Classic Old Hotels – The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island

I love the old classic hotels and will be doing a blog post on three of my favorites, the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, and this initial one on the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan.  I will first talk about why you should consider going there and a little of its great history.  Once I have your attention I will talk about where it is and how to get there. 

Why would you want to go to a very remote location and stay in a hotel that is 136 years old?  Lots of reasons:

• The hotel is simply beautiful inside and out with incredible gardens surrounding it.  I think the pictures in this post are far more impressive than any words that I can share with you.
• The tiny island of Mackinac has places to see and things to do that are a lot of fun for a few days.  There are no motor vehicles.  You can walk, ride a bike, ride a horse, or be driven in horse drawn vehicle.  It is a great experience. 
• There are several hundred years of interesting history starting with the French finding the island and a fascinating history of people and events at the hotel.
• It is very family friendly with lots for kids to enjoy including bicycles, horseback riding, a butterfly farm, a great pool, and lots of activities
• You can eat very well!
• The hotel has that commitment to service that is the hallmark of all of the great classic hotels and that makes it special to stay there. 

My parents took my sister and I there I when was 11 and she was 14 and we loved it. Over 50 years later Beth and I had a lovely get away there that we really enjoyed. How many places would hold their appeal

The gleaming white building immediately grabs your attention when you see it. The hotel was built in just a few months in 1887 and has been in operation since then.  It is one of the last of the hotels built in the 19th century that only used wood in the building. Because it is a totally wooden building on an island where it gets very cold in the winter, it is only open from April through October and is completely shut down from November through March every year. It sits on Mackinac Island overlooking the Straights of Mackinac that go between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

It is now four stories tall and the porch that runs across the front of it is the longest outdoor porch in the world. 

When the hotel was originally built it was for the just emerging middle class to have someplace for families to summer.  The cities like Chicago and New York were really unpleasant in the summer time in the late 1800s and early 1900s with the heat and the pollution from the factories.  There was no concept of air conditioning back then! The new middle class had some money and they used that to send their families out of town for the entire summer.  The Grand Hotel was built to meet that need and offered rooms with all meals included for $3-5 per night.  Over time the hotel added a wing and additional floors and things like air conditioning but it has always been just for summer guests. 

During the winter the hotel is totally sealed up and less than 300 people remain on the island.  The straights between the island and the Lower Peninsula are kept open with ice breakers for all the ship traffic to and from Lake Michigan.  On the other side of the island the ice is thick, and an ice bridge is defined and used by snowmobiles to bring things to the island.  Anything needed in the winter, including all food, either comes by snowmobile or by plane which is very expensive.  After Christmas all the Christmas trees in the area are collected and used to line the ice bridge.  The reason for that is if you are using the ice bridge and see that any of the trees are not straight up and down, you immediately turn around and go back to shore as that is telling you the ice has melted and the ice bridge is no longer safe.

One of the attractions of visiting there is that only three motor vehicles are allowed on the island, an ambulance, a fire truck, and a police car.  All are kept locked away unless there is an emergency.  The primary mode of transportation on the island is horseback, both riding and pulling different conveyances.  The above picture shows the horse drawn cabs that meet your ferry boat and take you up to the hotel.  The ferry is for people only and I’ll talk about those logistics later when you have decided you to visit.

This picture is a delivery cart.  A resident must prove that something cannot be delivered by a horse drawn vehicle before an exception is granted for a motor vehicle to go onto the island.  Just before we got there one of the houses needed to have a new cupola put on its roof to replace one that had been damaged.  They had to hire a helicopter to put it there as a request for a truck with a crane was not approved.

You can also ride horseback with some guided rides around the island a lot of fun for those who are comfortable on horseback.  And the special place that horses have on Mackinac Island is celebrated in some of the beautiful plantings that the Grand Hotel has on its grounds.

The 600 some horses that are on the island also generate some employment opportunities!  The horses winter in several camps on the Upper Peninsula. 

The second most used form of transportation is walking.  It is about a 15 minute stroll into the small town where the Ferry arrives and departs.  They have a number of lovely shops and the Mackinac Island website has a list and map of all the shops. Like most resort towns they have several Fudge Shops but in my humble opinion, the fudge on Mackinac Island is better than any other fudge I have had.  There are also some restaurants there and it is a nice afternoon to walk into town and walk around with maybe a lunch stop.  This is also where you get tickets for and board your carriage for a very popular, i.e. expect lines for it, half day carriage ride around the island.  It goes through the National Park stopping several times for pictures and is very well done.  I highly recommend it and it is very good for school age children. We particularly loved the Carriage Barn with so many of the beautiful carriages that have been used on the island.

The third mode of transportation is bicycle.  The kids really love that they can ride all over the island and the only vehicles they have to worry about have one or two horsepower engines and are moving slower than they are. 

The hotel rents bikes by the hour and the day and there are other bike rental facilities in town.  Mackinac is a very kid friendly place with lots for them to do. Here you have a picture of one of the police cruisers, and they are known to give speeding tickets for bicycle riders going downhill at an unsafe speed.  Kids can ride into town safely and parking is not an issue.

As impressive as the hotel is from the outside, it is even more attractive on the inside.  In 1976 the hotel was expanded and completely redone on the inside.  The decorator was Carleton Varney, one of the major disciples of Dorothy Draper and the current owner of Dorothy Draper and Co.  Dorothy’s design philosophy stresses the use of bright colors and the rejection of all that is impractical, uncomfortable, and drab.  In embracing this practice, Carleton continues the tradition of Dorothy Draper with vibrant colors, floral patterns, and bold contrasts throughout the hotel.  Dorothy believed that every room she decorated was unique and Carleton followed that concept in his design for the Grand Hotel so that every room in the hotel, including every guest room, has a unique appearance and décor.  We stayed in one of their standard rooms and this picture shows how colorful it was. 

The lobby is an explosion of color and just a delightful place to sit and read a book or watch the people go by. 

In the evening you can sit on the deck in a rocking chair with a beverage of your choice and watch the sun go down behind the Mackinac Bridge.

I really enjoyed the Library where you can comfortably sit and read the newspaper or a book and they have a small bar there to get a cup of coffee in the morning or a nice glass of wine in the evening while relaxing there.

The Grand Dining Room is not only beautiful to look at with every table set to grab your attention.  It is also a fine dining establishment with breakfast offering a sumptuous buffet or a menu with many delightful choices. 

The picture shows corned beef hash with poached eggs and a side of yoghurt with fresh fruit and granola.  We ordered off the menu both mornings as the menu items were more unique and appealing over the buffet.  Lunch is a very grand buffet but depending on the number of people staying at the hotel the Grand Dining Room is not always open for lunch, but there are several other good lunch options within a few minutes’ walk.   The dinner menu is large as are the portions.  You can easily split an entrée between two people but if you are on a plan where dinner is included, why not try two different entrees and ask for a doggie bag.   You can get packages where breakfast and/or dinner is included, and I highly recommend them so you can enjoy all the choices without worrying about the cost.  The menu is on a three day cycle so you will have plenty of choices.   They also have a very impressive wine list and even a few bottles under $50.  Jackets and ties are required for men for dinner in the Grand Dining Room.  I am old fashioned enough that I like that.

After dinner they have either a harpist or someone playing the grand piano in the lobby until the Nightclub opens.  I found it very enjoyable to listen to the harpist while I enjoyed a nice glass of port.

The exterior plantings at the Grand Hotel are just as impressive as the internal décor and the hotel justifiably takes great pride in its gardens.  They even have a secret garden you have to find on your own and we found it!  Plan on an afternoon just to wander the grounds and explore the gardens.  Be sure your phone is fully charged so you can take all the pictures that you will want to have to remember this trip. 

The other outdoor attraction is the swimming pool and this is a real favorite for the kids.  On the hotel tour they tell the kinds that Paul Bunyan lived in the Upper Peninsula and one day he was walking by and stepped on Mackinac Island.   The footprint that he left is now the swimming pool.  And they also have a golf course on the grounds.

The hotel has a list of daily activities for things to do, a number of them intended for children.  One that we really enjoyed, and I highly recommend, is the Hotel Historian taking you behind the scenes to see and understand the hotel’s history.  There was a story in so many of the different rooms.  In this picture he is telling us of the history of these chandeliers.  He finished up the tour telling us about the filming of the movie Somewhere In Time that starred Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. 

We took an early ferry over to the island on Thursday morning and returned on Saturday, staying two nights.  We would have been good staying one more day, mostly to eat again in the Grand Dining Room, but three nights at the hotel is enough in my opinion.  If you want to stay longer to just relax and chill out, that is fine and stay as long as you like, but it is not inexpensive.  I suggest two nights is the minimum stay and three nights ls long enough in my opinion. 

There are some other small hotels and guest houses on the island, but everything revolves around the Grand Hotel.  They reserve the right to charge non registered guests just to walk on the property as the sign shows.  I think you go there primarily for the Grand Hotel, not to visit Mackinac Island.

Is the name Mac-In-Ack or Mac-In-Awe?  The Indians gave the island the name turtle because of it’s shape and when it was settled by the French they took that name and spelled it as Mackinac.  But in the French style, they did now pronounce the final c so it sounded like Mac-in-Awe.  When the English took it away from the French and then the Americans took it over after the Revolution, they kept both the spelling and the pronunciation.  The final c in Mackinac is NEVER pronounced.  Across the straits at the top end of the Lower Peninsula is the town of Mackinaw.  It is pronounced the same but the spelling is different to convey that it is not on Mackinac Island.  Confusing but in a fun way. 

Hotel Prices

The Grand Hotel is never inexpensive but it can be extremely expensive.  Rates can be as low as $300 a night but when the hotel has a lot of demand those rates quickly go over $650 a night.  I strongly suggest that you be as flexible as possible on your dates and use the link below and look at the rates for different days and find a 2 night or 3 night window where the rates are at their lowest.  All your planning needs to be around the dates of your hotel reservation.  The hotel hosts a number of major events and is fully booked at those times at their highest rates.  They also have rates that include breakfast and/or dinner and those are generally a good idea.  https://www.grandhotel.com/packages/?gclid=CjwKCAjw3K2XBhAzEiwAmmgrAv4ucBGtajmr-DWIUKI31LYCArwXyU8KIt-N1rWUBjP8zeULHxX_choCHm0QAvD_BwE#/booking/step-1.

Having stayed there I am now on their mailing list for special programs.  Below is one that is very attractive called The Discover Summer Offer.  If you can find the special programs on their website and see if any of those dates work for you, that can significantly reduce your cost. 

The Discover Summer offer includes: 15% off Signature Suites, Breakfast and dinner daily, All resort amenities, and special discount on ferry tickets. 

Where Is Mackinac Island And How Do I Get To It?

Mackinac Island is in the straights of Mackinac between the Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  If you hear someone say Yopper, that is the nickname for someone who lives in the Upper Peninsula or UP.  You can fly into Detroit, served by all of the major airlines, and get a rental car to drive up to either Mackinaw City in the Lower Peninsula or go across the Mackinac Bridge to St. Ignace.  You can take the ferry over to Mackinac Island from either location. 

This picture is the Ferry Terminal in Mackinaw City.  You can drive in there to purchase a ticket and drop your suitcases.  Tickets are for a specific time and you want to purchase the round trip ticket.  When all the seats are sold for a specific time that ferry is full, you can only purchase tickets for a later one. 

Because the parking area at the terminal is almost always full, you need to also purchase a remote parking pass.  The person selling you the tickets can help with how long you need to purchase that pass for based what day you are purchasing the return ticket for.  You put your bags in a designated area for the ferry that you have tickets for and they put your bags on the ferry and have them available to you when you get off the ferry. 

When you pull into the Terminal the machine will give you a ticket.  As long as you leave the terminal within an hour to go to one of the remote lots, you don’t have to pay anything.  That gives you plenty of time to unload your bags, pay for the ferry and parking, leave your bags in the designated area and leave to drop your car off in one of the remote lots.  There are several remote lots, all just a few minutes’ drive from the terminal with shuttle busses bringing you back and returning you to pick up your car.  You just need to remember what lot you are in and where in that lot.  I suggest emailing yourself when you park the car with the location specifics.  I left Beth in the Terminal waiting area and did the remote parking by myself and did the same thing on the return. You cannot leave kids unattended there and of course, you never would.

The ferry is for passengers only.  There is an enclosed cabin on the main deck and an open deck on top.  Depending on the weather the top deck may be closed if there is a lot of wind kicking up waves in the straight.  It is about a 20 minute ride.  When you land your bags will be lined up where you get off the boat.  Walk down the pier into the town with its one main street to get a cab to the hotel.  You can take either one of the Grand Hotel carriages or one of the other horse drawn cabs that will take you anywhere.  Both are the same price to go to the hotel and tips are expected.  The Grand Hotel carriages are much nicer looking but if you don’t see one and one of the other cabs is available, do you want to wait around for the fancier carriage?

I suggest taking an early ferry over.  We drove up and spent the night in a nice B&B in Mackinaw City and got the 9:30 ferry over to Mackinac Island. The hotel policy is that check in is at 4:00 PM but you can check in early and leave your bags there and have the day to start exploring.  Our room was open so we got right into our room.  Your bags will be brought to your room by a bell hop and a tip is expected.  You will be told that on the day of your departure your bags need to be outside your room by 9:00 AM and they will be taken to the ferry and brought over to your terminal.  When you get off the ferry there is a large tent with all the bags and you claim your bags there, get your rental car, load up and drive back to the airport. 

The drive to and from the Detroit airport and Mackinaw City is a little over 4 hours and longer to St. Ignace.  And you are paying for a rental car that is sitting in a parking lot.  But I know of no better options.  There are no commercial flights onto Mackinac Island.  The closest airport with commercial traffic is Traverse City and there are not lots of connection fights available.  With the time waiting for a connection and the drive from Traverse City to the Terminal, you are probably taking more than 4 hours and you still have a rental car sitting in the parking lot. 

If you enjoy the beauty, history, and atmosphere of the old classic hotels, you will be delighted by the Grand Hotel and it probably will not be the only time you stay there. If you enjoy very good food with a nice wine list and great service you will have a wonderful time at the Grand Hotel. Whether it is a get away for the two of you or a few fun days with the family, consider the Grand Hotel!