Without a doubt the best place to stay while in Mackinaw City if you are looking for a quiet, clean…read moreB&B with a great breakfast. It's worth it to pay a little more for the beautiful rooms which are very comfortable. Great for couples! Probably not for those bringing kids. It's more a romantic retreat from the world. The owner is wonderful and accommodating. We will be making the Deer Head Inn a regular getaway!

We chose to stay at the Deer Head Inn because it was close to the area attractions and semi-…read moreaffordable. We stayed in the Hiawatha room. We were very pleased with the cleanliness of the room and how spacious it was. The food was yummy and the owners were very personable and caring. This is definitely one of we'll come back to!

To be pleased staying here, you must keep your expectations aligned with the price of the motel…read more First and foremost, this venue is a very inexpensive place to stay in Mackinaw City. $87 for a night on October 5th. Off-season and a deal. The location is another stellar draw. It's right on the water. Nice playground, sandy beach, area to wade in if you desire and fire pits. Wood comes at a close by location and you must purchase it and bring it to the site. The view of the bridge at night and the sunrise in the morning is amazing. I enjoyed walking along the water morning and at dusk. The outside of the motel is more attractive than the dated, yet-to-be-remodeled smallish rooms. The outside area is well kept, simple and appears to be safe. Cars close to rooms are a convenience. The check in procedures were quick and easy. Really nice staff. Our cable box was not working. The staff member who fixed it was slow to arrive but polite and efficient. Our room was small. It was "cozy" and met our needs. Most important, it was clean dated. Needs a good paint job and carpet cleaning. The tiled bathroom was attractive. Clean. Small shower with warmish water. Clean towels. The water is well-water and smells like well water. Has also stained the white porcelain, as would be expected. The bed was quite comfortable. Clean linen. We didn't plan on spending time in our room. This venue met our needs. We enjoyed the town and outdoors and then returned to a clean, spartan, inexpensive room in a beautiful location. The traffic during peak season likely overwhelms the staffing resources, hence, the poor reviews. Keep that in mind when traveling. Once you reserve, you are stuck with the room if you don't cancel 24-hours in advance.

My boyfriend and I liked this place a lot. It was worth the price, we paid $264 total for two…read morenights. It was the cheapest we could find. Originally we had reserved the older rooms, but called and upgraded to the two bedroom lakefront room for $20 extra a night. It was very much so worth it. The rooms are nicely renovated, very clean, and right on the water. Because of the lake, there are a lot of gnats and bugs, nothing crazy, but just be aware around the lights in the bathroom. Our TV was broken, but we weren't in the room long enough to care. Beds are comfortable and clean. The water right on the beach was real sandy and rocky, so just be cautious of that, but really beautiful view of the bridge, and town. There's also a fireplace which we loved. There was a person there to check in and check out, and they were very nice. It wasn't perfect, but we enjoyed our stay.

Carol and John were phenomenal at the front desk and made the inbound and outbound process an…read morebreeze, Thank you both!! The property is very clean and well maintained as was the room... The house staff were all very professional and always had a friendly attitude and greeting... An all around great stay and would stay again and or recommend!!

I found this on my latest vacation when googling hotels in Mackinac city. I felt led to leave my…read moreprevious hotel due to a few reasons some of them related to the room and some for personal reasons. This property and its price was a blessing on this day as I took the last room apparently with a single bed. I booked at 3 pm on the day before the property closed for the season. Please express my gratitude to the kind young man at the desk on my arrival on 10/24 for his empathy and kind words to me coming from a unpleasant situation. Arriving here was like a warm hug from a friend, it was warm, friendly and clean. The noise issues that were a major factor at the other hotel were not an issue here. I decided that outdoor corridors and me are not ever going to happen again. It is not what I want from a hotel experience Due to the pandemic, only the pool was open not the hot tub even though it looked good, I didn't go there. Also coffee pots have been removed from the rooms due to cleaning issues, but the lobby had fresh tasty coffee brewing and available. I appreciated the variety of the creamers and sweetners. My room was very large as it was handicap accessible which was ok as it was likely others would have been settled at this stage unlike me. I also like the more spacious parking spots and overall apoearance. It is more centrally licated to popular spots but being October and snow flurries I drove. BC pizza delivers and that is a nice perk as their food is good. Thank you for the grab and go type breakfast which you get at the counter from 7-10am that day I stayed. It is nice to have some options for travelers in the pandemic. I chose apple juice, raspberry yogurt and an apple cinnamon muffin which were all prepackaged. It is a safe and appreciated gesture. The other items offered are pictured below

Breakfast Review: Pancakes : 10/10 very soft cooked…read moreperfectly cute little round size (I had 12) Cinnamon swirl breasd: 9/10 sweet and small, wish it was bigger and had some icing but I didn't heat it so maybe that's why Ham: 8/10 very standard ham Overall 8.5/10 I only say that because of lack of options. They had so many carbs and very little of everything else Cereals, cinnamon bread, soft bread, bagels, pancakes, muffins, oatmeal versus eggs, ham, yogurt, oranges But, great coffee machine and juices Would eat again Update: apple juice is shit, 6/10 due to lack of flavor Saw a guy's ass Crack just now Rating is down to 8/10 overall

I stayed there the week of May 17 for two nights…read more The breakfast was good and the breakfast staff was helpful. We only paid $95 per night including taxes. We got what we paid for. The first night we noticed that the carpet by the door was a little wet. We figured it was from the recent rains. The next morning the first 3 feet inside the door was soaking wet. I took a shower and every now and then a cold drop of water hit me. I could not figure out where it was coming from until I look up and realized that the shower on the floor above us was leaking on me - gross. Since we were staying two nights, we went to the front desk and asked for a new room. We went to the second room and there were flying bugs on both beds. We went back to the front desk and told them about the bugs. They told us that the bugs were everywhere and that we needed to live with them. I asked for a third room, and it was much better and it did not have bugs. The towels are old and a little gray. The toilet paper is very rough and turns cardboard brown when it goes into the water. If you are looking for a cheap place and can put up with old hotel features this might be the place for you.

Oh no! What could we improve? This is what they asked…read more Best bet is it should burn down. One guy wrote it's like the motel's of the 60's and he's right. I think the carpets are from then too. Our room still has the burn mark of the iron in the carpet. At least have the carpets replaced or cleaned professionally. This place needs to start putting money into upgrading the rooms. We had to check in next door Thunderbird motel so I assume they own that one a maybe another ( not sure of name ) so I bet they are all in same condition. Not sure on pool situation but the outside pool was empty and did not look to see the building beside it. Your best bet is to spend the money and pick a better hotel.

Recently stayed at Great Lakes Inn, Mackinaw City, Mi., for a quick turn-n-burn weekend. Initially…read morewas to have stayed at America's Best, their sister motel, but my booking was not in the system. Jamie, was able to see I was about to blow a neuron after calling to verify earlier with the desk and after a 7 hour drive from Indianapolis, I was in no mood for a screw up (Mike). Jamie immediately called over to Great Lakes Inn and turned this over to Brandon who was nothing short of sweet, kind, professional and truly amazing! The room was cute, the motel is a throwback to 60's highway rest-stays where you park your vehicle in front and you have a one bed efficiency room. The stay included breakfast, which allowed for me to carb and protein up for the day. I cannot say enough good things about Brandon and Jamie, both my kind of people. Brandon was driven to make a wrong a right, he delivered, and in addition, he also earned a friend in me. Just a chill place, away from the high cost of Mackinac Island, and perfect to lay your head and recharge before heading into the UP or continuing your drive back home below the mitten. Whatever your choice may be, make it Great Lakes inn and tell Brandon and Jamie that Andrew sent you! Sincerely, Andrew H. Cirner, MPA andrewcirner@gmail.com

June 2026 (3 night stay) - Rooms: Nice size. Bathroom small. Room was dusty. The base boards had…read moreclusters of thick dirt and dust. The all in one tv/closet/cabinet was very dusty/dirty on the bottom outside of the refrigerator. One of the handles bars in the washroom was rigged to stay up. The balcony is a decent size with table and 2 chairs. They could use a wiping. You can visibly tell the balconies do not get wash down periodically as there were huge and plenty spiderwebs with trash and dirt in them. They do not spray for bug as they were visible. Bring a can of out door bug spray. Beautiful lake view, beautiful beach.The bedspread was worn with stains but it was clean. The sliding door to the patio did not lock properly. Only 1 elevator for this massive size hotel. Plenty of carts to transport your luggage. The Comfort Inn Motel is connected to this hotel as well. Dining hall: buffet style. Plenty of options (powdered eggs, Canadian bacon, cereal, breakfast bars, fruit coctails, pancakes, waffles, muffins, coffee, juice, y3a, etc.) Dining hall is huge as it is shared by both hotels (Comfort Inn and Hamilton Inn). Its a bit dark and gloomy in the room. Hall ways are sometimes blocked by large cleaning carts and some of the house keepers look at you strange when you move them out your way. They do not have any room door signs for do not disturb. The swimming pool water was not clear. Very cloudy. The hot tub at one point had lots of suds. Its wasn't the cleanest area. Plenty of parking. Side and outter doors need better security as anyone could walk in off the parking lot or beach and enter the facility. Desk Service (3 women). They are not the friendliest. The supervisor is the worst of them all. She appeared to be very bossy and boarderline unprofessional to her coworkers. They talk to you like you did something wrong if you ask a question. They were all well dresses and groomed. Again, they should not be the face of the resort with bad atritudes. The hotel is walking distance to the Ferry that you will take to Mackinac Island. All the hotels are next door to one another (like the Las Vegas strip) so everything in walking distance (2-4 blocks). Shopping, activites and restaurants are also walking distance in this same area. They hotel had lots of guest as it seems to stay very busy. Overall, I would stay again if 1 or 2 other hotels were not available as I now know what to expect here at the Hamilton. The owner just need to invest and address a few minor and cosmetic details and it could easily be a 5-star hotel. Due to the flaws identified, the price needs to come down a bit and should never be over $160 a night. I paid $217 - $237 a night.

Old school vintage rooms…read more Forgot I booked a beach front view and balcony. The room smells a bit musty. Nice soundscape with the waves crashing on the shore and the seagulls belting out their calls. For whatever reason we aren't getting good cell service in the room. We had to use the hotel WiFi to get any access. The breakfast is not good. The waffle batter is runny and turns out quite rubbery. Plain tea to drink only, white plain toast as the only pastry. Sugar cereal. Mushy Eggo pancakes, steamed ham, canned fruit, from concentrate OJ, maple flavored syrup. It's worse than the last place. Their food offerings are weak. They ran out of knives at breakfast. The plastic ware is not sturdy at all, hard to even cut a soft Eggo pancake or waffle. The doorwall screen is ripped on the bottom corner, probably how mosquitos entered our room. Day two and three is the same warm boring breakfast. We were able to get one Gala apple and a plain bagel at least. This is one of the worst continental breakfast offerings and they won't replenish or refill as it gets closer to 9AM. Additionally their offerings are not good. No yogurt. No tea bags except a plain tea. The third day I was able to get a Nature Valley granola bar. This hotel likes to create scarcity in the breakfast room and have guests grab items due to FOLO. Do be careful walking over the bathroom threshold, seems to have some nails exposed, as I hit it with my socked foot or bare foot at times, it smarts. The bed frame is a metal box all around the bed, rather odd, was expecting a wood frame to match the head board. The metal frame seems like a DIY platform. One of the towels in the basket had some stains on it, it's a white towel, bleach it out, no? The room does get really dark, makes for better sleep. Good drapes to give you a good night of sleep. Room is a bit antique. Breakfast is sad and low grade and lazy. The shower stall is tiny. The walk to town is only a few blocks. Room isn't small, but feels cramped. Nails sticking out by the bathroom threshold. Carpet feels grimy and dirty.

As a frequent visitor I have to say I just love this property!…read more The staff are always very friendly and the rooms are very clean. On this visit I was treated to a wonderful room with a fantastic view of the Mighty Mac! I really enjoy the breakfast buffet they offer, it will fuel you up properly for a day of exploration. The only negative thing I can say is you do hear a bit of semi truck "downshifting" as they approach the bridge, but that is easily fixed with the white noise app on my phone.

Stayed here with husband and baby for our vacation to Mckinaw Island. Pretty good!…read more Very clean, staff was very helpful. We arrived late and the staff was very accommodating, even giving us a play pen for our baby. They have a pool and work out room which we didn't use. Room had a balcony - but we didnt' use it. They also had a very complete, warm breakfast - very good! Hotel is modern, free convenient parking in front of the hotel. They also have an area with pamphlets about a bunch of activities in the area. Very close to the ferry to go into Mackinaw island. Pricing was excellent. Definitely would recommend!

I gave this hotel a 2 star instead of a 1 star because of two reasons. First the staff at the front…read moredesk and the cleaning personnel were very nice (not the manager, who was extremely rude). Second it's right on the beach and located in a very convenient spot. A group of 12 of us (separate rooms) stayed for two weeks on government business (orders). 2 colleagues had to leave halfway through the stay because their orders changed. They went to check out and the staff at the front desk told them they could leave but would still be charged for the entire two weeks. The reason was because we signed and acknowledged that we could not cancel any part of the stay. We asked to talk to the manager and when we brought up the situation she was very rude about the entire thing. Continued to repeat that we had signed a contract and they wouldn't budge. I asked to talk to her supervisor but she said her supervisor was the owner and that she was the liaison between the owner and guests. She also informed me that the owner would not say anything different because it was his rule and he wouldn't budge. Needless to say, we will not be staying at this hotel and we will work on getting them taken off the government list of approved hotels. The room is very outdated, looks like something from the 70's. Has not been updated in a very long time. The outlets in the room are all in a very inconvenient place, and the WiFi is terrible (bare minimum WiFi). The door didn't want to close and I had to redo my key 3 separate times. A colleague changed his key more and they finally had to come and change the entire lock out. They advertise breakfast but it was a joke. All they had was ham in water (taste was terrible), rubbery pre-made pancakes, hard boiled eggs. The Coffee was good, but breakfast was only from 7-9 which was very inconvenient such a short amount of time. The pool and hot tub not very clean but at least they were open. Gym was small but ok. Their washer/dryer's (laundry room) was out of service so we had to walk down to the Hamilton hotel and do laundry. Then when we finally checked out, the hotel charged us tax even though it was supposed to be tax exempt. And my choice reward number had been removed so I wasn't getting credit for the stay. I had to call and get it added back again. The tax issue is on going, I had to send an email to get it removed. All in all I would not ever recommend staying at this hotel. When the owner has no concern for the customers/guests and really only cares about how much money he makes. The same family owns all of the hotels and most of the Restaurants in Mackinaw City so they don't care about their customers or the military. I recommend stay at Holiday Inn, Lighthouse View Motel, or Rainbow Motel.

Many people seek a hotel for a one-night stay prior to going to the main island . . . but . . …read more this hotel is dated - with a capital D and its safety is questionable - there are many (many) better, as affordable choices in the area, and on the beach that are safer for you and your family. We will never make this mistake again. -The door lock to the outside patio door does not lock (drop a bar to prevent unwanted people from stumbling in from the beach) which gets busy at night with controlled fire pits and drinking. -Beware of bugs -The curtains are broken - so bring clips with you -Crack in the toilet bowl to the tank -The bathroom fan is inoperable -The room phone to the front desk is inoperable -While you are sleeping, the old jacuzzi tub drain (within 12" from the bed) starts to gurgle loudly and the step into it is dangerous - you need to remember it is there if you get up in the middle of the night to use t-he restroom. -Popcorn and old fries under the bed -The dated non-intelligent TV doesn't work so you cant watch the anything on the 10 channels they offer -The jacuzzi they boast the room has is VERY dated and stained and the step in is dangerous for the person who sleeps on that side of the bed -The staff is very set in their ways and really doesn't care what you say -They will send you a maintenance man; who will arrive 1.5 hours later (if you're lucky), that many may feel smells of a very common and readily available substance in Michigan that comes from the Cannabis sativa plant. On a scale of 1-5, unfortunately "1" is the lowest YELP offers...DO NOT stay here. Call anywhere else and you'll be happier and safer

***Our visit was at the end of March, which is the off season for this city. A visit during…read moreMay-October will offer much more to do in Mackinaw City. There were only 2 restaurants and 2 stores open during our visit, which made it very difficult to get the most out of this trip. I included this note in the review because you will probably book through the Mackinaw City website, which does not fully emphasize how many businesses and attractions are closed November-April. If you visit during the off season, plan on crossing the bridge to St. Ignace or driving 45 minutes to Petoskey for more food/shopping choices.*** [Staff/Service] Check-in staff was friendly, but not particularly helpful. We were given wrong directions for accessing the waterpark, which resulted in taking an elevator to the third floor only to walk back down three flights of stairs to the park when our room was maybe 200 feet from the main entrance. The other desk clerk we interacted with was new, but helpful when we needed batteries for a TV remote. [Cleanliness] The room was very clean. However, my son did find a leftover marijuana cone in the back of a dresser drawer. [Space] The room was very spacious. We booked a suite, and 3 adults + 2 kids were comfortable the whole stay. [Decor] Room decor was minimal and outdated, BUT the low prices of this hotel also don't attract the kind of clientele who respect the property. More modern decor would be nice, but I understand not investing in too much here. [Furniture/Bedding] The mattresses seemed new. Bedding was very clean and comfortable. The furniture is outdated and worn, but sturdy. As with decor, I don't blame the owners for not investing heavily in new furniture. [Noise] It was still the off season, so it was pretty quiet most of the time. A few other guests did get loud sitting on the balconies, but again... the low prices attract a "variety" of visitors. We saw a lot of empty alcohol and cigarette trash around the parking lot every morning, and saw multiple families (with children) carrying baggies of marijuana into their rooms. So... [Location] It's Mackinaw City... During the regular season, it has great access to everything. In the off-season, expect to travel to St. Ignace or Petsokey for food/shopping. [Price] Incredible value! A 2 bedroom suite with waterpark included for three nights was HALF the price of a one-night stay at most other waterparks. It is very budget-friendly, and perfect for kids up to probably 13. The pool is large, and the hot tub is basically a pool itself, so great for adults. [Food] Huge disappointment here. The website for this specific hotel states "updated breakfast room", but there is NO breakfast at this hotel. In the off season (Nov-April), there are only two nearby restaurants with breakfast, one of them being a high-priced saloon. Plan to pack breakfast items or drive across the Mackinac Bridge to St. Ignace. [General] It's a budget-friendly, family-friendly hotel with a nice indoor waterpark. A bit outdated and in need of some repairs, but don't let that deter you from visiting. In the future, we plan to visit after May, when more attractions are open.

Extremely old and nasty room. We walked in, took one look and went back down to the front desk…read more They sent us to another room that was worse so we left and will never be back.

Really?? We reserved 3 rooms for 3 couples for three nights each. At checking, we were told that…read moreif we hadn't made reservations we could have just checked in, we would have gotten lower rates. But we couldn't now. We paid higher rates. Rooms were dank, humid, a/c was incredibly loud and came on every 3 minutes. Last night cost $140 more (weekend?) but we had to change rooms. They may have a gym on the second floor because we heard people's heavy running all night. And there was always vacuuming until 8-9 o'clock and the dirty cart right outside our door. Nice desk lady but unable to help us get better rates, even though she told us how we MIGHT have saved a hundred bucks or more. My wife wanted me to suggest that occasionally staff should clean out the dead bugs that have accumulated in the lights above the sink. We apparently paid extra for a hot tub we didnt want; i wouldn't get near that petri dish on a bet. Yech!! We'll plan better next time and stay on the island.

Where should I start! This place needs a lot of TLC!…read moreHallways have a musky smell, and the whole place needs a serious deep cleaning and some serious updating! I came here for a quick get away for a romantic weekend, this is not the place for anything romantic! This is more for a couple with 4 kids on a budget looking to get away cheap to a crappy hotel with good AC and no bugs! I saw the name Ramada and assumed they must be nice.Obviously the name no longer means anything, they used to have integrity years ago and would have never associated their name with a hotel like this. I booked a room at the Ramada next month in Ohio, but I am now considering canceling it,because Im afraid of what the place will look like. The 1st day I had no hot water in my sink, water pressure was very low in the shower.There was 3 lights above the sink, 2 of them were out.I was told when I checked in that they no longer serve breakfast until further notice! If you want any service to your room other than towel replacements, you need to let them know the night before. Next time I come hete I will pay the extra money and stay on the island.I can't believe believe Ramada affiliates itself with this hotel@