We were visiting Bayfield for the first time in mid-May, and selected the Seagull Bay Motel as an "affordable" option ($126, with taxes, on Hotels.com). On the positive side, -- our room (which was on the lower side of the property) had incredible water views, -- there's a shared outdoor porch with chairs overlooking the water and an inviting backyard with picnic tables and chairs, -- a flat path along the water connects the motel to downtown Bayfield. (You can walk to town in about 15 leisurely minutes without worrying about parking there). -- the room was clean, and had some conveniences (small microwave, tv, coffee maker (but no tea!), toiletries), -- the very small bathroom has a tub/shower combo, -- we didn't hear traffic noise in spite of being on main route into town, -- there was free parking. However, -- the price point was high given the overall quality of the motel and the fact that it was still pre-season. This is effectively a small and rather dated budget motel. -- Breakfast is NOT included in the price of the room. -- Our bed creaked whenever either my husband or I moved. -- Rooms are close together, and there is no privacy if you want to sit on the shared back porch. -- The motel has a unique check-in procedure. When we entered the lobby, there was no one there. We needed to call or text to announce our arrival, and were then provided instructions on how to access our room. We didn't interact with any staff in person until checkout. We would stay here again if we were to return to Bayfield, but would compare options to see the best quality to cost ratio. read more

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The motel was very clean and it seemed to be newly renovated. It was near town and we had a great view of Lake Superior from our large window. There was a deck with chairs, a table, and an umbrella right outside our room. The bed was comfortable and there was a small refrigerator and microwave in the room. The check in and check out process was easy and so was unloading our car because we were able to park right outside our door. It was affordable stay and we really enjoyed our trip! read more

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Stayed at Seagull Bay West. The property was decent over all. They advertise there is a view of the lake and on water. There is indeed sighting of water but it is not on water, winter time view would be better. I have to believe there is one deck that has the view and we were fortunate to have that deck. The property has access to the Brownstone Trail and is a short walk to downtown. This was super nice so we didn't have to walk on highway and didn't need to drive everywhere. The accommodations themselves were ok. Kitchen clean and stocked with what you need. There is one bathroom that was less than desireable. An average sized adult has a tight fit to get to toilet, yet alone sit on it. There was one mirror in whole unit, which was in bathroom. A group of six struggled to get ready timely due to everyone needing their time in bathroom and not having an area/mirror anywhere else. It is definitely a "Basement" dwelling with spiders, so if you have a phobia would not recommend the walkout unit. People we spoke to in other units said theirs did not have the visitors. The bedrooms were decent sized but the back two with the two twins seemed to have the most spider friends. Biggest draw back is the on site residents residing above walkout unit. Strongly recommend ear plugs if you want to sleep past 5am as that seemed to be time the heavy walking started each morning or moving of furniture. Was just super loud over head in the early mornings. The best part was the fire pit area which we definitely enjoyed with wildlife coming close to check out what was happening. Bayfield is beautiful and has lots to do so still worth the trip and stay. read more

Seagull Bay Motel - View of Lake Superior zoomed in to see it. - Hotels Near Me - Bayfield, Wisconsin

We stayed at the Seagull Motel Baywest, the 3rd weekend in October for two nights for $455 (purchased directly from website). Pros: Is renovated in a trendy manner. Cons: Room is very close (50 yds) to the main road and the room's windows face it. Road noise at night isn't terrible. Saturday morning road noise started at 7:40 ish. Exterior lights shine in the room all night long. Despite black out type pull down curtains in the windows. Bed and pillows are VERY firm and not the quality that I would expect paying $225+ dollars a night. The comforter provided is thin and there are no extra blankets in the room. We visited mid October and I wore sweats to bed. There is a unit for heating and cooling. When on it seemed to run all night (every five minutes or so) set at 62. The unit is near the bed at bed level and blows directly on whoever is sleeping on the left side of the bed. It also had a light that adds to the brightness of the room. It is loud when running. The walls are in the thin side. Couldn't necessarily hear voices, but child noises, walking, and plumbing sounds. The room is quite small. Only has a bed and one small chair for seating, which we did know going in. Unfortunately, due being close to the road and the narrow walk for other guests to walk by the room, we choose to keep the blinds pulled much of our stay, so that we didn't have people constantly looking in which gave the room a claustrophobic feel. Little things: Towels are tiny. I'm 5'2" and they barely covered the parts lol. There were a couple extra under the sink. No bedside tables. Outlet only on one side of bed. Shower was warm and water pressure was good. Could use a shower curtain liner as the shower curtain was slopping after a short shower. There is not a place to set items when in the shower besides the floor. No conditioner was provided. I am normally not very picky and am flexible, but I thought this room was at least $100 if not $200 overpriced. Especially considering some of the tiny inconveniences and distance to town. For comparison, I found a 3 day stay in Door County (a similar vibe, but larger town(s) and more visited tourist location in WI) for the weekend following our visit (Oct. 26th-28th) with a bigger room and king bed, for a similar price. The hotel rooms near the lake may be a better value as they have a lake view and are closer to town. read more

Bayfield for MEA weekend with the family - two adults and two kids. My brother and his daughter, and two sisters and their partners stayed here also. My brother and I were in what I will call the upper property, and sisters were below. Generally the upper properties are newer and more spacious, and the lower are marginally closer to town with much better views of the lake. Both have great common spaces, we made heavy use of the deck upstairs of the upper property. Both are very well kept. We stayed in the "hideaway". My daughter said it "looks like an Instagram photo" when we walked in. And it does look cool. It was clean and we valued having the kitchenette. In the attempt at what I think is minimalism, there are some misses. There are no nightstands in the room - with the larger bed, so no place to put your phone, and no lamps except the overhead light, which is trouble when one person is a reader and the other is not. There is no shelf in the shower to put soap/shampoo. The trash can was ridiculously tiny, and there are no instructions for what to do when it is full - no trash bags provided. There is no recycling. For the unit we stayed in, we could hear EVERYTHING that happened upstairs, thankfully the folks staying up there were not amorous. We were supposed to get a text on the day of arrival with instructions, but we didn't. Overall it was a good place to stay - easy access to town with a 10 minute walk down a beautiful path and easy for a group to stay, but not have to stay "together" all the time. There were several dings that made it less than perfect. I would stay here again. read more

Not worth the money. I can handle the room being outdated but there is no excuse for it not to be clean. There are more rooms than parking spaces so good luck. read more

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After a really long week, I was so thankful for my stay at Seagull Bay Motel. I loved the view and the waves gently rocking on the shore. The room was just right -- stocked kitchen, comfortable bed, great view, etc. I see previous comments questioned the room temperature, but my room had a thermostat and the ability to cool/warm the room. I never sleep good in a notel. I slept like a baby here. Seriously, I'll be back. This was a rejuvenating experience. read more

Not going to put anymore time or money into this place. Used to be a good place but new management....less than superb. It's a clean place, great views and good location with new renovations . BUT, if you think you are gonna get an air BNB type Experience, ur wrong. Not even salt and pepper or dish soap (dishwasher out of service for YEARS)!! Bring EVERY, SINGLE, THING you will need including black out mask for sleeping. Bright light through the windows (not all have blinds)that you have ZERO control over. Don't like the light through your window, though. Next year when we come back, we will find a better accommodating place for the price. Sad to see a Place my wife's family has been coming to for years become so lacking. What is provided: small shampoo, conditioner and soap, coffee with maker (impressive it's from the 80's I'm guessing and still works !!) with pots and pans and a few utensils. Last redeeming feature is the sauna. Quality and functional for a good sweat at the end of a day. read more

We stayed at the Seagull Bay Motel in July, 2021. Our nightly rate was more than $200 per night plus tax. The daytime temperature was around 90 degrees. We were unable to sleep since the room was so hot. When we asked the motel how to turn on the air conditioner, their response was that the air conditioner was still being installed and we should put a fan in the window. The room had no cross ventilation unless you left doors and windows open. So there would have been a security issue sleeping with the front/back doors or windows open. You could take a shower, but there was no way to plug the drain for the bath tub for taking a bath. The kitchenette was clean with a nice view of the lake. However, I have stayed in hundreds of motels and hotels over the years and I would rate the room quality below average. read more

The Seagull Bay motel is a moderately priced, modest hotel. I am giving it 4 stars relative to the other budget hotels in the area. The buildings and rooms are a little dated, but they do have modern amenities like a small flat screen screen TV, microwave, fridge, coffee pot and free wifi. No A/C but the cool lake breeze doesn't make it necessary. The rooms are close together and open to a shared deck, which can get loud, especially since you need to keep the windows open. Comfy matresses, although the comforters aren't of the best quality. Great location, a 5 minutes walk to down town Bayfield along a pretty walking trail. Very nice, helpful owners. read more

Seagull Bay Motel - Foggy morning from the deck overlooking Lake Superior. - Hotels Near Me - Bayfield, Wisconsin

W e have stayed at this hotel for years when we come to Bayfield for Big Top performances. Not anymore! This business was sold last year and now it is clear the new owners are only in it for the money! No more pride in ownership. First the cost has increased by at least $50 per night. Second no improvements have been made Third there is a sign in the rooms that says "if you want housekeeping notify the front desk!" The several times we stopped in the office someone was present only once. Next time we come to Bayfield we will choose a hotel equal to the cost! read more

I paid for a room that was advertised as a lake view room. The view from my room was all trees. I could see little patches of water through one tree. That's not a lake view. I did not get what I paid for. Add to that, the room was right next to their laundry. They haven't insulated between the rooms, so it was very loud washers and dryers for hours. They started in the morning, and finally finished at 7 pm. so much for my quiet room. The signs in the room finished me off. "Do not smoke $250 fine" "Do your dishes, help keep our costs down." No welcome signs. I stayed here twice over the years and it was not like this. I won't come back. I'll find a Room with a View. read more

Don't let the website fool you. The room looks nothing like the room in the photo. It was almost 90 degrees and no air-conditioning like they had stated there was when I booked it. ($600 for 3 night stay) The room was not the same room I booked. They also advertise "new upgraded bedding". Which consists of white sheets. I saw a picture of this hotel from back in 1960 and it's the exact same room! Two of the 2 dresser drawers don't even open. Bed was extremely loud/squeaky. Any slight movement immediately woke up the other other person. I'm pretty sure the neighbors probably heard it as well. At least it gave us something to laugh about. You barely have enough room to dry off in the bathroom, it's so tiny. I realize they can't do much about that, but if they put in an ounce of upgrades, it would help distract from that tininess. We also never saw a single staff member on site the 3 nights we were there. Despite our very disappointing stay, I had decided I wasn't going to leave a poor review. But then I changed my mind. Yesterday as we were leaving, my husband opened my drawer and reminded me to put my 2 pairs of pants and shirt into my suitcase. I was too focused on where I was going to go and get coffee and I completely forgot. I called the motel when we got home to let them know what I did and I would pay to have them shipped. But they indicated that I did not leave my clothes in the drawer. I am 110% completely sure without a doubt that I left my clothes in the drawer. Absolutely no question. They mysteriously disappeared between the time we left the hotel and the time I called. Interesting. I realize I can replace this stuff and that it was completely my fault for forgetting it, but I never expected that from a place like this. It's just the fact that it happened makes me sad. Don't waste your vacation here. There are plenty of cute places in town and in neighboring towns. Bayfield is a great place to visit! Just not this motel. read more

I don't generally bother to leave reviews, but just had to write about Seagull Bay. I recently stayed two nights there in a sweet room with large windows overlooking the wooded bay with a view of Madeline Island. The owners, Isaac and Mollie, are good people and were flexible and accommodating with my choice of nights. My room was super clean (and I'm fussy), well-appointed and charming. How many motels can boast rooms with both a front and back door? Screened doors on each allowed a wonderful cross-breeze. The Brownstone Trail, just below the motel, will take you along Superior as far as you'd like to go or as a quick path into Bayfield. This was my first visit to the area. I hope to be back next summer and to stay at Seagull Bay again. I loved it. read more

Dont stay here. Called to make a reservation and clerk said it was a no smoking hotel. We said we were smokers but no problem, would not smoke. He said we do not like smokers and hung up. Called back thinking it was an accident and said the same thing, we dont like smokers and hing up. read more

love this place. No frills, but nice. the owners are very sweet. And the views! No photos do justice to the views! Four stars because the relative value compaerd to cost of every other place around is outstanding. read more

Stayed in September. Unusually HOT September. Upon arrival found that there was no Air Conditioning. Nothing said at time room booked. Fan's did absolutely nothing. And as a person who is extremely sensitive to heat and humidity, the time spent was miserable. The only thing given to cool room was a box fan. Had to choose between privacy, keeping the on piece blind open, or trying to cool room. We chose box fan. They turned down the ceiling fan in our room while we were out. The room is also NOT handicap friendly. No pull bars in the bathroom. Made it extremely difficult if in some cases impossible for my husband to use the bathroom in his own hotel room. The sink for the bathroom is on the OUTSIDE. No privacy. Owners nice and friendly, but it does NOT make up for the extremely unpleasant and uncomfortable stay. read more

We have stayed at Seagull Bay for the past 15 years. It's modest accommodations, no frills. You get a clean room, with wifi, a fridge and TV. There is no air conditioning, but we have never suffered because of the nice cool lake breeze. This time when we arrived, there was nobody at the office, but we called their number and they gave us our room number and told us to go on in. There are new owners since the last time we stayed, I did notice the room was spruced up a little better. The lake view is spectacular. Bring along some picnic items like smoked trout from across the road at Hoop's fish market, some local wine from the orchards, and some cheese and crackers. Go sit on the deck or out on a patio table and soak in the lake view while enjoying your food. This is Bayfield, one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin, you shouldn't be sitting inside! I give it 4 stars, which is an average from 3 for the room, and 5 for the view, and 4 for the price. read more

Fabulous view. Opened our door and sat on the deck with our coffee every morning. Owners very accommodating. Followed a walking trail into town where there were several places to eat. Clean and comfortable. Overhead and freestanding fans. Fridge and microwave. Loved it. read more

Owners are great, views are wonderful, costs are the best in town, but it's not the highest quality place out there. Fairly clean. Bible was open on the bedside table when we walked in. Watch out for low-lying boulders when you pull in--they will wreck your car. read more

No place better or cleaner or more friendly. The Goodier family is wonderful. We love it here and NEVER stay anywhere but Seagull Bay.