Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel is grand in many ways

Aboard the ferry, heading toward Michigan's Mackinac Island, you see it: the magnificent Grand Hotel! It's a sight to behold — so beautiful, so big! The hotel has 390 rooms, no two the same. More than 130,000 guests stay each season. At 660 feet, the hotel's front porch is the world’s largest.

The beautiful lobby.

It takes a half million gallons of water to fill the hotel's swimming pool, named for actress Esther Williams who starred in the 1947 movie This Time for Keeps, shot at the Grand.

The 1980 film Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer, was filmed on location at the hotel. The movie has a huge following, with a fan club that meets at the hotel each October. This year's gathering will be October 16-18. Jane Seymour will attend.

The hotel's kitchen staff of more than 100 prepares and serves as many as 4,000 meals per day. In 2014, more than 83,000 pounds of prime rib, 23,500 pounds of ham, 83,500 pounds of potatoes, 23,000 pounds of carrots, 14,000 pounds of strawberries, and 6,500 pounds of pecans are served.


The Grand’s famous front porch flowers include 2,500 geraniums — the hotel’s trademark flower — in 260 planting boxes with seven tons of potting soil. More than 5,200 geraniums can be seen in all the hotel's flower beds combined.

World's largest front porch.

More than 50,000 Grand Pecan Balls, the hotel’s most popular dessert, are served each season.

Don't expect Motel 6 prices, not even close. A double room with a lake view will cost you about $800 a night, which includes meals. Specials deals are offered which cut the price dramatically. Learn more at the hotel's website.