"On first sight, this place made me really concerned--it's advertised as "Historic," but peeling paint and holes in the exterior stucco was not "historic"--it was shabby. Since it was the most expensive of the places we stayed, I was ready to tell them to find somewhere else for false advertising.
However, the interior is beautiful, nicely maintained in a near-Victorian style. Yes, the rooms are on the small side and there is no air conditioning (not unusual for Alaska, especially since it was a high of 65 in mid-July), but there was a lovely, safe window that opened to the breeze from the coast-line. The modern bathroom was spotless.
There is no breakfast, but there is coffee via two K-cup machines all day.
It is the only place we've ever stayed, however, that sent three emails checking on us while we were there.
So, do I recommend the Van Gilder? Yes. We'd stay there again with no issue. [No, there's no elevator, but that, too, was nothing unusual. I don't think any of the places we stayed had an elevator.]. As long as you're forewarned about the exterior appearance, it's a lovely place to stay."
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