Did you know that motorized vehicles are not allowed on Mackinac Island? If you want to get around the 8-mile island, you can either walk, bicycle, or hop aboard a horse and carriage. The island is very peaceful and quaint and the hotel sitting at the top of the ill, The Grand Hotel, is no exception.
If you are looking for a high-rise modern hotel with all the modern amenities that can be found at your typical Marriott or Ritz Carlton, you will not find that here. There are no chain hotels on this island.
There are several hotel options on the island, ranging from small bed and breakfast to a resort and spa. I have stayed at a couple of them and they are quite lovely. Check out My First Solo Trip post about Mackinac Island to hear more about some of the other places I stayed on the island. But the hotel that is most famously associated with Mackinac, is The Grand Hotel. The Grand Hotel is 332,500 square feet. If you are a movie buff you may have heard of the hotel? The 1980 film Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer, was filmed on location at Grand Hotel.
The front porch is iconic and beautiful. It is the perfect place to read a book, relax with a loved one or enjoy a beverage. You can order from a small menu consisting of cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks and a few appetizers to be served on the porch.
TIP: If you are not staying at the Grand, you can pay $10/per visitor (age 10+) to sit on the porch and view the lobby area of the hotel. It is well worth the $10.
When looking at the website the cost/night looks a bit pricey, but keep in mind the hotel is meant to be all-inclusive. The cost of your stay typically includes your full sit-down breakfast, buffet lunch, and dinner as well as other perks based on your room package.
Plus there is no tipping allowed at the Grand, so no hidden resort fees and no tipping the bellhop. The grand pays a higher wage to their staff so the guests do not have to worry about any extra charges.
There is a full breakfast menu offered. Along with mimosas and bloody marys. I mean, you are on vacation! Typical breakfast menu items include; omelets, eggs, pancakes and waffles, fruit, fresh breads and pastries, oatmeal and cold cereal and breakfast meats. And of course, coffee and juices. Breakfast attire is casual. But there is a dress code while on the property and a formal dress code at dinner.
After breakfast is the perfect time to go for a hike. Grab a cup of coffee at Lucky Bean coffee (I talk about it in my other post) and then go walk around the island before it gets too hot.
I love traveling alone because I tend to strike up conversations with other travelers. There was a guy sitting by himself at the table next to mine for breakfast, he told me his ladies were all sleeping in and he was bringing them back food and coffee. (they do offer room service btw, but it had been suspended while I was there). He was from FL and his family comes here every year over the 4th since he and his wife married. He also used to come here while growing up. The Grand is a legacy hotel. I met several families while visiting and many of them have traditions of visiting the hotel every year.
The lunch offered is typically buffet-style. I never ate lunch at the hotel. I ventured off and ate at other restaurants. Check out a few of those stops in my other Mackinac Island post.
When you check into the hotel you will be given a dining color that tells you what time range you can enjoy your meals for your stay. They are the same every day so you can plan around it. It sounds harder than it is. It's not Disney World, there is not enough to do that you would have to worry about your time slot. If you do plan something like a round of golf, just eat somewhere else for the day. There are plenty of excellent dining options on the island. I actually recommend trying a couple of other places just so you can experience all the island has to offer food-wise.
Dinner is no joke here, the dress requirements have been in place since the opening of the hotel and everyone goes all out for the dining occasion. The hotel becomes a sea of Lilly Pulitzer dresses and men in shirts and ties. I stayed at the grand for 3 nights and ate dinner there 2 of the 3 nights. Dinner was a 5-course meal and it was very good.
There is also a professional photographer onsite just before dinner. You can have your photo taken and they will be available for viewing the next morning after breakfast, for purchase of course!
The grand is very family-oriented. I was actually the only solo traveler at the hotel (from what I could tell). I loved sitting on the porch and watching all the families with young kids dressed up. Seeing the little girls in Lilly Pulitzer or the boys in a suit and tie was adorable. It made for the cutest people watching!
High tea is offered multiple days of the week, there is an extra charge to participate. Of course, being at the Grand I had to enjoy the entire immersive experience. I did enjoy high tea one day. If I remember correctly, there were a couple of price options available. The one I chose for the items below was around $65. There were a lot of mothers and daughters enjoying this experience. What a sweet memory!
The week I visited was over the 4th of July. So there were a lot of extra activities going on. This is not uncommon for this resort. They had a happy hour on the Grand Porch a couple of days with some really fun cocktails. The island had a great fireworks display and the front porch was a great place to watch, although I ventured off a bit and found a better view near some of the local homes.
They had lots of kid's activities during the day, I have no idea what they were, I was kid-free! On the 4th, they had a bbq picnic on the lawn with a band. The food was good, your basic bbq picnic food, lots of options.
The setting with the band, picnic table set up, bar, all the people around in cute picnic wear, the beautiful weather, and views made for a very nice and memorable experience!
They even had a bar on the lawn. One of the women I met ordered a few bottles of Rose´ and asked me to join them for a drink. They were a lot of fun! It was a lovely afternoon.
Ok, one thing you will not find in many of the hotels on the island is a pool. Actually, the Grand and probably 2-3 other hotels have a pool on site. The pool at the Grand is not fancy, there is not a slide nor is it themed. It is just an Olympic size rectangular pool on the bank of the property. It is also a little bit of a hike to get to it. So you can log some steps on your watch as well.
They do have a pretty good pool bar menu. And I met a few friends while sunbathing. We were sharing drink recommendations, which is always a great find.
There is not a ton of activities to do on the island, there are a few bars, but it is meant to be a place where you spend some quality time with your travel buddies and just 'be in the moment! But the Grand does have a band playing every night in their ballroom and it was a lot of fun to sit and people-watch. There were a lot of young kids dancing but also a lot of couples that had taken some serious ballroom dancing lessons and they were showing off their skillz. It was really fun to watch.
A lot of people ask me if it is uncomfortable to travel by myself. Although the question was not from a safety perspective. I will say this much. Be aware of your surroundings, do not give out hotel details or how long you are staying, or anything too personal about yourself. As far as being self-conscious while traveling solo. It is all that you make of it. I had a couple of those moments while I was watching families and I am sure they were trying to figure out my story since I was obviously by myself. But, what I love about traveling solo is that you can do what you want when you want. I think I spent an entire day with no plans, snacking when a place looked good, deciding what to do at the last minute, having a plan in the morning, and then switching it up when my mood changed and I wanted to do something different. We had come out of pandemic (sort of) and my older teens and I had been in a house with a lot of together time. They went on a beach vacation with their dad's family and I took a no-guilt, wonderful trip for me. The 'me-time' or 'quiet time' is very empowering and cathartic. I brought a journal with me and a book and just got a reset.
There is no shame, especially for women, in taking some real time to reset and recharge. Look at everything we do for everyone else in our lives. It's a necessity to take this time. It makes us better for our loved ones.
Tell me about your solo trip and if you have questions or hesitations, please feel free to reach out!
cheers,
Lisa
Comments