We were really looking forward to spending a vacation that was a step up from camping yet not as luxurious as a hotel and thought the cabins at The Balsams would be the perfect ticket. Well, the cabin was not very clean (which we expected as we read the reviews posted here) and the beds were a little uncomfortable. However, the linens were very clean, the hosts were very nice and helpful, and there is a passable bathroom in the cabin. It's a very small bathroom but a step up from the bathrooms at most campgrounds. The beach is beautiful and very very shallow (so nice and warm) and you can walk out far enough to see the bridge which was cool. Now, by the 2nd day were were really loving the cabin even though it had some negatives (oh, you can hear the constant traffic on Hwy. 2 also) but then we were visited by a pair of mice in the kitchen on the 3 night. One was in the toaster and the other one was INSIDE the loaf of bread. We got rid of the bread mouse and after shaking the toaster the 2nd mouse escaped down a hole behing the kitchen counter. I went to talk to the hosts about it and they were not sympathetic at all and suggested that we take some mouse traps back to our cabin as "they've had problems with mice in cabins 1 and 4 lately". Also, "we are in their environment and live in their habitat so what can you expect?" I quite firmly told them I did not expect mice in my cabin and since I live in a house in the woods in Wisconsin, and have made it mouse free by plugging all the holes, I had expected the same in the cabin. He explained that the cabins were 100 years old and that it is impossible to plug all the holes. Needless to say, we weren't impressed. We left the following day (a day earlier than planned) and was able to at least get a one night refund. We then stayed at the Quality Inn right on the lake in downtown St. Ignace and enjoyed a clean, comfortable room with a pool and a view on the lake and were quite glad to be out of the cabins. So, just be aware that these are REALLY rustic cabins and that the hosts don't actually own the place...it's owned by a church in another city and parishoners apparently volunteer to host the place during certain times. Other than the mouse incident, they really were lovely people. If it weren't for the wonderful beach and the clean linens, I would have only given this one star.

We booked the same cabin we had on our honeymoon 43 years ago...yikes! We thought it would be fun to stay there for the Mackinac Bridge walk (first time walkers). I started to get cold feet on the drive there, hoping there had been considerable refurbishing done since 1968. It was very pleasant. The cabin was clean, the bed comfortable and the shower great - key items. It is hard to rate it more than average, however, because it is rustic. Still, it was very comfortable and the staff was great. It seemed a little pricey for what it offered, but that could have been because it was Labor Day weekend. It is a real "up north" spot.

We came back to the Balsams this summer and booked motel room 6 (it has a wood floor). This time we hiked in the national forest about 2 miles to the west, swam at the public beach about 8 miles west, went to Mackinac Island for a day trip, biked around the island, ate at a couple of local restaurants, and hung around on the Balsam's beach. There were four of us in the motel room, the bedding and curtains were clean, and we were able to get more towels when needed from the "Internet Cafe" / supply room. We all had computers (I know, we're weird) and were able to keep up with the rest of the world when we wanted to using the motel wi-fi.

Had a great time at the Balsams, and hope to visit again next year. We love to swim in Lake Michigan - it's like the ocean, only really clear, cold, and clean.

We recently spent a night at The Balsams and had a wonderful time. We had just come from 3 days of wilderness camping so the rustic log cabin that we rented seemed quite luxurious in comparison. The room was very clean, fresh linens, plenty of towels and pillows for the 5 of us. The kitchen was suitably stocked for our needs. We enjoyed hiking the trails and spending time on the beach. We took their kayak out for a ride around the point to get a really good view of the Mackinac Bridge. As was mentioned in several other posts, the beach is across the street. We had to wait 30 seconds or so for an opening to cross the road, but that wasn't a big problem for us. Later that night we borrowed a movie from the office and watched it to help the kids wind down.

This isn't a Ritz Carlton, but if you're looking for a cozy log cabin in the woods with several nice amenities then this would be a good choice for you.