Alaska House of Jade Bed and Breakfast is an 8,400-square-foot house that is located in Anchorage, Alaska. The property offers five rooms in total that can be reserved at any time from May to September. Breakfast is provided each morning, starting at 7:30 and going on until 9:00. There are various common areas provided for guests to lounge in, both indoors and around the exterior of the establishment. Oftentimes, people that come to the property are in the area for activities such as fishing, hiking, skiing, and snowboarding, or to see the northern lights. There are a variety of lakes and rivers for water-based activities and several parks nearby that allow guests to explore the city and mountains. A short distance from the property, one can find the Alaska Botanical Gardens, and further to the town, people can eat at restaurants like F Street Station and Bear Tooth Theatrepub.
Alaska House of Jade Bed and Breakfast is a single building that is 8,400 square feet in size. There are five bedrooms available for visitors to rent that can be found on the first and second floors of the house. Each room has a, television, Wi-Fi, private bathroom, blow-dryer, robes, lotion, and shampoo. Some rooms also have dining tables available. An off-street parking space is available for each room as well. Coffee and other drinks are available throughout the day, and guests can find snacks, like chips, sparkling water, soda, and more in the common areas during the evening hours.
Visitors can mingle in one of the two living rooms and two outdoor decks, which have seating for lounging. There are also board games that guests can use if they would like. People that need to bring work with them to the bed and breakfast can also take advantage of the printer if need be. One service that is provided by the inn's owner includes creating reservations with nearby restaurants for her guests. Another amenity that is provided to those staying at Alaska House of Jade Bed and Breakfast is a complimentary breakfast that is provided every morning.
Breakfast is a complete, three-course meal with dishes that change every day so that guests are less likely to eat repeated meals on their trip. Starters include things like fresh fruit, homemade granola, and yogurt. The main dishes change as well, including waffles, crepes, scones, and quiches. A few dishes that have been made in the past include house frittata with sausage and potatoes, fried apples as a side with huevos rancheros, and blueberry French toast. Breakfast is served from 7:30 to 9:00 in the morning, and the owner is capable of catering to food allergies and specific diets such as vegan and gluten-free, assuming she is given enough notice. Upon request, guests can also have their breakfast packed up for them before the standard dining times. If there are any leftovers, the owner can preserve them in case someone does not have the chance to get food within the allotted time frame.
On the outside of the bed and breakfast, the building has two waterfalls. Flowers grow all over the property, as Krista—the owner of Alaska House of Jade Bed and Breakfast—enjoys gardening. A fire pit area is available to be used by anyone on the property as well. Krista explains that "I try to make little spaces where everyone can still feel like they are getting away from it all." Behind the edifice, there are another five acres of a wooded area where guests can take walks.
Beyond the property line, one can find a number of different attractions and restaurants in Anchorage, Alaska. The Alaska Botanical Garden is located a short distance south of the bed and breakfast, where guests can see some of the natural flora of the area. The gardens are found on the edge of Far North Bicentennial Park, which is a large outdoor area where guests can spend time hiking, skiing, and other recreational activities. One place that Krista likes to mention to visitors looking for interesting places to visit is the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which offers exhibits and demonstrations of the native culture in a wooded place. She also likes to recommend restaurants in the area to her guests. One of her suggestions is F Street Station, which can be found in the downtown area of Anchorage and is known as an "old pilot bar" that specializes in fish n' chips. Another place that she mentions by name is called Ray's Place, which is a family-owned and casual eatery that serves Vietnamese dishes, beer, and wine. Finally, there is Bear Tooth Theatrepub, which offers a variety of things, including a movie theatre, a bar, and a restaurant. They also sometimes host concerts and live music.
Anchorage, the city where the bed and breakfast lies, is set next to a bay called Knik Arm, and there are various mountains and rivers that can be found outside of the city for hiking and fishing. Another unique place where guests can spend time outdoors is Chugach State Park, which has various mountains, glaciers, lakes, and places to ski.
Krista, the current owner of Alaska House of Jade Bed and Breakfast, explains that her biggest goals are "not to ruin the good name of the property" she purchased from the previous owner, as well as to help her guests feel "comfortable and at home." She reports that some guests have been coming since 1987 when the property first opened, and she wants to live up to their previous expectations. To do this, Krista tries to be aware of every patron and identify what they may need during their stay. If some guests are not as social and want time to themselves, she tries not to bother them. Others tend to be more social, and the owner is happy to talk with them and recommend places and restaurants that she enjoys visiting in the area. Another thing that Krista does to help people enjoy their time at the bed and breakfast is having information on hand that guests may want to hear, like the local fishing report.
There are a few policies that the owner asks guests to abide by while they are staying at the bed and breakfast. Children under the age of six are not allowed at the property to help visitors have a more peaceful time at the house and to minimize the chance of damaging some of the antiques and paintings that are found in the place. Quiet hours begin at 10:00 in the evening, as well. Krista explains that she tries not to have too many policies that "bog people down." She mentions light-heartedly, "there are two rules at breakfast: No religion or politics at the dining table."
The property does not hold events or activities of its own, but Krista, the owner, is happy to allow guests to have celebrations of their own, including things like bridal showers, family reunions, birthdays, and more. She explains that she likes to make birthday cakes for people that are celebrating a birthday while they are staying at Alaska House of Jade Bed and Breakfast. In the past, she has hosted people from the National Outdoor Leadership School, who go on long exhibitions to places in and around Anchorage. Many fishermen stay at the business as well due to the various lakes and rivers that are available for fishing. Krista explains that she has a wide demographic of guests, ranging from outdoorsmen to tourists that are exploring Alaska. These different groups often talk to each other in the dining room, share stories, and visit about the things they did on their trips.
Guests that have stayed at Alaska House of Jade Bed and Breakfast have left a number of reviews of their experiences at the property. Krista mentions that the establishment is typically most known for its breakfasts, as she enjoys making food and tries to make a big breakfast every morning. The size of the rooms is another potential draw, as the business is able to accommodate larger groups. Some of the most commonly-mentioned aspects of the property by reviews tend to be the size of the rooms, breakfast, and the living arrangements. Someone who recently stayed at the bed and breakfast writes, "My husband and I spent one night in a downstairs bedroom which was clean, spacious and had a beautiful view. Krista was so welcoming and nice and made us feel at home. Breakfast was so delicious too."
The typical demographic of guests tends to be couples and older people. The owner of Alaska House of Jade Bed and Breakfast estimates that about 20% of people that come to the property are international travelers. There have been many repeat guests and people that have been coming to the bed and breakfast for over 20 years. The owner mentions that "one person that has been coming for many years likes to say that he has slept in every room including the garage." As the property is only open from May to September, the best season of operation tends to be June through July, although the owner explains that people who come for specific things in Alaska may have an easier time enjoying their activities at certain times of the year. Fishing is usually the best during the month of July. Those who enjoy activities involving the snowy season may want to show up in May or September. People that want a chance at seeing the northern lights will have a higher opportunity during the month of August.
Krista is the second owner of the property and was given the opportunity to run Alaska House of Jade Bed and Breakfast when she was asked by the first and original owner—whose name is Dee—if she wanted to run it in 2013. She and her husband were led into the industry because they had always dreamed of owning a bed and breakfast of their own. She mentions that she wasn't sure they were going to actually live out that dream until the previous owner offered to sell the property to her.
The previous owner, Dee, is also the original owner of Alaska House of Jade Bed and Breakfast. Before she owned the establishment, she was in the banking industry. She spent many years there and ended up becoming the Executive VP and Director of one of the banks in Alaska. While she was in that industry, she built and bought a variety of commercial units and ended up managing them for over 30 years, at one point owning nearly 30 different buildings in Anchorage. After 23 years of working at the bank and managing other buildings and businesses, Dee purchased the land and house in 1985, and after two years, she opened the bed and breakfast in 1987 under the name of Morovia House. While she owned the business, Dee made various changes and updates to the house, including repainting the walls, putting up new walls to create more rooms for guests to stay in, and adding additional bathrooms for the rooms that didn't have one.
Krista explains that the house was in good condition when she got it, so "there was not much maintenance that needed to be done in the first place." Some changes that she made include opening up the living room to allow guests more common places in the house and putting hardwood floors in some of the rooms. She increased the size of the dining area and the space that guests could be in while they were visiting. One hobby that she enjoys is gardening, and there are many flowers that she tends outside and around the property. In the future, she plans on doing additional work outside, specifically to develop the land that she is currently on. She also plans on remodeling one of the bathrooms and affirms that she continues to maintain the building and keep it in good condition.
Krista's favorite part of running Alaska House of Jade Bed and Breakfast is being able to visit with people that are staying at the establishment. She enjoys hearing their stories and talking about all of the places her guests have been to.
3800 Delwood Place
Anchorage, Alaska 99504
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Krista Walker
Dee
