After reading some marginal reviews on trip advisor, my 3 friends and I were somewhat aprehensive about heading to Chena but we were pleasantly surprised. We did the 3 night package. The restaurant served high quality food (and we are all "foodies") the bar was warm and cozy with a good cocktail selection, the rooms in the Moose Lodge are comfortable, the staff people were nice, the hot springs were fun. Yes, it is sulfur water-be prepared for the fact it smells like sulfur. It is Alaska, be prepeared for the fact travel in Alaska is not inexpensive. We enjoyed the ice museum, dog mushing and we were fortunate to see the aurora borealis twice (dress really warm if you do the snow cat tour). If you expect a "Four Seasons" type "resort"-go to New York. If you want a fun- off the beaten path winter adventure- We'd highly recommend Chena Hot Springs.

This not my first rodeo. Let me set this up. If you come to Fairbanks just be ready for "spotty"service. Some people here are "jewels" others will cut corners and try to rip you off. Welcome to the Hot Springs. First, there was NOWHERE to plug up my vehicle at -50, not that it matters much. My overnight stay was complete with a room with a cracked window so that condensate gathered inside. The room temp was about 50 degrees. I received no help because the place was booked up. We froze. Still, in Alaska expect some "half-a__ed" people trying to take advantage. The next morning, the car would not start. The "Owner" "Bernie the butt" was steady drinking coffee in the restaurant, boasting about whom he knew on the board of BP and that they "begged" him to go to Iraq to help out. All the while, the kids in the parking lot were trying to defrost cars and help the stranded. Still, not a cup of coffee offered to those of us stuck in this hell-hole. Alaska is harsh, unforgiving and brutal. I can take that. What I cannot abide is a premium price for substandard accommodations. Don't ruin your vacation.

Some might call it charm but there are elements of this resort that made it more annoying than charming.
Rooms: The heat in the rooms was inconsistent and apparently not connected to any actual control system. The first night we were in the Moose Lodge (the nicer rooms) and while the room was OK--pretty basic but clean--the heat did not work. That's a big deal when it's -35 outside. We eventually called because it was too cold to sleep and the guy just looked at the dial in the room (yes, a dial) and brought us a space heater, which did work. We had to move to a signature room the next day due to availability (the place was overrun with Japanese tourists) and this is where it was pretty awful. The room was really small, mold growing on the walls in the bathroom, a showerhead that was coming out of the wall and you could see light behind the wall (we figured out you can see the entry/sink area. Yep, the sink is behind the entry door!!). Even all that could be forgivable considering it's in the middle of nowhere in Alaska but the room next to us housed apparent chain smokers, even though they were non-smoking rooms. Reporting them to the front desk did nothing (just got that standard Alaska shrug and, "Ehhh, whatcha gonna do?" look) and since I react to smoke, we just managed to stay out of our room a lot. Again, no heat, even when I turned it up to 85 on the thermostat in the room. The next day the smokers were replaced by a lady with several yippy dogs who proceeded to yip yip away for hours on end, day and night. Again, no response from management and they were too full to move us. (There are apparently only 8 pet rooms on the property and we were in a "pet" cabin----would have been nice to be given the option to be in a non-pet area upon reservation---what if I had severe allergies instead of an aversion to small dogs with high-pitched barks?). Our room was cold until the last night, when at 11pm it decided to suddenly heat up to the 85 I had left it at and it got unbearably hot. Still, it was better than freezing.

No sleep rest occurred on this trip AT ALL so not a relaxing time, other than the time spent in the springs. I would not go here for a relaxing vacation. The springs are a challenge and pain to get in (small, dirty locker rooms and limited lockers, long, icy, dark walk to the springs in -40 temps) but the water itself is fabulous and the frost accumulating on hair and eyelashes is quite a sight. We managed to go when most people were at dinner and had the place nearly all to ourselves.

The restaurant was a nice surprise----the best salad I have probably ever eaten (the lettuce and tomatoes were amazing) and the food overall was very good. The drinks were great and we tried several, although they ran out of the blueberry liqueur to make the blueberry muffin martini--which was actually REALLY good. Like everything in Alaska, it takes a while to get in new supplies and no one in the state has captured the idea that anticipation of running out of something means you can order ahead and avert "running out".

We went up on the ridge via the snow cat and it was an experience. Being in the back "trailer" portion is to be avoided if you get motion sickness. Getting there is absolutely awful if you sit in back but if you get to see the northern lights, it is worth enduring it and the (still cold) "heated" yurt. Don't count on hot drinks in the yurt right away---it takes time to boil the water and the tourists absolutely SWARMED the drinks and food. Bring hotties to keep your hands warm, instead.

The ice museum, geothermal and greenhouse tours were all well worth it. Ice museum made for great pictures and at -30 outside, it was 50 degrees warmer than outside!

We saw the Northern Lights---green ones, all three nights we were there. They were beautiful although not as bright as I have seen before. That alone made it all worth it for us, but I'd say it was an experience and not one we will necessarily repeat.

This place is rustic, even by Alaska standards, so be prepared and manage your expectations. Also ask for a pet-free building if you prefer and bring your own space heater or tons and tons of hotties (I brought double what I thought we'd need and we used them all by day 2).

To be most accurate, I must divide my review into two parts, when averaged = 3 star rating

1) The activities available at the resort: FIVE STARS!
-Hot Springs: soak in hot mineral water surrounded by snowy views. Yes, the locker room is yucky, crowded and needs updating...but you're not spending much time there.
-Ice museum: Fabulous ice sculptures, columns, igloo, ice bedrooms, and ice bar with ice martini's...fantastic!
-Aurora viewing tour: Sno-cat ride to mountain top for Aurora viewing. Heated yurt nearby to warm up and enjoy a hot beverage.
-Restaurant: Large menu, both of our entrees were delicious, and service was friendly. I noticed many past reviews were quite negative, perhaps if you are not in a hurry and can just relax and have a beer you will enjoy it more. Charming log cabin ambience.

2) THE HOTEL: Where you sleep: ONE STAR!
- We stayed only one night (the other tripadvisor reviews were so negative I was scared to stay longer) in a "signature" room.
- SOOOOOO Cold!! No funtioning thermostat!! When we returned from out Aurora tour, we were freezing from being outdoors in -40F...room "heater" is set to minimal and there are no controls to turn it up. I slept for only about an hour that night despite wearing layers of clothes and piling every thin blanket in room on my bed. Brrrrrr!
-The "signature" buildings have a storm door at the entrance which was encased in ice. Problem is, EVERY SINGLE TIME someone enters or exits the building, this door SLAMS shut! WHACK!! It startled me everytime.
-Bathroom shower: seriously?! The shower stall is from the 60's (?) and the shower head is more rust than metal...so the stream of water is very weak. I don't get why management wouldn't splurge for a new $10 shower head. Really.