Bell in the Woods Bed & Breakfast — Hotel in Alaska

afternoon_delight46 OMG! If you don’t stay here, you’ve done yourself a GREAT disservice. PERIOD!!! Bell in the Woods defines H O M E & H E A R T H!

My husband and I are seasoned world travelers; 54 years. We’ve experienced everything from sleeping under the stars to castles and B&B’s from remote villages to top 10 world-ranked facilities. We’ve been here twice, with more to come, and very seldom do we go anywhere twice – especially as a source-destination of choice. The 1st time we booked was with Brook & Nick during 4th of July week 2018. When we arrived, Brooke and Nick were there as were Chrissy and D. B & N were around that month to help with the transition to new ownership. Our experience was exemplary from camaraderie to food and everything in between. When we left to go back to Anchorage we left behind our new family. It was so memorable that when our daughter came to visit us in Anchorage to explore the best of Alaska, we had to take her to Bell in The Woods for a truly ultimate Alaskan experience. (We live in Florida on the beaches, but my husband works part-time in Anchorage.) We routed & rerouted our 16-day trip so that we could be there to celebrate our daughter’s milestone birthday. This was no easy task due to limited availability of other anticipated unique activities and the long distances in between. Our daughter has some physical challenges that made it necessary to travel in a motor home, which turned out to be serendipitous, because they were fully booked during the time we needed to be there. However, their accommodating spirit and ingenuity prevailed and their bountiful hospitality provided the perfect experience. I would have been devastated if this had not been possible for our daughter. She had tired of my bragging about our experience, especially the food and homestyle hospitality, and now her new extended family.

The 2nd stay proved to be no less rewarding than the first – with the added element of rekindling our friendship. It was truly a highlight of our daughter’s trip, no less impressive than the full day in a helicopter with walks on glistening glacier tops, trekking to the rim of a live volcano and lunching along the streams/lake with bears just a few yards away. You’re in extraordinary company Chrissy and D.

If you’re lucky enough to stay here, you must remember, this is not a hotel where you come and go amidst strangers not even a luxurious one. It’s far more. This is a destination point, where you must stay in to experience the true ambiance of the area. Your hosts are your beloved family that you have finally decided to visit and with whom you must share some quality time in the intimacy and ambiance of their home and 2 fire-pits. They will guide you through the best experiences in the area and great places to dine and wine; take in the true call of the wild. Plus, Seward is a fantastic bonus for an Alaskan adventure.

C&D have thought of almost everything to make your stay memorable and beyond expectations, right down to your going-away gift. (As I keep telling them – it won’t be the “best in the world” until they get that hot tub under which I can enjoy those grand northern lights. OK, so I’m a bit over indulged by my husband, especially, re; amenities.) Bell in the Woods is all that defines H O M E. & H E A R T H!

You’ll find great food, immaculately clean and well stocked rooms with great amenities; great food, hospitable staff, great food, all the conveniences of home, great comfort with heated floors, fireplaces etc., great food and snacks that includes a 24-hr. beverage and snack area. And if you think of something lacking – they’ll rectify it immediately – or as in our case – It took a custom birthday cake and a trip into Anchorage to meet my “wish list”.

The only thing that I regret about doing this review is that it may stir too much interest and I’ll never get to...

I cannot say enough positive things about this place. The service is top-notch. They are super attentive and responsive to their guests needs and go above and beyond in making sure that each guest is comfortable and has everything they need. The owner is super nice, informative about the area, responsive and cordial. She's also a fantastic chef! The same can be said about the staff. Aiste, one of the staff members, especially has been so kind and helpful and making us feel welcome and wanting to come back! She told us about a hike (13 mile Lost Lake) not far from the Belle in the Woods that we eventually did and it ended up being one of the best we'd ever been on, rivaling some of the best we'd ever done in the lower 48 (Glacier NP, etc). They truly care about their guests. The rooms (and entire facility) are SUPER clean, quaint, cozy and each uniquely decorated including fresh flowers. They have a delicious complimentary breakfast each morning. The breakfast is anything but plain and usual. Everything is homemade by the owner and staff and was very over the top including an appetizer (think fruit bowl, smoothie, etc.), main course (think fancy poached egg breakfast pizza(?), crepes, Italian egg and cheese bake(?), homemade focaccia bread) and desert (think Greek yogurt with apricots and pecans, tiramisu, etc). They also provide complimentary homemade deserts throughout the day (think cheesecake balls, cupcakes, brownies, etc.). The location is perfect. It's off the main road, in the middle of the forest and only 10 minutes from downtown Seward and Kenai Fjords National Park. There are so many hikes and things to see and do in this area, we sincerely wish we had more time. Belle in the Woods also got us a discount for an all day 8 1/2 hour Kenai Fjords cruise as well with Major Marine which was greatly appreciated and spectacular! We did a lot of research before we came here and read a lot of reviews, etc. We'll definitely be back to the Kenai/Seward area and will 100% stay here...

Bell in the Woods is an absolute gem of a B&B. I highly recommend it to anybody staying in Seward, AK. Yana and Michael, the owners, are incredibly hospitable. They were basically our one-stop shop for our land-side stay: they provided our transportation (they picked us up from our cruise and rented us a vehicle for the rest of our stay), fishing excursion, amazing accommodations, and quite possibly the best breakfast I’ve ever had.

Our family booked the Salmon Suite and the Mt. Benson Suite- both were great. The Salmon Suite was larger and more easily accessible for my parents. The Mt. Benson suite was perfect for myself and my husband. The beds are super comfortable, either made of memory foam or at least having memory foam toppers. We slept so well, much better than we did on our cruise ship! The rooms are very clean and well maintained.

Yana may be the most talented hostess I’ve ever met. Everything in the rooms and B&B / activities operated through their company are so meticulously organized and well thought out. I cannot be more complimentary of the food she makes either - 3 courses for breakfast! The sweet cherry smoothies she made us both mornings were incredible.

The staff with their fishing charter company were also delightful. We caught so many fish on their ship, the Salty Loot, and had the most gorgeous day on the water.

Our experience at Bell in the Woods was a major highlight for our 10 day...