Ballaine House Lodging is simply the best B&B we have ever stayed in, bar none. That is because the hostess, Marilee, went so unbelievably far out of her way to make the visit to her B&B and her town the best experience possible.

Our visit started with Marilee picking us up at the train station. (There is now a free shuttle bus provided by the town during the summer, but we were not aware of that and it was raining, so Marilee just came down herself and picked us up.) We were very interested in doing a dog sled ride at “Mitch Seavey’s Iditaride,” and she called and booked the event for us, making sure that we were given the 10% discount she was entitled to for referring clients to them. The company offers free pick up service in town.
Then we decided that the following day we would like to visit and take a hike at the Exit Glacier, located about 11 miles out of town. Marilee made sure we had transportation to the glacier. We did this the next day, and upon returning to town it was time to have lunch, and she asked where we would like to go and what type of food we wanted. She then recommended a waterfront restaurant that met our needs perfectly.

Marilee wanted to know what we intended to do on the following day, which was the day of departure for our cruise ship. We responded that we would not be able to do anything, because boarding for our ship began at about 11 a.m., even though the ship was not scheduled to leave until evening. Marilee explained the procedure for boarding cruise ships. She said we could simply drop off our luggage about 11:00 or 11:30, register for the ship, get our boarding passes, and then we had the afternoon free, as all we had to do then was return later and go straight to security and board the ship before departure. With this knowledge, we decided to use the next day to take a three-hour wildlife cruise in Resurrection Bay after we had registered for the ship. Marilee booked the cruise for us and got us a 20% discount on that trip. The wildlife cruise was every bit as good as Marilee said it would be; Resurrection Bay was truly beautiful, and we saw various kinds of birds, two different kinds of seals, and some sea otters. (Warning: We were fortunate to have good weather, and this helped a great deal; the trip might not have been as inviting if the weather was foggy.) We followed the planned cruise ship boarding procedure, and it worked like clockwork! We quickly boarded through the security entrance with no waiting line. What a breeze!

Oh yes….the daily breakfast. Marilee asked us each night what we wanted for breakfast: e.g., eggs, pancakes (regular or blueberry?), fruit, bacon, coffee (or tea or hot chocolate?), and what time we would like to eat. Great breakfasts! Did we mention that Marilee also offered to do laundry for use (which we declined as we did not have enough dirty clothes at that point to justify a load)?

As you can see, it would be difficult to imagine a more accommodating hostess. She made our visit to Seward a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and we could not recommend Ballaine House Lodging more highly!

Our stay at the Ballaine House in Seward was one of the best experiences during our trip around Alaska. The woman that owns the B&B is so very nice and helpful, and she really helped with where to go, what to see and how to do it. She's just one of those people who can't help helping others :-) She was the reason we stayed in Seward longer than planned, because she could tell us what we shouldn't miss. It was great!
Apart from her lovely personality, her B&B is nice and clean with good beds!

We had a wonderful stay in August. The owner was very helpful, lending us jackets, offering discount coupons, making reservations. The breakfast was delicious and the beds were very comfortable. We would definitely recommend this B&B.

Everything she offered was helpful! When I first corresponded with Marilee on line she sent back useful general information about Seward and the surrounding area including tips that made our travel to there easier. She let us know she would do our laundry (which she did) which made packing and planning easier for us. There is a plethora of menus, travel guides and books at Ballaine House and Marilee fields every question with details. She not only provided us with guidance for that area but when we left for our next destination we had a coupon in our pocket to use at a museum at our next destination.
The house is charming and our room was comfortable, airy, well decorated and pleasant in every way.
Marilee not only determines exactly what each guest would like for breakfast and prepares separately as ordered but adds an abundance of fresh fruit and other items. Her guests remain around the table chatting while she quietly fills plates and chimes in when asked a question. Others are there on the computer or in comfy chairs.
I'll sum it up by saying that this lovely woman gives the impression that she has genuine concern for each of her guests and wants them all to feel like family. She is quite an amazing person. Stop at Ballaine house and see for yourselves!