Hotels

Homer has many good B&Bs. The Homer Chamber of Commerce (www.homeralaska.org) has links to a prodigious number of them. In addition to the places I've listed in detail, The Sea Lion Cove, above the Sea Lion Gallery on Homer Spit (tel. 907/235-3400 in summer or 907/235-8767 in winter; www.sealiongallery.com/cove), has two spacious units with limited cooking facilities, private phones, and a deck right over the beach where you can hear the waves roll in at night. They rent for $130 and $140 a night.

Up the hill on the other side of town, A Memorable Experience Bed and Breakfast (tel. 800/720-9275, ext. 7374 or 907/235-7374; www.amemorableexperience.com) offers huge rooms and a large cottage with spectacular views and an expansive garden setting. The owners know how to do things right. They also run the Fresh Sourdough Express restaurant and, besides a great breakfast, offer guests a voucher for goodies there. Prices range from $135 to $200 per night, based on accommodation and length of stay.

If you just want good, simple lodgings downtown, you'll find an extraordinary value at the clean and friendly Pioneer Inn, 244 W. Pioneer Ave. (tel. 800/782-9655 or 907/235-5670; www.pioneerinnhomerak.com), which offers big, apartment-style units for $109 in summer ($119 in July) with up to four people in the room. Rooms with two twins or a queen bed are $89 to $99 in summer. They also have a house that sleeps up to nine for $275 a night.

Camping & Hostels

The most popular place to camp in Homer is out on the spit, amid the sand and pebbles. It can be windy and crowded, but waking up on a bright, pebbled beach makes up for much. The city charges $8 for tents, $15 for RVs, payable at the Camp Fee Office (tel. 907/235-1583, summer only) in a small log cabin on the spit across the road from the fishing hole. (RVers should read the next paragraph for another option on the spit.) The city also operates the more protected Hornaday Campground near the hospital: From Pioneer Avenue, take Bartlett Street uphill; turn left on Fairview and right on Campground Road. Both camping areas are managed by Homer Public Works (tel. 907/235-3170; http://publicworks.ci.homer.ak.us, click "Parks and Recreation").

If RV hookups are a priority, you can still stay on Homer Spit -- for a price. Heritage RV Park is on the spit right next to the fishing hole (tel. 800/380-7787 or 907/226-4500; alaskaheritagervpark.com) and has all the usual amenities. Sites with full hookups, including Wi-Fi, telephone with voice mail, and satellite TV, for $78 a night. There are plenty of places to go off the spit and get RV hookups more affordably, including the Driftwood Inn, above. Oceanview RV Park, 455 Sterling Hwy. (tel. 907/235-3951; www.oceanview-rv.com), has 100 spaces near the downtown area overlooking the water with a trail to the beach. Rates are $45 a night for full hookups at peak season, including cable TV. Campers also get halibut charter discounts.

Find conveniently located hostel rooms at Homer Hostel, 304 W. Pioneer Ave. (tel. 907/235-1463; www.homerhostel.com), charging $25 a night for beds in gender-separated or coed dorms with four to six bunks each, or $65 double for private rooms (tax included). It's a nice old house with a shared full kitchen, but common areas are small. They also rent bikes and fishing rods and have a grill on the porch guests can use.

Lodgings Across the Bay

These places to stay all are based across Kachemak Bay from Homer, each in its own remote cove, bay, or village, and each in its own market niche, from family lodgings to luxurious accommodations. It's wise to reserve rooms at any of these places months in advance (the preceding winter isn't too soon). I regret I can't include many more that are also deserving -- and there are many -- but you can find a score of them listed with links at www.homeralaska.org (click "Where to Stay," then "Across Kachemak Bay"). Also have a look at "Kachemak Bay State Park" for the cabins and yurts for rent there. Here are some standouts to consider: The Otter Cove Resort (tel. 800/426-6212 or 907/235-7770; www.ottercoveresort.com), overlooking Eldridge Passage from a collection of attractive, affordable cabins and a shower house, with facilities for guests to cook their own meals or dine in a well-made restaurant, and access to excellent hiking and sea kayaking; Stillpoint In Halibut Cove, home of the Center for Creative Renewal (tel. 907/296-2283; www.centerforcreativerenewal.com), which offers an all-inclusive individual wilderness lodge experience, with hiking and kayaking guides, massage, and home-grown organic food, and also offers retreats and workshops for groups -- all in a buildings that's an astonishing work of art itself, full of exquisite stone, dramatic spaces, and even an indoor creek and waterfall; and, in Seldovia, Alaska Dancing Eagles B&B and Cabin Rental (tel. 907/234-7627 in summer or 907/360-6363 in winter; www.dancingeagles.com), a picturesque and relaxing house on the town's historic boardwalk overlooking calm water and, usually, a sea otter.

Late March Is Perfect -- On a spring break trip to Homer, in late March, I enjoyed spectacular cross-country skiing on deep snow on lengthy trails leading to lofty Diamond Ridge, and from there I could see a fleet of hundreds of small boats returning across the bay from salmon fishing. We'd spent time viewing the galleries, eating in fantastic restaurants, and staying in a luxurious waterfront room for an amazing bargain price. A smart visitor touring Alaska could combine skiing and fishing in Homer with other March highlights, including the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage and the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks. Homer even has a B&B where you can ski the trails from your room, Alaska Ridgetop Inn (tel. 888/357-4343; www.alaskaridgetopinn.com). The owner is one of the volunteer ski trail groomers.