We sat on the beautiful patio of this historic inn during Porchfest 2026. The smoked salmon and…read morecheese appetizer and drinks were delicious, the service was friendly, and the new owners are working hard to make this place shine. All of the rooms have been renovated beautifully. Well worth a visit!

Ignore all reviews before late 2024; every experience before that was regarding prior ownership…read more The Garfield changed ownership at least four times since 2018. The current owners (2024 and 2025) -- using the business name I'd Simms, have kept much of the historic architecture intact. That is appreciated. The superficial changes, although there is clearly an attempt to make it artistic, fail in several key areas. Instead of a warmth suited for a historic building, the visual atmosphere is more akin to entering the lobby of a hospital, with all it's bright-light and sanitary harshness: white walls, white granite [I don't think it is fabricated quartz, but haven't gotten in my knees to look under the slabs] bar counter; harsh LED lighting (the smokey gray shades fail to soften them). Adding dimmer switches and reducing the headache-inducing glare would work wonder. A bar with floodlight brightness is so hyper-modern in its personality -- besides not wanting to see all details of every bar patron in harsh light -- is a glaring juxtaposition for a historic building. If they would be more sensitive to the aesthetics of the history, the new owners and their vision would be an even greater positive boon to the town. The owner is very engaged with the local community, fun and warm with the customers, and appears to sincerely care about the spirit of the building and the town. He works tirelessly to ensure the drink offerings and food selections are high quality. He even is actively, hands-on engaged in both the big and small details to ensure everything runs well each day. The lead bartender is excellent with the customers, and amazing and artistic with her seasonal drink creations. she works tirelessly and makes everyone feel welcome, as well as being attentive and fast to serve, whether the bar has five or fifty customers. Both these key members, and the rest of the staff. are friendly, considerate, and professional with all. They have the vision and energy to continue their planned renovations, including the guust rooms upstairs. If they just tone down the harsher post-modernist, sanitary style and imbue more historic respect and warmth, they will create a new Garfield worthy of their obvious skill -- l and even more importantly, worthy of their obvious city's, the State's, and our country's historic landmark.

It's always a pleasure to stay at the Beachcomber Motel. Always clean and accommodating. Staff is…read morefriendly and fun. Great location to unwind and enjoy the beach. The only bummer is there is NO restaurants in the area! Especially during the week. There are a few bars in town but you will only get bar-type grub there which is mediocre at best. We have been vacationing in Port Austin for almost 20 years and the lack of eating establishments in the area has us stumped. Best advice, bring a bunch of snacks! Enjoy your stay!

I've been wanting to stay here for a long time. I'm an MCM fan and the sign drew me in. Did not…read moredisappoint. The rooms are nicely appointed with comfy beds, nice linens, fluffy blankies, coconut soap, comfy deck chairs, satellite TV and beachy/MCM touches. Will definitely return.

Came here on Christmas Eve with my in-laws, had a fantastic meal everyone really liked there meals…read moreservice was outstanding as well

If you want hot wings, THIS IS THE PLACE!!!! We ordered the…read morebuffalo wings. Perfect!!! They kept them whole and had the perfect amount of sauce and hotness and were cooked amazingly well. We were so impressed that we even left the cook an extra tip! Our waitress Caitie was also super friendly and prompt even while training the new waitress Ashley who was also great! She made sure everything was to our liking. . Going back again soon!!!! We will be bringing friends!!!!

My wife and I had a great stay here for a couple nights. We originally had planned to come the…read moreprevious weekend but my wife came down with the flu at the last minute. Brenda, the owner, was extremely generous and let us just reschedule for the previous weekend, without charging us or anything. Very kind of her. The breakfast was delicious, it's a really cool old house, remodeled very nicely, and it's within easy walking distance of downtown and the lake. We plan to come back.

Best place to stay in tawas. Reasonable prices and the innkeeper is friendly and very…read moreaccommodating. We stayed here twice, once for only a night and the other time for three nights. Breakfast was delicious each day and whenever we had questions she was always able to answer herself or find out from other locals where the best food/ things to do are. It's right on the main strip so we walked to the shops and the beach. If you're looking for a classy place to stay that certainly won't break the bank, Always a Holiday is the place for you.

What a great stop. Large parking lot out front. Walked in and found a seat at the bar. Libby waited…read moreon us. She was friendly, nice and very prompt. Got our drink order right away then gave us menus. I had the BLT, my husband had the perch, onion rings and my girl had a grilled cheese. Nice big slices of bread and everything was served hot. Enjoyed the touch tunes jukebox so I was able to harass the entire establishment with my playlist. Everything was great until I needed to use the bathroom. Then it was not so great The restroom itself was clean and stocked but it smelled awful. It was a mixture of sewage smells. I assume it was because of how close they are to the RV park and shallow water but DANG! Definitely changes things. Can't smell it while you are eating though.

We have always enjoyed Days on the Lake since the new ownership a few years ago. They have stepped…read moreit up a notch now! New bar, some new tables, extending the outdoor seating, even a gelato stand! Make the trip. Food is amazing. Staff is amazing. The owners are present and working alongside staff. The enthusiasm is contagious. Really happy this place is open. With the drive over.

This was a good choice…read more 1) The room was surprisingly large, well-furnished, and sparkling clean. It smelled a little unpleasantly of cleaning products when I first arrived, but the smell soon vanished and I appreciated the cleanliness. 2) They're very generous with towels, pillows and blankets. They left me four bath towels, four hand towels and four washcloths, and replaced the used ones every day. Each of the two beds had two pillows and a blanket, but there were two more pillows and two more blankets in drawers. I never needed them but it was nice to know they were there. 3) The fridge was large and worked great. I didn't use the microwave or coffee maker but they looked new. 4) There are a lot of drawers and flat surfaces, including a sizable table with chairs. The counter on the bathroom sink was large enough to hold a whole lot of stuff I normally don't bother unpacking because I don't expect to need it, but here I unpacked everything because there were so many places to put it. 5) On the downside, the walls are thin, which means I heard a lot of what my remarkably talkative next door neighbor had to say, but not thinner than I expect at a place like this. On the upside, except for my neighbor, I never heard an unwanted noise; the area is quite quiet and peaceful, and though there are restaurants and bars nearby (some with live music), I was completely unaware of them. 6) I had to change the details of my reservation and my wife did it for me by phone. She reports that it was an easy and pleasant interaction. 7) Port Austin is so small that location is not an issue. There are a LOT of motels in the area but no reason I can see to prefer one over another on the grounds of where they're located. 8) When I first arrived, I had a sense that all of the motels in the area looked pretty run down, and that this one looked more rundown than most. But there is nothing rundown about the interior. 9) I would definitely stay here again.

We have stayed here every year since 1988! This is classic Port Austin cabin living that gives you…read morethe feel of the up north life. You are just a short walk into downtown Port Austin with small shops, food, bars, and a pier. Some people may have unrealistic expectations, for those people stay at home in your air conditioned place in the suburbs instead of enjoying the simple life of up north living.

The restaurant has only been open a few months and the owners are still feeling their way. The…read moregood news is that they have a very positive customer-oriented attitude which I believe will result is a fine dining destination for travelers to Michigan's Thumb. The building has been completely remodeled and is clean, bright and comfortable with great views of Lake Huron. The waitstaff was attentive and efficient and the meals ordered by myself and the three others with me were all wonderful. One friend remarked that his Cod Basket was among the best he had ever had. I know that I thoroughly enjoyed my Bourbon Steak Sandwich. I plan to return and suggest that if you are passing thru the area you give it a chance. I don't think you'll be disappointed. BTW - they have motel rooms too! The restaurant is not open 24 hours, just the motel. I believe they start serving at 11.

YES!!! This is the new happening place in Harbo beach mi. great beer and wine selection. Check…read moreout the bar picture I attached. They can make any kind of drink you want. The outdoor fire pit. The gorgeous view of Lake Huron. This is a must on your trip to the thumb.

If you're going up to the thumb area and need an amazing place to stay, this is it. I stayed in a…read moretwo bedroom regular cabin( there's a deluxe two bedroom cabin) and it was great. I spent a week there with my husband and kid. My kiddo loved having their own room unlike if we had chosen to stay at a hotel. All their cabins are on Lake Huron. You just walk out the back door and boom, there it is. Absolutely beautiful views. The cabin was really clean and had all the basic stuff you'd need. They provide a gas grill, utensils to cook with, towels ( not swim towels but all other towels), internet, a Roku connected to tv, a shower, etc. you get the point. It's very conveniently located to other city's up there. It's about 15- 20 min away from most of the tourist things to do. One of the cool parts of the lake is that along the shore are a bunch of boulders and rocks that create a wonderful habitat for little fish to swim around. So if you plan on swimming bring your snorkels so you can see the schools of fish swimming around. You'd be able to see them regardless cause the water is pretty clear on a calm day. But seeing them underwater is always fun. We also went to tour the lighthouse next to the cabins, snorkeled and kayaked at Harbor Beach. We tried out both of the popular ice cream places ( the one that I believe is called Rybeck is the better one imo.) we went to the farmers market and swam in the marina area down the street from the farmers market, and of course enjoyed stargazing. We saw a bunch of stars up there. A few small touches that were unexpected but fun was the guest book where former guests wrote things they did which was great to get ideas and they have this super tricky wooden puzzle that we worked on all week until we gave up and looked at the solutions on our last day. We can't wait to go back!