Mangy Moose Motel

Great small mom and pop hotel, less than 20 rooms, all looked like they were recently remodeled. Nice woodsy feel, bed comfortable, easy walk to downtown Grand Marais. The reviews are correct.

Small, clean, nice people, walking access to everything in the city, nice soap, really hot water if you want it.

A friend and I recently stayed here for two nights and we could not have been happier. She put it best when she said that any other hotel/​motel in the area would have been a less personal experience. Dave and Don (owners) were so very welcoming and interested in talking about the area and hearing about our adventures each day. We are quite chatty but they didn’t seem to mind :) The location is perfect-​we were able to walk to everything quickly. They gave us a map upon our arrival and highlighted places to eat and things to see which made the area easy to navigate. The motel is clean and cheery with a quaint feel. Our room had everything we needed including a flat screen tv, microwave, luggage rack, fridge, coffee maker, fan, chairs, and a bathroom with a blow dryer. We can’t wait to come back next year!

The Mangy Moose is by no means a 5 star lodging. However, the motel is very well taken care of. It has wood panelling, clean rooms, good showers, and a very nice blowdryer! It’s not one of those dinky ones usually provided at most hotels. You can definitely tell the owners put a lot of work into their business and is proud of it! At the entrance of each room, there is a little potted plant and they have flowers growing in window boxes outside of each front window. My only complaint is that the bed in our room was flushed up right against the wall where the front window was and the curtains got in our way when we were trying to relax in bed. Otherwise, hubby and I were extremely happy with our choice in accommodations and would definitely stay here again!

Clean, northwoods-​y, friendly owners, quiet, short walk to downtown, great value.

We celebrated our anniversey up on the North Shore and stayed here for the first time and glad we did! Dave and Don are the owners and awesome hosts. chek in was a breeze and our room allowed us to bring our dog as well. the rooms are BEAUTIFUL and VERY clean and top of the line fixtures in bathroom and room in general… we had a great rate and Dave even offered us an additional 10% off the rate which I thought was awesome… a very pleasant stay!

I stayed at this unassuming roadside motel during a recent trip to visit my girlfriend’s family for Thanksgiving. I have graced many a independently-​owned strip motel of this sort over the years, and the Mangy Moose is a winner.
First of all, it’s quiet. This is not a lake-​side cabin, tucked into the woods of the North Shore. It is a small row of adjoined rooms, overlooking what amounts to Grand Marais’ commercial strip (bank branches, gas station, etc.). That said, we were not at all disturbed by traffic noises or bright lights. There was some faint bleed-​through of sound from our immediate neighbor’s TV, but no worse than in any other motel.
Secondly, it’s clean. The walls were pine board, but painted a tasteful white. Floors were new, spotless tile with rustic rugs. There was a vague nautical theme, but nothing too goofy. Everything seemed well-​maintained and cared-​for, at least during our stay.
Third, it’s pretty comfortable. Our room had a main bed (big enough for two to sleep intimately) and a second single-​person bed. Mattresses and pillows were — in my mind — above average for this genre of motel. Rooms featured a recent-​model television with basic cable, although no DVD. There was a desk and chair in our room, which was serviceable, if a bit far from a convenient outlet. I needed to use it for schoolwork, but most people won’t be in Grand Marais for business, so it probably won’t be a major minus. There was wifi available, with no hassles. The room was heated with an easily adjustable wall furnace unit that nicely filled the space (ours made a few funny noises, but worked just fine). There was also a new and fairly spacious mini-​fridge, and «coffee» maker.
The interaction with our hosts was pleasantly minimal, but polite and sincere (no weird rules or sense of pressure to get people in-​and-​out). Our room was non-​smoking, naturally, but there was a graveled area (with seating) provided for that purpose. As someone of that persuasion, I noted the presence of a useful overhang and butt-​disposal can. I also noted that the area was kept spotless. The cost for our stay was a bit lower than at a typical a faceless chain motel, and surprisingly low for a tourist spot, even considering that it was the off season. There is not much of a view of Superior, but the more scenic areas of town are a brief walk away, and the convenience store (and nearby grocery) are also easily reached. Overall, our stay left us feeling clean, secure, and quite well rested.