cathy4593

Hi. We are planning a trip to upper Michigan in late June. I am trying to decide between the following Traverse City hotels. Any advice you have would be appreciated.

The Beach Condominiums
Cherry Tree Inn on the Beach
ParkShore Resort

Also - I haven't gotten a chance to investigate Macinac island hotels yet - any recommendations? We are looking for a family friendly place, as we will be traveling with our 1 yr old.

Thanks!

swalter518

I'm not sure about the Traverse City hotels but we stayed at the Iroquois Hotel on the Island and loved it-right on the beach, close to the ferry and the shops/bike rental. I'd recommend it.

mikesmom

We always stay at the Beach Condominiums in Traverse City. We've been going there for years. There are 30 one bedroom condos right on Grand Traverse Bay. They have been recently renovated so everything is new. If you get a first floor unit, you can walk out the slider and be right on the beach - very nice with toddlers. We usually ask for a third floor end unit because we like the extra windows and vaulted ceilings. Location is great. It's about a 10 minute drive into downtown TC. I have not stayed at the other two hotels you mention, however, they look very nice. We like the Beach because we have a full kitchen, washer and dryer, dining area and living room. The bathrooms are big with jacuzzi tubs. If you have any questions, I will try to answer.

TravelerGina

As swalter518 said, the Hotel Iroquois is nice. So is the Island House which is in the other direction past Doud's General Store just beyond the park in front of Fort Mackinac.

Keith

Late June is a great time to visit that area. Everything is open, the crowds are not bad and you may find some lodging bargins. But don't forget to include some warm clothes in your suitcase. You could get almost any kind of weather.

Keith

chicago31

Just an FYI the water will be very cold in lake michigan at that time. Still a good time to visit. Make sure if you are in TC that you drive up the Lelanau Pennisula. Nothing beats the cute little towns with great shops and resturants....Suttons Bay, Leland (my fav), Glen Arbor (great area to grab lunch after visting sleeping bear dunes or pierce stocking drive.) and North Port. If you need restaurant recs....Let me know!

rapunzll

The three properties you mentioned are all reputable properties, the Beach Condos being the most expensive. The Beach and The Cherry Tree Inn are both totally non-smoking properties.

The water may not be warm enough to swim in at the end of may. I live here in TC and work in local tourism, and sometimes you see people in the bay as early as Fathers Day weekend, and sometimes not for a couple of weeks after that. Of course, kids will get into water that you or I would never swim in! Another thing, the Parkshore and the Beach both have lovely beaches. The Cherry Tree Inns beach has suffered the last few years because of low water levels that effect their end of the bay worse than others.

If you would rather not move from hotel to hotel, keep in mind that TC is only two hours from Mackinaw City and the bridge.

cathy4593

Thanks so much for all of the help. I definitely want a nice beach at least for walking on if it is too cold to swim. I was leaning toward the Beach Condominiums, but think I may go with the Parkshore instead just due to the price (unless anyone has any negative comments about it). Plus, the indoor pool will be nice if we have a rainy afternoon and a cranky toddler. The Iroquois sounds like a winner on Mackinac.

We have 5 nights in TC. We are definitely planning to visit sleeping bear dunes, drive down to the Mission Lighthouse, do a little hiking, and visit some of the small towns that Chicago 31 mentioned. We will only be staying 2 nights on Mackinac, so I think we will mainly just be doing the basic bike ride around the island, visiting the fort, and shopping, etc.

If anyone has any "don't miss" activities that I didn't mention or good toddler friendly restaurants please let me know.

Thanks for the warning on bringing warm clothes also - we just moved to Michigan (Detroit area) this past year and may not have thought about needing long sleeves in June!

Cathy

Keith

If you have any interest in lighhouses, a "don't miss" activity is the lighthouse tours that Shepler's Ferry Co offers. They leave from Mackinaw City and do not depart every day: http://www.sheplersferry.com/lightho...ghthouses.html

I have two favorite quiet spots on the island that most people do not know about.

The back of the library has a sheltered deck with rocking chairs looking out at the channel and Round Island. Less than 100 feet from a bustling street, it is a wonderful quiet, sunny spot with a beautiful view, where you sit back and let the one year old play on the grass/

The two level Cupola bar is at the very top, center of the Grand Hotel. It has a spectaclar 360 degree view and its a nice place to get a drink and feel like you are somewhere special. Particularly during the afternoon when you may have the upper level of the bar all to yourselves.

Keith

rapunzll

There is a childrens museum in TC http://glcm.org/ that you might consider if the weather gets bad. The Grand Beach and Sugar Beach are also nice properties as is the Bayshore which is downtown. We have a small zoo with animals native to MI and that's a perfect size for a child as small as yours. You might want to check out the CVB website: http://www.mytraversecity.com/

chicago31

I would defintely do sleeping bear dunes and peirce stocking drive one day. That day would be a good time to check out Glen Arbor. Also, if you are into wine......hit some of the awesome wineries up on the Lelanau Pennsiula! You have to try some cherry wine.