Amazing vintage resort! Walkable to shops, restaurants and Lake Superior. Was clean and comfortable…read moreand has lots of vintage charm.

For all those adventurers out there needing to check Isle Royale National Park off their To-Do…read moreLists....then I highly recommend first staying here at Minnetonka Resort before venturing off to one of the most remote parks in the United States! Yes this Minnetonka Resort was perfect for myself I couldn't have asked for much better in terms of rustic and accessible accommodations before my journey out to Isle Royale. Let me just back up a moment and give some details about what makes Minnetonka Resort so great and why you should choose to stay here as part of the Isle Royale experience.... To arrive at Isle Royale NP, you must take a boat. It's an island park set out right along the border with Canada. There are multiple destinations for which you can depart towards Isle Royale. This Minnetonka Resort is located in the tippy top section of Northern Michigan (the UP - Upper Peninsula of MI) in a very quiet and remote town called Copper Harbor. And it's here in Copper Harbor where you can take the Queen IV Ferry on beautiful Lake Superior and over to Isle Royale. From Copper Harbor the trip is only 3 hours long and during my research of Isle Royale, I discovered departing from this town of Copper Harbor to be most efficient. Because...not only is a 3 hour trip on Lake Superior waters relatively quick in comparison to others out there, but the Queen IV drops you off in the heart of the park at Rock Harbor. From other destinations you may get left off at more secluded points of Isle Royale, but the main event section/star attraction is certainly Rock Harbor. So, my point is...I'd suggest leaving from Copper Harbor and then obviously that's what brings into play this...Minnetonka Resort! I loved everything about my stay and experience here. Let me go through all the cool aspects... Btw...almost every tourist comes to Copper Harbor to eventually ride out to Isle Royale. If you're staying at Minnetonka Resort...it's most likely to have a place to rest at the night before your trip departure...and then when you return back to Copper Harbor from Isle Royale (especially those visitors who go to Isle Royale just as a day-trip and do not camp out overnight on the island)...a place to sleep for a second consecutive evening after the boat trip back. - I booked online to stay here for 2 consecutive evenings. I was traveling alone so all I needed was a one person room to rest my head. I selected Cottage #11 which was the cheapest rate they had for late June this past summer of 2021. It was $85 per night and with taxes my total came to $185.30, a great deal! And...their website was extremely easy to use! Terrific website! You'll understand when you logon to the internet and book your cottage. Also, it's not just a motel...this $85 per night was for my very own CABIN with a separate shower, sink, a/c unit, WiFi, television with all the good channels...and overall, just a very homely and charming feel!!! I had a great nights rest for both evenings and truly I felt like I was staying out within the heart of the great outdoors, my favorite type of setting! - Minnetonka Resort is located right in the main part of town of Copper Harbor. The boating dock and pier for departing on the Queen IV Ferry was within a 5 minute walk!! I asked Minnetonka Resort if I could leave my car for the day beside my cabin while I walked over to the ferry and they said..."no problem!" That was ultra convenient because driving and parking next to the pier cost a day fee so I was able to avoid that charge. - There is a small gift shop within where you check-in to the resort. Though I never purchased anything, I did like browsing around the store. - They offer laundry on site. - Minnetonka Resort sits right on the corner as you first enter Copper Harbor. It can't be missed. In fact...you can pretty much walk anywhere in town. Granted...Copper Harbor is a tiny little seaside area, but one night it was so pleasant outside that I even walked over to the Mariner North Restaurant for dinner (which I recommend as well). I cannot say enough good things from my stay here at Minnetonka Resort in Copper Harbor, Michigan. It only added to my wonderful collection of memories and time exploring out at Isle Royale making my entire expedition to this truly primitive national park a glorified experience that I'll never forget. Finally, a reminder why to stay at Minnetonka Resort.... - very affordable prices during peak summer travel season. - all rustic and cozy cottages. - accessible to walk to Queen IV Ferry dock and around Copper Harbor. - gift shop. - wonderful website, up front and honest about their prices. - located in the heart of Copper Harbor, MI...the most accessible town for beginning park departures and quests out to Isle Royale NP!

The Bella Vista has been my go-to lodging for several trips before catching the ferry to Isle…read moreRoyale. The rooms have always been in good condition, the staff is predictably kind, welcoming, and helpful, and the price is more than fair. On my last trip I left my wallet in the room - must have missed it on my walk-through? We boarded the ferry the next morning and when we returned 4 days later, I had a voicemail waiting to let me know they'd found my wallet, and several solutions were offered for returning it to me. Because we had a time constraint, we were well on the road when I got the message and I asked them to mail it to me. My wallet arrived, with a kind note, in the mail three days later. Great work, Bella Vista staff! I appreciated your timeliness, communication, and overall excellent service. See you next time. ;)

We booked three nights in Cabin 7. We arrived and were very disappointed in the cabin, and asked to…read moremove to another room, but they were fully booked. We left the next morning and could not obtain a refund for the two nights left on our stay. This was over 300 dollars, and the fact that we left anyway, should tell you all you need to know about Bella Vista Cabin 7. While I understand why you must cancel two weeks in advance when it is a change of plans, exceptions should be made when the room is not acceptable. We didn't expect a fancy hotel, we did expect that the pull-out bed would be clean and have bed sheets, but it was not clean and had no bedding. We notified the front desk and were given sheets and a thin blanket for the pull out, which we then had to use to make up the bed. There were no curtains on the front door and the window by the door, which means you have no privacy from people walking by. We used one of the sheets to cover the windows. The shower is small, and I do mean small. I am 6' tall and could not raise my arms without hitting the wall. The queen bed was in a small space with that had lamps on home made 5x10 wooden shelves with two small lamps on them. The lamps were plugged into extension cords, and one cord hung/laid across the head end of the bed. There was no headboard. If you like cozy cottages, this is not what you would expect. Instead, this is a 1940's fishing cottage that has received the minimal upgrade to the kitchen area, and little else. You will notice that there are no photos of the cottages on the web site, only the newly remodeled regular rooms. There is a good reason for that. When we booked this cabin, we made sure it had Internet, as we had a scheduled Zoom meeting. The internet was so poor that we couldn't even read emails, let alone have a zoom meeting. A quick check of the speed showed the connection was about 20 Kbps. Note that it was Kilo bps not Mega bps. There were 14 users on the router when we checked, and it was totally unusable. We advised the front desk that the internet wasn't working well and they said, yes it's not very good. You can get high speed internet everywhere now, except Bella Vista evidently (see Starlink). We realize we were in Copper Harbor not Chicago, but the cottage could have been acceptable and cozy if even a small effort was made to make the cottage look less like a fishing cabin and more like a welcoming hotel room. While we did not see any other accommodations at Bella Vista, we cannot recommend Cottage 7. The staff were defensive and not helpful when we asked for what we considered was a reasonable request for a partial refund. Before you book here, consider all your options, and expect little.

One of the best nature resets every busy city person should take at least once every two years. Why…read moreI say that is because you will be in the middle of Mother Nature. I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to detach themselves from the rat race. There is limited Wi-Fi only around the lodge area, and wherever you go beyond that, there is no Wi-Fi and no TV, which is actually completely detoxifying. I loved, loved, loved this place. The owner, John, is such an amazing man.

We loved our trip. The staff were so friendly and helpful with everything…read more The winter setting was beautiful. We had gone in January in hope of seeing the northern lights, but sadly it was overcast and snowy the whole time. This is a "dark sky" location, so it was a bummer. The cabins are adorable. Built by the WPA in the 1930s, but completely updated with modern heating and bathrooms. There was a fireplace, a nice touch. The beds were comfortable and the space was clean. There was a small fridge and a microwave. They do provide simple breakfast, lunch and dinner that is included in the stay. If you want something different, there is a restaurant in town. There is a general store if you need extra snacks, drinks, etc. And Chef Wi will make a special dinner for you if you plan ahead (costs extra). She was so kind and attentive and made us feel welcome. She called us ahead of time to be sure we were aware of the dining options. Cross country skiing and snow shoeing equipment was available at no cost. It's too far away for us to go again, but it must be incredibly beautiful in the spring and summer.

LOVE this place. Would love to come back. Ruth and Ole have a wonderful gem of a place. If you have…read morethe opportunity to stay here, don't doubt it, the husband and I tried to stay an extra night, but they were actually fully booked. We stayed in the Lincoln bedroom and the room is phenomenal and bed was very comfortable.

We were lucky enough to catch a room opening on our way to copper harbor.Van Ruth and Abe were all…read morefantastic hosts/hostess. It was an amazing experience and viewing all of the antiques was in itself fantastic. Van shared many stories over coffee and I totally felt like family! I strongly recommend you enjoy this great family and stay with them, I know I will the next time we are in the Keweenaw! Thank you Van, Ruth and Abe for making us feel like family.

The room is upstairs of the old rock shop. It was recently remodeled and looks great. Hardwood…read morefloors, tongue and groove pine on the walls and brand new appliances, counters and fixtures throughout. The kitchen is big and comes with water, light snacks and coffee. Also very nicely restored hardwood furniture throughout. Sheryl , the owner, is great. She asked around town for the best places to hunt and fish and prepared a write up of recommendations. Sheryl is very nice and accommodating. Location is smack dab in the middle of town. I am definitely staying here the next time I visit my son at Tech.

From the owner: New place to stay in Copper Harborread more

This is a small motel conveniently located in the 6 square block booming metropolis that is…read moredowntown Copper Harbor. When we first pulled in, I asked my travel companion if this was already paid for, meaning "if they don't have our money let's go somewhere else". It was, by all outward appearances not someplace we wanted to spend the night. Then we remembered seeing on their website that they had completely remodeled their rooms within the last two years - and wow. The outside of the motel does not do the inside justice. Fresh carpet, clean well-lit bathrooms with modern fixtures, spacious rooms, good beds, and everything we needed to get us ready for a hard day on the trails. The tired old cliché "don't judge a book by it's cover" certainly rings true in our little world time and time again. With reasonable rates and a great location, it's worth a stop when you're in the area. Jim & Colette http://www.roamingtogether.com http://www.facebook.com/followrt

There's a reason the only photo is their only sign. It was the Bates Motel! Plastic on the windows,…read moresmelly, junky, and way beyond "old timely." Didn't stay, and when we went to the owner's door and told her no thanks she slammed the door on us! Too bad. It was a great location.

I didn't stay at the resort. I just went in and ate lunch…read more Very interesting decor, old ski, alot of old local antique. I had the turkey dinner special, . I love their stuffing. I know it is nothing special but it taste great. Free wifi by the way, very important in the middle of nowhere

I don't have a lot of expectation of "resorts" in the UP in MI. This was one of the worst. In light…read moreof covid, I expected it to at least be extra clean. It was far from that. There were dirty fingerprints all over the back of the door, sticky spray stuff on the walls and pictures, thick dust on the baseboards... The walls were thin, and the neighbors were loud (but not inappropriately so). There was supposed to be a "futon". There was a dirty couch I wouldn't have let my dog on. The positives: The mattress was newer (with flat, old pillows). There was a nice porch (with two chairs for three rooms to share). No front desk. Check in is in the bar, and check out is in the restaurant (which appeared to be a popular breakfast place).