Hotels near Merrill Field Airport - MRI, Anchorage

Anchorage is an interesting small city. The mix of cultures - ancient, indigenous, Russian, and modern influences - can be felt in the various museums and eateries. To get a feel for the city, take a bus or walking tour from the Visitors Center, then visit The Alaska Native Heritage Center, Alaska Museum, and Alaska Aviation Museum to pull the indigenous and modern worlds together. Earthquake Park, Kincaid Park and Flattop Mountain are among the open spaces that give a sense of the geography of the area. Public transportation within the city is good. The wide variety of restaurants gives visitors a range of options. Piper's, Midnight Brewery, Fancy Moose, and 49th State Brewery topped our list. Anchorage is an excellent base for day trips north and south if time in Alaska is limited. Renting a car may be more desirable than a bus or train tour to provide flexibility. Any outing will be an adventure...Alaskan scenery is outstanding and sometimes overwhelming, even on a rainy day!

This place is great in many respects. Sure, its not the Sheraton, but we had a comfortable, clean room and all the staff were absolute legends. Their shuttle service was there to pick us up at the airport and drop us off via a pick up from downtown. They stored our luggage on our departure day too - thanks Anthony and the rest of the Merrill crew! They also provided a hearty breakfast which hit the spot perfectly! On top of all this, they gave us good tips for dining downtown and introduced us to the "Red Solo Cup" ... a lot of fun for travel weary aussies!

Alaska is so beautiful but Anchorage doesn't show that at all. The city is so gloomy and is not properly taking care of its people. We did find a few good bars and pubs, but walking around on the street just made us sad. Recommend only staying in Anchorage for activities outside of the city (visit Whittier or go hiking in Chugach State Park!) or to pass through on your next adventure to Denali, Fairbanks, Kenai etc. One activity worth doing in Anchorage is the coastal trail, by bike or by foot, you'll definitely spot an eagle or a moose!

I came specifically for the Alaska Winter Train Ride from Anchorage to Fairbanks. It was a breathtaking beautiful ride! I am planning future trips back to Alaska to take more train tours. The hotel shuttle driver and another hotel guest recommended the seafood chowder at Forty Ninth State Brewing in downtown Anchorage. The driver offered to take me. I ordered the Alaskan seafood chowder with a lager loaf, a garden salad and their "award winning" smoked wings. Bingo! The seafood chowder was delicious with chunks of seafood in a very flavorful creamy broth! It was very good and the lager loaf was scrumptious. Together they made a great combo! I can see why the "award winning" smoked wings got an award...they were delicious, even cold, the next day! Customer service here was top shelf. Kristaleigh took my order and made the recommendations for the wings and lager loaf. She was delightful and professional! Overall, it was a very warm environment and pleasant interaction. Hats off to the chef/cook at the Lakefront Anchorage Hotel restaurant. I spent one night here and ordered take out. I ordered two salmon tacos (scrumptious and very tasty) and steamed veggies which were flavorful and steamed just right! The bartender who took my order was very helpful and professional. Great customer service!

Very easy to get around but I recommend a rental car. Lots to see but some of the locations are definitely within driving distance. Alyeska Resort is a must. Tram rail and seven glacier restaurant is very impressive.

We did not have an opportunity to view much of Anchorage as we were headed to Wasilla to visit family. We did eat at the Arctic Roadrunner in Anchorage, which is a very popular burger restaurant; the burgers were great! We stayed at the Hyatt in Anchorage, which is only 8 minutes from the airport. We'd recommend this hotel to anyone who wants to be close to the airport and have a great hotel/restaurant to visit. Directions to the airport were fairly straight forward; there was very little traffic mid-morning Sunday.