One of the great things to do on the island is bicycling. There are no cars, so bikes and horses are kings of the road. Flying from CA you will not be bringing bikes, so you will be dependent on rentals, either from one of the cycle shops, or from the hotel, if they offer it.

The reason I am starting off with bicycles is that one of the most beautiful places to stay on the island is The Inn At Stonecliffe. The island is 9 miles around on the road, fairly flat. The center or interior of the island is a fairly steep climb, as in steep paths and roads, some more so than others. But the interior is beautiful. And that is where the Stonecliffe is, with beautiful views of water and the Mackinac Bridge, the several mile long suspension bridge that connects the lower portion of Michigan with the Upper Peninsula. So, if you choose to stay at the Stonecliffe, you will be dependent on your bike, horse drawn cabs, or a healthy walk from town.

The town area of Mackinac Island is very busy with all the shops, restaurants, hotels and other activities, as well as the piers from the three ferry lines. The Iriquois is a lovely hotel at the edge of this downtown fray, and a lovely place to stay. Many rooms have beautiful views of Lake Huron.

Another option is to stay at Mission Point resort. This is further out of the downtown and therefore quieter. They occupy a beautiful pice of land at the water's edge, with a huge meadow to sit, throw a frisbee, or whatever. There is also an 18 hole putting green mini golf and a nice bar and restaurant out there, as well as several indoor options.

There are many other hotels that are equally nice, and I am sure other folks will have some to suggest or discourage. You might also want to consider one fo the very nice small guest houses and B&Bs on the island. There are some beautiful and elegant places.

Getting to the island depends on how close you are willing to spend to get by air. There is a small airstrip on the island with regular air service. Small planes. I don't know the name of the airline, but you can find it and tons of other stuff at the island website http://www.mackinacisland.org/.

Other than that, I think the closest airport with good air service would be Traverse City, about an hour, maybe a bit more, from Mackinaw City where you get the ferry to the island. Other options would be Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, about 4 - 5 hours drive. Michigan is a beautiful state, especially the western side along the Lake Michigan coast. It is vacation land from the Indiana border all the way around to the "thumb" (look at a map), but especially up to Mackinaw City. Best direct air service options will be to Detroit, but the other airports are pretty busy and should do you well, even Traverse.

As for point a and point b, point a is arriving on the island, whether by plane or by boat. There are no motor vehicles on the island. Depending on where you are staying, and whether or not you have or begin your stay with bike rentals in town, you can bicycle to your hotel, walk to it, or take a horse drawn cab/bus - too big to calla cab, too small to calla bus, but definitely horse drawn. Some of the hotels have their own vehicles to pick up their guests at the piers. Either way, you can take your luggage with you on these vehicles. If you prefer to walk or cycle to your hotel, or just want to spend some time in town before going over there, there are porters at the piers who will strap you luggage onto their bicycles and take them to the hotel for you. No charge for this service.

The other point a is arriving at one of the airports in Michigan and renting a car. You will need to drive to Mackinaw City to get the ferry. All of the ferry companies will park your car while you are on the island. The drive is easy, all on Interstate Highways, unless you decide to drive up the coast of Lake MI.

Activities - there are tons of things to do, and they are all done at a slower pace, because there are no cars. And it is a great place to find a beautiful spot, on a porch or patio, lawn or shoreline, cafe or park bench, and do nothing, maybe with a good book, a bottle of wine and good company.

I would stay at the Grand for one night, since that has been your dream. I have spoken to a lot of people that have stayed at the hotel, and they had a wonderful time. So, possibly one night would do and then off to another hotel for cheaper accomodations? Just a thought! Or, stay in town (Main Street Inn and Suites seems to get great reviews and is in the middle of downtown), but get dressed up and go eat at the Grand's dinner. You can tour the hotel, then, at that time, sit on the porch, enjoy the after dinner dancing, etc.!

One of the things I like to do is to take a private carriage tour. It is with the same carriage company that offers the normal "tours", but this one is $25 a person, and they go to other parts of the island, mostly the bluff areas where the beautiful homes are located. WE thoroughly enjoyed this.

Travelling to the Island from CA, you may want to look at flying into Pellston instead of Traverse City...

NWA flies there thru DTW. I think you can get a shuttle from Pellston to Mackinaw City to catch the ferry. You could also rent a car but Pellston is pretty close to MAckinaw and all you likely would be doing is renting a car to go a few miles then have it sit in aparking lot for as long as you are on thr island.

If you don't stay at the Grand I think Stonecliffe would be a good alternative.

If you rent bikes you can take them along the west side wher eall the big Victoriam homes are and ride into the Grand from the back side.

The idea of just doing dinner at the Grand might satisfy your curtiosity or spending one night there.

In town you will find some of the shops still offer up Somewhere in Time memoribilia...

If you choose Stonecliffe I would strongly suggest renting bikes...the walk is about a mile and half--most of it uphill...get multi-speed bikes if you do rent.

As mentioned here Stonecliffe has gorgeous views of the Straights and the bridge...lots of room to roam th egrounds and trails that will take you to some secluded spots with beautiful views.

There are other very nice placces closer to town. We just stayed at the Harbourview Inn two weekends ago, which is within walking distance to town but away from all the hustle and noise...

I am sure if this has been a dream of yours you will not be dissapointed...

Lots of great suggestions. Nextstops had the best hotel suggestions of either the Stonecliffe or Iroquois. Both are truly romantic: Stonecliffe with the quiet seclusion and beautiful grounds, Iroquois with a great location just on the outskirts of town and at the beginning of the boardwalk. Both have breathtaking views! The Island House is another wonderful choice. We stayed at the Grand one night on our honeymoon, but if we had to do it over again, we would have stayed another night at the Metivier Inn. Perhaps consider a meal at the Grand or simply tour the hotel (for a fee).

Our favorite activity is bike riding around the Island. We are able to bring our bikes and go around at least once a day. A very relaxing and beautiful ride. We also go into the interior of the Island, see the homes on the East and West Bluffs, see Arch Rock, hike a few trails, see the cemetaries, and make our way up to Fort Holmes, on the very top of the Island.

Another favorite is going downtown after all of the daytrippers have left on the ferries. The town is a completely different place at that time. Depending on whether or not you enjoy night life, you have many options. For quiet meals, the restaurant in the Iroquois or Yankee Rebel Tavern are both fantastic. For a more lively evening, you can go to Horn's Bar, the Irish Pub, or the Pink Pony. The Seabiscuit has become one of our favorites for great food and drinks, and Yankee Rebel is a must do every trip!

As for dining, my husband and I are like you. We enjoy breakfast, afternoon snacks, and a nice dinner. Depending on where you stay, you can enjoy a full breakfast. I believe Stonecliffe has a buffet, and the Iroquois offers packages (I believe) that include breakfast in the restaurant. Other breakfast options include Jessie's Chuckwagon, the Irish Pub, and many others. The bed and breakfasts offer breakfast to their guests (obviously), but most are continental.

Come prepared to relax and reconnect as couple. See some other great suggestions for things to do on the recent "Honeymoon" thread.

Enjoy!

Thank you to everyone for the wonderfully written suggestions. I will investigate the suggestions and report back with more specific questions before I book, if need be... but you were so specific and helpful I doubt I'll need to. :)

Thanks again.

P.S. I haven't been on a bike since I was 12 (I'm 31). I hope that old saying is true.

The straits area, and Mackinac Island, should be visited between July 15 and Aug 15. 2 weeks before or after might be OK.

Bicycle rental is expensive, but, hey, you're on vacation. Get the type with the easy finger-shift 3-speed Nexus hub, so you don't have to fish for gears with a derailleur.

Go to the Driftwood bar in St Ignace and try the fresh caught freshwater fish triple combo platter. It is breaded and fried, but still very good.

You could stay at Holiday Inn Express St.Ignace and just ferry back and forth to the island, to save money. Nice basic hotel with breakfast included.

Drive out US-2 west a few miles, there is a Lake Michigan beach where you can park by the roadside..small extinct(not shifting) sand dunes on the other side of the road. No restrooms or changing rooms. Wade, then take a plunge in the sweetwater ocean.

Fly in and out of DTW, rent a car and drive the 5 hr each way to the straits area...if you have the extra day total for thd round trip

The Pellston Airport is beautiful but the airline service is terrible, and expensive to boot. It multiple trips, I never had a trip where the flights went both in and out of Pellston on the days scheduled. One time the airline sent me to the Traverse City airport by bus the next day. Another time they sent me from the Detroit to Pellston by bus on the next day.

I have flown into 9 different airports during trips to the Straits. The best combination of convenience and price has most often been to fly into Flint and rent a car.

MBS is even better but has few flights. Lansing and Grand Rapids also work fairly well.

Traverse City rarely has flights when I want them and the price of both the air and rental car is often much higher than the down state options.

All the previous suggestions have wonderful information and great suggestions as to where to go, sleep, eat, etc. Here's my opinion, being a native Michiganian and one who has been to Mackinac Island many times, both as a child and as an adult.

Stay on the Island, first and foremost. You've waited all this time to connect with a place from a favorite movie, why would you not want to spend all your time on it?

St. Ignace (on the Upper Peninsula side) and Mackinac City (on the Lower Peninsula side) are unglamorous cities with nothing but mediocre hotels and restaurants that are the epitome of a Chevy Chase "Vacation" movie's destination without cousins thrown in.

The 5 mile long Mackinac Bridge is worth every minute you drive over it. The scenery is outstanding. Very similar to the Golden Gate Bridge where you're from. Yet, once you get to the northerly terminus, St Ignace is nothing to go to for a destination. Turn around and drive back to Mackinac City...take the first exit off the bridge and go to the park at the tip of the state for some spectacular views and picture opportunities.

The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island has been accurately described by the respondents to this forum. Yet, it's a "one of a kind" resort. One of the grand ladies of the American hotel culture which spawned places like the Greenbrier, the Broadmoor, and the Breakers. Yes, it's overpriced, it likely has many rooms not worth their price, and there is an air of "snobbery" in the dining areas which is all part of the "Grand" scene. Experience it. If you have the $$ to travel and afford it, stay there and just relax in it's "grandeur."

A friend of mine who recently was at the Grand for a conference said if you can make yourself understood to the offshore call center people, you can communicate with the mostly-foreign hotel staffers! So, before you go, parctice by calling some manufacturer's customer service numbers!

I'd recommend two nights so you can truly experience all the other great suggestions previous posters here have advised you to.

Stonecliffe is nice, but frankly, it reminds me of a hotel from an Edgar Alan Poe movie. Very heavily wooded grounds, very quiet, dark browns and muted colors permeate the common areas. My choice for a stayover on Halloween. Years before this hotel was reopened in the 70's there were rumors it was haunted. Of course, where most people stay, the rooms and buildings are all new. Yet the place has a Savannah-cemetary feel to it (seen the "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" movie or read the book?)

Mackinac Island is all about the water...so be in a place where you are close to it and can experience it. It's (the shoreline) not a place to go swimming except for the hotel pool and the Grand, hands down, has the best one on the Island. The others are all OK, but the Grand's is exceptional in size and beauty with it's lush gardens.

Main Street on Mackinac Island is like an outlet mall on half price weekend. People on top of people, but it's truly a fun experience. It's loaded with souvenir shops and fudge places. LOTS of fudge places. All giving out free samples, too. My preference is Ryba's. Everybody has their own. Mackinac Island Fudge is very, very rich...and I may add, very, very good. It's made right in front of you!

Just watch where you step. Seriously. They do a great job of continuously cleaning up the horse defecation, yet those puddles of water which you see a lot of isn't water! It has often been said that it's the only place in the world where the smell of freshly baked fudge mixes with horse manure. It's not bad...the fudge wins out!

Do rent bikes...three speed, if possible. Explore the island on the road around it...then take your bike up the "big" hill and ride around the "summer mansions" which abound on the Island. All built in a Victorian style, they are charming and as much a part of the Island as the other attractions. Have some luck and you may see the Governor of Michigan who has an official residence on the Island.

All in all, spend two and a half days on the Island and you will feel like you have gone back in time and to another land. It's magical and wonderful.

On the transportation issue, there are many ways to get there. Advice previously given in the forum is excellent. First of all, being that you will be flying, it's not going to cost any more to fly into Pellston (closest airport) than Traverse City. Yet, you may get the "best" deal flying into Detroit. Detroit is a 5 hour drive, and rather boring since the main route, I-75, traverses heavily populated urban areas for the first 100 miles, then after you get past Bay City, it becomes farmland-to-wooded terrain, gently rolling for the last 150 miles. It's ten hours...(both ways included) of vacation time I wonder if spending in a car is worth it.

Best advice I can give is to fly into Traverse City by connecting through Minneapolis, Chicago or Detroit. (Pellston has very limited service, served by very small planes) Then, rent a car and take the beautiful Us 31 drive up Lake Michigan (around 90 miles) to Mackinac City, park your car at one of the three ferry companies' free docks and hop on the boat (My favorite is Arnold line...they feature Catamarans which are fast, roomy and should you take the 7 mile ride on a windy day, much less prone to rocking up and down!).

On your return trip to Traverse City, stop off in Petoskey, around 40 miles from Mackinac City...another gorgeous community with beautiful shops and hotels ( Bay Vew or the Perry) to stay at...and Traverse City is another truly unique community to spend some time in. Michigan has a great wine industry and there are several vineyards you can tour (make certain you stop at the Leelenau Winery, a short 45 minute trip from Traverse City) If you have the time, get directions to take the famous "Highway of Trees" after you leave Mackinac Island, getting onto State highway 119 between Cross Village and Petoskey. It's the state's version of driving the Monterrey Peninsula. Water on one side from Lake Michigan, trees and tall cliffs on the other. Lots of curves.

Good luck and enjoy your dream vacation to Mackinac Island. You will not regret a minute spent there.