Muskegon, Michigan / Shoreline Inn, Downtown, Boars Belly, Smash Wine Bar

December 2017, Weekday, 1-night

Shoreline Inn Penthouse Suite 1009

You can find more information about the Shoreline Inn and guestrooms in two of my previous blog posts: October 2017, and January 2016. We loved the Penthouse Suite that we had in October, so we booked a Penthouse Suite again. Last time we redeemed points, and this time we booked the AAA rate. When I made the reservation, I thought we had reserved a suite with a whirlpool tub and no balcony.

View from Shoreline Inn suite 1009

Penthouse suite 1009 has a balcony just like suite 1003. It does not, however, have a whirlpool tub. Other than not having a tub, the guestroom is very similar to 1003 with a fireplace, living and kitchen area, and separate bedroom.

Penthouse suite 1009

One of the reasons we had booked a higher priced penthouse suite was for the nice whirlpool tub. I am not sure if the room description was listed incorrectly on the Choice Hotels site, or if I misread it. During this stay, I learned there are only two penthouse suites with whirlpool tubs: suites 1003 and 1005. Hotel staff accommodated our desires as best they could. We could not change to one of the whirlpool rooms on this floor, because they were both already filled. In the future, I think we will call the hotel directly to book our room.

Guestroom diagram in suite

We visited the pool area during this stay, since we opted to stay on the penthouse floor, rather than move to a basic whirlpool guestroom. The pool area is open 24 hours, and there are two hot tubs and a fireplace in the inside pool area. Both tubs are located next to glass windows looking out toward the marina and lake. We stayed the week between Christmas and New Years, and the area was a bit crowded and noisy.

We had breakfast in the morning, and the options were similar to the breakfast that had been included with our stay in January 2016.

Downtown Muskegon

We did not mind that there was not much activity downtown on the cold winter evening of our stay. If you like activity, you can find events on the Visit Muskegon website.

Boars Belly and Smash Wine Bar & Bistro were both open with Happy Hour specials. You can find more information and photos of some of their offerings in my previous blog posts. Just click the "Muskegon" label at the bottom of this post, or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of this page.

We tried to visit Oceana Winery; however, they were closing early when we arrived just after 5:00 PM. If you want to stop there for wine tasting, I suggest visiting during Happy Hour (4:00 PM - 6:00 PM) when tastings are half off. We have heard good things about 18th Amendment Spirits Co., although we have not had a chance to visit yet. Rad Dads' Tacos & Tequila is another business we are looking forward to visiting when it opens. It was originally scheduled to open fall 2017, and then before the end of the year. They have been serving food inside LC Walker Arena from what I have read, so I tried to find out if they had opened before our visit. I could not find a telephone number, and no one responded to my inquiries on social media. After our stay, I found a recent blog post by M-Live (12/28/2017), which says their new open date is March 2018.

We always enjoy visiting Muskegon, and Shoreline Inn is our favorite hotel when we are not camping or boating during summer months. We are looking forward to spring!

Guestroom diagram showing town and lake location