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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
