Our summer vacation to New Buffalo, Michigan was nothing short of amazing. From hikes to exploring the downtown to eating our way through town, we couldn’t have asked for a more relaxing vacation even though it rained half the time. The secret to our relaxing stay? Staying at The Neighborhood Hotel Grand Beach! Read all about our stay.

Disclosure: A huge thank you to the Neighborhood Hotel for hosting our stay. As always, all opinions are my own. Read full disclosure policy here.

HISTORY

The Neighborhood Hotel recently opened in New Buffalo, Michigan with its sister property in Lincoln Park. Before becoming The Neighborhood Hotel was once the historic Pinewood Lodge built in 1914. Back in the days this was the place for hosting famous heavyweight fighters including Cinderella Man, James Braddock.

GETTING STARTED AT Neighborhood Hotel Grand Beach

The white arches of Grand Beach welcomed us. (I later learned that these arches have been here since 1912!) After parking, we took in the sights of the tall trees surrounding the hotel and the singing of birds. Checking in was simple even though there was no concierge or staff; we just looked for our room and entered the code that had been emailed to us.

Our Suite

The hotel offers fourteen suites including two cottage homes. Our home away from home for two days was Suite 1 and what a treat it was! The first floor apartment-style suite was perfect for our family with 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. As you can imagine, the bunk bed room was a huge hit.  The other two bedrooms had king size beds and were very spacious. The comfy Caspar mattresses were a nice touch.

Evenings were spent hanging out in the cozy living room and streaming some of our favorite shows like Stranger Things 4.

The Kitchen

One of the perks of staying at The Neighborhood Hotel is having a fully-stocked kitchen with all the amenities: dishwasher, fridge, and oven. There’s even all the little things that make it extra special like a s’mores kit, coffee from local coffee spots, mugs from local restaurants. Loved it!

The Lobby

The communal lobby is super cool. Lots of tables, a popcorn machine, ice machine (with the nugget ice), the egg chairs were definitely a cool factor. If you’re looking to make s’mores, they have some of that too.

Swim on

One of the major highlights of our stay was the fabulous outdoor pool. During our visit the weather was a little cooler than we wanted, but it didn’t matter because the water was probably the warmest we’ve ever swam in for an outdoor pool. No shivers here unless we were coming out. There was even a few beach balls and water guns to keep the kids busy.

OTHER AMENITIES

The Neighborhood Hotel has anything that you want and things you never knew you needed. Plenty of outdoor seating to sit back and relax and enjoy your coffee. Nights were spent around a cowboy cauldron roasting s’mores. And yes, there’s plenty of chopped wood available should you want it. If you need fire starters, there’s some in the rooms or the communal kitchen.

We never heard the words, “We’re bored.” The hotel has plenty of things to keep the family busy inside or out! Kids played ping pong in the mornings. Board games were aplenty in the lobby. And they even have ax throwing! And if you’re anything like my popcorn-loving family, The Neighborhood Hotel has their own popcorn machine! The instructions were pretty simple and everything we needed was given. So cool!

What’s Nearby?

There’s a small playground located about a block away that evoke memories of my early childhood. Think metal slides and an old school merry go round.

If you’re looking for some fun in the sun, the small local beach is just an 8 minute walk. Warning: If you want to bring a lot of things (like us) there are stairs that go down to the beach. The beach is pretty rocky but there is some soft sand. It’s definitely a hidden gem – we were the only ones there!

FINAL THOUGHTS OF The Neighborhood Hotel Grand Beach

For the most relaxing stay with the family, you can’t go wrong with The Neighborhood Hotel Grand Beach.

Tips

• Have questions during your stay? Call or text them!
• Explore New Buffalo Michigan! Read all about the fun we had.
• Follow their social for fun food pop ups.
• During the summer, they offer yoga for guests outdoors. Make sure to check their schedule!
• The Neighborhood Hotel’s location is also ideal to explore the Indiana Dunes. In fact, that’s exactly what we did! Stay tuned for the upcoming post!
• The township curfew is at 11 p.m.

NITTY GRITTY

Website: https://www.theneighborhoodhotel.com/pages/grand-beach/
Social: Facebook | Instagram
Address:  19400 Ravine Drive, New Buffalo, MI
Parking: You get one parking space in the parking lot. Rates start at $269
Check-in: 3 p.m. and check-out is 11 a.m.