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“Mackinac Island Is Awesome!! Mission Point Resort,Horse Carriage Ride, Biking”
Review of Mackinac Island

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Texas
Level 1 Contributor
4 reviews
6 helpful votes
“Mackinac Island Is Awesome!! Mission Point Resort,Horse Carriage Ride, Biking”
Reviewed 25 September 2007

I'd never even heard of Mackinac Island, Michigan until our 4 children & some of our close family members sent us on a trip here to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. Wow! Mackinac Island is beautiful! We went Sept. 17th - Sept. 21st & the weather was perfect! 70's max. high temp. the complete stay.
We stayed at Mission Point Resort a garden view room with the romance package. The room wasn't huge but was very nice. There is no a/c but in Sept. this wasn't a problem, if I went during the hotter times this wouldn't work out as well. I loved their location - problary the prettiest location on the island. The lawn & lawnchairs to relax in are awesome & we used them everyday! Their flowers are wonderful & they are away from the busy downtown area - but not too far to walk. Also, the roads are well lit for easy walking to & from after dark.
Their breakfast buffet that came with the package was very impressive also! And their workers are very nice. We had a very fancy meal at the Epicurean and it was wow! Was included in our package also or would be very pricey! $140. would of been the tab for 2 w/o a tip & we drank tea! The stuffed filet & shrimp cocktail are to die for! And the service was excellent. We also rented their bikes, another package cpn & had a picnic basket , also a cpn., from the Lakeside diner that we took on our bikeride & ate by the water. We found all their meals were excellant. The main lobby was beautiful & there are 5 fireplaces to sit by & relax in front of. We found that very nice one night as was very cool after a walk back from town.
The Mackinac Carriage Tour is the Big Must Do for the trip. We went at 9:30 & didn't finish till after 3! The hoses are beautiful! First you ride a carriage pulled by 3 horses, then you stop at the butterfly house. Is small but very enjoyable. Then you board a 3 horse buggy & tour thru the state park, stop at Arch Rock - beautiful!! Then on to the Fort, costs $10, to tour but was very nice also. We ate at the Tea Room there & was very good. Just had Soup & Sandwiches but were very pleased. We got back on the buggy - rode back to the butterfly area & boarded the last buggy that takes you to downtown! AWESOME!!
We toued the Grand Hotel gronds, sat on the porch & ate lunch there. It is beautiful & was fun to do. Find a coupon & will be $40 a person & you aren't to tip. The desserts are great & the grounds are wonderful photo spots!
Downtown shops are fun & the SEA BISCUIT is the place to eat! Try the Sante Fe pork chops & fried sweet taters & onion rings!!!! JoAnnas Fudge got LOTS of our $$$
Biking is wonderful! We went around the island 2 times & took LOTS of photos. The water is crystal clear, the lighthouses beautiful! Look for the trees with woodpecker holes in them & we got within a few feet of a woodpecker! The geese, seagulls, chipmunks & horses - it is all awesome!!
The ferry ride is fun! The views unreal! I loved Mackinac Island & I hope to return for our 30th Anniversary!

Helpful?
6 Thank MawMawTexas
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Gurugram (Gurgaon), India
Level 6 Contributor
651 reviews
376 helpful votes
“Somewhere in time..”
Reviewed 29 August 2007

The ferries to the island run from Mackinaw city and St. Ignace. There is a 5 mile long bridge which connects these two cities called Mackinaw Bridge. Driving on this bridge is definitely a matter of pride...though you have to shed $2.50 for one way drive on bridge.
Three ferry services, shepler, arlond lines and starline run their services between the two cities and the island and cost about $25, to and fro.
The Island is about 8 miles in circumference and the best part is that no automobiles are allowed. The commutation is either on foot, bicycles or on horse-carts. The island is famous for fudge. One can find numerous fudge shops on the main street (though its a different matter that Mackinac Island exports almost equal amount of horse-dung as fudge!).
Major point of interest are Arch Rock, Fort Holmes, Devil's kitchen, Fort Mackinac and Butterfly house. The best way is to rent a bicycle for an entire day. It may cost between $25 to $50 depending on the bicycle.
Personally, I would prefer riding a bicycle on the 8 mile circumference road (state highway MI-135), the only hwy in country which does not allow any automobiles.
There are good hotels on the island like Grand Hotel (though expensive) budget travellers may prefer McNally's cottage and Murry's hotel.
There are no McDonald, burger king, pizza hut, taco bells etc on the island though local delis are in plenty and there is one starbucks!!

Helpful?
6 Thank gauravkhattar
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Brighton
2 reviews
5 helpful votes
“Go to Mackinac Island!”
Reviewed 13 July 2007

It's worth the journey! Not so easy to get to -put Mackinac Island on your next destination list. You won't be disappointed. This is one of the world's special places! Go and you'll find out why.

Stay at least 2 nights. Try the Cottage Inn. There are plenty of great places to stay on the Island. Cottage Inn is beautiful, clean and affordable. It's smack dab in the center of town -so your steps from anything in town and can bike anywhere on the Island. Don & Virginia the inkeepers are friendly, know the island -and prepare coffee and sweets that stand up anywhere.

There is plenty to do on Mackinac. Immerse yourself in the history, get to know the locals or indulge yourself in anything that has appealed to you in other resort destinations. On Mackinac you'll enjoy beauty everyhwhere, be free of the noise, traffic and the stress that this place helps push away.

Great food, night life and music are easy to find. Make sure to have lunch on the deck of the Chippewa Hotel. The legendary Pink Pony has great food and the best water views.

Make a point of meeting some of the locals. Larry Parel is host of Village Inn -famous for planked whitefish -a local specialty. Larry is also one of the Island's best storytellers with a gift for making you feel right at home.

Leave with great memories and fudge! The sweets are everywhere but MURDICK'S -the original may be best of all.

Helpful?
3 Thank Tony17
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ballwin, Missouri
Level 6 Contributor
161 reviews
78 helpful votes
“A must see”
Reviewed 7 July 2007

Picturesque island is a must see for Northern Michigan travelers. Plan to spend just a few hours unless you are looking to stay a night or more just relaxing. It's beautiful, but you can see it all in no time. Boat ride from Mackinaw City takes 15 minutes ($21) with a great view of the Mackinac Bridge.

Helpful?
1 Thank MizzouM
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Detroit, Michigan
2 reviews
1 helpful vote
“Great Family Vacation Spot”
Reviewed 3 July 2007

I recently visited Mackinac Island with my family and we really enjoyed the entire experience. Some people have complained about the horses, but I think that's ridiculous. Horses are part of the charm of the island. Of course they're going to go potty while they're working. They aren't potty trained! If you can't handle a little horse poopoo or peepee, then you have problems. My little nephew loved the horses, and he didn't grow up on a farm. He's four years old and he knows that animals poop.
The streets were really busy when we visited, so we walked on the SIDEWALKS, completely avoiding all horse poop.
We also went for a bike ride around the island and I was amazed at how beautiful the entire island is. I don't think enough people bother to venture away from Main Street and actually see the rest of the island.
I do have one complaint. Why is there a STARBUCKS on Mackinac Island?! It's so out of place. There are plenty of family owned coffee shops on the island that I would rather go to. I hated seeing all the tourists marching around with their Starbucks cups.
All in all, Mackinac Island is a great place to take the family. I recommend the Butterfly House by the Ste. Anne's Church!

Helpful?
1 Thank hingeandsign
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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