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!

We are definitely giving this five stars for a motel. We picked a room that was right on the water…read more The room had a sliding door with chairs outside. It could not have been more enjoyable and relaxing. Also, even though it is a motel, the person who did the decor definitely has a talent for colors and style. Two thumbs up. Not the cheapest at $150 a night, but definitely worth it! The only downside is leaving..

I felt so lucky to find this motel on such short notice! Copper Harbor is very limited on places to…read morestay but I was able to book one night here right on Lake Superior! I walked out my patio door to the majestic lake of the north. Come to find out the Isle Royale Ferry Departs from this area! If I had known that ahead of time, I would have booked a trip to the isolated isle! It's on my bucket. I truly enjoyed my stay and hope to be back here one day! On a side note, the motel has been updated and it's quite charming!

The Fitzgerald is a fabulous restaurant. The atmosphere is spectacular with view of Lake Superior…read more The inside is small, quaint and nicely arranged. The chopped ice in the water glass is definitely appreciated. The food is wonderful with interesting dishes. The plate presentation shows their culinary expertise. There is wide range of cocktails and beer choices. Overall, a very nice place to enjoy a great meal and drinks. We look forward to eating there soon.

Several years ago we had a bad experience at the Fritz. I finally got the husband to give them a…read moretry again and it was an amazing experience. From being greeted by friendly staff, having mixologist make our drinks which were over the top good, to literally the best smoked prime rib we have ever had. My husband's comment was "the Fritz is backed on the list! Thank to all the staff and owners for a great dining experience. We will be back next year. Thank you Judy Robinson

Stopped in for food. Sadly no cook so pastries only. Was good but not what we wanted. Guy behind…read morecounter friendly. WiFi available inside.

The restaurant was wonderful. We enjoyed the breakfast and it was fun to talk to owners and fellow…read moreDiners. Great atmosphere. Prices were VERY reasonable and there was a ton of food on the plate. Would definitely recommend the restaurant.

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.

Highly recommend this place if your furbabies are with or without you. We've been staying in hotels…read moreall around Michigan while touring lighthouses and this is by far the best hotel to stay at. The rooms itself has high ceilings and odd enough, slightly thin walls. We could hear (I think) the people straight above us singing loud while in the bathroom. The breakfast was pretty impressive compared to most average hotels. They had a nice selection of toppings for cooked oatmeal, a couple waffle makers, yogurt, frittas (more like omelette), biscuit, gravy with sausage (that was out by 8am, so couldn't try it). But the spread of options was a lot more than the usual dry cereal bar, yogurt, bread and bagels.

Sadly, our plans were ruined last minute on our trip in Northern Michigan. My husband and I were…read moreplanning on camping in an area nearby. However, due to Covid a lot of main camping sites were closed at the time. We knew this prior and researched the area we wanted to camp. Sadly, when we arrived the person that did camp there misinformed us as there are signs that tell you not to publically camp at the site. We did not want to break any rules so we decided to try to find a last minute place to sleep. Luckily, we found a place right in Houghton. We got to pass by a beautiful water front and a mini bridge. It was quite beautiful and I definitely would love to visit the city again. The inn was safely following protocals for Covid. We got our room key and went to our room. The pool room was open, but only a certain amount of people were allowed in at once. Luckily, it was super late so no one was in the pool area. We decided to stop by the jacuzzi to check it out. The room itsef was super clean and comfortable. It was definitely worth the price. I enjoyed our night stay. I would come back again in the future.

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.

I stayed at Waterstone many times and every time I return to the UP for business I always check…read morewith Waterstone in hopes they have an opening. The managers Jayne and Robin are the reason I rate this at a 4-they are wonderful. I always found them to be attentive and truly love the place. The location is great-beautiful views but is on the main highway going up to Houghton. The units-they could truly be amazing, the bedrooms are large and bathrooms are nice but everything needs an update. I hope the owners find this very special place worthy of an update. Thank you Jayne and Robin for taking such great care and making me feel welcomed in the UP!

Waterstone Suites 10/8/17 - 10/11/17…read more Could have been a really great place to stay. Let's start with the 4 dozen fly bodies we cleaned up on our arrival. Then we killed another 18 or so. There was even a dead fly in one of the beds. When we spoke with the contact for the property they offered us alternate accommodation in the unit below, but when they open the door that unit smelled like garbage and dirty diapers, also gross. Everyday saw a fresh new supply of dead flies even though this was a fall visit. There unit itself was nice with a very nice view, gas fireplace, very deep garage to use (can fit two suvs in lengthwise no problem, (opening was a bit narrow). There is a full size washer and dryer if you were there for a week. Location was good being right near Baraga and at the bottom of the Keweenaw Penninsula. It was sparsely appointed: no extra pillows, blankets (one on each bed, cheap foam ones), no hangers in the closets and for an extended stay no dresser to put clothes into. We asked for more toilet paper on the morning after our arrival to be questioned on how much TP we had used. What? The bathroom attached to the MBR had a bit left on the roll to begin with. Each couple was given 1 more roll. (Use the single ply sparingly). Kitchen was sparsely appointed, not much silverware, no small glasses, mismatched wine glasses, no paper towels or extra garbage bags. Our garbage was not taken out during our multi night stay. Water was very restricted in the shower, but the faucet in the kitchen was difficult to get turned off. Couldn't get a good shower to save your soul! The shower off the MBR is very small. You can barely wash yourself without hitting the walls. Dispensers for shampoo, conditioner, body wash were empty. We had four adults staying in the unit. There were 4 bath & hand towels and 4 washcloths. When we asked for extras we were informed that there weren't any extras and that was why there a washer and dryer in the unit. Doing laundry is not high on the priority list when you are on vacation. We were told it wasn't the Four Seasons. Obviously the manager/owners were not only lacking in towels, but in good customer service. If you want a separate towel for your hair you're out of luck unless you bring your own. Porch off living room was dirty, lots of dead flies on the threshold of the door. Furniture needed a good wash off. Windows in the door to the porch were very dirty. LR only has seating for 3, 1 large sofa, no extra chair for a 4th person. Some parts of the blinds in LR were not working properly. The blinds were very hard to pull over. TVs were all old. The wall-mounted TVs in the BRs presented a safety risk for our heads. They were hanging out from the wall at just the right height to hit your head on, which happened on 2 occasions. On the outside the building looked tired, not as nice as in the picture. Much of the woodwork especially on the porches was worn and in need of painting. We were first told that our contacts had acquired the property within the last couple years. Then we were told that our contacts for the property worked for a management company and they couldn't get them to do anything to make it nicer. We would have been happy to write to them. When we asked the name of the company we were told that they couldn't remember the name. Strange when you would be dealing with them all the time for over 2 years. Very odd. There is road noise from US 41. Fortunately the BRs were on the back of the buildings. For $160 per night our expectations were a little higher We got by, but our stay could have been so much more enjoyable.

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.