What It Is

Founded as a summer retreat on Mackinac Island in 1887, Grand Hotel is a resort that offers nearly 400 rooms, the world’s longest porch, and a semi-formal atmosphere.  It was featured in two movies: This Time For Keeps, starring Jimmy Durante and Esther Williams (1947) and Somewhere In Time, starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer (1980).

Where It Is

Mackinac (pronounced mack-in-aw) Island, Michigan, on the Upper Peninsula

When We Went

August 2018

What We Did

We stuffed ourselves silly with delicious food from the buffet, which was open from noon until 2:00.  Then, we spent an hour or more exploring the hotel; sitting on the front porch, where the kids played chess with giant chess pieces; and buying souvenirs.

How Much We Spent

$150 for the Grand Luncheon Buffett, plus souvenirs

How Much Time We Spent There

About three or so hours in the hotel itself.

What We Liked

The porch, probably the hotel’s most well-known feature, does not disappoint.  It offers gorgeous views of the lake and the Mighty Mac suspension bridge with plenty of rocking chairs to sit and relax on.  The kids got a kick out of the ginormous chess set featured on one end of the porch, and I enjoyed catching a glimpse of a wedding that was taking place at the other end.

We also liked how fancy it was inside.  We’re not $500+ room per night people, so seeing the lobby—sorry, the “parlor”-–with its muraled wall, groupings of highback chairs, and lush window dressings was a thrill for us.  The main dining room itself was half the length of the front porch with large windows and grand tables full of hot and cold foods, seafood, salads, fruit, fresh breads, and beautiful desserts.  Even the bathrooms off of the dining area were impressive.

The dress code required collared shirts for lunch.  Because we rented bikes and rode them around the perimeter of the island prior to lunch, we each brought a “nice” shirt that we changed into before we went to the hotel.  It seemed inconvenient at first, but once we got inside the hotel I decided that it wasn’t so bad: it added to the “specialness” and ambiance of the experience.  

Prior to our trip, we watched the movie, “Somewhere in Time,” which was filmed at the Grand Hotel, so we also enjoyed looking at memorabilia on the walls on the lower level and re-enacting the scene where Elise McKenna (played by actress Jane Seymour) emerges from the Tea Garden, spots her love interest, and yells up the outdoor staircase, “Richarrrrrd!”

What We Didn't Like

 If you don’t want to splurge on brunch but want to nose around the hotel and the grounds, it will still cost you.  The hotel charges a $10 admission ticket per person if you’re not staying or dining in the hotel.  It was a non-issue for us, but it seemed a bit greedy.  You don’t have to visit Grand Hotel to enjoy the island, though.


Was it worth it? 

Was it worth it?  Yes.  The price of the buffet was ridiculous, but we thought the splurge was worth the experience of stepping into one of the island’s biggest landmarks, enjoying a delicious meal in a high-end atmosphere, and feeling—at least temporarily—like a bit of royalty on vacation.


For more information, visit https://www.grandhotel.com.​

Was It Worth It?
Grand Hotel

​Posted November 2, 2025, by Janet Wolfe