This is a cute little mom-and-pop type motel right in the heart of Oscoda. The rooms are extremely clean. The beds are comfortable and all of the rooms have a mini fridge and a microwave. The only complaint I have is that the ice machine was not working - there was a sign in the office that said "No ice til spring." Other than that, it was a nice place to stay. If you are looking for a no frills, economical place to stay in Oscoda, you will find it here.
We spent two night at the Northern Traveler. It's nothing fancy but it was clean, and the bed was comfortable. The price was also right at $58.00 including tax. The owner Ed and staff were very friendly. We slept very well with no noise problems.
Compared to the riptide motel in tawas this motel was clean the people who run it were really nice the beds were actually comfortable the bathroom was good size spacious rooms i would stay there again
We stayed at the Northern Traveler on the same weekend as the Au Sable Canoe Race and were really suprised that we were able to get a room. The room price couldn't be beat: $58! The rooms are simple, but clean; older, but maintained. This isn't a place to stay if you need luxury. It's a really simple mom-n-pop.
We had a few items in our room that made me wonder if the motel was for sale because it was becoming difficult for the current owners to keep it up. Our room's faucet had one of the handles that was easy to pull off. The faucet still worked, it was just missing the screw that held the faucet on. The knob on the air conditioner/fan combo also was "broke" in that you weren't quite sure if it was on low a/c or just fan; you had to judge by the temp of the air coming out and whether the compressor had kicked in.
The bathroom was all tiled and had the oddest (but cool) shower I've ever seen. It had a ceramic shower pan about 6-10" deep, like a mini-foot bath. Funny, but efficient. I'm a sucker for an old tiled bathroom, so make of that what you will. Towels and sheets were clean, as well as the carpet, which is a huge thing for me.
We were on the end unit and it was very quiet; everything worked like it should. Nothing fancy. Had the usual microwave/mini-fridge/coffee maker combos you see, which is nice to have available.
We'd stay here; the price couldn't be beat.
We headed to East Tawas for their 4th of July celebration. Unfortunately we'd forgotten to call ahead to our favorite motel there (The Bambi), and they were full. We decided to give the Northern Traveler a shot. It's an old style motel. Nothing fancy at all. We had one of the rooms that jut out (you'll see what I'm talking about if you go), I think #12. Huge bathroom, and it was clean. That's always a bonus with old motels. The bed was comfortable. You get a minifridge, microwave (both clean) and a peaceful stay. The place had only one car in the lot when we arrived, but there were about 12 in the morning. I never heard anyone arrive, that's how quiet it was. The management was also very nice, and didn't hesitate to let us check out the room before we signed in.
If you're not a motel snob, or spoiled to the bland chain motels, this old Mom-n-Pop is a comfortable, clean throwback to the old days of family travel and vacations. Enjoy it.
Now if we could just get them to restore their classic neon sign...
