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    Whaleback Inn

    4.5 (28 reviews)
    ModerateHotels
    Open Open 24 hours
    Updated 1 week ago

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    Shared patio outside of the rooms
    Lisa G.

    The rooms are very comfortable with a great view of the water. The couple who runs the inn are the friendliest and nicest people we have met. We plan on staying here again when we come back to the area.

    Sharon R.

    Loved this place! Perfect place for a Pure Michigan getaway. Very charming, clean and close to all the attractions.

    View from the front lawn of the inn
    Tony L.

    Staying at the Whaleback Inn was a total delight from check-in to check-out. A very large group of us from all over the country (most of which were in town from New York City) stayed here for a destination wedding that happened about 20 minutes away. I couldn't imagine a more relaxing, comfortable and hometown-feeling place to stay. The very courteous staff were always working hard to make sure that everything went smoothly and that we were accommodated. The rooms are "rustic" in a Disney's Wilderness Lodge kind of way. Clean and attractive (with very comfortable beds), modern conveniences like HDTV and most have a view of the lake across the street. They are quiet and relaxing. There is a rec room where you can buy candy, popcorn, water, soda, coffee or ice (based on the honor system). I would have loved to have a bathtub in the restroom...but given the size of the space, it is understandable why not all rooms have one. The porch breakfast and "afternoon tea/lemonade" were both great. Plenty of hardboiled eggs, fruit, yogurt, breads, bagels and pastries (as well as coffee, tea and an assortment of juices). Don't miss the dock across the street! Carefully cross the street and bring a towel with you to sit on...there is a paddle boat and a few chairs. This place was a perfect example of a small, family run inn. I'd recommend it to anyone and hope to be back again sometime soon!

    Perfect for our group of 4 friends visiting the Whaleback--the stunning view of Lake Leelanau from their dock!
    Mary R.

    Stayed here for a long weekend with a group of girlfriends. Snagged a Cottage Suite, which was way more spacious than we expected--nice surprise! We had a full-sized fridge and a small stove. We didn't use the stove, but the fridge was great for storing all the L. Mawby! :) Whaleback Inn is beautiful, conveniently located, and well-appointed. The owners were super friendly and readily accessible. We enjoyed breakfast on the porch each morning, and took advantage of the Lake Leelanau access for swimming and hanging out on the dock. Honestly, the only complaints were the lack of a soap dish at the bathroom sink (the soap kept sliding off the sink and onto the counter!) and morning coffee that wasn't as strong as we would have wished... super minor things that don't merit a loss of star by any means. We'll definitely be back!

    Hosts are very welcoming. View...beautiful! Healthy continental breakfast... yogurt, fresh fruits, whole grain breads, delish cherry jam? Sauce? Negatives- our room had a large king that was posted quite a ways off the floor. Difficult for short person to get on and off. Bed sags in middle. Skylights... woke us up at 6:30am with sunlight. Not cool on vacay.

    Great view

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    10 months ago

    Our room was clean, but smelled really bad. Like old wood, musty smell. It was pretty expensive too.

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    14 years ago

    Great B & B in Leland MI. Coffee on the patio in the morning is great. This is close to Fishtown... 1 mile away.

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    9 years ago

    The guy who runs this place was sooo friendly and helpful throughout our stay. Very peaceful and picturesque atmosphere.

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    Review Highlights - Whaleback Inn

    Enjoy the sunrise from their dock over Lake Leelanau or take a short walk to see the sun set on Lake Michigan.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    Falling Waters Lodge - Balcony Apt

    Falling Waters Lodge

    (26 reviews)

    $$

    We loved staying at this lodge for a long weekend in Northern Michigan! The location of Falling…read moreWaters Lodge is so special. I'll never forget the beautiful views of the boats and shops of Fishtown. Van's Beach is right outside the door, and the town is a close drive to Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and wine tasting on the Leelanau Peninsula. We opted for a balcony apartment room, which was a great decision. It is located off their upper deck and offers some additional privacy from the other visitors. The room had two beds - one downstairs and one in a cute loft area. It would be plenty of space for two couples to share, although noise could be heard throughout the room. The bathrooms and kitchenette are both recently updated and really added to our overall experience! We also loved that they are dog friendly, as it can be limiting to travel with pets at times and find convenient stays. While the price point to stay is similar to the prices of nicer hotels, we didn't experience quite the same level of service. As you can imagine with a smaller staff, they offer room cleaning only as requested and don't always have someone staffing the office. Overall, we didn't mind since we loved the location and the amazing views.

    If the owners of this business could please reach out to me, I would appreciate it. We splurged on…read morethis hotel for a special occasion and had the worst experience not only with the office staff, but with our room. The office staff said they would deduct $75 from our bill and never did. I've called and left many messages and will be following up today with an email. We have a two night stay booked next fall and I would cancel it if it wasn't for us meeting friends there and staying at the same lodge. I don't mind that this is a more low-key, no staff present at night but when you wake up and you can't take a shower because the shower isn't draining and backing up with disgusting stuff and you call the overnight number and text it and no one even bothers to get back to you once the office is opened, it's a terrible way to start your day. Especially if you're celebrating some thing. Then, to be told they know that there are problems in there with the drainage and didn't care about disclosing it or even answering their phones and addressing the issue and just laughing it off is incredibly unprofessional and just unkind. Maybe they would like to start their day standing in disgusting water on their birthday. :/ I've read a lot of complaints about this lodge. This is such a beautiful location and a very special and unique lodge but you need new management. Desperately.

    Fountain Point Resort - Thursday night concerts

    Fountain Point Resort

    (7 reviews)

    $$

    Incredible experience! It was like going back in time to a resort decades ago. Highly recommend and…read morecan't wait to go back! One improvement would be wifi in the cabins to make it easier to work from there so we can spend even more time there!

    This is my second review on yelp ever. I am not one to complain unless I feel it's extremely…read morenecessary. First let me start with the good, the place is absolutely gorgeous and has all kinds of amenities and games for the guests to enjoy. The cabins are quaint and comfortable. That being said, the management and owner are the most unprofessional people I've ever had to encounter as a PAYING guest. My friend had her wedding here this past weekend, and instead of raving about how beautiful the place is I left that place with an AWFUL taste in my mouth and absolute disappointment. If there was a way for the manager to make things difficult on my friend and her guests, she did it. The manager was extremely rude and uncooperative from the get go. My friend came to her with concerns about cobwebs in the cabins and the manger yelled at her and accused her of "looking for problems." She yelled at my friend (THE BRIDE) in front of other guests! There was a complete lack of communication between employees. Most of them were amicable and happy to help but they would tell us one thing and the manager would turn around and tell us another. She handled herself extremely unprofessionally. Also, we had unseasonably warm weather this past weekend and the cabins don't have air conditioning. The resort has fans that the guests can request to be brought to their cottages. The day of the wedding was 91 degrees and the manager threw a fit over having to get the fans out because they had been put away for the winter already. I am in the service industry and I cannot believe the way this woman spoke to myself and many others. I cannot believe she still has a job! When we contacted the owner to resolve the issues he came around and spoke to some guests but never apologized for the manager's behavior. He instead came into one of the cabins-where everyone had moved inside because they have an ordinance that the DJ had to stop at 10pm- and proceeded to YELL and PITCH A FIT (not exaggerating) that we were being disrespectful because of the music level. Not ONCE did he address us before that in a civil manner about the music. NOR did he approach the bride and groom to ask them to accommodate the ordinance. He just burst in (didn't knock) and starting yelling like a crazy neighbor. Had he addressed us in a professional manner we would have turned it down and accommodated his requests. Instead we were all sent to bed at 12:30 like children at a summer camp. All in all, the bride and groom paid LOTS of money to rent the place for the weekend and seeing the bride sob MULTIPLE times over the treatment we all received was devastating. That is NOT how your wedding weekend should go. I will NEVER recommend this place

    Whaleback Inn - hotels - Updated May 2026

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