I am completely mystified by the reviewer that was disappointed in his stay at the Black Bear Inn. We stayed in the same room, just prior to his visit, and it was wonderfully appointed with attention to every detail unsurpassed anywhere else I've stayed! The room was large, cozy, and had everything we could possibly need and more. Lovely thick robes, amazingly comfortable beds (I wanted to take mine home), all with a tremendous view. There was even a large stick to put in the sliding door, so I could leave it partially open to enjoy the fresh air, and still have the door secured. (And the bed sheets were ironed...who does that anymore?!)

We were in Ketchikan to see all of the beautiful sites, so watching TV and being on a computer weren't activities on our list, but I don't see how it's possible to accomodate everyone's personal preferences or opinions on how a room should be set-up. Some might like the comfy chair and ottoman in the room facing the bay, some the TV, and others for conversation or quiet reading. There's plenty of room to adjust the furniture to meet individual needs and I know Nicole would have arranged it to suit 'Donald' if he had asked. I had no problem getting on the provided computer to access and confirm my plane reservations (as disappointed as we were to be leaving...).

Nicole is extremely helpful and acted as a personal tour advisor, steering us the best spots and even telling us the very best times to be at the fish hatchery to view the bears (we saw 8-10!). She arranged for a car rental (delivered to the Inn) and at a very good price too.

We found everything spotlessly clean and enjoyed the quiet atmosphere during our stay. It was truly a wonderful end to our first vacation in Alaska. Highly recommended!

The Black Bear was disappointing, not because it was bad but because it was much less than I expected. We did a 3 month trip to Alaska and stayed in B&B's almost every night so I consider myself sort of an expert in Alaskan B&Bs. The Black Bear was not the first place we stayed at in Alaska as it was at the end of our trip. The Black Bear was by far the most expensive place we stayed at. I feel that it was overpriced.

We did stay in their largest room which had 2 beds and a large bathroom with dual sinks. The room was large and the beds were comfortable. The room had several problems, however. First of all, there was only 1 comfortable chair and there was no desk. When I wanted to use my computer, I had to use a folding snack table for a computer table. Many of the B&Bs we stayed at on our trip had a desk and a desk chair. Second, although there was no comfortable place to use the computer, it really did not matter as the WiFi signal was so weak that I could almost never connect to the internet. The only place that I could consistently connect to the internet was in the common area. I often shared this common area with the guest in the room next to mine who also could not get a good internet signal in her room. The third problem we had was that the TV was located in a spot that you had to sit on the bed to watch it. The one chair in the room was not in the right location and there were no other chairs.

I was also disappointed in the breakfast. The WEB site for the Black Bear does state that the place has a self serve continental breakfast so I was not expected a served breakfast - although at the price we paid for the room, we should have had a served breakfast. The problem is that the breakfast choices were very limited and many of the items in the refrigerator were out of date. We stayed at other places in Alaska at considerably less cost than the Black Bear which had self-serve breakfasts with many more choices than the Balck Bear.

Nicole was friendly and gave us recommendations for places we would not have found by ourselves. The decor is nice and the grounds are attractive. It is just that the Black Bear is significantly overpriced.

Very comfortable with a great view. Rooms are very comfy and convenient to downtown. Be sure and talk to Nicole about the right places to eat and the right guides to use. She put us on the best! Highly recommend!

This lovely inn is right on the water and has a hot tub and covered patio area for outdoor cooking. There are also two decks. We stayed in the "bunkhouse," a beautifully decorated cottage with a small kitchen for light meals. There were so many amenities--TV, Sirius radio, beautiful views of the water, books, binoculars, for our use, etc. Nicole, the innkeeper, has a wealth of knowledge about what to see and where to eat. She even gave us a tip on when to see the bears feeding on the salmon, and sure enough, they were there just as she said. This is a wonderful place to stay and we highly recommend it. Oh, one more thing--when we asked Nicole for the location of a laundromat (we had just come off an adventure cruise and had a lot of dirty laundry), she insisted on washing our clothes herself. She said she couldn't bear to think of us wasting time in a laundromat when we could be out enjoying Ketchikan!