We needed to find a place in Alaska to be our base for day trips and day cruises, and since our targets were the ports of Whittier and Seward, Girdwood sounded like the perfect compromise. Some 30-45 minutes from the ANC airport, it was good enough for not having to get up too early for the morning flight back.
The location: great! In winter, this is a ski resort, with a chairlift and a gondola leaving right out of the hotel front yard. In summertime, a couple of trails start at this location, and each day you can pick a different one and experience the raw nature. Drive to Whittier is about 30 minutes away (Prince William Sound cruises leave from here), while Seward took 1h 45' to get to (Kenai nat'l park).
The room was of a decent size (it was two of us, and we had a room with a king bed and two armchairs, plenty of space). The bed was very comfortable, and the windows had heavy curtains that helped block the light. (We were there at the end of June, and during our 4 nights there I did not make it awake all the way to the sunset.)
Girdwood has some local restaurants but I was so happy with the hotel ones that I did not try those. I started with the sushi bar, where your sushi plate was complemented with nice and unobtrusive chat with the chef and waiting staff. They were there when needed, and not there to ask silly questions of the type "is everything alright". I ate here two times, that's how much I loved the first dinner.
The ultimate dining experience was at the top of the tram, in the restaurant called Seven Glaciers. The view of the Turnagain Arm is gorgeous, and the height really helps the total experience. I highly recommend eating here if you're at this resort, you won't regret it.
Breakfasts can be enjoyed either at the terrace or inside by the windows, but the food for breakfast is pretty standard for any hotel - cereals, eggs, meats, fruits, etc. Everything fresh, though.
If I had to point out one thing that was suboptimal, it would be mosquitoes. Apparently, when the snow and ice melts (which is happening in June), this part of Alaska turns into rainforest, and the mosquitoes thrive in such climate. Some were as big as little birds! Bring some repellent, it will help.

Our tourguide on the bus (after departing the cruise ship) kept telling us how nice Alyeska was "compared to other Alaska hotels." Not sure what that meant. . .and I think it set up the hotel unfairly.

Having said that, the much-heralded new sushi restaurant actually was not yet open when we arrived. . .disappointing. The other hotel restaurant was closed for breakfast. . .also disappointing. The gift shop and sundries shop all close at 5pm. . .surprising, and disappointing. However, we had free tickets for lunch at the top of the mountain, and although I don't like cable cars, I do like beautiful views, and we were NOT disappointed by the wonderful lunch and the views (and sunshine!) at the top!

We took the little shuttle into town since dinner options were so limited. The person at the front desk had recommended Jack Spratt for dinner--unbelievably GREAT food! (order the smoked salmon pasta--I promise you will not be disappointed!)

Our room was all the way at the end of the very long hall--a king room with a rollaway. It actually worked well in the space. There was someone outside with a chainsaw or a leafblower or something all afternoon, so that took away from the peacefulness quite a bit, but when it finally stopped, we loved the atmosphere.

I asked the housekeepers in the hallway for a couple of things since we were three people traveling and only had enough towels, etc for 2. The rollaway was a double size, and quite comfortable.

We also had a problem with the ac in our room. We called down to maintenance and they came up and fixed it right away.

We LOVED that internet hookup was free in the room!!!

Overall we actually found nicer places to stay in Alaska, but we did love the view from the top of the mountain, and the beautiful atmosphere for our brief stay.

We had read good reviews about the Alyeska but I wanted to add information about our experience. The hotel suffered a power outage in the middle of the night (due to circumstances beyond their control). They demonstrated true pioneer attitude with their excellent attitudes and helpfulness. They managed a continental breakfast on generator power and offered free coffee. When informed of my father-in-law's medical condition that required an assisted breathing device at night, they were very concerned and contacted maintenance to attempt to hook up to the generator. To top it all off, they gave us a discount on our bill, even though the outage was not their responsibility.

We stayed here while on our Alaskan cruisetour for 2 days, 1 night. What a wonderful hotel! It is truly a hidden gem in the Alaskan wilderness. Outside the hotel doesn't look too impressive but inside it is fantastic. The room was elegant & luxurious. I loved the double wooden doors that separated the bed room area from the hall & bathroom. There are even doorbells for people to ring instead of knocking on the door! I had never seen that in a hotel room before. The bathroom itself was OK but with a great shower head. Everything was very clean. The bed was super comfortable, & the A/C worked great.
We ate great pizza at the Aurora Grill restaurant in the hotel & ate the breakfast buffet at the Pond Cafe the next morning, which was quite good. There are a few stores in the hotel that have great stuff.
You have to take the tram up to the mountain. The views are awesome. There was still snow so we had a small snow fight up there.
The hotel also offers a free shuttle into Girdwood but beware of how full these little shuttles can get. One time there were up to 36 people in the shuttle & mind you there are only seats for about 16 people. Overall, though, the hotel was fantastic, & I would certainly recommend it to everyone & would stay again.