Balsams Resort — Hotel in Moran Township

We stayed in the Lakeview Cottage, Cabin # 4 and Cabin #7. There isn't a way to post separate reviews for each unit. Although the Lakeview Cottage is older and could use some updating. It is clean and comfortable and great for groups and a central location. |||| Lakeview Cottage – ||A great location to Mackinac Island, St. Ignace, Mackinaw City, Newberry and more. This cottage is open and great spot for a central location for large groups, which is what we did for our group of 12. We had three cabins total. The beach access and fire pit across the road was a huge hit for our group as we spent our evenings there. The home itself was spacious and comfortable, although could use some updating. The door to the master bathroom is very narrow. To be honest we did run into a couple of problems, kitchen faucet leaking etc. but I called and emailed the host about 9:30 p.m. on Friday night and within 15 minutes I had both an email response and a phone call back about it and that they would have someone out there to repair it first thing in the morning. (We weren't doing anymore dishes so it wasn't an "emergency") A handyman did arrive as promised and made the repair. Overall the home has a good sized kitchen with an island and spacious dining area and worked great for our group. We did have a member of our party who used a wheelchair and he was able to move around the house without a problem and use the main bathroom. The fire pit area on the side of the house is spacious as well. Easy access for check in and out. Definitely on our list of places to stay again!||||Cabin #4||Beautiful cabin at the Balsams. Super cute and appears more updated then some of the other cabins. Great quiet retreat and location to St. Ignace, Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island and Tahquamenon Falls. The beach and the fire pit were a big hit with our group of 12 (we had other cabins for the weekend here) across the road. If you are looking for high tech, this is not the place. If you are looking for quaint and rustic, this is it. Cabin is a nice size for two couples to comfortably share or a couple with a few kids. Very comfortable and clean. The bath in this cabin is larger than a few of the others. Easy access for check in and out. Definitely one of our favorites!||||Cabin #7||Great little 2 bedroom cabin with small kitchen, extra little deck off one bedroom, overlooking little babbling brook. Great for two couples. Bathroom is a little small, but it works. Rustic but clean, comfortable and affordable and worked perfectly along with a few other cabins for our group of 12. Convenient location for Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, St. Ignace and Tahquamenon Falls. The beach access and fire pit was also a favorite night spot for us. If you are looking for high tech, this is not the place. If you are looking for relaxing, more rustic, this is it. Even provided fans! Kitchen is small so if you think you need something special to cook with, you may want to bring it. Easy access for check in and out. We are already planning our next group trip...

We stayed in cabin #7 for three nights in July 2016. Our party consisted of two couples, each with two kids under the age of 5.||||The cabin itself was very cute from the outside, set in among the trees, and appears well-maintained for an 80 year old log cabin. Once we got in, the cabin is definitely not large, but with a futon and fold down chair in the main room plus two bedrooms with queen sized beds, it fit everyone with room to spare.||||Quick run down of the cabin itself:|| * Outdoor fire pit with firewood included, chairs around fire pit, picnic table, and new Weber grill|| * Covered front porch with rocking chairs next to a slow-moving creek|| * Main living area with small TV (nothing fancy here), futon, chair & ottoman, dining table with 6 chairs|| * Kitchen with small stove/oven, sink, refrigerator, silverware, settings, pots, pans, and utensils|| * Bathroom with standing shower (and very nice water pressure)|| * Bedroom 1 has queen bed, armoire, chest of drawers, and a small balcony off the back with table and two chairs (great for morning coffee)|| * Bedroom 2 has queen bed, armoire, and small side table||||We did not have any issues with mice or any other animals as noted in some other reviews. The floor was smooth and clean (except for the sand and dirt we kept tracking in), the bedding smelled fresh (nothing musty or mildew here), and the refrigerator ready for our food.||||The electrical was obviously added later, and we occasionally popped a fuse when trying to use two electric griddles for a pancake and bacon breakfast, and the walls are paper-thin, so privacy is only an idea at this cabin. Otherwise, this was a delightful stay.||||In addition to the cabin, the firepit, and the porches, there was the beach. It is located across MI-2, which is a 4 lane road (speed limit 45, I believe), and we just drove there since it was convenient and safe with the kids. The beach area has a small, older gazebo, Adirondack chairs, two kayaks, a fire pit, and a volleyball court as well as a large, private frontage on Lake Michigan. The water was clean and I was able to wade out about 2-300 feet and the water was only about 5 1/2 feet deep.||||We spent an entire day at the beach, then came back after dinner to watch the sun set and have a fire at the fire pit.||||It was certainly rustic, and as long as you are willing to get past the old motel out front and accept the fact that you are taking an 80 year old cabin for a little while, the stay was very pleasant. I would definitely recommend it to others for a comfortable, clean...

Sadly, what greeted us was not a quaint lakeview cottage retreat as their website described, but rather a run down, not up to code, dirty, should be condemned old house. I’m sure at one time (perhaps 35 + years ago), this was a nice home, but it is poorly maintained - floors are unstable, ceiling is sinking in, sticky residue all over surfaces, smoke detectors hanging from the ceiling, dirt and grime as well as prior guests dirty clothes in the so-called “Rec Room”, which was supposed to be game room fun. The beach is across an extremely busy highway and there is not a lot of privacy as there is also a rundown motel right next door. As if that wasn’t enough, they had rules that guests MUST strip the beds and place them in the hampers, do the dishes and sweep the floors before exiting - so, basically clean up for them because their cleaning crew isn’t making any strides to clean the properties as they should. The above disaster cost me over $200 a night. Warning to anyone considering the lakeview cottage, I would steer clear of...