Name: Blonde Bear Bed & Breakfast
Address: 47004 Emery Street, Kenai Peninsula, Kenai Peninsula, Kenai Peninsula, 99611, United States of America
Rating: 8

Smoking areas

Garden

Television in lobby

No elevators

Reception desk

General

Laundry

Services and amenities

Coffee/tea for guests

Restaurant

Microwave oven

Meals

Barbecue grill(s)

Picnic area

Barbeque

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

At the hotel

Kenai Municipal Airport

Blonde Bear Bed & Breakfast

Kenai Peninsula

Savvy travelers, unfamiliar with new digs they are prospecting, know enough to ask their would-be host/hostess a battery of questions. In the case of the Blonde Bear B & B, I asked if the room about which I'd inquired had a private bathroom or a shared bathroom. I was assured it had a private bathroom. The term "private bathroom" clearly has a different meaning for me than it has for the host. The sink, tub, and commode were all in the same room as the bed. The problem was that the toilet sat there like a giant toad, shielded only by a low, partial wall, as if the carpenter had simply run out of wood and couldn't finish the job. 

The question I failed to ask, because it had never been an issue in past travels, even in China, was whether the "private" toilet was enclosed. Silly me. You would think, for just short of 200 bucks, the toilet would have its own four walls. Heck, the toilets at O'Hare and LAX are free and, glory be, they're enclosed! A shower in the "private" bath would have been nice, too, rather than a tub, but that was another question I failed to ask, having assumed that 21st century accommodations with two-bill tariffs would provide showers. 

The host did say, upon seeing our obvious shock at the, uh, room "design" that we were welcome to cross the hall and use an already "shared" bathroom; in the interest of basic decorum, we did exactly that, making a shared bath super shared. But somehow that defeats the purpose of a "private" bath.

The bed was comfortable once you clambered onto it. It was built like a swamp buggy, high enough off the floor that it required either a running jump or bear claws to surmount it. A step stool would have solved the access problem and made any middle-of-the-night travel from bed to floor far less perilous. (This wee hours accident-waiting-to-happen is an insurance agent's nightmare, and perhaps a lawyer's dream.) 

Breakfast featured a fresh and robust variety of fruit, but for the non-chimps among us, a single piece of French toast, accompanied by greasy sausages, was hardly the "hot, hearty breakfast" of Alaska lore.

The Blonde Bear website lists among its amenities the following: bathrobes, a hair dryer, and bottles of water. One, then, can reasonably expect those "amenities" to be  in the room;that's usually how it works. Wrong again. No bottles of water, no bathrobes. And when our in-room treasure hunt turned up nada a hair dryer, I guess we achieved the Blonde Bear trifecta. At that point we flagged down host Tina, who raided another room for a hair dryer. The amenities, it seems, were either non-existent or mobile. 

This is a clean B & B in a comfortable, woodsy setting, but it doesn't provide what it advertises and it lies a something of a far piece from town. 

During our 11-day stint in Alaska, we stayed in four bed and breakfast establishments in four cities.  Three of the B & B's were satisfactory or better and one, Bear Lake Lodgings in Seward, was exceptional. 

If you're a reasonably experienced traveler, you have a basis for comparison, and you'll never confuse the Blonde Bear with the best of the B & B's.

The Question I Forgot to Ask...

Stayed two nights here and loved it. Tina is a super host, goes out of her way to make sure you are happy with your stay. Her breakfasts were hearty and yummy. I am a non meat eater and she went above and beyond to make sure I had plenty of good food. 
We met some nice people while staying there. 
Take the time to look at the decorations in the home, they are Interesting and her house is lovely.
We are glad we stayed at Tina and Georges place.

Location: about 11 miles to Kenai for anyone dip netting and maybe another 10 miles to Soldotna.
Easy to find location 

Like being home..and would go back

I travel to Kenai several times a year for business.  I have stayed at the Blonde Bear for the last 7 years.  George and Tina are great hosts.  They are both Alaska natives and can recommend great activities and sights to see.  The rooms are always clean and the breakfast is 1st class.  George is a US Navy veteran cook.  He has prepared everything from halibut omelets, fresh blueberry pancakes (he picked the blueberry's)
and moose sausage.  If you want to stay in a nice place with nice people, stay at the
Blonde Bear... Bart

Great bed & breakfast

I missed a day here because of delayed flights but Tina offered me the next night instead, I already had another booking so had to decline.
The house is wonderful, the wooden staircase is amazing too
Tina was a great host, she took time to chat to me and the other guests there,she cooked a lovely breakfast and I am looking forward to getting back there next year

Lovely time

DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD # WITHOUT SEEING THE ROOM.  We were told over the phone that The Raven was plenty big for 3 of us.  Upon arrival and seeing the room which was very small, I asked where we were supposed to put our luggage.  Duh, I guess she never thought that one would be "traveling" and living out of suitcases.  We were supposed to stay 4 nights but did not stay even one night.  Our room was quite stuffy as there is no air conditioning and no cross ventilation.  It can get quite humid in AK and this would have been uncomfortable also.  There are 3 bedrooms upstairs (10-12 stair steps) so if steps are a problem, be aware of that also.  Our 9-year-old grandson had socks on and fell down the rather slippery wooden stairs.  One upstairs bedroom has a private bath (but no shower) so possibly all 3 bedrooms could be sharing the one bath that has a shower.  All in all, I would rate this place as a 1 out of 10.  It is in the suburbs, hardly the wilderness, and not close to town.  Also very expensive compared to what the nice roomy hotel room was in town.  She charged us for all 4 nights even though we left right after we saw the room.  I could understand a compromise, as most hotel rooms offer a 24-hour cancellation notice, but I guess she can "misrepresent" all she wants and leaves the guests paying.  She said there were pictures on the website but of course you cannot tell how large the rooms are when you only see the bed portion.  If your idea of experiencing the "Alaska Wilderness" is sitting in someone's yard in the middle of nowhere, this is your place and good luck!  Don't say you weren't given a heads up.

BEWARE!

Having met the friendly Showalter family in Anchorage, I had only one desire: to see them again at their home in Kenai Province. The Blonde Bear Bed and Breakfast was splendid under the snow, and I was filled with admiration when I learned that they had built it themselves. As well as beautiful and original furniture (framework of wooden beds, for example). And George is a fine cook: his royal vegetables like I had never eaten in a restaurant. And I laughed with them all day long! I was deeply happy. Dad, mom, daughter and dog: I was almost a small family of the American family: smoky, wonderful, dreamlike.

Blonde Bear Bed & Breakfast

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