As a resort community, Traverse City offers a wide variety of places to stay. From the idyllic B&Bs of the Old Mission Peninsula to the area’s grand beach resorts, from vacation rentals and condos to inexpensive motels and hotels, there’s something for every style and budget.
Inexpensive
When it comes to affordable accommodation in Traverse City, you’ll find a surprising number of options in the $70-$100 a night range. There’s a Super 8, a Quality Inn, a Motel 6, a Hampton Inn, a Days Inn and a Best Western. Several locally owned properties also offer very low prices, like the Island View Cottages, the Stone Waters Inn and the Hall Creek B&B.
Small and unique
On the Leelanau Peninsula, the Inn at Black Star Farms (pictured above) offers eight rooms on the winery’s grounds, perfect for wine lovers who don’t want to have to drive far after the last tasting of the day. Chateau Chantal offers a similar appeal on the Mission Peninsula. Here guests are treated to gorgeous views of the vineyard and Bay, free breakfast, and free run of the wine-tasting room, 24 hours a day. And closer to downtown Traverse City, the Antiquities’ Wellington Inn offers nine rooms in an authentically restored neo-classical mansion.
Grand resorts
The Traverse City area also offers guests the option of several large and luxurious resorts. There’s the 120-room Victorian-styled Bayshore Resort on the beach, the Leelanau Sands Casino and Lodge, Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel, and the Tamarack Lodge. I recommend the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, which offers hotel rooms and condos (perfect for families), a plethora of activities, and one of the best dining options in the area, the 16th-floor Aerie restaurant.
