We stayed in the first cabin right on the river. The view was heartstoppingly beautiful. And that is basically the only good thing I can say about the property.
The cabins are attractive from the outside, but junky and shabby on the inside.
We were told our cabin was the best on the property. I'd hate to see the others. All the furniture was old and mismatched. It was so crowded it was difficult to move around in the cabin. There was absolutely no place to set our suitcases to open them up.
The "full kitchenette" was creepy and totally inadequate. I had to scrub out the inside of the coffee pot because it was filthy. There was no bathroom sink--only the one in the kitchenette. There was no proper door on the bathroom--only some kind of folding accordion-type thing that didn't latch properly.
Right outside the cabin was the nightly campfire where everyone gathered for quite some time into the night. The curtains on our windows were too small to close completely. So we had to change clothes in the bathroom since everyone could see into our cabin.
The stairs up to the beds in the loft were the most treacherous I've ever seen. Besides being incredibly steep, you had to bend over to go up and down. I was terrified of falling.
The beds in the loft were squeezed under the eaves so that if you sat up in bed you'd hit the ceiling.
When I tried to close the window, it was broken. So I had to take the screen out and pull it closed with my hand. All the while I was beating back the mosquitoes that were now coming into room.
There was a bizarre humming noise that happened sporadically through the night and kept us awake.
The cabin is advertised as "handicap accessible." They do provide a ramp instead of steps into the cabin, a bed on the ground floor, and grab bars in the shower. However, I don't know how a person would get a wheelchair from their vehicle to the ramp because the entire driveway is gravel. Once inside the cabin, there is no way a wheelchair could be used. There is too much furniture blocking the way. It was dangerous for my husband to walk in there with so many obstacles in his path.
The owners and most of the guests were a bit odd to say the least. It felt like we were in an alternate universe. Everywhere else we stayed in Alaska, people were very nice and interesting, but these people definitely march to the beat of a different drummer. Plus they were constantly bragging about how upscale the property is--they just didn't have a clue.
Everything overall just seemed seedy and shabby. Plus unless you fish, there is NOTHING to do here except for a scenic float trip. We took that with Alaska Wildland Adventures. That was wonderful and the river is beautiful. But you could do that as a day trip from Seward which is very close.
Restaurant options are extremely limited. Everyone told us to go to Gwin's Lodge. Very grubby and shabby. Our burgers were so hard we could hardly eat them.
And get this: Drifter's Lodge was the most expensive accommodation we had in Alaska. $300.00 per night. Fortunately, we had used the Toursaver book, so we got one night "free."
But guess what? We didn't stay for our free night. We went back to Anchorage and stayed at the Comfort Inn for $116.00. It was our last night in Alaska, and we didn't want our fabulous trip to end on a sour note. It was good to stay in a normal hotel with a normal type of room. Plus they even had a pool which we thoroughly enjoyed for our last night.
All our other accommodations in Alaska were terrific: Indian Cove B&B in Auke Bay, Mile-Zero B&B in Skagway, Glacier Bay Lodge, Rose Ridge B&B in Palmer, Denali Fireside Cabins in Talkeetna, Dimond Center Hotel in Anchorage, Bear's Den B&B in Seward, and Comfort Inn in Anchorage. We would return to ANY of those properties, but NOT to Drifter's Lodge.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
No way!
I recommend this hotel for:
Young Singles, An Amazing Honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Families with Teenagers, tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Young Singles, An Amazing Honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older Travellers, Great pool scene, Families with Small Children, Families with Teenagers, tourists
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Museums / Cultural / Historical sites, Outdoor / Adventure