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The Grand Hotel ™ has been the centerpiece of grace and elegance on Mackinac Island since 1887.  It is also known as “America’s Summer Place”  and it is easy to see why if you sit out on the world’s longest porch and overlook the whole island below.  This is the view of the hotel from the Arnold Ferry as you approach the island.  The view from the lawn is even more impressive.

Don’t forget to drop by at night.

The entry to the hotel (under the small pointed roof in the center of the hotel).

No visit to the island is complete without coming here.   You can also come dine in the main dining room or any of their other restaurants.  See list here of their many dining choices. If you wish only to take the self-guided tour, it is $10.  Every day, a schedule of events is posted for hotel guests.

No expense is spared in decor or any aspect of amenities to cater to the guests’ every need or desire.  Even transportation, the Grand Hotel has it’s own horse and carriage to take guests to ferry docks or pick them up from there.

We looked forward to enjoying the hotel’s famous luncheon from 12-2 PM then taking the tour of the hotel and grounds.  We arrived at about 12:20 and were seated in the main dining room by the window with a view of their famous porch, thanks! The view was breathtaking, especially when the freighter Presque Isle from Duluth, MN chugged by.

The views were just as impressive inside the dining room, and the food was almost too pretty to eat.  You could hear a guitar being played in the background during the meal. Let’s listen in!

A further look at the dining room, the decor even looks like summer.  This is the entry into the dining room, looking West.

The view looking East.

This view is toward the back of the dining room. I noticed the ceiling is the same shade of blue as the porch roof.   There are many mirrors in the dining room, making it look even larger. The plates have a beautiful flower on them.

We began our tour after lunch, there is much to see here!  We began in the main lobby where we came in. You can also get a map of the hotel so you don’t get lost.

 

In the small display case on our left is an original dinner plate the Grand Hotel used in the 1880’s.

A view looking toward the West Wing of the hotel from the lobby.

Just ahead of the center of the lobby is the Grand Ballroom that you can book for your own event.

On the left is the relaxing Audubon Wine Bar.  The lighting inside is very creative.  Boot lamps and grapes, they look so perfect for this room!

We continued our tour upstairs at the Cupola Bar.  The windows wrapping around 3/4 of the room offer a panoramic view of the island below, as well as the Straits, Round Island, and the swimming pool below.

It is quite possibly the highest and most interesting views of the island.  Dare I say it, “stairway to the stars” leading up to it.

The chandelier is beautiful too.

After admiring the view,  we continued downstairs on the ground floor.   The hotel check-in desk is to the right of the stairs.   On the left are the boutique shops.

 The Grand Hotel is also well known for being the main filming site of the movie, “Somewhere in Time” starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. The hotel pays tribute to this  each year by having a Somewhere in Time weekend,  in 2016 it is October 28 to 30.  For those who can’t make it, there are some artifacts from the movie on display on the ground floor.

The Bowler hat Christopher Reeve wore.

A collage of pictures taken during filming.

A portrait of Elise as seen in the movie.

Our tour concluded outside, where we read the historical marker outside and took our picture by a red English phone booth near the golf course. Great photo-op!

Horse and buggy topiary adorn the Great Lawn.

We hope you enjoyed seeing our visit to the Grand Hotel.  Catch a summer breeze on the longest porch in the world and enjoy the view!