Travel»Pacific Northwest»Alaska’s Softer Side

Alaska’s Softer Side

Avid adventure traveler David Hanson sets out to discover coastal Alaska’s less rugged, more indulgent attributes: hot-stone massages, gourmet food, leather-bound wine lists, and complimentary bathrobes.

Tutka Bay brews good joe, and brews it strong. Kirsten Dixon, one of the lodge’s owners, trained at Le Cordon Bleu and has no patience for the wilderness excuse of mediocre menus.

Photographer Annie Schlechter

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Gourmet Fare

The wood cabins glow orange in the increasing sunshine, and the dining room has a chef in a white coat who’s already preparing fresh-caught halibut for lunch. He greets me when I enter the dining room for a cup of coffee. Tutka Bay brews good joe, and brews it strong. Kirsten Dixon, one of the lodge’s owners, trained at Le Cordon Bleu and has no patience for the wilderness excuse of mediocre menus. I peek at the wine list and wonder if it’d be appropriately indulgent of me to order the $50 Pinot tonight.