The Grand Hotel

The iconic Grand Hotel is Mackinac Island's most famous landmark. It was easily recognizable as the ferry approached the island.

We didn't stay at the Grand Hotel because, well, it was over $900 per night. But we were curious, so on Sunday afternoon, after the daily rain shower, we walked over to see what all the fuss was about.

As we neared the hotel, the road became a tree-lined boulevard with an expansive golf course on one side and the manicured hotel grounds on the other. Even the hotel's horse-drawn carriages (transporting guests from Main Street downtown) looked "grand."

As we neared the top of the hill, the hotel came into view, and it was truly impressive. And right out front, impossible to miss, was a sign reminding us that we were not properly dressed, LOL!

Two friendly employees out front explained that there was a fee of $10 for non-guests to visit the hotel. We didn't want to pay the fee, so we decided to walk past the hotel and over to the West Bluff. Our long walk was rewarded by a gorgeous view of the strait, on a street lined with pretty Victorian houses and flowering gardens. Before we knew it, the road curved around and brought us to the back of the Grand Hotel, and we found ourselves standing on the long veranda!

After looking around nervously and realizing that nobody was asking us to pay a fee or leave, we relaxed on the veranda for a bit and admired the swimming pool made famous by Esther Williams. Then we wandered into the historic lobby for a better look. And we knew that the Cupola Bar did not have a dress code, so we went upstairs for a cocktail, joining all the other rebels without coats and ties. There was a lovely view of the water, our martinis were icy cold, and we toasted our "grand" Sunday on Mackinac Island.