We stayed at the Alaska Sunset View Resort in the Cedar Chalet for ten days. It was located in Wasilla. When we arrived the inside and outside of the house was under construction. We were not notified of this in advance. None of the televisions worked which was inconvenient with children. More importantly there was fire hazards which the owner didn’t seem to worry about. Our bedroom didn’t even have a window which I’m pretty sure is a fire violation. The wall behind our bed was particle board covered with a white drape. The backyard was all tore up with gravel. There was a steep three foot decline to get down which was about two feet from the fire pit. The owner had an excuse for everything. Our family looked forward to this trip for a long time only to be disappointed. Please for the safety of your family do not stay here. I notified the fire marshal and he thanked me and is looking into it. This owner could care less about her guests!

We held our daughter’s wedding at this beautiful Big Lake resort and although the grounds and homes sound wonderful for a night or weekend stay, we don’t recommend ever dealing with the owner Kathy Giles for booking a wedding. Not knowing in advance how many guests would need accommodations, my daughter and her fiancé chose the Silver Package at a cost of $6434.75, which included rental of the grounds, pavilion, tables, chairs and table linens and the Cedar House for their stay Fri & Sat. We discussed the option with Kathy of our wedding guests renting rooms in the McKinley House on our tour (which was rescheduled after she confirmed a day & time via email but was not at the venue when my daughter, her fiancé and myself arrived, so we had to rebook) and she assured us that the rooms could be rented for one, two, or three nights individually and that she would go as far as to not book “other” guests in the house on our weekend if most of the rooms were rented. Kathy showed us each room and assured us that the refrigerator and kitchen could be used if the house were full. We also were told that we could bring our own BBQ for the rehearsal dinner on Fri. afternoon and that it was a good thing we were planning on bringing our own burgers to grill because they had just hired a new chef at their on-site restaurant and she couldn’t recommend their catering services. Once the venue was chosen, contract singed and half paid in advance, my daughter set up a web-page on a popular wedding site and carefully listed the Venue and accommodation options for out of town guests and relatives which included area camp grounds, hotels, and RBO's in the Big Lake area. Although we’d read negative reviews prior to the additions to the McKinley House, the more recent reviews of the venue were more positive and appeared that some of the earlier issues with the owners disorganization had improved. (We also took note of written comments on lack of toilet paper and non-return of deposit and damages and fines for dogs and smoking). Our problems began when friends and relatives began calling me at my home in Anchorage saying they’d left numerous messages for Kathy to reserve a room in the McKinely House with no returned call or that she had returned their calls and charged their credit cards a full night stay with no emailed confirmation (some up to 4 months in advance). I personally had to call Kathy only to find out that she has no computerized way to make reservations and I spent almost an hour on the phone confirming who she had booked after emailing me a handwritten map….finding out that she had left at least one guest off who had been charged and had overbooked the house with at least two guests needing to be moved to her new “Lakeview Retreat” newly built at the Venue. My red-flag was up, but I chose to keep things positive and hope for the best come wedding time. As guests arrived on Friday afternoon for check-in Kathy’s husband Newell was on the grounds completing a large garden project and weed-wacking overgrown grass around the pavilion and told my husband and I that the maid had finished with the Cedar House cleaning from the previous night and that we could move our rehearsal dinner food into the refrigerator and begin the outside set-up for the rehearsal….when Kathy arrived and began greeting guests at the McKinley House who were waiting on the large deck for check-in, it was very apparent that she was totally confused by a re-booking and room-change that were both pre-approved via telephone with her prior to the “no cancellation” period but she had not WRITTEN DOWN…I had to stop organizing for the rehearsal and retrieve the hand-written map she had emailed me to tell HER which rooms she’d booked her guests. It was chaotic and so mismanaged that all everyone wanted to do was have it over with and begin enjoying the reason they had all traveled so far. Kathy mentioned several times that she had two other weddings at her other venues and her cell phone rang continually, interrupting the check-in process at the McKinley House. Luckily for us, we had no need for the owners once the evening arrived and the rehearsal and wedding the next day went beautifully, with our guests pitching in at every turn…even watering the dry outside plants the morning of the wedding, sweeping dry weed-wacked grass that had been left around the pavilion and setting up tables and chairs. It is a large venue and we had help from wonderful family and friends, with little or no direction from the owners. Fortunately the wedding itself was magnificent and all the detailed planning by our daughter and her fiancé with their caterer from Anchorage, the local special event company that provided a large tent and extra tables, a local baker and extra service help…all paid off with guests saying it was one of the most amazing weddings they’d attended. We did see Kathy once on the morning of the wedding and more than one of us requested that the 8 large garbage cans that she said she would provide be brought to the tented area…only to find out during the reception that only ONE can was present, leaving us to drag around the black garbage bags we’d brought to clean up every table later in the evening. Kathy personally called me on my cell phone at 9:30 AM the morning after the wedding telling me that she had a tour planned at the venue and to remind us that check-out time was at 11:00 AM…never even asking how the wedding had gone. I shared that we had left the grounds cleaner than we had found them and that checkout time at the house was noon and that a door to one of the rooms had become locked unexpectedly and she had never provided the bride or groom with a key or formally checked them into the house they contracted! Unfortunately things only became worse as she toured my husband around the Cedar House with accusations of cleaning needs above and beyond the $350 paid in the contract for an area rug cleaning and two other damages that we requested estimates on and two months later have none….Warning…read past reviews on this site and others about non-refund of deposits before you book this venue, or the headache we now have will be yours. There are many beautiful venues around Alaska to choose from that put their customers first and make the special occasion one to remember for the right reasons.

I traveled from Oregon to attend a wedding at this venue. I booked my room very early and was told I would receive a confirmation email. I never did, even after three additional calls. The owner, Kathy, said she was busy and would send me one. Never did. I arrived and there wasn't a room in my name. What? Thankfully the brides parents had ensured I had one. It took a ver long time to check in and get my key. I was exhausted and instead of being welcomed, I was treated as an imposition. I too, ate at the very over priced restaurant, after a 30 minute wait to be seated. Problem was, only two tables were occupied... I know it must be hard to run a venue with so little staff, but come on. For $200 per night for a room with no air (open the windows I was told, which was fine until a tour bus came in and dust was everywhere) no use of kitchen, and no one on site for problems. It was an Alaskan experience I would not want to repeat.

Our Stay-cation Getaway at Sunset View Resort Last month my Mother came to visit. I wanted to do something nice for her while she was here – something Alaskan! Coming from Mississippi, a place with a beauty all it’s own, I knew she would appreciate being able to spend time with her grandsons in a place that captured the most picturesque Alaska… Many come to Alaska with some expectation of igloos and polar bears. Instead, they are surprised, and maybe a little comforted, by familiar fast-food chains and super-stores. As a Wasilla resident, I sometimes feel like my day-to-day life is anything but Alaskan, as I go about my routine. Working, shopping, raising kids… So, I took my mother and sons to Big Lake, to the Sunset View Resort! Not far from my own home in Wasilla, I declared ‘Stay-cation’ from my demanding profession and took my Mama to Alaska. We stayed in the Cedar House – one of the resort options at Sunset View. It’s beautiful, and comfortable - really, really comfortable. Placed a stone’s throw from the lake, with a huge picture window stretching across that side of the house! Through the huge windows, we were treated to a magnificent view of the lake, of the mountains to which we owe our Valley, and in the distance, floating like a cloud… Denali. The family size hot tub was a great way to enjoy the view, while my sons splashed about like the salmon in the nearby water. It was Alaska Chic. In what seemed like moments from my son Isaac first casting his line off the nearby pier, he caught a small lake trout! Meanwhile, through those big picture windows, my mother and I watched the whole thing – his joy, his reward! My son Seth didn’t catch anything, and he looked super-cool while doing so. In contrast to the instant access to Alaskan nature, I helped the boys fillet their catch and cooked it up in the gourmet kitchen; completely set up, everything you might need to make delicious meals. For my mother and I, this was fitting. She taught me to cook, and I still enjoy cooking as an adult - although it was nice that she took on the cooking duties while I splashed in the hot tub, paddleboated and fished with my sons. As a personal highlight to my stay-cation experience, I had a birthday. I turned 36 years old on August 28. My mother made a birthday cake while I went to the movies with my two best friends – my sons - to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I might as well have been 12 years old again. Did I mention that there were balloons? And streamers, and other stuff that mothers do? Overall, our experience at Sunset View Resort was exactly what our family needed. We didn’t need an Alaskan adventure. We needed an Alaskan getaway – and that’s what we got. I’m so grateful to Kathy and Newell Glines, the down-to-earth owners/operators of this swank resort. They were quick to respond to our requests, welcoming, and generally nice. My goal was to give my mother and myself, along with my sons, a chance to create some precious memories, and we did. It was emotional. It was picture perfect.

This resort is in the most gorgeous setting, and the house and rooms are nice. Unfortunately, you have to deal with the owner, Cathy, who is very deceptive and sneaky. We were there as part of a large wedding party and we had rented all rooms in both houses. When making the reservation, we were never given the exact room we would be in, and we never received a confirmation. As we got closer to our trip dates, I called to make sure we had a reservation. She assured me we did, and said she didn't send confirmations since they were a small venue. Her pricing wasn't consistent among our party either. I have stayed at many B&B's and Inns and they have always been able to send a written contract, with full disclosures. When we arrived it took over an hour for her to get there and get us checked in. She still wasn't sure which room we had and moved us from one to another after check in. My biggest complaint is that we assumed since we had the entire house, that we could use the fully equipped kitchen. After the first day, she came and told us we were not allowed to cook. What? She saw us bring in groceries. It was fully equipped! If she had been pleasant, it may have gone smoother, but she has a nasty, argumentative attitude, and didn't seem to think we were her well-paying guests. This place is not cheap, and I would have preferred even a tiny bit of customer service. It's a shame she is so wretched, because Big Lake is so pretty.