Harbor House Inn

Unusually cool weather for our May visit made it too chilly to enjoy the wonderful screened porch. However, our room had a fireplace so we stayed warm and cozy. Updating is in progress making the rooms & common areas less "cutesy" and more pleasingly traditional. All was great: location, water view, friendly personnel, clean, comfortable room, and a nicely-served light breakfast buffet.

A clean nicely decorated room with a beautiful view, comfortable bed and a great hot shower! The Inn is the perfect cross between a small B & B (where you sometimes feel obligated to visit with your hosts) and a boutique hotel (where everyone is trying to remain anonymous). A great location, good staff, delicious breakfast, reasonable rates....would certainly return there again.

This is a hotel with a bed and breakfast feel to it. We enjoyed the stay and love the view from the balcony. It was undergoing renovations while we were there, so it wasn't finished yet. The room was clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful, showed us around when we first came. They have snacks and coffee/drinks available during the day. Breakfast was a continental breakfast and was very good. We had a nice stay.

My husband and I stayed in the Inn's adjacent cottage, for our anniversary (Room C1, to be specific). Beginning with positives: The homemade caramels and morning sweet breads were very good. The bed was comfortable and the view was quite pretty. (We could see the water, across the street, which ran in front of our windows.) The room was clean (although I wouldn't say "immaculate," as I have read in other comments). There was no noise from other guests in the cottage, even though--at least on the first night--all the rooms were full (close together too). The tile around the fireplace was lovely. Negatives: While we we thrilled to have both a fireplace and a whirlpool tub when we booked this room, both ended up being a huge disappointment. The fireplace instructions said it would take a bit to light, which was annoying but do-able. The first night (of 2), we had no issues with the fireplace working. The next evening and following morning proved frustrating, as it wouldn't light no matter what we did (and my husband is quite handy, able to figure out almost anything). The faucet for the hot tub/shower was a debacle. First, it was extremely difficult to turn in any direction. When I tried to take a shower the first morning, the water would only go to ice cold or scalding hot--no in-between. After a while the scalding hot level toned down enough for me to take a quick shower. Then my husband took his shower. The water had stabilized at that point but when he was finished, he could not turn the water off at all. He called the front desk and it was clear they knew it was a previous problem by the comment that was made. They DID send someone promptly to fix it, so that was good. (Even after the fix, however, the faucet still was very difficult to turn.) Before we left, we read comments written by previous guests in the little journals left in the room. There were at least 2 comments about the faulty faucet. Another issue was that one of the windows wouldn't latch, which allowed wind to howl in all night long. (We were there at the end of March and it was very cold & windy.) We could hear loud vehicles easily as they lumbered down the street in front of our room. The cold water faucet in the bathroom sink would continue to run at a slow stream without fussing with it for many seconds after each use to get it to a slow enough stream where it would eventually stop running. Between nights our bed was made, towels replaced, & new caramels were put out. No vacuuming was done, nor was the bathroom re-cleaned. The in-room refrigerator ran too cold. We had a dip and some soda freeze up in less than 24 hours. The hard boiled eggs that were served during breakfast had a strange taste to them. Many folks have commented on the breakfast in general and I would like to point out that breakfast truly is "as advertised." That being said, it seems like to be a true "bed & breakfast" it would be nice to have some hot items from which to choose. When my husband mentioned the major issues at checkout, he was thanked for pointing them out but was not offered an apology or any effort to make it right (with a discount, for example). We were glad to get away and can't say we had an awful time but we will most likely not be back. We were very disappointed.

Expect to be treated in an old fashion way as guests at the Harbor House. The staff is wonderful in their helpful suggestions to local cuisine and things to do in the area. In warm weather, Grand Haven is a popular area to vacation in. We visited in late October, so the Inn attracts an older demographic. We would definitely love to come back here again.

Stayed one night and where pleasantly surprised with this little Inn on the Grand River. Please is clean and quite, had a room overlooking the Grand River. Great location and good Breakfast too. Good Internet everywhere in the building.

This is a great place to stay downtown close to everything. The musical fountain is right across from the hotel and you are within walking distance of downtown. We had a room on the second floor and it was spacious with a nice bathroom. The evening cookies were a nice touch as was the free bottled water and snacks. Now for the negatives.. The fridge and microwave are located downstairs in the common areas. The breakfast is sparse and you'll be hungry in a bit. I would stay here again though.

Very coordial, helpful staff, nice rooms, good location. But that their breakfasts are the "Continental style'. Looking back at the web site the food is described honestly. But having had great breakfasts at ALL of the B&Bs we have stayed at over the years, it came as a shock and a mild disappointment, even to my wife who made the reservation. She was as schocked as I was. Guess we need to qualify our B&Bs more closely in the future.

My wife and I have been coming to the Harbor House at least once per year for approximately the past 7 years. The location is great with its proximity to the water and downtown. It is great to have everything within walking distance. We also love lounging / relaxing on the large screened in porch with its view of the channel leading to Lake Michigan. If I have one criticism its the redundancy of the breakfast. It has literally not changed once in all the times we have been there. Don't get me wrong, its still good, but I think that offering something different in addition to the everyday staples (cinnamon bread, giant bowl of miscellaneous cereals, hard boiled eggs sliced in half, etc.) would be an outstanding addition to an already fantastic stay.