Aly S. asks: “I just booked my Castle wedding! Can you give me information on accommodations, and what you have seen guests do for their stay in Charlevoix?”
Sarah says: “Great question! Charlevoix and the surrounding area have a few different types of options for accommodations, including hotels and motels, numerous rental homes and condos, and B&Bs. The Accommodations section of our Preferred Service Provider list is a good place to start your research. Since Charlevoix is a small and popular resort town, planning their stay may be less traditional than most guests are used to when traveling for a wedding. In larger cities or areas, it is common to secure a room block at a hotel that can accommodate all of your guests, and request that guests book at that hotel. While Charlevoix does have hotels that reserve blocks of rooms for wedding groups, we see that most often guests stay in a variety of locations due to hotel size and availability, as well as their personal budgets and travel plans.
Apart from the hotels and motels in Charlevoix, there are hotels in surrounding towns that are quick and easy to get to. These towns include Bay Harbor, Petoskey, East Jordan and Boyne City, all within about a 25 mile/30 minute radius of Charlevoix. And just like Charlevoix, these neighboring towns offer great attractions and activities for guests to make the most of their weekend.
Becoming even more popular now with the launch of sites like AirBnB are rental homes, and Charlevoix has no shortage. Guests can pick from entire homes, condos, apartments, etc. And what better way to enjoy what Charlevoix and Northern Michigan has to offer than in the company of family and with the comforts of home! Resources like AirBnB.com and VRBO.com are a great start to seeing what is available and the many options that can suit all travel plans (just an overnight stay for the wedding, or a whole weekend getaway). The Charlevoix Chamber of Commerce is also a great place to get information on vacation rentals.
Our main tips for planning accommodations: make sure to give guests plenty of notice of your wedding date and location (by sending save-the-date cards, anywhere from 6 months out to as far out as a year), and list out the various accommodation options that are in the area. Even if you have a room block at a hotel, it is always nice to give guests names of other hotels and resources that are available so they can feel comfortable picking what works best for their budget and travel plans.