Fine Dining and Gracious Accommodations at the Aurora Inn, Dawson City, Yukon

For the independent traveler to the North, in Dawson City, Yukon, the Aurora Inn provides comfortable accommodations in a European style inn, constructed with clean lines and a modern touch. No rustic log cabin, the outside of the building is clad in galvanized steel and clapboard siding and the furnishings lean toward Scandinavian Design. The adjacent restaurant, La Table, serves unique, European fare in an elegant setting.

Inn

Entering the lobby Carolyn Wong, who hails from Winnipeg, is likely to greet you warmly and show you to the living room while checking you in. A large dining area hosts guests who choose the continental breakfast (additional charge). Shoes are deposited in a spacious walk-in closet near the front door and can be replaced with slippers provided by the Inn. A computer is available for guests in the main hallway, though the internet connection can be fickle.

Carolyn first visited Dawson City in 1992 while visiting her daughter who was "dancing her way through university at Diamond Tooth Gerties," a long-running show featuring Can-Can dancers and gambling that still plays to appreciative audiences three nights a week. Carolyn, a history buff, was drawn to the pioneer spirit that began with the heady gold-rush days and persists to the present. As Carolyn says, "Most everyone who lives here came from somewhere outside. And because it is a choice everyone is very happy to be here." It was no accident that Carolyn ended up where she is-at her high school graduation she announced that she wanted to own a lodge in Northern Canada, and she's living proof that dreams can come true.

Guest rooms are spotless and filled with natural light from the large windows. Rooms are comfortably appointed with desk, dresser, TV and private bath with shower stall. The white walls and blond wood furniture evoke create a bright, European country feel.

The full-service inn is open year round, which is somewhat unusual in these far northern reaches of the Yukon Territory. Rates range from $149-199 in summer, less in winter.

Restaurant

La Table, located in the same building but accessed from its own entrance outside, is separate from the breakfast dining room. European and North American cuisine is served in a sophisticated setting, which, like the Inn, is bright and welcoming. A large window into the kitchen brings patrons in close proximity with the chef. The wine list is extensive, featuring wines from California, Australia and Europe.

The food, artfully and elegantly presented, demonstrates a complex blending of flavors using the freshest ingredients. The cold beetroot soup was a artistic display of brilliant red, encircled with thinly sliced cucumber and exploding with flavors of beets, cucumber, dill and yogurt. The endive salad, arranged artfully, included a very mild Gorgonzola cheese paired with delicately flavored pears. The duck duo consisted of succulent duck confit and roast duck, while the grilled arctic char was expertly prepared to retain the fresh flavors of this mild, tender fish.

The Aurora Inn proprietors, Carolyn Wong and Swiss born Bruno Imiger, have succeeded in creating an elegant and sophisticated restaurant and inn the far Northern reaches of North America.

Information:

Aurora Inn
5th Ave & Harper St
Box 1748
Dawson City, Yukon, Y0B 1G0 Canada.
Phone (867) 993-6860
Fax: (867) 993-5689
www.aurorainn.ca

Getting There:

Travelers to Dawson City arrive in a multitude of ways, including, but not limited to:

RV or other vehicle: Road-trippers often take a long detour from the Alaska-Canada (ALCAN) Highway by traveling on the Klondike Highway north from Whitehorse (333 miles). By continuing on the unpaved Top of the World Highway motorists can connect back to the ALCAN Highway at Tok, AK. The truly adventurous continue from Dawson City on the unpaved Dempster Highway 457 miles to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, crossing the Arctic Circle as the road follows an old dog-sled trail.

Canoe: A popular activity is to take a multi-day canoe trip from Whitehorse (12-15 days) or Carmacks (6-8 days) to Dawson City, following the path of the Klondike Gold Rush on the Yukon River. Canoe rentals are available from Up North and Kanoe People in Whitehorse.

Tours: A number of package tours, including Holland America/Carnival, include Dawson on Alaska/Yukon itineraries that often feature Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Dawson City, Whitehorse and Skagway, some connecting to Inside Passage cruises.

Air:Air North provides regularly scheduled air service from Vancouver, BC through Whitehorse, YT, and Fairbanks, AK)