Northwinds Motel

2.5 star property
Lakefront motel in Mackinaw City with free parking

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Beach
Bathroom
Lobby
Bed sheets
Lobby
Located near Straits State Park, Northwinds Motel offers a cozy retreat with outdoor pool access nearby and indoor pool privileges. Enjoy the comforts of home with 32-inch TVs, bathrooms featuring showers, and daily housekeeping.

Reviews

5.8 out of 10

Popular amenities

  • Housekeeping
  • Parking included

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 4 of 4 rooms

1 Queen Lakefront with Private Deck

Highlights

Heating
TV
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
  • Lake view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

2 Queen Lakefront with Private Deck

Highlights

Heating
TV
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
  • Lake view
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Queen Beds

Standard Single Room, 1 Queen Bed

Highlights

Heating
TV
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
  • Lake view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds, Non Smoking

Highlights

Heating
TV
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
  • Lake view
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Queen Beds
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About the area

Map
11472 W US 23, Mackinaw City, MI, 49701

What's nearby

  • Mackinaw City Ferry Terminal - 13 min walk - 1.1 km
  • Mackinaw City Dock - 3 min drive - 2.6 km
  • Mackinaw Bridge Museum - 3 min drive - 2.6 km
  • Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse - 3 min drive - 3.3 km
  • Headlands International Dark Sky Park - 7 min drive - 6.2 km

Getting around

  • Pellston, MI (PLN-Pellston Regional) - 30 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Keyhole Bar & Grill - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Dixie Saloon - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Wienerlicious - ‬2 min drive
  • ‪Darrow's Family Restaurant - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Starbucks - ‬3 min drive

About this property

Northwinds Motel

Motel near Mackinac Bridge
Located close to Straits State Park, Northwinds Motel has plenty to offer.
Additional perks include:
  • Outdoor pool access nearby
  • Free self-parking
  • Access to a nearby indoor pool, smoke-free property and tour/ticket information
More amenities include:
  • Bathrooms with showers
  • 32-inch TVs with cable channels
  • Heating and daily housekeeping

Similar properties

Property amenities

Parking and transport

  • Free uncovered self parking on site

Things to do

  • Indoor pool (guest access)
  • Outdoor pool (guest access)

Family friendly

  • Access to nearby indoor pool
  • Access to nearby outdoor pool

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Tour and ticket assistance

Outdoors

  • On a lake
  • Picnic area

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • No lift
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk

More

  • Smoke-free property

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Private bathroom
  • Shower
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • 32-inch TV with cable channels

More

  • Access via exterior corridors
  • Heating

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 4 PM; check-in end time: 11:00 PM
Minimum check-in age - 18

Check-out

Check-out before 11 AM

Special check-in instructions

There is no front desk at this property
The check-in location differs from the property location; go to: [11416 US Highway 23, Mackinaw City, MI 49701]
This property doesn't offer after-hours check-in

Pets

Pets not allowed (service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees)

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
Cots (infant beds) are not available

Payment types at the property

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards and debit cards; cash is not accepted

We should mention

This property does not have any lifts

Property is also known as

Northwinds Mackinaw City
Northwinds Motel
Northwinds Motel Mackinaw City
Northwinds Motel Motel
Northwinds Motel Mackinaw City
Northwinds Motel Motel Mackinaw City

Frequently asked questions

Does Northwinds Motel have a pool?

Yes, this property has outdoor pool access.

Is Northwinds Motel pet-friendly?

No, only service animals are welcome at the property.

How much is parking at Northwinds Motel?

Self-parking is free at this property.

What time is check-in at Northwinds Motel?

Check-in start time: 4 PM; check-in end time: 11:00 PM. After-hours check-in is not available.

What time is check-out at Northwinds Motel?

Checkout is at 11 AM.

Where is Northwinds Motel located?

Situated on the waterfront, this motel is within 12 mi (20 km) of Straits State Park, Wilderness State Park and Mackinac Bridge. Deer Ranch and Mystery Spot are also within 12 mi (20 km).

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Northwinds Motel Reviews

Reviews

5.8
Rating 10 - Excellent. 71 out of 450 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 86 out of 450 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 102 out of 450 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 82 out of 450 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 109 out of 450 reviews

6.0/10

Cleanliness

6.8/10

Staff & service

4.8/10

Amenities

5.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

5.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Jess

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It was right on the ocean!! It was great!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

4/10 Poor

Mark

Could swim right outside the slider door. Bed was very comfortable. Sand on floor from previous guest and no towels or soap. We had to ask for them
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

4/10 Poor

Kathleen

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
They over booked our room and had a management turn over right before. The rooms are very old and poor quality even for the price.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

M Kay

Great beach and place to watch the fireworks
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

Victor

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The view was awesome
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

Steve

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Clean and tidy Gravel parking lot
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

8/10 Good

Octavia

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The room is what you expect for the price Wish they had a better lock on the door felt uneasy trying to sleep Couldn’t shower, crack in the floor The lady who checked me in was wonderful tho
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2024

8/10 Good

Joyce

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Very quiet and peaceful. It was perfect for me to sit outside, read a book, and listen to the waves hit the shore. Motel is a little dated but quaint. Needs a little updating but it was clean. New refrigerator, ac and microwave.

2/10 Terrible

Randy

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Lake was awesome. Room was horrible
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

6/10 Okay

Leah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
View of the bridge was great cleanliness was ok the deck need painting no breakfast was a problem
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Alayna

Disliked: Cleanliness
View was nice, unfortunately the room had not been fully cleaned before we arrived.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kimberly

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Hidden gem on Lake Huron

The building is unassuming—don’t let that fool you. The room was immaculate, the bed comfortable, and the shower hot. Walk out your door right onto the beach of Lake Huron, with a view of the bridge and Mackinac Island. The Crown Jewels, however, are Tracy and Monique in the office. They went above and beyond to help us. From straightening out our reservation to helping arrange activities to offering discount tickets. They were FABULOUS!
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The view was great! There was trash around the deck and the room smelled mildewy due to the air conditioner dripping onto the deck and causing mold and moss to grow.The siding on deck side needed power washed.The carpet was old and needs cleaned or replaced. Not the actual room we booked as we were supposed to have a Private deck and walk out to the beach,not a drop off and a ton of goose 💩
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2024

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Run down

The motel is not clean and run down. The shower was covered in mold and unusable. The patio was peeling paint everywhere. The picnic table was peeling paint everywhere as well. The toilet was completely rust stained. Carpeting had several stains.
Shower wall
Shower floor
Deck
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024

8/10 Good

Kristie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort

Good enough

Basically just a room to sleep. Shower was too short to use. One oulet didn't work. Room was clean and basically functional for that.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Cheltzie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort

Not as bad as the reviews

The reviews make it scary to stay but over sheets were clean and the tv worked it's a place to lay your head. Had a AC in room and fridge and microwave and coffee pot. Things needed to be updated and floor in bathroom had soft spots but nothing to not make you wanna stay. Overall it's a cheap hotel to lay your head nothing fancy my only complaint was the lady next door with the kids stomping non stop that could live without
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022

2/10 Terrible

Jennifer

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The fumes of chlorine should have kept me from attempting to take a shower at all. I couldn’t stay in long enough to wash my hair. I have a rash after taking a shower. If I can upload pictures of my skin I will. I want a refund and need to shower to rinse this stench of my body. I was put in their Belle motel location, not Northwinds, what I thought I was booking on the expedia website.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Didn’t stay

We spent less than 15 minutes in the room. The slider door did not lock, there was a bag of rotting lettuce on the private deck and the toilet had been used recently. This was after we were moved to a sister property because the first property was filled with construction workers and looked like it was a non functional motel. The note on the office door told us to go down the street to register. Mia at the desk was very pleasant and changed us to the new site. That is where we found a room that we were not comfortable staying in because you could not lock the slider door or screen. We left the motel and ended our vacation a day early and drove several hours to our home. I would not ever recommend this motel to anyone.
A bag of rotten lettuce to great us.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2022

6/10 Okay

Gregory

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities

This was an adventure

I don’t like to complain. I hope this is taken as constructive criticism. It was a great location. Unfortunately I didn’t stay at Northwinds. When I arrived, I had to check in at a nearby motel (Sunrise). Then, I was given another room at another motel (Bells). When I arrived, the inside appeared clean. Bathroom was very clean. However, there were spiders. They don’t bother me too much but if my wife would have been with me, she would have slept in the car. The outside deck had a plastic table. No chairs. I borrowed one from next door. On the table was a half used bottle of charcoal lighter fluid. Paint was chipping off the deck, there were cobwebs and other debris all over the outside part of the cabin, and the previous tenants left pistachio shells all over the deck (look at pic). I’m not positive, but I think there was a homeless guy sleeping on the beach. A little paint, a broom, some dusting would fix all these issues. Would I stay here again? I think so. But I would bring cleaning supplies and camp chairs with me.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

2/10 Terrible

Angela

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I booked 2 rooms at the Northwinds motel. Another motel called Sunrise Beach charged my card before we arrived. We had to go to the Sunrise to check in and was then told we would be staying at the Sunrise. We were told our rooms would be ready by 4:00, it was actually after 5:00. The rooms they gave us were beyond filthy! The glass patio doors were so dirty you couldn't see through them and the carpet was caked with dirt and grime and the doors didn't even lock in one of the rooms. Went back to the office and asked for our money back and was refused. We had already been charged for 4 nights. She gave us 2 other rooms in yet another hotel next door the Bridge view. They were cleaner but reaked of mildew smell. The bathroom lights have a built in fan that comes on with the light and in one of the rooms the fan motor locked up and started screeching an ear piercing sound. I called the office immediately (around 9am) she said she would send maintenance to fix it. We returned to the room around 2pm and it wasn't fixed. I called back to the office and was told it would be fixed. We went back out and returned about 9pm to it STILL not fixed. Called the office again and this time I was told "they had a lot on their plate" Plus couldn't find a new one to replace it. We could not use the bathroom light the rest of the evening and into the next day meaning showers and using the toilet in the dark. The view was great but that's about all I can say nice about it.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023

2/10 Terrible

Amy

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The guy didn’t have our hotel room cleaned after we checked in. Housekeeping was smoking weed. It reeked like marijuana. The hotel beds were made with flat sheets not fitted. Front window was open all night long. It was hot and uncomfortable. The air conditioner kept kicking in and out, off and on. Very loud and noisy. Hot water ran out. Shower head height was to my chest. Decor was from the 70s. Microwave was so old that Columbus brought it over on the boat! More bugs including in the globe in the light fixture in the bathroom. Bed mattresses were so flimsy that you could roll over and take the whole mattress with you. Pool was out of order at our motel. We had to walk 3 motels down to another motel. Hot tub was not working at that one. We all walk down there to find the pool filthy, bugs in it, etc. Desk clerk at other motel tells us that we can walk down three motels the other way and go to a water park for FREE. We signed liability agreement and waivers for all of us. We walked down 3 motels the other way. We were standing in a very nice hotel where the water park was. I figured that the water park would be nice, too. NOPE. Not the case at all. Water park is filthy. It has not been cleaned at all. We saw clumps of hair on the floor by the pool. No water slides were open. Dirty and filthy showers. No lifeguards. Deflated inner tubes for lazy river. Kids area on pool was taken apart and down. It truly felt like they didn’t care about any of it. Sooo sad.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Joseph

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I have been using the same owners for 21 years and it is a wonderful location and view of the bridge and the Grand hotel on the island
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2025

6/10 Okay

Kelsey

Liked: Staff & service
You get what you get for the price. $70 a night is a great price. Beds are comfy.... some of other issues people listed we did not encounter. Water was fine, ac was good, tv worked. Sure it could use renovations but then the price would go up. Decent for the price, maybe im just a simple person.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

6/10 Okay

KAREN

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Veyr poor upkeep & maintenance
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

2/10 Terrible

Richard

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Water was brown,in extreme need of remodeling
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025