We have always wanted to stay here with their own beach access. But it was always full. Loved the beach. Shallow water for a long disntace. The water is warm. The beach is in a cove and so shallow. We were here for 4 nights and we very happy with our stay. We stayed in room 5 with our saint bernard. The room was very clean , the only thing I could say is there was a cobweb on ceiling. But when we went outside to our car the next morning there were several cobwebs spun overnight on the back window. In the several nights there I watched the owners clean the cobwebs off windows in empty rooms so I believe they do clean them down. Personally it wasn't a issue for me , but could be for others as in previous reviews. Our room had a queen and double bed . Microwave, mini fridge, small coffee pot, table and chairs, wireless internet.There isn't air conditioning and was a bit uncomfortable as ot was 90-95 degrees and humid during our stay. Normally there would be a nice breeze and I think it would be more comfortable at night.The owners and their daughter were overly friendly and made sure we got everything we needed. It is nice to have customer service in todays society. The other inconvience is crossing over US 2 to get to the beach, sometimes we would drive our car over when taking all the beach gear . That was alot better. We never had to waint to long to cross on foot. I wouldn't recommend children crossing alone. I would recommend to others and plan on going back again. They have great rates at $55 a weeknight and are pet friendly. I have spent alont more per night on lodging and had alot worse results.

Absolutely loved it!! Hated to leave.
The room, furnishings, size, table and even the walls were all very nice and made my stay very comfortable and relaxing. Crossing the street to get to the beach was easier than walking through my local WalMart parking lot. The beach is also very nice, and the motel's location is excellent for site seeing. Driving up to Sault Ste. Marie wasn't bad at all. I will definitely stay there again if I have another opportunity to vacation in MI (wish it wasn't so far from FL!) One last important thing: the proprieters' were very helpful and friendly too! Oh yeah---AND- the Rates are VERY Good!

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.