love the friendly staff, picturesque views and the rooms take you into another world. my 4 year old says Windermere is his second home. I also love the connection they made to the book, "A mouse tail on Mackinac island." we've been coming for years and have made it a family tradition which I hope will last for many generations to come. read more

Great place to stay. Just out of the way but close enough everything. A 5 minute walk from the Star line ferry. Very helpful and friendly at the desk. You won't regret staying here ! read more

Windermere Hotel - Windermere Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

You can read my reviews on the Island to set the stage for my experience at this hotel. I have stayed at plenty of historic hotels and recognize the limitations that will be present because of functional obsolescence. What I expect is the hotel delivering better service to make up for the limitations. That didn't happen here. Starting with the room, we had long black hair still in the tub and a bag of garbage under the bathroom sink. The guest soap was the cheapest you could find -- what I would expect at a Motel 6. The room had two full size beds -- one was reasonably comfortable the other was junk. We stayed for two nights at well over $300 per night during the week so certainly not a cheap place. We requested extra towels for the second day that were never delivered. No room service for the second night. Maybe the hotel is a victim of COVID -- lack of labor. Whatever the reason I would never stay here again. read more

Windermere Hotel - See the long black hair on the bath mat. - Hotels Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

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Love Windermere! Beautiful lake views from the outdoor porch, living room and breakfast room. Lovely and quaint. Comfortable beds!

Wonderful place to stay!! Robert (and rest of staff) are very friendly & helpful. Rooms are very clean & nicely decorated. Great front porch to sit & watch the water/boats/horses & people riding bicycles. Close to business district/shops/restaurants & across from park with a great view. We've stayed there approx 6 times (once each year) & planning on returning each year as long as we're able. Jim Burkhart (party of 4 adults) read more

Exceeded my expectations. Extremely clean and well cared for. Perfect location, you can sit on the porch and look out onto the lake while still being right at the Main Street. I will certainly return to this hotel. read more

We enjoyed our quiet and comfortable stay in June 2023. We shared this room with our teenage son. Walking distance to most activities, restaurants and shops. Took the taxi to the MCD airport. read more

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My husband and I stayed here when celebrating our 1 year anniversary. We absolutely loved it at the Windermere Hotel! The staff was so sweet and friendly, and the hotel's decorations were charming and quaint. We really--really--enjoyed our stay here. The location was ideal; it was on the main strip but it was still quiet and had a great view. We would love to stay here again! read more

Windermere Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

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We had a really beautiful view of the water here. Booked 4th of July night in February and was glad I did. It's close to Main Street and the fireworks display is also very close. I just wish for the price they had a better breakfast option, also there is a sharp entry latch sticking out where the bathroom door closes. And I ran into it and it cut me up pretty bad. I think they should try to fix that. But the service was good, and I was happy they held onto our luggage on checkout until we went to get it at 3:30 pm. Also, no elevator. So do be prepared to go up some stairs. Overall though, we very much enjoyed our stay! read more

The hotel is in a great location however on the edge of town but I wouldn't recommend it for several reasons. First and foremost the gentlemen at the desk by the name of Robert is probably the worst personality for a desk receptionist I have ever encountered in my worldly travels at hundreds of hotels. Not a pleasant greeting and mostly a sour attitude. The breakfasts, if you call it that have horrible choices in this day and age with raison bran and honey cheerios. What earthly hotel probably provides a high sugar and high carb cereal for their options? Only bagels and high sugar content yogurt. Only bagels no other breads so to speak with exorbitant rates at $370 a night It is highway robbery for what is provided. The rooms are old but quaint and the view is great but it barely qualifies for a 2 star property. Oh and no elevator good luck getting luggage up one or two flights of stairs. If you are looking for better service and pleasant staff this is not the hotel for you, Wi-Fi is non existent in the upper floors except in the lobby and that isn't the greatest. read more

Lovely place to stay. We stood at the Windermere for 2 nights. The view from the porch was beautiful. The accommodations were comfortable and clean. We will definitely be back read more

The Windermere is the cleanest hotel I've ever been in. We've stayed just about everywhere on Mackinac the last 26 years and have concluded the Windermere is best. The location is superb. The rooms are charming and roomy. (Many island hotels are crowded as rabbit warrens.)You are guests of local islanders, not a corporate entity. The building is impeccably clean and well cared for, with homey features like real table lamps, a piano in the lobby, and charming original doorknobs, paneling and banisters. I love the wallpaper and bedspreads: they're like the anti-Big Box Chain Inn, cozy and soulful. All right, it's true: the breakfast is mini doughnuts and bagels. Suck it up and look forward to a fun lunch! Or go a few steps to the chuckwagon. When was the last time you liked those lousy hotel waffles anyway? The Windermere is like having your mortgage paid off. There's an ease that comes from not requiring every square inch to pay off on the bottom line. There's space for a beautiful garden, where more rooms could be. There're real light bulbs and table lamps with cloth shades instead of those horrid fluorescent things. There' re no TVs in the rooms, but there're real bedspreads, and plentiful ice and a spacious porch. There are stated rates, instead of a reservations boiler room with "special" rates that vary unpredictably based on demand (and commission). It is a step back in time in the most gracious sense of the word. Go as soon as you can. Sleep with the windows open. Smell that breeze all night and wake to the clop-clop of hooves. You won't regret it. read more

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We stayed upstairs in the family room. 4th July week, 2015. Clean and well cared for, because dirt is not character, it's dirt. Like I said very clean, fresh paint and flowers. Just sit on the porch and take it in. The boats coming and going. No cars, so Go for a bike ride, the island is tops. We could go every year. At night the Main Street and the island go quiet, distant horse hooves clopping and music in the wind. Great dinner at any of the fine restaurants. Walk around till dark or after. The top floor is up in the trees, people won't see in, open windows fresh lake air all night long... Yeah. read more

Windermere Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Mackinac Island, Michigan

The couple that owns this hotel is not friendly. They are old and confused and look like the mean grandparents from the other side of the family that you never want to go visit as a kid. These are clearly the same grandparents that made really gross food and made you clear the plate, because the continental breakfast was pretty sparse and stale. The rooms are adorable. The view is spectacular. It's reasonably priced. It's right on the main drag of Mackinac Island. Honestly, you're going to be so tired from biking that you won't need more than a nice bed and this is more than adequate. read more

BEAUTIFUL hotel on the main street. I honestly didn't feel like I was staying in a hotel, but rather as if I was staying in a guest room at my grandma's home. We stayed in room B4 on the third floor, which had flowery wallpaper and nice decoration throughout (see picture), and a stunning view of the lake. The room doors do not have a typical hotel key card entry, but rather an actual key. The entrance to the hotel has a very welcoming feel, and legitimately feels like I'm in someone's house. There is a very small breakfast available in the morning, which includes mini bagels/donuts/pastries, coffee, tea, and orange juice. Listening to the sounds of the hooves of the horses making their way through the streets in the morning was one of the biggest highlights of my trip. If the opportunity presents, I will absolutely stay here again! read more

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Stayed here a second time. This is a quaint old-fashioned hotel. It is very cozy. The staff is friendly. Rooms are a little small without many amenities and the WiFi is not fast. Breakfast is limited to danishes, juice and coffee. We like the hotel because of the proximity to downtown and the water view from the porch. read more

Just spent two amazing nights at this hotel! I loved just sitting on the porch with my book. It was hard to concentrate on my book with the gorgeous view of the water. My room on the we second floor also had an amazing view of the water. At night with the window open you could hear the clip clip of the horses going by. I am already planning my next trip in October of next year! read more

You want a true experience of Mackinac Island, stay here. It's located at the end of the busy main street overlooking the lake. When I used to stay there with my family as a kid, there were no TVs in the room so you felt like you were back in time,. like the rest of the island. The staff is friendly and very helpful, and the continental breakfast is yummy donuts with juice and coffee. The rooms are decorated to a tee. If anyone i know is planning a trip to Mackinac, I always recommend this place! read more

I was torn between 3 or 4 stars. Since this is a bed and breakfast I expect both experiences to be good. The breakfast is sparse, I would consider it a Danish with coffee. While eating my Danish, the staff started vacuuming outside at the the eating area about 8 in the morning. This was already kind of annoying. Then one of the staff members asked me to move so she could vacuum in my spot. I have been to many B&Bs and the mornings are quiet. That's why we choose them. When I asked why they vacuum during breakfast, the lady rudely said "she is JUST doing her job". Don't come here for hospitality. The view is great and the rooms are quaint and tidy. read more

Quaint and charming. I love staying at this hotel. It creaks and is old but it's beautiful and priced right. Rooms are clean and comfortable. Love the front porch. Staff is courteous and helpful. Recommend first floor room if you don't like stairs. read more

I never leave bad reviews for places so bear with me. Long story short (or the shortest I can make this anyway), I called in July to book a 10th anniversary night for end of August (our anniversary is in July but we're in the process of moving/building and we have two littles and our brains are mush to put things lightly), then had to call to cancel a couple weeks before our planned stay with the promise of keeping our deposit toward a future stay in September. When I called back to reschedule about a week ago, they called back the next day and told me that they kept our $280 deposit for an empty room because I never called to cancel (I did). We were welcome to set up another night but we'd have to pay ANOTHER deposit, which is ridiculous. They said they had no record of my call and that they simply don't offer future stays on deposits and that they would have issued a refund (obviously they didn't). That is only a VERY small part of the story. My husband ended up speaking with her (a couple days later... more to the story) and instead of saying, I'm so sorry there was a misunderstanding and offering us another room or trying to soothe the situation, she kept our $280 deposit for our room. In the end, she ended up giving us $100 back after my husband tried to defend my honor (she basically accused me lying) and tried to reason with her. I am very upset with the Windermere and the handling of this situation. I went with the Windermere initially because they were the first place to have a vacancy for the last weekend in August out of 8-10 places I called but were booked. I will strongly discourage everyone from staying there and I will never attempt to stay there again. read more

Enjoyed staying at the Windermere once again on our annual trip to Mackinac Island. It's like a home away from home while we are there--convenient to downtown yet quiet and comfortable--best front porch ever! Wish we didn't have to wait another year to go back! read more

Very disappointed with our stay here. I booked this weekend 5 months earlier. Stopped in to talk with manager and pre-paid. When we got there we were told we still owed over a hundred dollars on the room. The room was clean, but beds were uncomfortable, pillows were awful. Planned on using their sun room, but it was unheated in October and freezing cold. Of course this is where breakfast is served, which was only coffee and mini danish or bagels. When we arrived they announced everyone had to be out of the building by noon tomorrow as this was their last day. We usually checkout early, but leave our luggage for a short time while we do last minute shopping. However they said no, locking the doors. A little prior notice would have been nice. Also they actually started taking down lights and moving out furniture before guest had even checked out. They couldn't wait until noon? Sorry, but we are frequent visitors to the island and have stayed at many of the hotels there from opening day in April until closing weekends in October. This is the first one to disappoint. Won't be going back here. read more