This place needs new reviews. I left the accommodations up to my friend for this last trip and I was a little nervous on what laid ahead based on Yelp reviews. I found both comfort and concern when I saw that all of the reviews were pretty old. I arrived with an open mind, this Inn is north... like really north! If you are looking for something closer to Sister Bay keep looking. If you're open to being away from the craziness and looking to relax this is a great location. We stayed in the mate room, and to be honest I would love for them to start telling guests they are going to be on the second floor and that stairs are involved. My friend had a hard time going up and down the stairs and we probably would've picked a different option had we known. Once inside there's not a lot of frills. Two coffee cups and some soap, that's about all you get. I was happy to see the water from my bed, and there are a couple of dining options within walking distance but that's about it up there. The beds were almost too soft, but as far as sleeping goes it did the job. The sauna was broken during our trip and we did not use any of the community spaces the Inn has to offer. Overall it seems a little pricey for what you get, but for the area it's not out of the question. I think for a small price they could really upgrade their experience. read more

New management, new beds, clean rooms, great showers, beautiful area, reasonable price. All the makings of a 5 star stay. I highly recommend The Harbor Light Inn when visiting Door County. The young man working the lobby this Memorial Day weekend was friendly and helpful. I understand that previous reviewers had some trouble here, mainly with wedding reservations, but it is new management from what I understand. Nothing about this place was worthy of less than four stars on this trip at least. Great job on all upgrades! We'll be back! PS-the "Great Room" was a very great place for a continental breakfast. read more

The Harbor Light Inn - Breakfast in the Great Room. - Hotels Near Me - Ellison Bay, Wisconsin

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They're under new management, which you'd think would be a good thing. The fiance and I are planning our wedding at a private residence in Gills Rock in 2017, so we reached out to various accommodations in the near vicinity to get booking underway. Most places in the area are welcoming and easy to work with. This place? Not so much. The good news? They're quick to respond. They won't block the 10 rooms, which wasn't really a big deal, and they offered that we pay $1500 per night for the whole resort. Or we can have 10 people get on the phone now and fill it up. Neither of those options are really feasible, but we still wanted to try to work with them so at least we could stay there. It's pretty cute after all. All seemed to be ok, not great, but ok enough. But when I asked if we could check out an hour or two later than 10:30, as it will be the morning after our wedding, I was met with hostility and an unnecessary bad attitude. The price is a steal for the area, but clearly it's an example of getting what you pay for with a bad attitude to boot. read more

Stayed in the Moonraker Suite for 3 nights. This is the room at the top of the "lighthouse". It was cute, clean, had a whirlpool tub as well as a stand-up shower, a microwave, and good sized refrigerator for a short stay. They also provided a coffee maker and coffee, a cheese board (because you know you are going to get cheese when you go to Door County), and a wine opener (because you know you're going to get wine too, right?). The manager was very nice and gives you his cell number to text him if you need anything. Is it the Ritz? Nope. But we didn't expect it to be. It was a nice place for a couple of nights with a lovely view of the bay. So why not 5 stars? There were a few things to note - they don't do daily housekeeping. This wasn't really a problem since we had plenty of clean towels, but I know a lot of folks stay at hotels to get that "pampered feeling." While the lighthouse is cute and kitchy in a Route 66 motel sort of way, it could use a little TLC on the outside. All in all, though, I would definitely stay here again and recommend it to others. read more

PLEASE BEWARE especially if considering a Wedding!!!! I originally thought this was the perfect venue for our wedding. We wanted a quaint, personal, water-side venue that would accommodate our (160) guests and allow us to add our personal touch. The venue is cute and appeared to be perfect. However since the minute we booked the owner was difficult to deal with. She was difficult to get a hold of and typically had her own opinions on what vendors we should be using which were often WAY above our budget. When we finally had things as about situated as we could and the big day arrived the venue should have been the least of our worries and instead it was the worst!!! Many of the things that were promised to us throughout the planning process were not delivered. Now please let me tell you that these were common amenities like a public restroom, hot water for our guests, the use of garbage cans, the promise of a an ice machine... I was over-charged by approximately $1,000 from the vendor that she needed to coordinate and I didn't even receive all the items that I was promised!! Again, not the kind of thing even an easy-going bride wants to deal with the day before the wedding. I was able to visit the venue during the planning process and had a chance to meet the owner during those visits. This is when she would make promises to me about the venue that was later never delivered.Then when we arrived the day before the wedding she was nowhere to be found. Actually she made no appearance the entire wedding weekend despite my requests. After significant additional time and money was spent making things work out she would not even respond to post-wedding emails explaining my disappointment. In an effort to not be vague about my disappointment with this venue here are more specifics about why I was so disappointed and would highly recommend you not use this venue for your wedding. Only after I inquired about the number of bathrooms was I informed it was my responsibility to rent bathrooms for our guests. I was constantly told false information!! I was told that the venue had an ice machine on-site (not true). I was told that there would be plenty of garbage cans and would not need to bring my own (which I made sure to ask). There was ONE garbage can! I was told there was a fire pit and the venue would be supplying the firewood. When we arrived we were told where we could go to purchase the firewood off site ourselves. I was told the tent would be placed on site so that the ceremony would take place with a view of the water in the background (since the venue is across the highway from the water) and then arrived to see the tent well in the way of our view. I was forced to pay a $200 tent set-up fee and then arrived to have to spend over an hour setting up parts of the tent. I really wanted an easy venue. I did not want to have my wedding at a resort so I could have a more relaxed, easy feel to the whole thing and this venue certainly DID NOT provide that. So, please BEWARE if considering having your wedding or any event here. I would also like to mention that after all these concerns I reached out to the owner and she never even responded to me. No apology or correspondence of any kind despite voicing my concerns in a polite manner. Of note I am writing this five months after the event and no correspondence was ever received. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE!!! read more

We stayed in the Spinnaker Room and had a fantastic experience. Green Bay was right across the street and we can take our pup (dog friendly Inn) for our walk as well as fishing right off the dock. Our host and hostess were very engaging and friendly and willing to provide suggestions for dinner plans. The property is super clean and has a fire pit, cornhole and what I generally find appealing quiet. I highly recommend it and will be returning! read more

Badly needs updating. Bathroom was okay but the main area seemed dirty because the furniture was so outdated. Mattresses uncomfortable with sheets that slid off. Overall disappointing. It was very quiet, however, and a nice place to listen to the katydids at night. read more

This place is still a best-kept secret. Stayed here for the second year in a row for our anniversary. New management, still a great experience! Joanne, the new Manager, is a little dynamo. She does everything herself, does it well, and still provides excellent customer service. The Harbor Light Inn, (formerly the Harbor House), is quaint, comfy and homey. The rooms are all different and unique. There is even one available up in the faux lighthouse and another one in a separate building, the Troll House. Away from the madding crowds of Sturgeon Bay, Sister Bay and Fish Creek, about as far up the peninsula as you can get without staying on Washington Island, and a MUCH better value, IMO! Go get your shopping, souveniring, antiqueing and taste-testing on during the day. Walk a couple hundred yards to the "People Ferry" or drive 2 miles down one of the coolest roads in the region to the "Car Ferry" and spend the day on the island. Whatever you like to do in Door County. Then come back to a quiet, restful room to relax. If the weather is clear, you can also go meet the other guests by the fire pit and share stories. We met some great folks (for out-of-staters)! JK Seriously, we highly recommend this place. We'll be back next year. read more

The Harbor Light Inn - The room we stayed in this year - Hotels Near Me - Ellison Bay, Wisconsin

So disappointing. A beautiful location with little ability to be an innkeeper. Here are some hints that I picked up from other, similar places on this trip. 1) Get some signage to indicate where the office is. The logical place, the lighthouse tower is now a guest room. Apparently, I wasn't the first guest to be confused this way. 2) Redo your guest room keys so they all look alike and get some of those old-school key tags -- the plastic diamonds -- with your name and address on them. I know they still make them as other inns in the area have them as well as gift shops. It would have made harder to lose the room key role n my pocket. 3) Have a drop box for keys when checking out or give instructions to the guest sat what to do with the keys. 4). Be available. This doesn't mean in the office, but posted hours for the office or phone numbers where the manager can be contacted. I tried the office on two occasions during two days- once for the wifi password and again for an additional towel. Many places offer three bath towels standard. Others offer the wifi password at check the n read more

There is a wee bit of an odor in the room but it's not too bad. There's well water that has a sulfur smell like rotten eggs. The showers were really good. They also have a sauna available 24/7! The rooms are very spacious. We got here around 8 PM and no one was here. There was also no one there when we checked out the next morning. We heard there supposed to be a continental breakfast but there wasn't. There was no cable tv either! There was a mouse in the room too read more

Had a reservation that was fully charged for by the hotel. Show up and no one is to be seen. Go knock on the office door and it opens up, weird, walk in say "hello?" no response. Go up to our room, thinking "this is a small place maybe they just hung our key on the door" room is open, ok looking up. Beer cans everywhere, sheets for the beds on the floor, room smells. No keys. Go from, "ok" to, ummmm nope! Luckily a hotel in sister bay had open rooms. NO return call by hotel management or ownership, no refund processed by either. Have to do a charge back with the Credit Card Company. read more

Just returned from a stay at the Harbor Light Inn in Door County! Our room was spacious and overlooked the bay! It was very clean and well maintained. The very friendly manager met us and helped us settle in our suite. My wife and I had a very pleasant stay in this quaint and charming inn. Thank you! read more

This place is a steal! Wifey and I just stayed here for $79/night (two weeknights) and couldn't have been happier. It's up at the tip of the Door County peninsula, so much quieter than Sturgeon or Sister Bays but still with much of the same appeal. Nearby Rowley's Bay has beachy stuff, tours, and rentals, and equally close Ellison Bay is there for your restaurant and cutesy fix (or better yet, a perfect place to drop off your better half while you go hiking in Door Bluff or Newport State Parks). As for the rooms, they seem to all be the same price regardless of bed size, so we picked a king (obv). They also had a pretty sweet but admittedly rustic option called "The Troll Hole" that my wife wouldn't let us stay in but that I would have easily gone with if it were just me. Maybe next time. In any event, the king room was great . Clean all around, nice shower, TV + DVD, fridge, microwave, and yes, WiFi FOR FREE, which allowed me to do some work in the early mornings before the old ball and chain rolled and clinked her way out of bed. I jest, but give her one cup of coffee (also FREE in the Harbor Light lobby) and she's ready for the day. Obviously, I'm right there next to the bed holding said coffee with a smile on my face to show my appreciation for her very existence. Also, obviously, I don't mention that the innkeeper in the lobby where I obtain said coffee is easy enough on the eyes to make even multiple coffee trips hardly a chore. Other than all that, I should add that the ferry dock to Washington Island is walking distance, as is the 5-star Shoreline Restaurant ($$), and there are plenty of remote little roads to ride down if you bring your bikes. The grounds of the hotel are well kept and homey, to the extent my wife actually told her sister she should get married here. Given the woman's relationship history, the suggestion will likely remain moot for quite some time, but I still agree with its merit. Sun + grass is always a win, and with a dozen or so rooms (and many with multiple beds), Harbor Light could probably service groups as big as 30? That said, we went midweek, early in the season, and had the place all to ourselves. A perfect getaway at a perfect price. No doubt we'll be back, hopefully much sooner than my sister-in-law's (hypothetical) wedding day. read more

We had a great weekend at this cozy place. Lot of attention to detail (outside fireplace, hammock...) Very nice and helpful management, spacious clean room with balcony, fridge and microwave. Basic breakfast served. read more

We were super excited to stay here but were quickly disappointed. Musty smell, sulfur smelling water, mildew smelling towels, lots of flies and a very dusty/dirty room. This could have been really nice as the location is amazing however the run down nature of the room put a damper on it. Won't be staying here again. read more

Very reasonable rates and we were able to get in at the height of summer on short notice. Situated across the highway from the boat launch for a charter fishing company, so although there is a water view, it's not a pretty shoreline or beachfront. Stayed in the Lighthouse Suite, which is perfect for 2, or maybe a family with a couple of small children. Very clean suite, with wonderful thick, fluffy towels for the bath and great jacuzzi tub. The owner is very responsive and friendly. On the negative side, there was an unidentifiable odor in the room covered by a cloying potpourri fragrance. Maybe something in the carpet because there was no dirt, dust, stain, or mold anywhere. Overall, a great, quiet place to stay. read more

My husband and I went up for our ten year anniversary and stayed here. We rarely get away anymore without the kids so we were super excited to find a room over a holiday weekend. Outside seemed kept up and quaint but as we checked in to a makeshift office and provided a key from a bucket of keys, our excitement in the inn diminished. We walked into our room and quickly smelled something not very pleasant. Whether it was just old carpet, smoke, we were not sure but later we found an odor scent thingy under the tv stand though it didn't help. We had to keep the windows open and buy our own candle to try to mask the smell. They had put in a nice shower but the toilet wobbled when you sat on it and the water reeked of sulfer so we bought bottled water to drink and brush our teeth. There were multiple remotes with no batteries and the "king" bed was too twins pushed together and my poor husbands feet hung over. There was also an old door used for the headboard which I thought was an unique look but the hinge was exposed right where my head was. Everything just seemed hacked together. I understand if they are working to remodel but at $159 to$179 a night, I would think it would be a little nicer or cheaper. Honestly, the smell was the worst part. We didn't complain while we were there as luckily we were gone most of the time but for those looking to stay there, a heads up to watch out for some of these things. We will not be back unless some major improvements are made. read more

I am not sure what happened to this place but we stayed here over Columbus Day weekend on advice of glowing online reviews. Big mistake! No one was ever in the office. We had to wait for someone to arrive in order to check in. I notice they charged me differently ($60 price difference in their favor!) for my room then what was in their online system. When I noticed it (about an hour after checking in) I went to the office and no one was there. Never found anyone to help correct this for me No one returned my calls and no one was ever in the office! No cleaning service either. No one made the room up for the day nor took out the trash. No clean towels the next day. Our refrigerator did not work. We had no one to complain to. Did I mention no one worked in the office? It's a shame. We had no idea how to handle check out. No directions of where to deposit keys. Couldn't ask anyone because no one worked in the office. It's a charming place. My son loved staying in the lighthouse but very disappointing in the lack of service especially for the price. So much potential but poorly run read more

If you are thinking of renting out the entire hotel, you should look somewhere else. We rented out this hotel for the weekend of our wedding for ourselves and our guests. In order to do this, they make you put half down. That was fine, but getting paid back as our guest made reservations was the hard part. Sheena was very disorganized, and often forgot to reimburse me. After our stay, she even charged me for someone's room that had already paid. She fixed this problem, only after I noticed it on my credit card and emailed and called her about it. The place is super dog friendly, so that's one good thing. Other than that, the cable TV doesn't work, and the whole payment issue left a bad taste in my mouth. I hope this place succeeds, because it is on a beautiful spot of land, but I just don't think it will, unfortunately. read more