Marquette Lodgings

THE LANDMARK INN
(906) 228-2580; thelandmarkinn.com

Elegantly restored to much fanfare in 1997, the 6-story, full-service hotel has a wonderful downtown location on Front at Ridge (the street of historic homes), surveying Marquette Harbor. It was built in 1930. Original hotel rooms have been combined to create 62 larger rooms, each decorated individually with antiques. Even the bathrooms have their own special styles. The large and elegant cherry and mahogany lobby with its Italian marble floors has been restored. The entire facility is non-smoking.
23 rooms, including each corner suite, have electric fireplaces. Rooms on the south and east sides have a harbor view; the town view is also interesting. Retaining the original window opening (essential in preserving the historic character) means you have to be near the window to see the view. "Specialty rooms" have themes honoring local legends like Chief Kawbawgam or historian Fred Rydholm (this room has a lodge look) or famous guests like Amelia Earhart. Check out the website or call for current rates, packages, and specials. In-season room rates, from mid-June through October are $139/night (standard rooms with two doubles or one king or queen), $149 (specialty room with fireplace or lake view or both), $229 (Jacuzzi suite), $269 (two-room suite). The same rooms in winter and spring are $15 to $25 less. All rooms have in-room coffee and tea, high-speed internet, and movie channels.
There's no pool, but there's an exercise room and two 18-person whirlpools. If the adjoining parking lot is full, valet parking is provided. The aim is to offer the personal style and service of a bed and breakfast. Food is served in the entry Northland Pub, Capers, and the 6th-floor North Star Lounge.
For 4 decades after its completion, the 6-story Northland Hotel was the most elegant place in town. Originally named The Hotel Northland, it was renamed Old Marquette Inn in 1978, and continued operating until 1982, then stood empty while a succession of prospective developers checked it out.
Bruce and Christine Pesola longed to resurrect the place but couldn't afford to do it. They went on to build and manage many rental units and commercial properties and to develop the successful Shiras Condominiums around the old quarry lake. They formed Team Landmark, bought the downtown hotel, named it "The Landmark Inn," and commenced to renovate it in style. Christine drew on her cache of antique furniture and researched hotel history for the theme rooms. In 1998, The Landmark Inn became Michigan's first hotel awarded membership to the prestigious Historic Hotels of America. March, 2008

Front near Ridge, two blocks north of Washington downtown. Many ADA handicap-accessible rooms. Children welcome. Rates are by the room, not occupants. No pets.

RAMADA INN
(906) 228-6000

This full-service, 113-room hotel on 7 floors is two blocks from downtown attractions, 1 block from Harlow Park with a picnic area. Some rooms have views of the city and lake; some look onto an atrium with a kidney-shaped indoor pool and whirlpool, with adjoining sauna, and game room. All rooms have La-Z-Boys and wireless internet. Two-person rates are around $110 to $120/night. Some rooms have refrigerators. VCRs and microwaves can be rented. Ask about in-room whirlpools, family suites. The lobby has coffee. The dining room serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Baja Bistro takeout is a block away.

412 W. Washington, downtown. Handicap accessible: some ADA accessible rooms. Family friendly. Dogs: in smoking rooms only.

LITTLE PRESQUE ISLE CABINS/ LITTLE PRESQUE ISLE STATE FOREST RECREATION AREA
For info and reservations, call (906) 228-6561. www.michigan.gov/dnr

Six newish rental cabins are situated on and near 64-acre Harlow Lake, a quiet lake where only electric motors are permitted. The attractive rustic wood cabins are very simple, without indoor plumbing or electricity. Front porches overlook the lake. Firewood for the wood stoves is provided. Occupants walk from a common parking area to the cabins, up to half a mile away. Cabins sleep up to 6 on three bunk beds, rent for $35/night (2-night minimum), $225/week. (These rates are likely to rise substantially beginning June 1, 2007.) Three cabins are on a peninsula in the lake, two are on a loop of the ski/hiking trail, and one is by itself on Harlow Creek. There's a wheelchair-accessible fishing pier. The lake tends to be weedy, but there are places off some rocks where people do swim. Prime hiking trails and an exceptionally beautiful Lake Superior beach are across CR 550 at Little Presque Isle. Reservations for the following year are taken starting in October. Bookings for following year begin Nov. 1.

Look for entrance road on inland side of CR 550, opposite drive to Little Presque Isle parking area, about 6 1/2 miles north of Wright St. (906) 485-1031. Open year-round. Handicap accessible: 4 cabins, vault toilet, fishing pier are ADA accessible. Dogs permitted.

HOLIDAY INN
(906) 225-1351

The largest indoor pool in the Upper Peninsula attracts many families to this attractive 200-room hotel. Room refurbishing was completed in 2004. New rooms have three bed configurations: a king, king with sofa-bed, or two doubles. Rates range from $112 to $199 (for its largest suite).. Each room has a coffeemaker. The indoor pool room with whirlpool and adjoining sauna looks out onto a wooded hillside with pond. Video games are in the same large area. There's a restaurant in the hotel and a Wendy's next door.

On U.S. 41 on the west side of Marquette, and half a mile east of Westwood Mall and Wal-Mart. Handicap accessible: some rooms ADA accessible. Family friendly: 12 & under eat free from kids' menu. Dogs allowed in smoking rooms.

COMFORT SUITES
(906) 228-0028

An extremely pleasant indoor pool, a big breakfast bar, and large rooms that all have microwaves, minifridges, coffeemakers, irons, and hairdryers make this 83-unit hotel on the U.S. 41 strip a popular place with business travelers and families alike. The indoor pool and patio look out onto the woods behind the motel; there's a whirlpool, sauna, exercise room, and guest laundry. The lobby has a fireplace and seating area. Now there's a business center with two computers. Wi-fi throughout the building.
   A free continental breakfast is served in the attractive Shiras Club Lounge, decorated with wildlife photographs taken in the area by George Shiras, "the father of wildlife photography." In the evening, bar service is offered here. All rooms are considered suites. Standard suites have a sitting area and partial room divider with two beds. Summer rates for two are $120. "King leisure suites" with two-person whirlpool are $163. Winter rates are $109 and $152. Hudson's Classic Grill Restaurant, a lively family restaurant/bar with a historic auto theme, is right next door. So is Timber Creek Steakhouse. Some smoking rooms are available.

2463 U.S. 41 West on the west side of Marquette, just west of the Holiday Inn and half a mile east of Westwood Mall and Wal-Mart. Handicap accessible: some rooms ADA accessible. Family friendly: 18 & under free. $10/extra person. No pets.

CEDAR MOTOR INN
(906) 228-2280

Attractive rooms, nice landscaping, and a very clean, smallish indoor pool in a pleasant pool room make this independent motel stand out. A hot tub, sauna, and sun deck are in or off of the pool room. 44 units are in two buildings. Indoor corridors connect the rooms and buffer them from winter winds. All rooms have cable TV with free HBO, coffeemakers, and phones. Rooms in the pool building are larger and cost more. Sample room rates $54 (one queen), $64 (one queen and La-Z-Boy), $64 (two doubles or $74 for two queens). Two efficiencies have fridges and microwaves. No smoking.

2523 U.S. 41 West. Fourth motel west of the Holiday Inn going up the hill. Handicap accessible: two rooms in pool area. Family friendly: 5 & under free; $5/extra person. No pets.

BUDGET HOST BRENTWOOD MOTOR INN
(906) 228-7494

This well-run motel caters to older people who want quiet and don't care about an indoor pool or big lobby, 41 large rooms are on two stories with exterior corridors. Rates for two in summer are $55 (one queen) and $58 (two beds). Except for special events, availability for summer is good, with a few days' advance notice. Most of the L-shaped motel is set back from the highway. Coffee and a small continental breakfast is put out in the small lobby.

2603 U.S. 41 West on the hill just past Cedar Motor Inn. $5 for rollaway. No pets.

BIRCHMONT MOTEL
(877) 458-7805

At this carefully designed, two-story motel, its 29 rooms all have a mini-fridge and either a microwave or a tiny kitchenette.(Other guests can request a microwave.) All rooms are air-conditioned, and nearly all have a balconies with lake views. You can look across to the lighthouse, Wednesday-night sailboat races, and the twinkling lights of Marquette. Normal rates in July and August: about $58 (one bed), $64 (two double beds), and $70 (two queens). Now air-conditioned. Full cable TV. A light continental breakfast is put out in the office. In-room coffee pots upon request. Subdued contemporary décor is much nicer than most motels'. The front lawn overlooking the lake is huge. It has grills, picnic tables, and a small swimming pool for July and August. Road noise outdoors is a drawback. The bike path to town is across U.S. 41, but traffic is fast, so it's safer to drive there. Call ahead, especially for July weekends, and if you want a kitchenette and a non-smoking room. Smoking rooms rent last.

2090 U.S. 41 South, 3 miles south of downtown. Open May 1-Nov. 1. Handicap access: call. Family friendly: rates by room, not people. Dogs: call first. extra charge around $8.

BLUEBERRY RIDGE BED AND BREAKFAST
(906) 249-9246

Since retiring from junior high teaching in 1990, Daphne Green has put most of her considerable energy into her home - extensive gardens; countless works of quilting, crocheting, embroidery, and applique; acquiring antiques and collectibles - and into the traditional three-room bed and breakfast that is part of her home. (She and her husband Henry, a retired mining Cleveland Cliffs mining engineer, also are serious bridge players.) The house itself is on the contemporary side, with an interior balcony, two-story fireplace, and now a new sunroom looking out onto the rear garden and woods. It's in a wooded subdivision south of town near where M-28 and U.S. 41 join at Harvey. There's no attempt at northwoods simplicity here: a grandfather clock, baby grand piano, and ornate gold-framed English landscape in the living room, and varied decorative touches everywhere: a Viking ship, Egyptian prints, framed inspirational verse, and reproduction Oriental scatter rugs. A full breakfast is served by candlelight on fine floral china in the formal dining room. The three guest rooms ($75, $89, $98 and $115), all air-conditioned, all with private baths, are on the second floor. See the web site for details. No smoking.
   Closed January to May.

18 Oakridge Drive, about 8 miles outside Marquette near Marquette Mountain. Call for directions. Handicap access: no. No pets.

SEACOAST AT SAND RIVER
(906) 343-6710

Resident owners Geoff and Carole Cooper have done many, many little things to turn this simple, nine-unit motel into a delightful base for exploring the area — or just sitting and relaxing on the grounds or on the beautiful, sandy Lake Superior beach with bonfire ring right across M-28 and down a bit. This would be an ideal location for kayakers; it's right on the Hiawatha Water Trail from Munising to Marquette. The location near the Sand River's mouth is midway between Marquette (16 miles to the west) and Au Train and Munising (10 and 21 miles to the east). So it's easy to take in Pictured Rocks, the Au Train beaches, or the nearby Laughing Whitefish Preserve on nice days and head for Marquette's museums and shops if it rains.
    The motel extends back at right angles to the highway. Only the two larger front rooms have lake views. Several cedar swings under the big pines in the front yard look north across to the lake - perfectly positioned for observing the northern lights if they appear. Gas grills and picnic tables are for guests' use. There's a two-tiered sauna where hot water poured on rocks makes the steam; its porch has a partial lake view. It can be fired up on request, with a $10 minimum and $5/extra person. In the small office the Coopers put out an outstanding continental breakfast at no charge, with fruit and bran muffins, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, cereal, and fresh fruit. Their supply of tourist information is way beyond average. Smoking is prohibited except for outdoor areas by the motel and two rental houses.
    The remodeled, newly furnished drive-up rooms are very pleasant and thoughtfully appointed - "cozy rooms with a cottage feel," as resident owners Geoff and Carole Cooper advertise. Each has a queen bed and futon or two queens, a mini-fridge and a coffeemaker with spring water, and clock radios. Air-conditioning and satellite TV with 150+ channels are recent additions. Several rooms are kitchenettes, each with a cooktop and microwave. Most rooms open onto each other if desired —a good arrangement for family groups. Rates vary with the season; singles, kitchenettes and family suites range from $48 to $130. Guests can use office phone. A guest laundry is available. Road noise, though audible, isn't bad if you're acclimated to urban conditions. Call by April for best summer availability. Skiers like to stay in the kitchenettes because they can cook for their special diets.
    Adjoining the motel is a two-bedroom lakeview house with complete kitchen, rentable by the week in summer (with occasional exceptions) and with a two-day minimum otherwise. Extra futon sofas are in a full basement room. It's ideal for snowmobilers, or as a reunion headquarters with other family members in the motel. Another rental house is a beachfront A frame a mile away.
    Geoff, a Canadian, fell in love with Lake Superior as a boy, one morning in 1942, when traveling by rail with his homesick mother from Toronto to her parents' in Vancouver. He woke up in his Pullman compartment, looked out the window, saw the big blue water from the Canadian north shore, and that was it! Later that trip he saw the Canadian Rockies, Lake Louise, and the Fraser River, but what he thought about ever after, and anticipated on later trips, was the big lake. "Everything is major when you're four years old," he comments. As an adult Geoff still has that boyish wonder.
    Fast forward to 1980, when Geoff and Carole, living in San Diego and totally involved in the natural foods business, drove east to visit Carole's relatives, from Flint. Driving across U.S. 2, seeing the sun set over Lake Michigan, he said, "This is it! We've got to be here!" The friendly, fun era of small entrepreneurs in natural foods would soon draw to a close. The Coopers bought Upper Peninsula lakefront property, then a cottage, but never intended to buy a motel until they saw this. Then it occurred to them that they could transplant their mail-order vitamin business here and share Lake Superior with others.
    Today the Coopers have created a beautiful lakeview home for themselves above the motel office. They love listening to their neighbor, Munising track coach Jumbo DesArmeaux, tell stories and share local lore. Their mail-order business, selling private-label products to enhance the immune system, is also a retail store with vitamins, teas, and various herbal therapies. An employee is also a masseuse, so Seacoast guests can easily arrange for massages on the premises.

4012 M-28 East at Sand River, 16 miles east of Marquette. Open year-round. Handicap accessible: call. Many repeat wheelchair guests. Family friendly. Rates by the room. No pets.

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