Vineyard Inn On Suttons Bay

So my wife and I stayed at the Vineyard Inn for the last 3 nights for our first anniversary. The Inn was nice, but is capable of so much more! First off, the exterior is in need of some tree and bush trimming. They have a couple of light posts out front, both of which are completely covered with vines and one of them even has the vines growing inside of the light itself. The tree right in front that hangs over the circle drive has branches hanging so low, you have to walk all the way around it and they have a fountain in the center of the circle drive that has been re-​purposed as a flower bed, but there were no flowers in it, just dirt so it looked very tacky and unmanaged. In fact there are many planters around the front of the inn that had no plants in them and were just dirt.
We had a Lakeview Suite which was nice, it was clean, but as other reviewers had mentioned there are areas where you can tell corners were cut during the remodel or that they just need more attention and there isn’t a handyman onsite. The tops of the tub enclosures need to be caulked, the window blind in our room was broken, the sliding screen door is hard to open and close and doesn’t roll smoothly, the mini fridge with freezer needs to be defrosted to get rid of the 2″ of ice buildup inside, and the shower head is in dire need of either replacement or a deep cleaning with CLR. The beds were kind of uncomfortable. I think they advertize them as being a pillow top mattress and if they are, the pillow top has been heavy worn out. The beds sounded too like that had a plastic sheet over them (you know the type you use on beds when kids can’t hold it through the night) although I never pulled the fitted sheet off to check.
It was nice that every room has either a patio or balcony attached with chairs and the views of the bay from the rooms are great! Many spots outside on the lawn and beach to sit and having the bonfire pits lit at night was really nice. They had bean bag toss set up in the back for guests to use as well. They have a restaurant attached too, Corky’s. We were going to have dinner there Thursday night when we arrived after being on the road for that last 8 hours, but they were closed and are only open on the weekends even though their website states «Open Daily for Dinner at 5:00», so we had to go somewhere else. After that night, we read the reviews for Corky’s and opted to continue going elsewhere for dinner. By the way, the plants are so overgrown in the front around Corky’s sign that all you can read is «orky’s».
We thought it odd as well on how not busy Corky’s was. They have a great looking space, right on the water, with a great outdoor bar and yet on a busy Friday and Saturday night, they had maybe 5 or 6 tables with guests, the bar was closed, and just barely had any business, and yet almost every restaurant in downtown Suttons Bay, only 2 miles away, has a wait to get in the door.
So, all in all, not a bad experience, just not exactly what I thought I was getting for how much I paid a night to stay there. I think I’ll watch for some more positive reviews from Unilocalers though before we decide to go back.

I’m writing this review after a two night midweek stay last week. As another reviewer stated, my stars are based on the views and the possibilities. Anthony from Hotel Impossible should be summoned to this place to fix it! Upon check-​in we were guided to our «suite» only to find that there were clothes hanging in the closet (that was room 10 — probably the nicest of all that I saw.) Whoops. We were taken to another room, a studio this time. I booked and paid for a lakeview suite, not a studio. When I mentioned that, we were taken to the third room, a lakeview loft. Mmmkay. The kitchenette was dirty and falling apart. The coffee maker wouldn’t brew. The tiny bathroom had a space for four light bulbs but only three were present. Darkest bathroom I’ve ever tried to get ready in. There was a dead fly behind the bathroom door for the entire stay. The downstairs had a window type a/​c unit that was on and was freezing all the time. The cold didn’t reach the upstairs loft (bed) area so it was hot when trying to sleep. The bed squeaked with every move and I’m not 100% certain that the sheets were clean. We didn’t eat at the restaurant but we did go over for a wine tasting. (Hint, go to a different vineyard, I was not impressed with the wines) While there, the cook was making pizza, working in the kitchen with no gloves. A guest came in and not so discreetly mentioned that her toilet was overflowing. The cook left to go help her. When done, he came back and still didn’t put gloves on. Gross. Upon checkout we handed in the keys and not once was I asked how my stay was, nor was I given a receipt. We paid over $ 200 a night and this was by far the dirtiest place I’ve ever stayed. The outdoor photos on Unilocal are spot on, the grounds are fabulous. I just wish someone with skill and knowledge and the best interest of the guests would take this place over. It could be so great. The one positive– the wifi worked great.

All the bad reviews are right on, whether you read them here or on trip advisor or wherever there are reviews of this place. My optimism in this case didn’t pay off and it was just as bad as it sounds; the only semi-​redeeming factor was the view of the bay. If I could give less stars, I would. Don’t stay here. A couple quick bullet points:
— VERY disorganized upon check in; they gave our room and package (champaign, «fire starter kit» in quotes because it doesn’t work, and «smores kit» also in quotes because the sticks were skewers where you’d definitely burn your hand and eyebrows off) to another couple, and the owner only told us this when we were discussing changing our package
— the room they gave us smelled really weird and was probably the smallest room ever, a big downsize from the one they gave away
— broken screen door and blinds that would open because «the building is settling» and «we’re planning to build a new building next year» …because you can’t even keep up the building you already have? Lots of excuses from the owner, seemed more defensive and lacking any idea of what goes into the business of hospitality
— When we came back to our room after being out exploring, our door was wide open because they had just come to clean up… we had left 7 – 8 hours earlier.
I don’t like giving negative reviews, and again, I kept optimistic even after reading SEVERAL bad reviews, but for what you pay for this place, it is so not worth it. The website really sells is, but upon looking again, she gives a disclaimer against the bad reviews ON THE WEBSITE. Big red flag. Two very enthusiastic thumbs down.

Spectacular view! Give me one week at this place and I would get the grounds in shape. Such potential, flowers dying from the heat. Weeds and flower-​boxes not planted. Sliding doors to the lake won’t even open! Room 5 has little kitchen but so poorly equipped it’s hardly usable. We gave the housekeeper a list of 8 things we needed, they provided 2! And these were things like a dish cloth. They did provide a (USED) dish scrubber. We didn’t eat at the overpriced restaurant. Didn’t surprise me they had only a few full tables a night. The sign for the restaurant was overgrown with weeds!!! How can someone own such a prime piece of property and not keep it up. Pluses-​nice dock, beach, adirondack chairs, comfortable bed, good shower. To the owners-​hire a gardener and replace your old sliding doors (with holes in them). Clean up the details and you will get repeat customers.

The only reason this gets a 2 stars is the views. This Inn has so much potential and yet they chose to spot clean there rooms, you could see through the shades in our room so the evening was a little unsettling especially when the bar is right outside of your room. Went to the restaurant to complain talked to waitress, (the owner was there she could have cared less). I could go on and on but I won’t. SO DISAPPOINTED! !!! We would have stayed another night just for the views but we had to get out of that room. At 206.00 a night we expect better then that. ALSO IT SMELLED AGAIN IT SMELLED

This Inn has so much going for it except for the owner. For the positives: My family rented out the entire inn for our wedding weekend. On arrival they let my fiancé and I pick out our favorite room and then since they knew I was going to be getting ready for the wedding in the room, they set up a full length mirror. They also provided us with a bottle of campaign which was a nice touch. All rooms have a view of the water and all have an outdoor area to sit. All the rooms that I was in were larger. I would call the rooms clean but you can tell corners were cut with repairs. (There were holes in the bathroom ceiling.)
The Inn is located on the bay and has an area to lay out and an outside bar set up that is quite nice. On the main level they also have a small restaurant that is open to the public. There are fire pits that guests can use and a long dock where one could bring their boat.
The food at the restaurant is good, the pizza is great. They have their own catering business as well. We used them for our rehearsal dinner that was held on the lawn. They set up a tent and everyone loved the BBQ food and view. At night we used one of their fire pits for a smore bar.
I have also been up in the fall and used their wine chauffeur business. They have multiple vehicles that can be rented privately or they do group tours on the trolley. Myself and four friends did the group tour and had a good time.
For the negatives: The owners own quite a bit in the Suttons Bay area including; The Inn, the catering business, wine chauffeur, their own vineyard, and two higher end barn locations for weddings. I don’t know how one can own so many aspects of a business and be so unorganized. We were thinking about getting married at one location. Set up a tour, drove 4 hours to get there and no one was around. Grounds keepers called and the staff «forgot» about it. Not acceptable when you want me to shell out $ 8,000 just for a venue fee. After the wedding weekend, the Inn owed us money back. Multiple, multiple phone calls were either answered and she had a reason to not be able to talk, or she did not return messages. It took a family member driving 4 hours to make her sit down tie up the loose ends. She thought we owed her money when is actuality she owed us thousands.
I believe a couple driving through and did not have to deal with details of a wedding would give this Inn a ⁴⁄₅ stars.

This little inn has a perfect location in Suttons Bay with magnificent views of lake michigan. We could sit outside on our patio and watch the sunset over lake michigan in the evening! You open your sliding doors and you are right there on the shore of Lake Michigan!
The room has a fridge and kitchenette, so you can tour the area, buy fresh produce from the numerous local markets and make your own dinner and enjoy it on the patio. Or you can choose to go down a few steps to the restaurant on the premises: Corky’s. They serve the best pizzas in a very scenic and comfortable setting right by the lake. Everything is made with fresh, local ingredients and you can taste it!
Pam, the owner, has a vineyard in the area and you can have a wine tasting of their best selection of red and white wines. We were happily surprised by the quality of the wines! A great discovery in Michigan!
I would definitely come back and recommend this place to my friends!

This Inn was the perfect place for a wedding weekend. We stayed as part of the wedding party at the 12-​room inn, and enjoyed every second. The Vineyard Inn has a lot to offer and I would definitely stay again.
The large rehearsal dinner (50+ people) was held at the Inn, and included a wonderful buffet-​style BBQ dinner. It was odd that they still had the restaurant open to the public while the rehearsal dinner was directly next door, but it didn’t seem to have an effect on either. The bartenders didn’t have a very good plan with the party and the regular guests, which was the one complaint I had the entire stay. We ordered pizza from the restaurant one night and they were amazing! Woodfired and perfectly cooked with delicious toppings. Their dinner menu looked very good but we unfortunately did not have a chance to try anything else.
The Inn has a nice beach with two fire pits (that were great at night!) and a long dock with several spots to dock a boat and also to swim. It looked like the water was low because there was an area between the sand and water that appeared wet and weedy.
The rooms were very well appointed, with plenty of room and all with a beautiful view. Our room had a nice little kitchenette, including wine bottles and a cork screw for our Vineyard Tour purchases.
Overall, it was a great stay at the Vineyard Inn. I would definitely stay here again and recommend it to friends.

Beautiful spot on the water. Stayed only a short night, but the management followed us into town after we checked out to bring us a forgotten bag. Awesome.