Island House Hotel Reviews

Great, historic hotel that was convenient and centrally located. Staff were friendly and helpful. We opted for the Bed & Breakfast special and were able to enjoy breakfast on-site each day. Rooms were updated with modern amenities

Besides the wait to be seated everything else was great.

Great hotel. Good prices. Clean. Would highly recommend.

Great location and wonderful experience. We stayed here for a "mini-moon" after our wedding and the staff was helpful, room was great and the location is unbeatable!

Historic quaint hotel that includes all the amenities

View from room was into the side of a bar in a restaurant. Rooms are clean and small. Passages are a bit dingy. Objectively not a great hotel but convenient on the island.

We had a lovely turret room with a view of the harbor. And the staff was so helpful and friendly. We enjoyed our stay very much.

Grill room outdoor patio has a relaxed atmosphere and bags area to enjoy. Service & food are average. No water views. Kid friendly.

This is an older hotel. Very quaint and beautiful with a lovely view. Service has been excellent. We would stay here again.

Eleven of us went for dinner and loved it. Food was excellent! Highly recommended!

Good location and nice view but poor value for the $. Rooms were a bit tired. The two nights we stayed there were weddings that were making very loud noise well beyond the quiet hours. (They shut down the party around 10 but then all the guests were congregating on the deck under the guest rooms until after midnight). Early in the evening one wedding guest puked on the deck and the hotel staff didn't clean it up until 30 minutes after I notified them (during which time lots of people stepped in it - yuck). I like it and might even go back but very $$$ for the experience.

Love staying here. The location is great, just far enough from downtown that it's a little quieter, but only a short walk to the shops. Rooms are small but pleasant and the staff is friendly.

Nice historical hotel with a hard to beat location. The upstairs layout proved to be a challenge for my elderly mother, with lots of small stairways to navigate despite the elevator delivering you to your floor. Aside from that, we enjoyed our stay. Beautiful grounds and a nice quiet area in the back of the hotel.

Nice location with lake view and they offer very good breakfast

Room was comfortable, but I really wish there was a refrigerator for leftovers and drinks.

Love the history of the hotel, the view from the front yard & porch.

Was greeted by the friendly manager who helped us get our room and our luggage to our room. Excellent view of the harbor.

Nice hotel. Nice restaurant with good food and great service.

The room was great and the view is amazing. But that's where it ends. No lobby and to get to your room you kind of have to go down a back ally to get there. You are basically staying in an apartment (i mean really, there's even a washer and dryer). And the outside of the building is a little rough. Over all it was a quite and present stay.

This is a very nice vintage hotel with a lot of history. Our room was very small, but nicely decorated and comfortable. The location was great and the bike rental hut in front are friendly and helpful. No complaints other than the price being outrageously expensive unless you catch them off season or mid week. Would visit again.

Fabulous! The ambiance, hotel, food and the deep blue water is amazing! I highly recommend the Island House.

Had a great stay here. Room was clean. Staff very professional and friendly.

Great hotel location , room was clean and comfortable, did not interact much with staff but restaurant staff was very welcoming and nice.convenient location and great views. Check in was a bit if a mess , we waited around 2 and a half hours after check in was supposed to happen because our room was not ready , breakfast was pretty good ,however stay away from the pastries , croissant had mold on it .

I paid $362 per night to stay two nights which is way beyond my norm for a hotel. I usually don't stay at fancy places but I really wanted to stay on the Island because it had been a dream of mine for many years. Well...to say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Instead of the peace and serenity and gorgeous harbor views as advertised, I was met with a romper room experience. As soon as we entered our room, the family across the hall checked in and then the torture started. Kids running up and down the hallway, turning door knobs, SCREAMING and crying. Parent had zero control. We were trying to relax before going to dinner but instead has to listen to that for over an hour. I never do this because I like to leave the parenting to the parent, but I got so mad, I went to his door and talked to him about controlling his children. People tend to think that I like their children as much as they do. WRONG! To get away from it, we dressed for dinner and headed out. I spoke with the desk clerk who assured me that he would go up there and speak with them personally. Not sure if that happened but when we returned that evening to go to bed, they has returned as well and the mayhem continued. We decided to go ahead and stay the 2nd night because I prepaid for two nights but while I was trying to nap, more kids (different ones) starting the running and the screaming. Slamming doors etc. If I wanted romper room, I would have stayed at a cheaper place but paying this much, I expected some peace. I reached the end of my rope and we checked out at 4:00. When they asked me if there was a problem, I explained everything AGAIN and the fact that they could not move us to another room was making us leave. No offer of any kind of compensation for the trouble at all. The take away --- don't stay here unless you like chaos, running, screaming and kids trying to turn all the door knobs. Ruined what could have been a very nice vacation.

Staff is friendly, rooms are clean. Nice pool and hot tub. Great restaurant. We come back every year.

Please don't stay here or we may not be able to get our room next year . They treated my family very very well. We have two young and super social kids. The staff treated my 3 year old daughter as they would any adult guest, and she could not have been happier.

The grand gets all the press, but the Island house is the best secret on the island.

Location is great, beautiful views. The porters got our luggage to us from the ferry very quickly. The room is tiny because that's all that was available when I booked, but the bed is comfy enough and they squeezed a loveseat and nice TV in the room. Bathroom needs work with broken tiles on the floor. We got breakfast vouchers and the buffet was OK, but definitely overpriced if you're paying out of pocket.

So very quaint and cute! We had an amazing time here! Our room was at the top floor and we had to take a cute little staircase up into it! It was old timey and they decorated the outside for halloween! We loved it here and would so come back some day!

Rooms are small. How small? There is a tiny room with toilet and tub, but the sink/vanity is smack dab in the bedroom.
On our second day there was a wedding. The pounding base started at about 8 and prevented us from using the tv or even reading. When I asked the desk clerk just how long we should expect the noise we were told till 11. No change of room, just an apology. I went over budget for at least peace and quiet on an island known for just that. The pool is small and unattractive, the sauna and hot tub broken. I wouldn't go near this place again.

The room was very quaint and clean with a magnificent view. The IH staff were very professional, warm and friendly! The breakfast had a wide variety of delicious foods. I would definitely stay here againin the future. Two thumbs up!

Very clean, very relaxing to be in. Room was gorgeous.

Great place to stay on the island! The hotel is definitely outdated for the most part, and a bit of an odd layout, but the rooms were clean and comfortable. It was great having 2 restaurant options on site. The staff was very friendly and helpful - especially with getting our luggage to & from the ferry. The lawn was a great place to hang out with our large family, and even had nice little fireplaces going at night. It s in perfect proximity to the main part of town in my opinion. Views were also wonderful! Would stay again for sure.

Small rooms, bathrooms are tiny. Great location and quiet.

Best service, best food and best value for an all-inclusive vacation experience on Makinac island!

Beautiful hotel, the room was nice and the hot tub and pool was relaxing.

I enjoyed the most delightful stay at the Island House this past weekend. Room#412 has remarkable views because it sits atop of the hotel and is very comfortable with lots of windows. Newly remodeled, this great room had 2 full baths, a very large masterbedroom, 2 full size sofas which pull out additional sleepers and 2 full trundle beds situated comfortably under the windows. It also had a mini bar and little refrigerator. It was magical, fresh and clean. We also dined at the restaurant 1852 and had excellent service and a delicious meal. Afterwards we enjoyed the very secluded and spacious hottub and indoor swimming pool followed by smores on the patio overlooking the lake. The staff is incredibly friendly and we are already booking to return next summer. HIGHLY recommend.

We stayed on the 4th floor in room 409. I could deal with no elevator to the 4th floor until checkout. There was no assistance from the hotel regarding getting luggage to the 1st floor baggage station (I inquired and was told that I must deliver my bags to them). We stayed at your hotel for six days, so we had 6 luggage items that we had to lug down the staircase to the 3rd floor where we could get the elevator to the ground floor. Also, there was limited closet and hanging storage for an extended stay. Considering what we paid for the room, I will never go back to the Island House Hotel.

My girlfriend and I had a lovely time here! The hotel was clean, the staff was nice, and it was in a perfect location.

We would definitely recommend staying here.

Waitress couldn t handle the name of a shot and had us kicked out just because of it. The manager was completely rude just because the waitress couldn t take the pressure of the name of a shot. Completely rude when we had no problems and no need to be kicked out. Plus it is Father s Day and now it is to late to have Father s Day dinner.

Island House provides a wonderful on-island opportunity to enjoy the splendor of Mackinaw. The service and staff are very friendly, and the only downside is the beds are a bit on the small side.

Beautiful hotel, exquisite food for breakfast and supper. Truly a remarkable place!! They were our wedding lodging and reception dinner venue; our 20 guests raved about the meal, the view, and the attentive staff. Will definitely be back for anniversaries as well as long weekends!

It's old but kept up and that's what we expected, love it! Very quaint, comfortable would stay here again. Rooms may be small as some say, as it's more like a bed and breakfast, but on Macinac Island you don't stay in your rooms anyway!

I visited the restaurant and food was really delicious.

Nice quaint hotel. Staff seemed pretty nice and they supplied us with the stuff we needed. Only bad thing is that rooms are dated and usually pretty small, but the one I was staying in was fairly large and I found it comfortable. Meals seemed tasty but unfortunately they were not free. I would recommend this place if you were staying on Mackinac Island.

Good food and drinks. Bar has outdoor seating area with games (cornhole.)

Wonderful place to visit. Comparable to Grand hotel. Good restaurants on site.

Beautiful old hotel. Easy walk to downtown. Quiet and charming. Would recommend it to anyone staying on the island.

I enjoyed the stay here. The best part was the included free breakfast. The breakfast was one if the best I've never had at a hotel.

We went to the Island House Hotel's BBQ restaurant around the back of the hotel. It was delicious and service was great. thank you!

The location of the hotel is perfect. 5 minute walk the downtown area on the island, but far enough that it's quiet at night. Don't stay on the 4th floor. The rooms are smaller, they're difficult to get to, and housekeeping only seems to come to them by specific request. They're less expensive than other rooms, but not enough to justify the significant drop off in quality from the rest of the otherwise fantastic hotel.

Charming as only can be found on Mackinac island. The staffing of these hotels I'm sure is always a challenge but The Island House pulls it off every year. The food has been on a slight decline these past couple years but still rates better than most. Always a pleasure to stay here.

Very much enjoying our visit, rooms are clean and comfortable, staff is very nice!

My sister and I were on a road trip and I had never been to MacIsland. We are both over 55 and didn't want the entire pomp and circumstances of the Grand, made our reservation at what we believed to be the next best thing. We were not disappointed! Naturally we visited the Grand but were completed enchanted with our choice of The Island House in every respect. We throughly enjoyed our stay.

Our reason for going to Island House Hotel was for Ice House barbecue. Due to an event going gone it was hard to find the restaurant once we found restaurant it was very small and service took a very long time. The food was ok but not worth going back for.

We stayed in a small room with a king bed. The room was clean and nicely furnished, and was bright during the day (some hotel rooms can feel dark). The only strange thing was that the one radiator was in the bathroom. We also used the hot tub (spa) in the pool house, which was hot and clean. My only note is that there were no gender neutral restrooms in the pool house.

Got here today and so far so good and everyone is really nice

Very nice place. A lot of character. Just know it is an old building - small rooms and thin walls and floors.

View from the massive front porch and dinning room was great.

Service was wonderful.

Our favorite place to stay on Mackinac Island. The view is wonderful while sitting on the huge front porch, the location is perfect - - just far enough from downtown to be away from the crowds, but close enough for an easy walk there - - and the staff is always friendly and helpful. We visit the island a couple of times a year, and would not consider staying anywhere else.

What an amazing Hotel! Great place to stay on the island!

Rooms were small and outdated and were very dirty. Hotel staff was nice at first but was very rude at other times. Had an awful experience having to switch rooms because of it being filthy to another room which was just as dirty. Will never stay here again and recommend to others to not stay here.

The room we had was so small I thought I was staying in a walk in closet. There was a musty smell to the room. And there was mold in the bathroom. If I were to go back I would stay at a another hotel. But definitely go visit the island. So beautiful!

Pros: grounds are lovely and location is great. Cons: room quality, breakfast hours and WiFi. If you stay here, I suggest checking your room before you agree to stay in it as room quality varies greatly (and don't stay in 216...). Room had exposed pipes that shook and whined whenever someone upstairs turned on their water and a/c sounded like a freight train. Breakfast: they don't open the restaurant until 8 am. I couldn't have my included breakfast either day as I had to be somewhere. WiFi and biz center: don't bother. Tried to check in for flight on my device and in business center and gave up after 1/2 hour because system is sooooo sloooooooow. I don't recommend. There are many other places on the island where I have stayed that have better service and nicer rooms.

We chose the Island House to host our wedding reception on Mackinac Island. We had 150 guests. Let me just start by saying looking back on that day my wife and I couldn t even dream of having it in any other place other than The 1852 Grill at the Island House Hotel.
The planning was handled by Carol and Dan and they were amazing. All of are questions were answered promptly and completely by these two. They made us feel safe in our decisions concerning our wedding which is a gift during that stressful planning portion of a wedding.
They had great working relationships with other vendors which made that process seamless.
After our wedding ceremony and pictures we pulled up on a carriage ride and were greeted by our guests out on the Veranda and front porch. The Island House hosted a cocktail hour where are guests were able to enjoy the scenery looking out on Main Street and the marina. The Hotel was a perfect backdrop for us to do our family pictures.
The 1852 Grill easily accommodated 150 guests. The way they set up tables , the fixed booths and the dance floor made you believe that hosting wedding receptions in this room was its only purpose. The ability to have a real bar was also such a plus for people to mingle and be served without delay. The food was amazing and the variety of choices gave us the ability to accommodate all of our guests. The waitstaff were professional and went out of there way to make the night perfect for our guests.
The entire Hotel staff made our wedding exactly what we dreamed of. We could never thank them enough.
Joe and Katie Doolen-Flynn

Clean rooms, great location and the food is great along with a lot of extra things to do

O it's a fantastic place to stay! The food is amazing! & that maintenance crew is on point especially that Ian guy!

Great stay! The grounds and lobby are spectacular! Rooms and bathrooms are small, as are most rooms on the island.

Terrible rooms, poor staffing, only stayed one night and had three reserved. Did I mention terrible rooms? And no matter what, avoid the fourth floor.

Very nice stay, perfect location, view and restaurants.

Awesome friendly service; clean, nice big suite. Plenty of beds & baths in their suites, perfect for the 3 of us. Beautiful restaurant with THE VIEW, excellent waitstaff & dinner selections. Breakfast was to die for! Great little bbq restaurant right under our room, fun & convenient. Hotel is in perfect location to walk to & enjoy all the quaint shops, good restaurants & bars downtown.