City of Mackinac Island Lodgings

We've selected and profiled some 14 lodgings (along with 7 houses one can rent) from a variety of categories:
• Owner-hosted, child-friendly bed & breakfasts
(McNally Cottage, Cloghaun B&B, Lilac House, Bogan Lane Inn, Small Point)
• Romantic getaways
(Grand Hotel, Hotel Iroguois, Bay View at Mackinac, Harbour View Inn)
• Lodgings with cooking facilities
(Harbor Place Studio Suites, Sunet Condos)
• House rentals

• Full service hotels
(Island House, Grand Hotel)
• Resorts
(Grand Hotel, Mission Point Resort)

Be prepared for sticker shock: a simple hotel room can easily cost $200 a night, and a great many are twice that amount. You can stay for much less if you reserve early at small B&Bs.

GRAND HOTEL
(800) 33-GRAND
On a bluff looking west across the Straits to the Mackinac Bridge, Grand Hotel is its own world, nearly half a mile from Mackinac village, up a hill. Across a romantic lane from the flowery side entrance is its front golf course.
   Two railroads and a steamship line joined up to build the hotel, finished in 1887. It's a living Victorian resort, as advertised. It has (perhaps) the world's longest porch, lined with 100 rocking chairs. Guests pay $425 and up for a room for two in high season (plus a 19.5% added charge covering tips and more, and 6% state sales tax). This includes a full breakfast, a luncheon buffet, and a 5-course dinner at the hotel.
   See grandhotel.com for sample menus and interesting Grand Hotel lore. Read all the history sections and scroll down home page to see "Reasons great and small" to visit. These include the gorgeous gardens, the Impressionist art, having after-dinner demitasse and pastries with piano standards playing, unscheduled tours of gardens (by the head gardener). kitchens (by the chef), and hotel history by the hotel's inimitable historian, Bob Tagatz.
   All these little extras in the Grand experience can be relished just as much if you get the smallest room with no view. After all, Victorian summer hotels were about socializing — and sometimes finding eligible mates for young ladies from smaller places — not about cocooning in a luxury room. Many extras can be enjoyed by anyone who pays $15 to visit the hotel and grounds during the day. (See the Grand Hotel Points of Interest page.) Guests enjoy lots of little free perks, including croquet and bocce in the Tea Garden; the Esther Williams pool; coffee at 7 a.m. on that wonderful porch, duckpin bowling; demitasse after dinner; dancing to a swing orchestra after 9.
   Rates for larger interior rooms or smaller lake-view rooms are $558/night for two, $598 on weekends. Deluxe lake-view rooms with balcony are $728/night.
   Management takes great pride in the hotel's reputation as a great family resort. Kids 11 and under stay and eat free. (Ages 12 to 17 are $55/night extra, 18 and up $130 extra.) Sharing little civilities with your children and grandchildren — at tea time and the formal dinner, dancing to big band music together, playing at a golf course where "you can take your 10-year-old and not feel pressured"— may be worth every penny. For adults, there's dancing under the stars in the Cupola. For no extra charge, children 5 and over can take part in group programs at lunch and dinner, including games, picnics, tours of the fort and butterfly house, hayrides, art projects, and more. (Sign up upon arrival.) Wireless internet in all rooms and public areas.
   The Grand Hotel can be a very busy world, with many of Michigan's most important conventions in shoulder seasons. Tour groups and daytime visitors are any time. Bear in mind, too, that though little luxuries abound, the Grand is mostly an old hotel (some theme rooms are in a new wing), and its walls can seem mighty thin if your neighbors are four laughing women who have had a few drinks. Smoking allowed in bar only.

MARKET STREET INN
(888) 899--3811; (906) 847-3811

Best Up North

Guests rate the pretty, 9-room Market Street Inn tops because it combines the personal service of a B&B with the advantages of a central location that's quieter than Main Street. Built in 1900, it's on Market at Fort, with side views looking onto the French-Canadian McGulpin House, built before 1780. The ample homemade continental breakfast is served in rooms, or the parlor, or the charming garden patio with umbrella tables, fountain, gas grill for guests, and bike racks. Four wicker chairs are on the small front porch.
     The six queen rooms ($165 in season) are big enough but not especially large. 6% hotel levy in addition to 6% Michigan sales tax. Ask about 2 jacuzzi suites and a garden apartment. Cable TV, WiFi internet, little luxuries like special bedding, bathrobes. Book two months ahead or so for summer.

McNALLY COTTAGE
(906) 847-3829; mcnallycottage.com
This homey, friendly downtown guest house has been in the same family since it was built in 1889. It offers some of the island's most authentic, least expensive lodging. There's an unobstructed lake view from two upstairs rooms and the glassed-in front porch, where a continental breakfast is served, and where coffee and tea are available all day. 9 pleasant rooms on two floors have many bed configurations. One has 2 doubles and a trundle bed to sleep 5, with a private bath and lake view, for $110/night. A 2-room suite for 4 with sitting room is $175. Other rooms with private baths are $105 and $120. Each can be combined with another room for a sort of family arrangement with one shared bath. Be aware, as many as 7 guests might share the shower, with a sink and commode in a separate room. Not air-conditioned. No TV or internet. Guests use the office phone when necessary. No smoking except in yard. Best to call in April for summer. Before mid-June and after the third week of August, availability on short notice is usually good.

WINDERMERE INN
(800) 847-3125; (906) 847-3301
In a quiet residential spot just past the west end of downtown, the Windermere retains, in several dark oak-trimmed common rooms, much of the character of 1887, the year it and the Grand Hotel were built. The 26 well maintained guest rooms, some quite large, are at once old and fresh, bright and flowery. Many have lake views. The least expensive room, with one double and one queen bed, is $195 in high season, with 6% Michigan sales tax and $2 hotel tax. See website for specials. WiFi internet, one TV downstairs. Not air-conditioned. Fans and secure bike parking provided.
   The delightful sun porch, where morning coffee, juice, and rolls are served from 7 to 10 a.m., and the big front porch with wicker look out to the Mackinac Bridge and Round Island light, right at Windermere Point. Only hotel guests can play Frisbee, fly kites, or sit at the picnic tables at the Dog House food kiosk and lawn across the street. The all-around Village Inn restaurant, Lake View restaurant, and several pizza places are nearby.
   Hands-on hotelier Margaret Doud is the City of Mackinac Island's longtime mayor, a lifelong island resident, and daughter of Jeanette Doud, the widely appreciated chronicler of island life in the local newspaper.

CLOGHAUN BED & BREAKFAST
(888) 442-5929; (906) 847-3885. cloghaun.com

This handsome, comfortable home from 1884 sits up behind its flowery front yard on Market St. at Hoban. Cloghaun (pronounced "clo-HAAN") is centrally located but quieter than Main St. Family antiques from the late 1800s create a real period mood throughout the house. The resident innkeepers put out an ample, homemade breakfast buffet and afternoon tea with sweets in the breakfast room. There's a library, well stocked with classic books and videos, with a cable TV/VCR. The porch across the front of the house is a fine place to gather, relax, and enjoy the passing parade on the street below.
     All rooms have two antique double beds, not queens. Two of the 11 guest rooms, with baths, open onto the second-floor front balcony. They are $195 in summer and on weekends, $160 midweek in May and after September 15. Other rooms have private baths ($175/$125), or two share a bath ($110/$80). Rates are for 2 persons. Only Michigan sales tax applied. $20/extra person. 60% return guests. Reserve six months ahead for good summer availability. July is 80% booked in mid-April.
     Building the house took 36 years of hard work by Irish immigrants Bridget and Thomas Donnelly. Bridget's uncle Charles O'Malley, builder of the Island House, Mackinac's first hotel, helped them and many other Irishmen to escape the Potato Famine by coming to America. Thomas worked digging the Soo Locks (the Irish often started out on the dirtiest, hardest work) and saved $500 with which they purchased this land. He fished out of Cheboygan, where the large family lived.
     Finally in 1880 they could afford to start building. That took another four years. Thomas lived only two years past its completion. Then Bridget and daughters took in tourists. Daughter Nellie dubbed it "Cloghaun" or "stony ground." Check out the website for "top 10 Mackinac experiences" and "top 10 Irish blessings."

LILAC HOUSE
(906) 847-3708
Its downtown location on the corner of Market Street and Astor puts this family-run bed and breakfast in the middle of things but off to one side. Co-owner Mary Gillespie Thompson was born and raised on the island. This is a Victorian-era middle-class home, pleasantly decorated but nothing too elaborate. Its wrap-around porch lets guests watch the passing parade. Five upstairs guest rooms share two baths. Rates are $85 for 2 (for the larger rooms), $75 for the smaller. Bed configurations vary; some sleep 3. The large front room suite with private bath is $130 for two. A continental breakfast is available in the parlor. For summer it's best to reserve by in April or earlier.

BOGAN LANE INN
(906) 847-3439
On a quiet side street between the Island House and Ste. Anne's, this simple family home with a pleasant front porch is like a true European bed and breakfast, or like visiting a relaxed relative. Trish Martin, chief innkeeper, is assisted by her mother. Trish is also the island naturalist, a longtime year-round island resident and sometime teacher—an ideal source of info on island history, nature, and everyday life. Family furniture, mostly old enough to be called antique, gives the living room, with books and games, a nice been-here-forever feel. A fireplace takes the chill off cool days. A light continental breakfast is served in the dining room. Safe bike storage in the side yard. A great location for walking, near the marina, fort, and East Bluff, not far from downtown. Two sets of two rooms, all upstairs, each share a full bath. Varying configurations of twin and double beds. $85 for two people. The porch room with four twins is $125. Rates include all taxes. Many repeat guests. Book early for summer. Better off-season availability. Not air-conditioned. No TV or WiFi. Guests use home phone.

HOTEL IROQUOIS
(906) 847-3321
A wonderful, quiet waterfront location on Windermere Point, past the bustles of Main Street, has been optimized by a luxurious 1990s expansion and remodeling of this 1890s Victorian hotel. Big dining room windows look out at the water. Condé Nast Traveler's 2005 readers' survey put it among the top 100 U.S. hotels; in 2006 it was in Travel and Leisure's Top 500 of the world's best hotels.
   Margaret McIntire and daughters head up the top-notch staff. Rooms range from suites (1- or 2-room) with water views to smaller rooms facing the garden. Guest room rates for two in season (May into September) range from around $280 to $482, depending on view, size, and amenities. Suites are roughly two times as much. In addition to regular rates there are an 8% hotel tax and 2% facility assessment. See the web site for shoulder-season getaway specials (May, June, Sept.) on certain dates.
   Most of the first floor is given over to the dining room. Common areas are a pleasant front porch and an enclosed side porch. Children are welcome and stay at no extra charge, though they would find far more to do at the Grand Hotel and Mission Point Resort, and could be more comfortable in a studio apartment.

BAY VIEW at MACKINAC
(906) 847-3295
Perhaps Mackinac's ultimate romantic bed and breakfast. It enjoys a wonderful waterfront location east of the marina, on the slower-paced, leafy, more residential part of Main St. near Ste. Anne's. Its location made this Victorian-era house an ideal candidate for a luxurious remodeling and expansion. Bay View was the family home and then the tourist home run by innkeeper Doug Yoder's grandmother. His vivacious Southern wife Lydia is an innkeeper with him.
     Bay View now has 20 beautifully decorated guest rooms, romantic but not over the top. Many are quite large. Most have water views. They have TV/VCR if desired, phones, queen beds or larger, and private baths. All are air-conditioned. The "executive suites" are ideal for romantic cocooning. Common areas include a long, glassed-in side veranda overlooking the marina. Afternoon tea and lemonade and evening dessert are served on the veranda. The rear sundeck looks out at Round Island. Guests love to sit and relax in the wicker chairs on the big front porch, enjoying the bells of Ste. Anne's, the clip-clop of horses, and the passing parade of people and bikes. There's a free video library in the living room-lobby. For no extra charge a fabulous full hot breakfast is served in the dining room.
     Rooms for 2 with harbor views in summer start at around $185 weekdays, $225 weekends. Some rooms sleep 3. Harborview balcony rooms are around $70 more. Ask about the bridal room with lots of amenities. In spring and fall, rates are lower, and the third night is half off. Add 15% tax to rates. Check online specials. Only small weddings are allowed. For summer availability, it's best to call by January 1. No smoking.

HARBOR PLACE STUDIO SUITES
(800) 626-6304; (906) 847-3347
Next to the Shepler Dock at the west end of busy downtown's Main Street. Each of 8 functional, modern one-room studios has a sitting area with convertible sofa, a king bed, and a complete kitchen, also a dining table by a window, a phone, two flat-screen TVs and a washer-dryer. Suites have been completely remodeled, and the prices reflect it.
     All units are reached by one or two flights of stairs. 4 studios have harbor views and balconies and rent for $250/night from May through October. 4 face Main Street and rent for $200. Off-season rates $150. Some rates change. Add $8 resort tax to 6% Michigan sales tax/night. $20/extra person. Children under 13 free. Guests receive complimentary full breakfast buffets at the Island House Hotel on the other end of downtown. Owned and managed by Island House hotel

HAAN'S 1830 INN BED & BREAKFAST
(906) 847-6244; (847) 526-2662
Michigan sales tax is charged. Common areas include screened porch and 2 downstairs porches with many chairs; a den/card room; and the dining room, where a rather simple sit-down continental breakfast is served from 8:30 to 9:30. Nick and Nancy enjoy telling stories and filling in guests with tips for enjoying the island. Air-conditioned. WiFi throughout. No TV.

SUNSET CONDOS
(800) 473-6960; sunsetcondos.com
On the island's west side by Stonecliffe and Lake Huron, this condo complex is a 15-minute bike ride to town. Units have many floor plans and sizes, all with patios or decks, most with full kitchens. The web site has floor plans, photos, and rate charts.
Smallest is the walk-out "patio studio" with a queen bed, sofa sleeper, and usually a minifridge and microwave. In high summer season it's around $145/night, in some of June and late August $100. Check for off-season and winter rates. All larger units have full kitchens, fireplaces, and decks. The larger one-room condo "suite" also sleeps two to four and has a full kitchen, fireplace and deck. (It's $185 and $145). A 1-bedroom condo t sleeps 4 to 6 ($295/$235); a 2-bedroom, 3 bath condo sleeps 6 to 10 ($395/ $325). All these have full kitchens, fireplaces, and decks. Loft condos are more. Add 14% in taxes to room rates. All units have phones and cable TV. Not air-conditioned. Lake breezes make it seldom necessary, and it always cools off at night. Sunset views look across to the Mackinac Bridge. Many picnic tables and grills are on the grounds. There's an outdoor pool for guests. Bike rentals are at Stonecliffe (built as the Cudahy family mansion) next door. There the Grand Hotel's Woods restaurant has an intimate, magical aura created by the original hunting-lodge atmosphere and a genial staff, including a Detroit jazz pianist. It adjoins the Grand's 9-hole Jewel golf course. Hert's Trail goes down to Stonecliffe Shore Road, and memorable Sunset Rock is a short walk east. It's a 25-minute walk to town. Taking a horse-drawn taxi is about $6 a person.

MACKINAC ISLAND HOUSE RENTALS
(800) 473-6960; sunsetcondos.com
SSeven large, mostly vintage summer homes, some on East and West Bluffs, can be rented for a minimum of two weeks, per island ordinance. A web site has ample photos and details about ambiance, sleeping arrangements, etc. but no rates. We were told they are from $8,000 to $18,000 for two weeks, which sounds like a lot until you do the math — it works out to around $50/person/day — before the 6% sales tax and 14% resort fees are added. Managers also manage Sunset Condos.

On Main Street across from the marina. Open from early May into late Oct. Wheelchair-accessible public rooms via lift by front entrance stairs. Two ADA accessible rooms..

Open from May through October. Kids 18 and under free. Wheelchair access to all public rooms and some guest rooms.s.