Mackinac Island, Michigan / LakeView Hotel

We had visited Mackinac Island a few times before this visit--for the day, and we have stayed at a slip in the marina overnight with our boat. This was the first time we stayed in a hotel on the island. Before we decided upon LakeView Hotel, we had also considered Murray Hotel, Mission Point Resort, Bicycle Street Inn, and Grand Hotel. Because we were visiting early in the season, we were able to stay for only one night instead of two; many of the hotels on the island were not even opening until the week after our stay. 

We decided that the rates at the Grand Hotel (starting at $707, including dinner and breakfast) and Bicycle Street Inn (starting at $190, room only) were not worth the extra cost. Bicycle Street Inn is a great looking new hotel, and they posted a discounted rate online right before our trip; however, we had already made plans to stay at the LakeView Hotel by the time the special was offered.

The rates I found were: LakeView Hotel: package with 2 round-trip ferry tickets, $119; Murray Hotel: Grand Opening weekend special for any room except king whirlpool, $74.95; Mission Point: main lodge queen room $115. I thought the large outside whirlpool tub and sitting area looked nice at Murray Hotel, and my husband liked the inside pool at LakeView Hotel. The cost was about the same, since ferry tickets were included at LakeView Hotel. It was a tough decision, and the professional and quick responses from LakeView Hotel won us over in the end.

May 2014, Weekend, 1-night, King guestroom #4--

Check-in
We had canceled and then rebooked our room at the hotel since the ferry did not start running from Mackinaw City until the day of our arrival. There was some confusion with the re-booking, so we had a brief wait for our guestroom when we arrived. Our original reservation that we had canceled was for Friday night. When Shepler's announced less than 24 hours in advance, that they would begin ferry service on Friday, Manager James contacted us to see if we wanted to rebook our room. We checked to make sure that we could change our new Friday night plans to Saturday, and then we told him yes. He must have misunderstood my comment about making sure we could change the other plans we had made, because when we arrived, the hotel had us down for a room on Saturday instead of Friday. Since this was the first night the hotel was open for the year, our guestroom had not been rented Friday evening. After a brief wait and calls to correct this, we had the keys to our room around noon.


Guestroom
I forgot to write down our guestroom number. Our room was on the top floor in the NE corner next to the exit/stairway hall. It is a room without a view.

The room was comfortable and clean. It contained a king size bed, nightstands with lamps and a clock, desk and chair, second chair, armoire, folding luggage rack, flatscreen TV, safe, and a clothes rack with hangers.

A coffee maker with supplies, and an ice bucket and glasses were provided on the armoire. The safe was located on the shelf with the hangers next to the bed. It was attached at the far end, so it was kind of difficult to reach.

The bathroom and vanity were located to the left of the entry door at the foot of the bed. There was plenty of counter space on the long vanity, and the bathing and toilet area was sufficient. A hairdryer was mounted on the wall next to the vanity, and bath amenities were provided. I loved the recyclable shampoo and conditioner containers!

Good quality bath towels were provided in the bathing area.

shampoo & conditioner

The Internet connection did not work properly during our stay. I could see the signal from my laptop; however, the sign in page would not load. Occasionally, I have had this happen during my travels, and it can be corrected by calling the provider and giving my IP address, or, if I know the URL for the sign in/agreement page, I can manually type it in to connect. I do not know why this happens. I did not take steps to correct it while we were there.

The bed was comfortable, and the sleep quality was good. The entrance into the guestroom from the hall was not even at the floor. The difference was not enough to notice or be considered a step, although there was just enough difference for me to stub my toe almost every time! I suppose if we had stayed longer, I would have remembered this after the first few times.

Food & Beverage
The included continental breakfast did not include much. Cold breads and beverages were about all. My husband upgraded his breakfast to include an omelet at the omelet station. The employee said his omelet was the first one of the season!

Goodfellow's Restaurant and wine bar is adjacent to the hotel. The food and wine tasting were both good, and the service was excellent.

Pool area
This is one of the few hotels on the island with a pool. The pool is located in the center of the building, with the guestrooms around the perimeter. The whirlpool tub was nice, although the pool water and the air temperature in the area was kind of cool.

Mackinaw City, Michigan / Shepler's Ferry

May 2014

There are three companies that offer ferry service between Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island. We ended up with Shepler's Ferry, because the guestroom we had booked at the LakeView Hotel on Mackinaw Island included roundtrip tickets with this company. Before our trip, I had decided that Shepler's Ferry was a fabulous choice because of the professional and personable way in which the company presented itself online. Whoever is in charge of their Facebook page is doing an excellent job!

The week before our trip, the lake was still full of ice, and we had canceled because the ferry service was not running from Mackinaw City. The day before we had planned to travel, we learned that Shepler's would be starting limited runs the day of our trip from Mackinaw City, so we rebooked our room at the LakeView Hotel and rode to the island with Shepler's.

Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island, Weekday morning

We had initially wanted to take the 9:30 a.m. departure because it was listed as a Might Mac departure, which means we would travel under the bridge on the way to the island (weather permitting). The Mighty Mac departures are listed on Shepler's schedule; however, the schedule was just starting out this first day, and the weather was not good. I also had a business call that morning, so we went across on the 11:30 a.m. run.

Our reservation from LakeView Hotel provided a confirmation number, and we were told to stop at Shepler's Ferry dock for our tickets. I had hoped to pick up our tickets beforehand; however, our name was not on the list when my husband stopped there in the early morning. When we returned just before 11:00, I provided our confirmation email, the agent contacted the Lake View Hotel, and then we  received our tickets.

Shepler's complimentary parking is not clearly explained on their website. To park the car overnight, it is $16 in a gated lot, and it is complimentary in their lot about 4 blocks away. If you want someone to valet park your vehicle in the complimentary lot, the cost is $7. We had time to park the car ourselves, and my husband is funny about choosing his own parking spot and letting people drive his vehicles, so we took the car there and walked back. An employee had met us on the dock before this to take our bags. He provided a generic claim check, and he said that they were out of tags for the Lake View Hotel.

When we returned from parking the car, we waited in a covered area across from the dock. Flush toilets are located in a separate building behind the ticket counter. Just before boarding, an employee asked everyone to walk over to the dockside, and we then waited under an awning on the dock.

Boarding the boat was an easy process. It was chilly, and the boat was not completely full. A couple of people sat outside on top, although more than 90% of the passengers opted for inside seating. Even with the breezy weather, the trip was quick and smooth. A bike was left behind that belonged to a young girl with her parents who were seated behind us. It sounded like they were supposed to have loaded the bicycle, and they had thought it would be loaded with the luggage. Shepler's said that they would bring it on the next run.

After we disembarked on the island, it was unclear how we were supposed to get our luggage. I think we were supposed to have talked with an employee about the fact that our luggage had generic tags, and then it would have been delivered. Several passengers were standing around to get luggage with generic tags from one of the luggage carts because they were going to houses on the island. Our bags were on the same cart, so when they got their bags, we got ours as well. The Lake View Hotel is pretty much across the street from the dock, so taking our own bags to the hotel was quite easy.

Mackinac Island to Mackinaw City, Weekend morning
We returned on the 10:30 a.m. boat. We arrived at the dock about 10:20 or so, and the boarding process was not very clear. I did not see an office or window. Someone took our bag, and then after we inquired, we learned that the boat from Mackinaw City was on its way over. One other passenger was standing around, so we assumed she was waiting for the same boat. After chatting with her, we learned that she had ridden over on the boat almost ½ hour earlier and was still waiting for a horse/cab to the Grand Hotel. She said that she wished she had worn different shoes, because she could have been there already, if she had just walked.

When the boat arrived, our lone bag was taken out to the dock, and we began to think we were going to be the only ones on the boat. A few minutes later, another couple wheeled their luggage down the dock, and we were the only 4 passengers on the return trip.

The boat for our trip back was more comfortable than the one we had ridden out in. The entire inside of the boat had been refinished, and the cushions were more comfortable. The seats had been recovered, and the carpet was new.

It was raining when we arrived back in Mackinaw City, and we started to think we should have done valet parking. Just before docking though, we learned that there is a shuttle bus, and we could get a ride to the lot that way. We had not been told about the shuttle bus when we self-parked the vehicle before departure. We disembarked, retrieved our luggage, and took the shuttle to the car lot.

Overall
We were happy with the comfort and service from Shepler's, and we would choose this company the next time we visit the island.