When we 1st arrived they had all the windows open and the room was full of gnats. We stayed one…read morenight in May 2025, the rooms are incredibly small for the price you pay and the blinds don't cover the door or windows, so anyone walking by can see in. Will not be staying here again!!

Just spent a weekend at this motel and will not be returning. See below for all of the things…read moreexperienced: They left cellar doors open (we have kids and didn't want them falling), tried charging $40 to stay an hour past checkout, pool didn't open till 11, gave no soap or paper towels, had to ask for everything, they tried entering when we were in the room, big boulders on the beach, kids manning the front desk and not knowing how to talk to people, asked for extra pillows and a little girl came back with pillows from who knows where, felt like a cult atmosphere, 1 centimeter thin bar soap, dish soap was watered down, no breakfast or anything offered, Walmart bags for trash, people stared and they seemed like family lived there all knew each other, made you send in a check for a deposit, stay away!!!! Only benefit was the pretty sunset. Not worth $300 a night.

It looks like this place has closed down. There is never an answer, they have no FB, the phone does…read morenot work properly: robot voice answers, says enter number, but when you do it says incorrect, then "if you want to leave message for owner press #", but if you press # you get the "incorrect entry" robot message. I'm guessing one of the Wall Street investment pirates bought this, as they did so many, and intend to make it into condos or time shares or something. Or keep it closed and write it off.

Arrived after a huge storm and there was no power. Paul was awesome, he told us he understood if…read morewe decided not to stay....but he had candles in the room, a campfire going at the beach, he did everything he could to given the circumstances to make us feel welcome. We decided to stay (great choice as the power returned before dusk) as no one had power along the bay and we didn't want to return home. Condo was on first floor. Simple, clean, everything worked, and the view was fantastic. We talked with all the other guest who seemed to be great people and were also enjoying the accommodations. The beach campfires were great (some nights there were up to 3 different fires going) and we enjoyed talking with everyone. I plan to return soon. I hope Paul will give me a deal in the fall......

It's always a pleasure to stay at the Beachcomber Motel. Always clean and accommodating. Staff is…read morefriendly and fun. Great location to unwind and enjoy the beach. The only bummer is there is NO restaurants in the area! Especially during the week. There are a few bars in town but you will only get bar-type grub there which is mediocre at best. We have been vacationing in Port Austin for almost 20 years and the lack of eating establishments in the area has us stumped. Best advice, bring a bunch of snacks! Enjoy your stay!

I've been wanting to stay here for a long time. I'm an MCM fan and the sign drew me in. Did not…read moredisappoint. The rooms are nicely appointed with comfy beds, nice linens, fluffy blankies, coconut soap, comfy deck chairs, satellite TV and beachy/MCM touches. Will definitely return.

Room what can I say! Horrible is to put it mildly. Bed was broken very dark and rusty registers for…read moreheaters. We looked at 3 rooms before we settled. Then we booked online for $65 but when we got here they said there was another $55 for the room we asked why we already paid the said it was only a deposit. And the 65.00 is non refundable. That's horrible! The pool was very good and heated. Close to everything. I give them a one star for location and great pool. We wanted a heat away on budget and feel we got robbed. $120.00 for one night this is not a 3 star hotel but a motel without enough parking. This area needs a makeover of help and tourism insite.

It is such a nice town and the convenience of this hotel hits the mark. It is very dated for sure,…read morebut I knew that going in. I think we paid for what we got. My advice to the owner would be to update just a bit, invest in new beds and call it a day. Pros: 1. Location is great 2. Price is great 3. Pool is nice (although maybe open at night?) 4. Properly is spacious 5. Community fire pit is cool Cons: 1. A bit dated

This place is a gem! The owners, Barb and Chris, are warm and inviting, the rooms are spacious and…read morebeautiful, and the location is walking distance to the beach and downtown stores and restaurants. Highly recommend!

An incredibly beautiful stay, with amazing amenities, right in the heart of Port Austin, giving you…read morewalkable access to all it has to offer. On top of a peaceful and restful place to stay, the hosts are some of the kindest people you could hope to meet. Book this place for your next PA visit, you won't regret it!

This was a good choice…read more 1) The room was surprisingly large, well-furnished, and sparkling clean. It smelled a little unpleasantly of cleaning products when I first arrived, but the smell soon vanished and I appreciated the cleanliness. 2) They're very generous with towels, pillows and blankets. They left me four bath towels, four hand towels and four washcloths, and replaced the used ones every day. Each of the two beds had two pillows and a blanket, but there were two more pillows and two more blankets in drawers. I never needed them but it was nice to know they were there. 3) The fridge was large and worked great. I didn't use the microwave or coffee maker but they looked new. 4) There are a lot of drawers and flat surfaces, including a sizable table with chairs. The counter on the bathroom sink was large enough to hold a whole lot of stuff I normally don't bother unpacking because I don't expect to need it, but here I unpacked everything because there were so many places to put it. 5) On the downside, the walls are thin, which means I heard a lot of what my remarkably talkative next door neighbor had to say, but not thinner than I expect at a place like this. On the upside, except for my neighbor, I never heard an unwanted noise; the area is quite quiet and peaceful, and though there are restaurants and bars nearby (some with live music), I was completely unaware of them. 6) I had to change the details of my reservation and my wife did it for me by phone. She reports that it was an easy and pleasant interaction. 7) Port Austin is so small that location is not an issue. There are a LOT of motels in the area but no reason I can see to prefer one over another on the grounds of where they're located. 8) When I first arrived, I had a sense that all of the motels in the area looked pretty run down, and that this one looked more rundown than most. But there is nothing rundown about the interior. 9) I would definitely stay here again.

We have stayed here every year since 1988! This is classic Port Austin cabin living that gives you…read morethe feel of the up north life. You are just a short walk into downtown Port Austin with small shops, food, bars, and a pier. Some people may have unrealistic expectations, for those people stay at home in your air conditioned place in the suburbs instead of enjoying the simple life of up north living.

Loved everything about this resort! I spend most MI summer weekends enjoying the Lake Huron…read morebeachfront at different venues with cottage rentals. Crystal Sands Beach resort was able to accommodate a girls weekend (17 girls) easily. The beach house apartments provided plenty of room, gorgeous views, full kitchen and an open floor plan. The Villa's are equipped with full kitchens, bedrooms, and open floor plans in general living areas. The Suite's were open floor plans with refrigerators and coffeemakers. The property and beach were well kept and grounds crews seemed to make regular rounds to ensure cleanliness. The resort is on the beach and has a gorgeous beach area. There were many families and children enjoying their swimming, kayaking, and bulldog sand castles. At night the resort set up chairs and multiple fire pits on the beach for guests and kept the wood coming and fires going! The resort also came equipped with regular housekeeping which included daily garbage changes, cleaning, and towel replacement. The resort is handicap accessible with an ADA Suite and handicap beach access. My travel companion is wheelchair bound and we had no problems getting around. The beach house steps were wide enough to get a wheelchair bound person up and down and all staff and owners were quick to offer assistance when we took the wheelchair and occupant of wheelchair up and down the steps. I've stayed in many (most) locations in that area on the beach and this is by far the best. We can't wait to go back for our annual girls weekend next year! I can't say enough about the location or the amazing staff/owners of the resort. They truly work hard (while making it appear effortless) to ensure everyone is having a great time. Thank you Sam and Nada!!!! It was truly a pleasure meeting you and thank you for such a great time and all that you did to make our 25th annual weekend perfect!

Beautiful, clean well kept resort. Nada and Sam are the perfect hosts. They have thought of…read moreeverything!

Ok... pulling into the parking lot, first impressions do not do this place justice. Don't get me…read morewrong, it is obvious the property is kept up and has had a recent facelift but it is a lakeside motel. It doesn't really beckon you in. However once we opened the door we were pleasantly surprise, especially with the patio. Sitting outside you have a view of the lake as well as a nice water feature and an old boat that seemed great for the kids to play on. The other table had a few kids with them and they were able to run around and play and it was enough space that it more than fine as a diner without kids. The menu is pretty simple. A lot of seafood, which is not my thing, but they had a Michigan salad so that is what I ordered. Hubs got the perch sandwich. We got the onion ring tower to start. Food was all really good. They have a lot of fry options which is pretty cool. The star of the meal? The spicy Bloody Mary. No lie, it might be the best I have ever had. I make the best Bloody Mary. I obsessed over it and I tolerate most when I am out but this one was impressive. So much so that I told our server to tell the bartender how good it was. We were here for a late lunch. I have no idea how this place is for dinner or as a bar hang out but I highly recommend lunch on the patio on a beautiful day. 5 stars all the way.

The restaurant has only been open a few months and the owners are still feeling their way. The…read moregood news is that they have a very positive customer-oriented attitude which I believe will result is a fine dining destination for travelers to Michigan's Thumb. The building has been completely remodeled and is clean, bright and comfortable with great views of Lake Huron. The waitstaff was attentive and efficient and the meals ordered by myself and the three others with me were all wonderful. One friend remarked that his Cod Basket was among the best he had ever had. I know that I thoroughly enjoyed my Bourbon Steak Sandwich. I plan to return and suggest that if you are passing thru the area you give it a chance. I don't think you'll be disappointed. BTW - they have motel rooms too! The restaurant is not open 24 hours, just the motel. I believe they start serving at 11.

All went well. 4 long time friends on a golf outing. Room -clean,new. Small fridge,microwave,…read morecoffee maker. Large pool , right across from beach. Plenty of tv channels to choose from. Would recommend for sure. Benches located outside front door only 5 minutes from downtown

Room was clean and updated but they advertise the pool is open. It is not. I overpaid for just a…read moreroom.​

I have been to the Bella Vista many times usually for a week long vacation. We always stayed as a…read morefamily in one of the cottages. Is it a 4 star hotel? Definitely not, but it isn't supposed to be. The draw of coming is to be outside; at the beach or having a fire in the fire pit, not hanging out inside. On our most recent visit, we arrived and were checked in promptly. It's been a few years since I've been there and they've redone some aspects of the cottages; there was a new air conditioner along with new windows, drapes, paint, flooring and decor. I thought it looked very nice. The beds were average. The picture window is huge and faces the water so you have a great view when you're inside. The beach was fantastic. The water levels are very high because we've had so much rain - so much so that the swings are currently sitting in the water. Even so, there is still a large, expansive sand beach and the water was great. We did not use the pool so I cannot comment on that. The fire pits were really nice. They're pretty large, and situated so you can still see the water if you're sitting at them. We had a fire each night and enjoyed watching the sunset, roasting marshmallows and looking at all the stars you can't see when you're in the city. The con here (and the reason I rated it a 3) is that I felt like the cottage wasn't as clean as I'd have liked. Don't misunderstand, there weren't bugs or anything, but the surfaces all needed to be wiped down, dishes needed to be washed before use, the toaster needed a good scrub, the screened porch table needed to be cleaned before we could use it, etc. That said, if you're staying a week it's not a big deal; just clean it when you get there and be happy the rest of the week. Overall, I'd return because I think it's a nice place to stay for a family vacation by the beach.

Has great potential but is an old run down motel that has not had a dollar invested back into it…read more Rooms are clean but old, bathrooms were a time warp back to 1978 but worked. Neighbors toilet not so much. You can hear the pipes rattling in the wall when the other guests shower, thought that was actually funny when we realized what it was. Just a cosmetic mess, weeds everywhere, grass was cut but under picnic tables were not., just lazy upkeep. Pool was from the movie Vacation, no swans but hadn't been cleaned in a minute and the owner literally told us when checking in that he just put 1 million into the pool so enjoy it. I'd give it a 3.5 out iof 10, with that being said it has so much potential but the owner puts nothing back into it. The biggest plus is the amazing sunset and beach access it affords you.