Do yourself a favor and drive right past all of the chain motels in downtown St Ignace. Just beyond the hospital and Bessie's Pasties is the Tradewinds. You will be greeted by Carol who is the friendliest person you will ever meet. She will give you recommendations for dinner- let you play with her dog Maggie and then give you a nice, clean quiet room at a fantastic price. We have been coming through St Ignace for years and staying at Carol's place (which is what we call it) the last couple years. One visit and she will know your name the next time. If you want to have personalized service, a clean room and a great view of Lake Huron, go to the north end of the hotel/motel strip and stay at Carol's- you won't be disappointed.

Our plans were to stay two nights in the area, and we spent the first night across the bridge in the lower peninsula at the Comfort Inn in Mackinaw City. I was very highly unimpressed and annoyed by the Comfort Inn and their lack of advertised amenities. We decided on the next day to look across the Straits in St. Ignace. In driving down the hotel/motel strip in St. Ignace we happened upon The Tradewinds. We were actually going to turn around in their parking lot and double back to one of the chain motels.

We noticed that it was an old 60's style motel but that it was very well maintained. Neat, clean and well-cared for. We then noticed the price on the sign. $39 a night! We decided to "inquire within" and met the very friendly owners. We decided to stay and were happy that we did. It is a little dated, but frankly that's part of it's charm. No phones in the room, but who uses them anymore in this age of mobile phones. No morning breakfast (but there is coffee/coffee maker in the the room), but after having two sad, little chain hotel breakfasts in as many days, I can't say that no breakfast is a bad thing.
They have free wifi, which is how I am writing this review - another amenity advertised at the Comfort Inn but that I never was able to use because it was down.

The other nice thing is that even though it is on the main road through St. Ignace, it is set back from the road enough that we slept with the window open and never heard the traffic that goes past.

We make about two trips a year up here and only wish that we had discovered The Tradewinds years ago. EXCELLENT VALUE FOR THE MONEY!

This is a real throw back to the late 60's motel. It no doubt needs updating but it has that Up north charm that I kind of enjoyed. The beds are small double beds...from the 60's and so is everything else. A large picture window with high beam ceilings and that "up north" smell makes up for the lack of updating. No phones in the rooms, which is fine since most people have a cell phone now. It has a pool but it was empty.
The lake is across the street and you cant really see it from your room. There's a nice courtyard in the middle and its nice to be able to park right in front. I think the owner would benefit from putting some sheer curtains up as there is only heavy curtains. You're either out in the open so everybody can see you, or in the dark.
You have to drive into town but its only a few miles.
I think this was ok for an overnight stay but I was also taking a "walk down memory lane."

Three couples in three rooms stayed at the Tradewinds Motel on the start of our two-week vacation in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Carol, the owner, greeted us warmly and accommodated our desires regarding room choices. She was a constant presence whenever we needed anything from extra pillows to shuttle to the casino. Because she was ever vigilant, we were not uneasy about leaving our motorcycles while taking taxi or shuttle excursions into town.

The rooms were spotless and very spacious with large picture windows looking out on to the parking area and lawn, complete with gazebo. Parking was right outside each door (convenient when traveling on motorcycles). Immediately across the highway was an unobstructed view of Lake Huron.

Although the website had listed a pool, we knew before arriving that Carol would not be opening and heating the pool this year. As it turned out, it was a moot point because it rained the entire three days we stayed in St. Ignace. Also of a disappointment, but not reflecting badly on the Tradewinds, was that the restaurant next door was closed. Without this restaurant, every meal was a drive or taxi into St. Ignace.

Upon checking out and leaving for our next stop, Carol hugged us and wished us well. How many motel proprietors do that?