Land's End Resort -- Homer Spit

[ARBORGUY]

Hi ...

Anyone have comments about Land's End Resort at Homer Spit? Thinking about two nights there while while on our land tour prior to criuse....in mid August about 8/14-15....

[cjnky]

Hopefully someone will answer you who has stayed there. We camped nearby, and loved walking the beach in front of Lands End. It definitely looked like the kind of place I'd have picked if I hadn't been camping!! :)

[NancyIL]

It's in a great location. Unfortunately, you have to drive through an RV jungle to get there! I was turned off by all the RV's at first, but then the Spit grew on me! If you do a search of greatam's posts, she has stayed there before, and now owns one of their condos.

 

If you plan to buy the TourSaver book and have a few hours of free time in the afternoon, I can recommend the Gull Island Lunch Cruise through Homer Ocean Charters: http://www.ottercoveresort.com/rookery.htm It was an especially good deal with the TourSaver coupon.

[greatam]

I personally won't stay there anymore, although it used to be my favorite place in Homer and I stayed there all the time.

 

They have changed management (the "kids" are managing the hotel) and dollar signs are all they now see. Service kind of went out the window. The new managers think the "groups/conventions" are their claim to fame and small groups/couples are being given short shrift in the service dept.

 

You may want to look at the condos which are on the same beach and in the same parking lot. They are pricier, but you don't have to go out to eat, so all in all it is about the same if you eat in. The condos are under the old hotel manager, so the service is great. We co-own one of the condos and very rarely have any complaints from any of our "guests".

 

My next favorite place is Sea Lion. Again, right on the Spit, but only two rooms, so you need to book early. If you can get into Sea Lion, you will have fabulous views and are right in the middle of the action. But book NOW. They go fast. http://www.sealiongallery.com/cove/index.html

[greatam]

dup post

[ARBORGUY]

Thanks...greatam and and nancy....

This why I just love this Board!! Great, honest info!!!

My Toursaver should arrive tomorrow, I'm pouring over Milepost and Frommers.....

Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement to do the land tour on our own instead of Cruisetour...

In fact, I just changed our flights to add two additional days based in input from others, especially Budget Queen, and Nancy and FTI and GMoney...now doing 8/5-8/17 prior to Island Princess from Whittier to Vancouver!!

Thanks, Bill

[NancyIL]

That's GREAT that you were able to add more time in Alaska! :) Care to share what your itinerary looks like at this point?

 

When I was planning our 2007 trip, I also wanted more time in Alaska after our cruise, but my husband didn't want to use any more vacation days. So instead of changing our flights to add more days, I changed cruise ships! We went from 3 nights in Vancouver + a Wednesday departure on the Pacific Princess + 7 days in Alaska, to 1 night in Vancouver + a Monday departure on the Coral Princess + 9 days in Alaska. Vancouver is a beautiful city, but I'm glad we spent those 2 days in Alaska instead of Vancouver.

[ARBORGUY]

Hi Nancy....

Well we're still "playing" with it....but this is it at this stage

8/5 Arrive Anchorage at 8:30 pm Stay at a in-town hotel

8/6 Pick up Avis car "in town" (big savings over airport pick-up)

Drive to Talkneetna with various stops. Summit flightseeing from Talkneetna. Stay the night and have a "back-up to fly next morning if necessary.

8/7 Drive to Danali and stay two nights in Healy

8/8 Denali

8/9 drive to Fairbanks for overnight.

8/10 afternoon departure to Copper Center-- stay overnight

8/11 Drive to Chitina and fly into McCarthy and stay two nights at Kennicott Glacier Lodge

8/12 Kennicott

8/13 Drive to Valdez stay overnight

8/14 ferry to Whittier-drive to Homer

8/15 Second night in Homer

8/16 Drive two Seward for two nights

8/17 Seward

8/18 Seward to Whittier...PWS Tour....onto Island Princess for evening Sailing.

 

Any insight anyone can give it greatly appreciated!!

Bill

[NancyIL]

I like it a lot, Bill! If we'd had more time for a land trip, we probably would've done just as you are doing on the front-end of your trip by going to Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbanks.

 

If I could have a "do over" of the land trip - I would've planned something in Valdez, and I wish we had more time while in Kennicott to explore McCarthy. You won't have far to drive between Copper Center and Chitina, so you'll probably have more time in the area than we did. We arrived at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge just in time for dinner and the walking tour of town afterwards. The next day was taken up with our glacier hike and mill tour, and I was so exhausted that I went straight to bed right after dinner! We flew back to Chitina the following morning. As much as I loved the towns on the water (especially Homer) - Kennicott was my favorite place on the land trip.

 

Good luck as you continue fine-tuning your trip!

 

**I like your plan so much that I just might plan a land-only trip for 2009 - but with an extra day or two in Fairbanks and one more in Valdez! I'd like to add Cordova to the itinerary, as well. :)

[dunbawn]

My company put me up there when I had to work in Homer. If I had to make the reservations myself it would not have been my choice of somewhere to stay. The only nice thing about the place was that I could get out and walk along the beach. It was really hard to have to drive all over Alaska going to work for maybe 6 hours a day and then having to put up with all there was to see :D

 

eileen