I took a weekend vacation to Traverse City for my birthday with my boyfriend. Being the general manager of a resort, I am pretty nit-picky with hotels, so I almost always try and see a room first before booking it. After driving up and down the same road a few different times and looking at several different hotels we stopped at the Grand Beach Resort Hotel.

I have to say, for the money, we got a spectacular room! Compared to what else we were shown in other hotels, it was by far the best we'd seen. We stayed in a Jacuzzi room with a king bed and large balcony. We took the Jacuzzi tub over the view and were not at all disappointed! We even talked that the waterfall from the golf course across the street gave it a cute atmospheric jump. Great updates had been made to the room, it was very much up to date!

The only room available was a smoking room, but to my astonishment, it didn't have that left-over, stale smoke smell. The room smelled very clean. The room was in fact very clean and very spacious.

I couldn't have been happier with the entire experience. My thanks to the staff and management for making my birthday spectacular

I booked this because it ranked #1 on tripadvisor but was little disappointed. First off, it doesn't feel like a resort but more like a regular motel. Yes, the room was a bit larger than a regular room with microwave, extra sink etc., but it smelled damp and looked like it needed a revamp (wet stains on ceiling, lose toilet paper holder etc). Setting and beach is great but there are lots of places along the same road and I wonder if their beaches aren't the same. Breakfast was also pretty standard as you'd expect in most places - self service, styrofoam plates, plastic cutlery...So, while it wasn't bad I don't think I'd go back- I"d look for a place with a better price-return ratio. It's also quite far away form the city center, so don't go there unless you are willing to drive.

The beach was exactly as pictured, it was beautiful. However, when we got in the room the first thing my kids did was jump on the beds it was then we realized the sheets hadn't been changed as there was a pretty big stain of coffee or blood or something on one of the beds and hair on the sheets of the other one. I called the front desk immediately they were very apologetic and sent someone up right away to change the beds. The rest of our stay was pretty uneventful, the front desk staff was friendly and helpful.

We stayed at the Grand Beach for two nights as part of driving trip around Michigan. We can only agree with the last several reviews by saying that this is a a very good hotel. The staff was very friendly and helpful and the room was very clean and well maintained.

As noted in the reviews, the Grand Beach has a great beach for families and you can wade into the bay an easy 30-40 yards in clear water. There were a good number of ground level beach rooms to ask for.

The Grand Beach is in fact a good five miles from downtown but it was not really a problem. The main road runs in front of the hotel and, though busy, will get you to town quickly. If you are flying in, the airport is about ten minutes from the hotel.

If you are a runner, the Tart Trail is across the street and runs about two miles to the Northeast and and all the way to town to the southwest so you can get in both short and long loops.

The Grand Traverse is a good hotel for anyone, but especilly for families.