Payments made by partners impact the order of prices displayed. Room types may vary.
The listings of booking offers for each property take into account the compensation paid to us by our partners. Prices shown may be for varying room types. Prices displayed are the lowest available, corresponding to the least expensive room type available, as provided from our partners as of the time of the user’s search.
Sundown Motel
1001 S Nicolet St, Mackinaw City, MI 49701-9642
Did you already book this hotel?
Tell us so we can help you plan.
About
#9 of 18 motels in Mackinaw City
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Suggest edits to improve what we show.Improve this listing
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Property amenities
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Location
1001 S Nicolet St, Mackinaw City, MI 49701-9642
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 46 out of 100
46
Emmet County Airport
22.5 km•
See all flights
Chippewa County Airport
57.3 km•
See all flights
Rental Cars
ReviewsWe perform checks on reviews.Tripadvisor’s approach to reviewsBefore posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
Traveller rating
- 4
- 0
- 2
- 1
- 2
Time of year
Traveller type
Language
Selected filters
- Filter
- English
Sort by:
Detailed Reviews
I enjoyed staying here. The price is fair only $63.00 on a Saturday Night!
The room and furnishings are old but clean. The bed was comfortable.
They have an outside communal kitchen were you can cook a meal. I would recommend bringing a pot and frying pan with your own utensils (just put them in your cart trunk)
This is perfect for someone who doesn't care about staying in a perfect room.
It's very basic clean and cheap. Not for honeymooners. Its perfect for someone who wants to save money on a room and spend money on the area attractions instead of overpaying for a nights sleep
The room and furnishings are old but clean. The bed was comfortable.
They have an outside communal kitchen were you can cook a meal. I would recommend bringing a pot and frying pan with your own utensils (just put them in your cart trunk)
This is perfect for someone who doesn't care about staying in a perfect room.
It's very basic clean and cheap. Not for honeymooners. Its perfect for someone who wants to save money on a room and spend money on the area attractions instead of overpaying for a nights sleep
Read more
Date of stay: July 2015Trip type: Travelled with friends
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you get off I-75 at the S. Nicolet St. exit, this is the 1st place you come across. Advertised itself as a budget place with vacancy - I figured in summer, Mackinaw City would be packed, and was on a solo bike trip, so pulled in and got a room for $59.00. Desk Clerk very nice and helpful. Place was old, but fairly clean. No A/C, just leave the windows open with screens. It was a little warm, but when night fell, it cooled off OK. Had my wife been with me, I would not have stayed. Communal kitchen with the washer/dryer in there. Bed was OK, pillows weren't, and I'm not very fussy. No coffee machine. Check out both Paul1501 and Stacey L's comments, both are right on the money. Was only going to stay 1 night in Mackinaw City anyway (but ended up staying at another place as well).
Read more
Date of stay: July 2016Trip type: Travelled solo
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My husband and I wish that we discovered this place sooner- very low priced rooms-very clean, which has been somewhat of a problem with a couple of the other previous hotels in Mack City. A refrigerator and microwave in the room, just the right size room for my husband and I. I have made another reservation with this place for later on this summer!
Read more
Date of stay: July 2010Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Sundown Motel was a very nice place to stay for our first night in Mackinaw City. At only $44 per night during the summer, we had absolutely no complaints. It's very easy to find if you're coming into the city from the south as it's the first hotel on your right when you take the first exit onto S Nicolet Street.
Read more
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My family and I have been staying at the SunDown for more than 25 years. The owners are some of the nicest people we've met in town and go out of their way to make your stay with them comfortable. I recommend the Sundown to everyone I know traveling north.
I'm glad there is such a comfortable, affordable, friendly place such as the Sundown in Mackinaw City.
I'm glad there is such a comfortable, affordable, friendly place such as the Sundown in Mackinaw City.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2012Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â My family and i have slept in just about every room there and have found NO fault with any of them.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Let me preface this review by saying that I have nothing whatsoever against the owners who were very nice. This review is based solely on mine and my family's experiences at the Sundown Motel. After calling around looking for a place that was economical and that would also allow us to bring our two dachshunds, I found the Sundown Motel. I booked two rooms for two nights, adjacent to each other, for us and my in-laws. They didn't charge extra for the dogs. This was easy to accommodate because most of the rooms are like a like cabin that is a duplex. Upon arriving and going up to the front office, we found a note with our names on it saying what rooms we were assigned and saying that the keys were in the door. This was fine and we didn't mind. We were also asked to prepay for the two nights, which is odd. However, walking into the room, we were struck by how musty the room was, and that of the three windows in the main room, there was only one window with a screen that we could open to air things out. There were two double beds, a small desk and a small chair, small refrigerator and microwave. There was also an armchair and a little tube tv. To say that things were snug was an understatement. The bathroom door when opened hit the one bed. Trying to close the curtains were tricky as these were old and barely closed enough for privacy. I also had one of the curtain rods come off the wall so that I had to climb up on the bed to reattach it. And when my husband was laying on one of the beds to relax, the box spring broke on him, making that bed useless to sleep on. We transferred our pillows to the other bed. When we layed down, we could hear some sort of sound that was like scittering up above us. I don't think it was rodents, it sounded more like plastic in the wind. Also, the bathroom was EXTREMELY tight and the toilet very low to the ground. My mother-in-law hurt her back while trying to sit down on it.
And as for the comfort of the beds, honestly, the dogs on their blankets on the floor were more comfortable than we were. The beds were the hardest that I have EVER been on. We woke every hour on the hour feeling like we were being beaten up. Finally, at 4:45 a.m., I gave up and got up and got dressed and went to the hotel next door to see if there were any rooms available (which of course, there weren't). I went back to the room and called another local name brand hotel, got their two last rooms and ended up packing up and leaving at 8 a.m. that morning. The owner's helper was nice enough to refund our money. We did tell him about the bed breaking and also about how uncomfortable the beds were. he did apologize.
The location is also a bit creepy. There is really nothing across the street but a closed down hotel, and a defunct water park that looks as though it has been closed for years.
The cabins are a nice idea, and the outsides were well maintained. The grass was nice and cut and they had a nice bbq grill as well. I would suggest that the owners rip out the carpet, paint the rooms a warm cream color, put new berber carpet in, do away with one of the double beds, replace it with a sofa couch to make room, NEW PILLOW TOP MATTRESSES, add new lo-flo toilets, and new flat screen tvs (a 21 inch would be fine in this space), and you would really be a great place. They already have the hospitality, now they need the rooms to back it up. If they were to do this, I am sure that they could raise their rates to even $65 a night and people would book them easily!
And as for the comfort of the beds, honestly, the dogs on their blankets on the floor were more comfortable than we were. The beds were the hardest that I have EVER been on. We woke every hour on the hour feeling like we were being beaten up. Finally, at 4:45 a.m., I gave up and got up and got dressed and went to the hotel next door to see if there were any rooms available (which of course, there weren't). I went back to the room and called another local name brand hotel, got their two last rooms and ended up packing up and leaving at 8 a.m. that morning. The owner's helper was nice enough to refund our money. We did tell him about the bed breaking and also about how uncomfortable the beds were. he did apologize.
The location is also a bit creepy. There is really nothing across the street but a closed down hotel, and a defunct water park that looks as though it has been closed for years.
The cabins are a nice idea, and the outsides were well maintained. The grass was nice and cut and they had a nice bbq grill as well. I would suggest that the owners rip out the carpet, paint the rooms a warm cream color, put new berber carpet in, do away with one of the double beds, replace it with a sofa couch to make room, NEW PILLOW TOP MATTRESSES, add new lo-flo toilets, and new flat screen tvs (a 21 inch would be fine in this space), and you would really be a great place. They already have the hospitality, now they need the rooms to back it up. If they were to do this, I am sure that they could raise their rates to even $65 a night and people would book them easily!
Read more
Date of stay: October 2014Trip type: Travelled with family
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
When we called to check availability (after driving through the Wilderness State Park camping area and finding it inundated) we were pleased to learn that the Sundown Motel had a room with a double bed. These are not rooms, but cabin-ish separate dwellings. Most were like a duplex, with two units to a small building. Ours was a stand-alone building, one of three like it located at the rear of the property. I'm guessing the other reviewers stayed in one of the other units, because ours was sub-par. On the positive side, the room was very quiet. It backed up to a wooded area, and there was a playground and lawn out front. (The lawn area was bordered by bushy growths of the healthiest poison ivy I've ever seen, so beware of that.) The room was intended to be like a cabin, and that worked to some extent. It was reasonably clean. There was a tiny CRT TV, no phone, and very weak wifi that I couldn't connect to for some reason. The real problem was the bathroom. My wife initially said that she would skip a shower the next morning rather than use the one provided. Lots of mildew, and lots of black mold behind some recently applied caulking tape at the tub margins. The walls were real T-in-G paneling above some fake-tile embossed Masonite, including in the tub/shower area. The wood had been painted and caulked; the Masonite was buckled and puffed out. It was difficult to overlook these things, even for the very low price we paid. With a completely redone bathroom and a few other tweaks, this place could be a real gem. But not as it is today.
Read more
Date of stay: August 2013Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â Get a duplex-style room, maybe they're superior.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This place is a little older but very clean. Only a mile outside Mackinaw City with a convenience within walking distance. Communal outdoor kitchen and laundry, charcoal and gas grill available. Its not glamorous but for $50 a night the value can't be beat. We will definitely be coming back!
Read more
Date of stay: July 2015Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is the most awful motel I've ever visited. The list of reasons why its so awful goes on and on. The power shuts off randomly, there was food rotting in the kitchen for months, the water stays warm for about 5 minuets then gets cold, the tv didn't even turn on, and the Wi-Fi worked probably less than half the time. All of this was awful, but the most absolute worse thing about this motel is the manager. I have been over paying to live there for 6 months. A few days before my last night I was going to leave, I had my boyfriend stay for a night. Around 11 pm that night when we were both sleeping, she comes literally screaming, pounding on the door, actually trying to break into my room. Thank god it was locked. When I opened the door she said that my boyfriend had to leave because he wasn't registered to stay there. He went up to the office to figure things out, and she started calling him names. Shes never met him and the only time she spoke to me was when she was demanding my money. That was beyond unprofessional and crazy.
Read more
Date of stay: November 2017Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No results found. • Try changing or clearing your search to read questions and answers.
"My family and i have slept in just about every room there and have found NO fault with any of them."Read full review
LOCATION
United StatesMichiganCheboygan CountyMackinaw City
NUMBER OF ROOMS
12
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your ListingSUNDOWN MOTEL - Reviews (Mackinaw City, MI) - Photos of Motel - Tripadvisor
Frequently Asked Questions about Sundown Motel
Which popular attractions are close to Sundown Motel?
Nearby attractions include Mystery Town USA (1.2 km), Animal Tracks (1.2 km), and Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (0.8 km).
What are some restaurants close to Sundown Motel?
Conveniently located restaurants include Murdick's Fudge, Rusted Spoke Brewing Co., and Sweet Spot.
Are there any historical sites close to Sundown Motel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting McGulpin Point Lighthouse & Historic Site (3.8 km) and Historic Mill Creek (5.7 km).