Rentals, Hotels, Vacation Rentals in A2

Submitted by Anonymous Coward (not verified) on

I wanted to seek out some concrete opinions from MGOpeeps who have been traveling to A2 consistently for weekends, specifically for football weekends.  I have done it a couple times, once at a 1.5 hotel that won't be named, as well as staying at a nice Marriot in Plymouth.  

What advice or suggestions for hotels, rentals or one time weekend packages might anyone suggest for people who would like to do it more frequently during the football season?  Obviously, we all have the ability to use websites that specialize in hotels and motel purchases,  however, these suggestions would be for the unknown or not thought of or wouldn't normally consider type advice.  E.g., I have been looking at a couple houses in A2 and Witmore Lake that rent out much like a hotel, but it would be best for a small group or more.  

As we look at the schedule this year, ND, MINN, NU and OSU are prime weekends to hangout in A2 and have a great time not only at the games, but enjoy A2 and re-live old memories.  

What say you...

NeilGoBlue

April 20th, 2013 at 10:28 PM ^

We live in Maryland and fly in for every game. (and 1/2 the away games).

Our Itinierary:

We stay in either of:

Hilton Garden Inn

Embassy Suites

Hampton Inn.

All of these at the airport.  We can usually get them unbelieivably cheap. We can usually stay at the Hilton Garden Inn for $63 per night. (free hot breakfast, etc, about as nice as you can get for $63).

I make my reservations 1 year in advance (seriously).  You can always cancel them, so why not?

By staying at the airport, it's cheap and we can either get a car via priceline at $16 a day or we take the shuttle to the hotel and rent the car the next day.

We then drive to Ann Arbor in the morning and park on main street near Ann. In a garage for $3.  We walk to game, which is a nice stroll down Main Street (mden, bars, etc). If we eat, we eat at the Broken Egg.

We taligate with friends, goto the game and then walk back and do dinner at Chop House.  We love it there and we get reservations.  After dinner, it's an easy ride back to the Hotel.

 

 

 

B-Nut-GoBlue

April 20th, 2013 at 11:07 PM ^

Stayed at Residence Inn last Fall (right off I-90 & State, out by the Mall if I recall).  A group of us drove up from and for the Iowa, game.  4/5 star? Hell no, not even close.  But we got one of the lofted-suites which was pretty fun for us "mid-upper 20's-rowdy" peeps.  It's not exactly modernized but the place is decent and very much respectable for certain/most types.  (It's gotta beat the 1.5 star, I think is what you meant, you've stayed in before....which, after all that is probably the one I've just mentioned!).

As stated above, check out www.VRBO.com.  I'm using it for a trip to the Caribbean very soon and it's turning out to be a damn legitimate way to plan a trip.

Can't wait to return, myself, to check out and take in more.

Seth

April 20th, 2013 at 11:52 PM ^

We have a nice relationship with Gameday Housing. Look them up and let Wes know you heard about him from MGoBlog and he will set you up.

ClearEyesFullHart

April 21st, 2013 at 4:52 AM ^

You've got a 20+% chance it's vacant. Squat as long as you like!

There is an acceptable hotel in Milan, and several in Dundee. Both offer exceptional value and are but a short drive down '23.

LSAClassOf2000

April 21st, 2013 at 9:18 AM ^

You might be able to find some relatively cheap vacation rentals still remaining around Belleville Lake. It's fairly developed now, but it was originally a cottage-dense area and I know - being local - that a few of them are still maintained as vacation / seasonal homes that people do rent out. 

You would have easy access to I-94 via Belleville Road and there are even a few good places to eat right in Belleville as well. It's about 20 minutes east of the stadium and downtown Ann Arbor and about 10 minutes west of Detroit Metro. 

TyrannousLex

April 21st, 2013 at 10:27 AM ^

You can try looking NW of A2 in the Pinckney/Dexter/Saline triangle. I lived in what was essentially a vacation cabin inside the Recreation Area for a while. Between phone, voter registration, and mail i was technically a resident of all three places. But since Hell was the closest place to buy milk, i generally said that i lived in Hell (and did my shopping commute to Hell by canoe when the weather permitted).

It's a quick and pleasant trip into the city but feels more like "up North" than Ann Arbor. I don't remember drive time to downtown proper, but as out of the way as i was, it wasn't more than a 15 minute commute to work on the far West side at Jackson and Zeeb.

Edit: Curiosity got me and i did a quick search:

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rentals/michigan/pinckney/r8457

Find the Pinckney State Recreation Area on Google Maps for an idea of the land and locations. Many of these cottages are open year round. Access is generally year round even on the private roads. For the early Fall games, there's also plenty else to do. Regal friends back home about your canoe trip to Hell or canoe trek to the iconic Zukey Lake Tavern