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Mom-and-pop motels of Grand Marais

Cheapskates love 'em, but so do traditionalists and anyone who just needs a room.

In summer, when the cities start to sizzle, a lot of people suddenly realize they’d rather be in Grand Marais.

This village on Minnesota’s North Shore is awash in Lake Superior’s cool breezes, and it has everything else a tourist could want – restaurants, shops, galleries, nightlife and scenery.

But it doesn’t always have enough room for all of the escapees, especially on festival weekends.

“I can’t believe how many people come in the day before Fisherman’s Picnic and want a room,’’ says Patty Robinson, owner of the Mangy Moose Motel. “I mean, you gotta be kidding me.’’

Standard rooms at the best-known hotels book first and cost $139-$189 on peak weekends and up to $50 more per night during festivals. Miss out on those and your choice may be sleeping in the car or a $449 luxury suite.

Then what do you do? Try one of Grand Marais’ many mom-and-pop motels, which can’t afford to advertise much but are the town’s best deals if you don’t require luxury.

Most of them are typical 1950s-style motor hotels with parking spaces in front. Rooms usually have two beds, a TV and a small microwave and fridge. That’s all most people need, especially for $59-$109.

“We want to make it affordable for travelers so they can keep coming back,’’ Robinson says. “People really appreciate it.’’

When I was in Grand Marais in May, I paid $55 for an immaculate motel room at Lund’s Motel and Cottages, across from the municipal campground. It had cable TV, coffeemaker, microwave, fridge and hair dryer, and it faced not the highway but the woodsy part of the three-acre property on which Ron Lund’s parents started the resort in 1937.

The genial Lund grew up at the resort – “My dad had me crawling under the cabins as a kid, helping with the plumbing’’ – and returned to run it when his parents retired.

“I love the place,’’ he says. “I wish I could win the lottery, so I could keep it as it is.’’

Across the highway, I toured two cabins at Nelson’s Travelers Rest, which has a woodsy lot from which guests can see Lake Superior. No. 5 was small but cute, with gingham curtains, a floral bedspread and a kitchenette; it rents for $59. The two-bedroom No. 11 was not so cute, but it sleeps up to four people for only $84.

That Friday night, Nelson's was the only place in town that was full.

“I try to give people a good product for a good price, and we get a lot of repeat business,’’ said owner Tom Nelson.

The best deal in Grand Marais may have been the $59 rooms at the Spruceglen, on the north side of downtown. It looks a little abandoned, and the paint is peeling from the windowsills, but the rooms are clean and tidy, and guests get to use the pool and sauna at the next-door Aspen Lodge and have breakfast there, too.

The cheapest rooms at the Aspen Lodge were $30 more. I toured one on the lower level; it had the same décor plus a big picture window with a view of the lake across the street, and it was larger. For many people, that’s worth $30.

The young front-desk clerk of the Aspen Lodge was friendly and helpful. But she wasn’t the owner, and some people look for that.

“It’s amazing how many people say they stay because they like the mom-and-pop motels,’’ says Patty Robinson of the Mangy Moose.

Here are some to consider around Grand Marais.

Trip Tips: Mom-and-pop motels of Grand Marais

When to go: May and early June are a great time to go. Weather often is great, but summer rates don’t kick in until the second or three week of June. Reserve at least several months in advance for Fisherman’s Picnic, Aug. 5-8 in 2010.

Other popular dates: June 18-20, Wooden Boat Show. July 10-11, Arts Festival. July 29-Aug. 1, North Shore Dragon Boat Festival.

On holiday and festival weekends, however, rates at most places go up $10 to $50 per night.

For more, see Artistic Grand Marais.

How to choose: Every cottage and even room is different, so don’t be afraid to ask to see one. Look to see if it’s clean and the bed looks firm.

How to get a deal: Don’t forget to ask if you can get an AAA discount. And if business is slow, many motel proprietors will give you an extra-good rate. Add 11 percent for taxes.

The Grand Marais Hotel Company, which operates the Spruceglen and Aspen Lodge as well as the Super 8, Shoreline Inn and Cobblestone Cove, offers past guests a Quiet Time Coupon that lowers midweek and slow-season rates.

For example, midweek rates at the Spruceglen are $45 (Aspen Lodge, $59) May 16-June 10, Aug. 29-Sept. 2 and Oct. 3-21 and every day Oct. 24-Dec. 16.

Lund’s Motel & Cottages: This resort is just south of town, across from the municipal campground (its indoor swimming pool and sauna is open to the public for a small fee) and a short walk from the North House Folk School and downtown.

Motel rooms are basic but as nice as they come. I like No. 105, which has a big juniper bush in front of its window so is a little more private. No. 106 is at the end, farthest from the highway. Summer rates are $84 for two and $104 for four.

The cabins are back from the highway on the tree-shaded property and are just as tidy, with somewhat stodgy decor. One-bedroom housekeeping cottages are $88 to $98 for two, and two-bedroom cottages are $128-$138. There’s a fire pit guests can use.

Off-season rates are $10 to $30 lower, and Lund may shave off even more if business is slow. Call Ron Lund at 218-387-2155.

Nelson’s Traveler’s Rest. This cottage resort is on the highway south of town, with views of the lake across the trees and access via path. There’s a fire pit and small play area.

It has nine cabins, each different, and a newer two-bedroom house, $135 for up to four people with a three-night minimum, $805 per week. Cabins No. 5 and 6 are smallest but have kitchenettes, $59 for up to two. No. 6-7 have kitchens and wood-burning fireplaces, $75.

A two-bedroom cabin with kitchen and deck is $84; with wood-burning fireplace, they’re $89-$99.

It also has two motel rooms with two double beds, microwave, fridge and deck, $40 for one, $58 for two and $69 for three or four. Call Tom and Patty Nelson at 800-249-1285 or 218-387-1464.

Mangy Moose Motel. This small motel is right downtown, close to the action. Rooms are compact, with an attractive knotty-pine décor, fridge, microwave and TV mounted on the wall.

Summer rates are $69-$99 midweek, $79-$109 weekend, $89-$119 holidays and festivals. In the off-season, they’re $10 less. Call Patty and Bob Robinson at 800-796-2975 or 218-387-2975.

And the name? The Robinsons ate at a very popular restaurant in the Black Hills called the Mangy Moose, then read about a popular resort in Utah with the same name, and figured the name must be a good one.

“But I’m kind of thinking, after all these years, that we should have named it the Wandering Moose,’’ Patty Robinson says.

Timberlund’s Resort. This clifftop resort south of town is run by Ron Lund’s brother Robert and was built by their uncle Einar Allen in 1936. The five red-painted log cabins occupy a rock outcropping and have spectacular views of Lake Superior from their roomy decks.

I loved No. 4, where the sink/kitchen counter, dining table and beds in both bedrooms all great lake views and breezes. No air conditioner needed here!

Décor is appealing authentic, with old snowshoes on the pine-paneled walls, hardwood floor, log bed frames and quilts. Rates are $90-$98 for two people in a one-bedroom cabin and $120-$128 for four in a two-bedroom cabin.

Robert Lund is short-handed right now, so availability is limited. Call 218-387-1147.

Wedgewood Motel. This motel is three miles north of Grand Marais. Run by Peter and Amy James, it has cheerful rooms with WiFi, microwaves, fridges, roomy bathrooms with tubs and views of trees across the highway.

There’s a welcoming office with coffee for guests and a whiteboard listing the wildflower currently blooming and the birds that have been seen.

Rates are $65-$79 July 1 through Oct. 9, $58-$65 May 9-June 30, 10 percent less with an AAA/AARP discount. Pets can stay in most rooms for $5 extra. Call 877-808-8902 or 218-387-2944.

Spruceglen Motel: This motel on the north edge of downtown doesn’t look like much, but if you’re just looking for a place to stay that’s near everything, it’s a good deal. Three of the 12 rooms are smoking. Ask for one of the rooms in the back, which face the woods, not the highway.

Rooms have microwaves and fridges, and guests get a free breakfast at the Aspen Lodge next door and use of its pool and sauna. Peak rates are $79, $99 on holiday and festival weekends. In the off season, they go as low as $39. Call 800-247-6020 or 218-387-2500.

Gateway Lodge. This resort on the south edge of town formerly was the Grand Marais Inn and, before that, the Tomteboda. Now the office doubles as the information center for Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay and has an attractive new café.

The motel rooms need attention and renovation, but beds are good-quality. They have cable TV, fridge and microwave. There’s ample parking outside for trailers. Owner David Parsons says he plans to upgrade the rooms.

Summer rates are $59-$79 midweek, $69-$89 weekends. Through June 15, they’re $39-$59. Call 877-387-1585 or 218-387-1585.

Others small properties in Grand Marais include the wooded Trailside Cabins and Motel, on the south edge of town near Nelson’s Travelers Rest. Motel rooms are $60-$85, and cabins are $70-$110. Call 218-387-1550 or 800-585-2792.

Last updated on July 12, 2010