and even gave helpful instructions on how to set up our phone cameras for the best aurora pictures. Overall, a memorable experience despite the extreme cold!

Jake Sellers

Overall it was good. The hot spring itself is nice and relaxing as long as the other people are too. When it's quiet I could spend hours in there. The rooms aren't great. There's stuff broken all over the resort, including the rooms. My partner was shaving and turned the cold water off first and in a single second scalded her foot. There was no warning the water would get to instant burn temperature. When in the dry cabins, the outhouse is awful. The tours were okay for a first time, but are more basic and underwhelming than you want. Still worth doing some of them for the novelty. The restaurant was okay, but definitely overpriced, but it's the only food in almost an hour's drive. But the rooms weren't actually that expensive, the location is very nice with lots of hiking and wilderness, the hot spring was good too. Overall absolutely worth visiting for at least a couple days.

jose rincon

Okay, this time we visited the Chena hot springs in Fairbanks , Alaska. Okay, this place has many things to talk about. We paid the $20 for the all-day pass and first went into the hot springs, which were too hot for my liking. Since I didn't have anything to protect my head, I got out very quickly because the cold air was burning my ears. After that, we went to the jacuzzi, which was great; we stayed there for a long time. Then we went to the swimming pool area, but it was too cold; it wasn't heated as the advertisement had claimed. Then we went to eat at the restaurant there. The food was very good, the service was excellent, and the coffee was hot. We had a great time. Afterwards, we checked the bill when we received it and noticed that the tomato and mozzarella appetizer had a surprisingly high price, much higher than what was listed on the menu. (18.5 >24.5)So I recommend that next time, before paying your bill at a restaurant, you carefully check the prices against those listed on the menu. The overcharge was only about $7, and we didn't say anything, but it's not fair to the customer.

Trudy Smith

We found Chena Hot Springs resort to be relaxing and everything we had hoped for. We stayed in a dry cabin and had access to an outhouse- we signed up for the true Alaskan experience. There were plenty of accessible bathrooms in the lodge and pool house. Showers in the pool house were nice and this is also where we got our water. The cabin was warm and comfortable and out of the activity and crowds in the main part of the resort and we enjoyed the privacy. The restaurant was amazing and the veggies were the best I have had in a long time. I would come back just for the "Chena fresh" veggies. We had an amazing Aurora viewing tour and the warm yurt at the top with hot chocolate and ramen noodles was so nice. The yurt was huge, the employees super helpful, and it was kept very warm. The pool house is run well and it was so easy to get to the hot springs and enjoy them. Finally, it is so convenient that the Activity center is open 24 hours so you can go there to see the northern lights from the back of the building if they are out. The center is warm with bathrooms and chairs. There is a small cafe here that serves certain items from the restaurant (soup, wraps, and salads) and it is a good option if you don't want to spend the time to go to the restaurant. We were helped by many people, but a special shout out to the following: Lisa, Lia, Nina, Panda (Pansy), Todd in activities, Abel, Alexi, Vlad, and Clint.

Hope Head

Pros: - The restaurant is good, the staff are exceptional. Well worth it. - The hot springs are SUCH an experience, particularly so in winter. - The northern lights viewing tour is a MUST. The trip up the mountain in the snow vehicles is really fun, and just being out there in the mountains feels magical. Cons: - The tour of the ice museum feels depressing. I get being honest with your tours, but focusing on all the bad things from the past made it feel less fun. - I can't speak for the other rooms, but the Fox Rooms are obviously a little dated and a little dirty. Cobwebs in the corners, hairballs caught on the baseboards, etc. - The place overall feels like there's not been a heavy investment into maintenance. The crewmen we saw seem over-encumbered with way too much work and not enough hands to get it all done. The power went out several times during out visit, and the heater to our building broke overnight at one point, plunging us to 40 degrees inside and taking the better part of a day and a half to return to reasonable indoor temps after the crew fixed it. Takeaway: This place is like a rustic cabin experience. If you're expecting a "resort," you'll be disappointed. If you're expecting "better than camping," you'll be delighted by the fun adventures and experiences to be had.

Nizar Idriss

Located outside of town in a nice area. Takes a little over an hour to drive to the location. The place is old, the buildings show the age and so do the rooms, but its working and warm. The food is ok but service us very slow. Front desk staff not impressive but check you in. Price is a bit high for what you get. The water in the rooms smell like the hot springs, not wanting to shower or brush my teeth in room. Should put filtration on buildings we're not swimming in rooms. Beds are ok, no fridge or microwave just old crusty coffee maker. The light show is cool, the aurora is a cool thing to ser but the ride up to is is a 5 hour evening journey. They should have a shorter ride too. The internet is slow, very slow. The 4g signal is faster. The pool and hot springs is ok, the facility is old, could use an upgrade. Came once saw it and I don't think i would return.

Michael Hoines

Chena was an incredible experience. We checked in late and stayed in the lodge which was very clean and nice. The restaurant on site was fantastic and the hot springs had very extended hours which was incredible. We did the Aurora Ice Museum tour which we highly recommend. Kimlyn was our guide and she was absolutely wonderful! So friendly and educational and served us appletinis in glasses carved in ice. The resort is a must do in Fairbanks.

Amber Cordova

This was one if the best hot springs I've been to in the US. I had an amazing experience. I was fortunate to be in the spring while it was snowing and it was magical! The staff were friendly and helpful, facility was super clean. I was not able to stay in a cabin, but I was able to eat at their restaurant. Amazing all the way around! This is a "must" experience if you travel to Fairbanks, AK!

Abbigail Range

Highly recommend. We really enjoyed Chena. We had a great time during our stay last summer. Would love to come back and stay again. Staff were amazing, polite and friendly; they were great on our four wheel adventures (my favorite part) and the staff did great explaining the gears and details of the E Bikes. We had a great time. We made life lasting, amazing memories during our brief stay at Chena. The Ice museum was very unique and neat, in its own right and we enjoyed our time there tremendously. We also did love the restaurant, and bar. Cute hidden gems. Really enjoyed the intimate moments here. (I hear the northern lights from the hot springs are perfect and bucket list worthy. I hope to come back for that! While in addition to, I do wish I was able to be try the spa during our stay…. next time!) (The showers have two temperature options extra hot or hells hot. Lol)

Henry Christopher

We stayed at the Moose Lodge for 2 nights and really enjoyed our time at Chena Hot Springs. The room was spacious, clean, and modern with two comfy queen beds. The hot springs were amazing—definitely the highlight! Towels, showers, and lockers are provided which made it super easy. There’s only one restaurant on site, so the wait can get pretty long. We did pick-up instead and ate in our room, which was much faster and convenient. The gift shops had a really nice collection, and the activity center was super helpful. We tried the Ice Museum (just okay), but the ATV tour was enjoyable, and the aurora viewing tour was unforgettable. The guides were great, and they even had snacks, coffee, hot chocolate, and chairs to take outside.

Renz Weinmann

Camped in their campground on a Monday night after the 4th of July holiday weekend so things were quiet. Short walk to the Spa building where the indoor and outdoor hot springs pools are. Very well organized and run. If you forget your swim suit, they have a box of used but laundered swim suits for sale for $10. The outdoor hot springs pond is surrounded by huge granite holders and bottom of pond is gravel. Perfect for relaxing. The main registration lodge was also worth a visit and there is an ice sculpture museum which I did not visit. Overall, it was an oasis in the wonderful Alaska wilderness. I will probably visit again. BTW, If camping be sure to buy gas canisters beforehand, their camp store which sells plenty of supplies, did not sell gas canisters and the only place to buy is backtracking 50 miles (100 miles round trip). The resort is a the end of an hourlong dead-end road.

Tiff Glenney

This is truly a one of a kind experience and well worth the drive. The rooms are rustic and naturally heated with opening windows. The hot springs and hiking give you a beautiful taste of Alaska, especially when the dogs run by. The ice museum is a specticle and those martinis hit. The restaurant is well worth the wait, just plan accordingly because they all work hard y'all. Best of all the borealis tour, Alexei really made it fun and was so helpful with how to use our cameras. Thank y'all for such a wonderful trip!

Arianna Hernandez

It's really about the location. The sky was cloudy at times but cleared at night to look for the aurora. We enjoyed the hot springs, although my daughter was disappointed that she couldn't go in the rock pool since it's adult only. But the kids loved the indoor pool and hot tubs. I enjoyed the nature trail to the beaver pond and we did the aurora ice museum. The fall foliage was beautiful and we saw the aurora for about 15 minutes one night over by the airstrip (other side of the activity building). We took snacks and drinks with us, ate in the restaurant once and the rest of the time got food from the aurora Cafe, which is reasonably priced, and once got food to go from the restaurant. We stayed in a fox room. Basic, adequate. No fridge but I knew that in advance. We used the microwave at the activity center and the staff there let me put something in their freezer. We also did the free geothermal and greenhouse tour and fed the goats.

Becki Bayless

We visited the hot springs on a day pass ($20 ea + $5 towel fee). Location is about an hour outside of Fairbanks. We didn't schedule anything (massages, tours, etc) ahead of time, and there was no availability when we arrived. (My fault completely, but when I asked if there was any availability, the towel guy sarcastically said, "Maybe if you have a time machine and can go back to a few months ago!" I assume that he was trying to be funny, but it was a bad first impression of the facility.) It didn't get better from there. The towels were small. The changing rooms were dirty with coin-operated lockers that didn't work. The hot springs was overcrowded and loud, and there was nowhere to sit inside the springs, just plenty of standing around. Despite it being late September, it was very buggy in the hot springs. (We're still feeling those bites, days later.) We had been hoping for a relaxing experience, and this wasn't that. There is one restaurant on site (it's too far to travel to any other restaurant), and our wait time was about an hour. We managed to snag a seat at the bar instead after about 15 mins of waiting. (Our server, Lisa, was great.) The food was fine, nothing special, though my partner said his salad was especially good. I'm not saying this was a bad place, but it was very different from our expectations.

Tarini Singh

We stayed at the Moose Lodge for 2 nights and really enjoyed our time at Chena Hot Springs. The room was spacious, clean, and modern with two comfy queen beds. The hot springs were amazing—definitely the highlight! Towels, showers, and lockers are provided which made it super easy. There’s only one restaurant on site, so the wait can get pretty long. We did pick-up instead and ate in our room, which was much faster and convenient. The gift shops had a really nice collection, and the activity center was super helpful. We tried the Ice Museum (just okay), but the ATV tour was enjoyable, and the aurora viewing tour was unforgettable. The guides were great, and they even had snacks, coffee, hot chocolate, and chairs to take outside. No cell service out there (your phone goes into SOS mode), and the WiFi isn’t the strongest—but honestly, it was kind of nice to disconnect for a couple days. Overall, such a great experience—relaxing hot springs, fun activities, and the aurora made it really special.