Visiting the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island

The Grand Hotel is one of the first buildings you will see as you cross over to Mackinac Island on the Ferry.  It stands out with all its great opulence and its impressive size on the hill.  This historic hotel opened on July 10, 1887, as Mackinac Island became a popular place for summer vacations for people from around the Midwest, especially Chicago and Detroit.  Mackinac Island had grown in popularity since it had become our nation's second National Park in 1875, before transitioning to a Michigan State park in 1895.  Train and steamship services provided a means for visitors to make the journey to Mackinac Island.  Amazingly the hotel only took 93 days to complete construction.

In 1957 the Grand Hotel was designated a State Historic Building and in 1989 the hotel became National Historic Landmark.  You can feel the history of the hotel today as carriages drop guests off in the grand portico outside the front entrance.

The bright yellow awnings capture your eye alongside the impressive landscaping bursting with reds, purples, and shades of pink.  Each year the hotel plants 1600 geraniums in the planters which use seven tons of planting soil.

While rooms first rented for $3 to $5 a night, rooms will typically run between $700 and $900 dollars a night during the peak season.  There are 388 uniquely decorated rooms in the hotel, which is a lot of nights to see all the rooms.  The hotel is the largest "summer" hotel, being open from early May until the end of October each year. One interesting feature of the hotel is that children 9 and under stay and eat free at the hotel.

If you are not staying in the hotel you can still visit and walk around, for a fee of $20.00 a person.  We paid the fee and walked a good portion of the building.  The decor will take you back in time with carpets and decorations that are appropriate for its historic status.  You can visit the shops along the porch level.  There are stores for men's and women's clothing, a golf pro shop, a flower shop, a coffee and market, and a home store.  These stores are well done and had a wide range of items.

While you are visiting you can head out to the 660-foot-long front porch that looks out over the Straights of Mackinaw.  The porch has 100 white rocking chairs placed along it so that you can pull up a chair and rest your feet for a while rocking the afternoon away.  Cocktail service is available on the porch so you do not have to get out of your rocking chair for a drink.

There are 13 restaurants and bars on the property.  There are options for formal dining and casual dining, you can even get afternoon tea.  In the main dining room there is a formal breakfast and dinner service, but the Grand Luncheon is supposed to be grand.  Visit The Grand Restaurants site for a list of all the dining options and stiles.

We first stopped at Sadie's Ice Cream Parlor for a cold treat after cycling around Mackinac Island and over to the hotel. With 24 flavors of ice cream available you will definitely find a flavor that will excite your palate.  The ice cream comes from Guernsey Farms Dairy a Michigan state dairy producer.  The shop has air-conditioned indoor seating, which is what we were looking for after being out in the sun for a while, or there is also a beautiful patio with additional seating.  In addition to scoops of ice cream, the staff can make shakes, sundaes, and banana splits.

We ventured up to the fourth floor to the Cupola Lounge.  Sitting high above the rest of the hotel the Cupola Lounge provides guests with a 270 degree view of the island and a place to have a cocktail while enjoying the scenery.  A margarita here was $22.00.  On the property they have multiple other bars including the Audubon Wine Bar and the Geranium Bar.  Visit their Cocktail Bars page for a full list of the options.

The Grand Hotel was an interesting historical hotel to visit.  I am sure that they focus closely on service and being a guest here would be a special treat.