Grand Traverse Bay in northwest Michigan has been a vacation destination for generations. One contemporary reason? The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, 100 Grand Traverse Village Boulevard, Acme, Michigan. Once you arrive, there’s no need to leave — just lean back and relax.
Within the resort’s 900 acres are three golf courses, a seasonal outdoor pool, two indoor pools, a hot tub, sauna, spa, tennis courts, fitness rooms, a mini boutique mall, indoor water playground, and several restaurants and bars. If it’s been awhile (or you just need a refresher course), PGA-certified golf instruction is available. A licensed daycare center takes care of kids three months to 13 years old and includes planned activities for the kids.
I drove to the resort, but I noted for future reference that they had a complimentary shuttle to the Cherry Capital Airport just outside Traverse City. And, for electric car drivers, the parking lot has two ChargePoint stations plus three more just for Teslas.
I was ready for my weekend getaway last fall. The autumn colors of the leaves along the highway were stunning against a clear blue sky as I drove north. I knew I should set out for a walk once I checked in, but…the spa beckoned me. There, I indulged in one of my favorite spa treatments: a pedicure. There’s nothing so sybaritic as having one’s feet smoothed and massaged by skilled hands. Women will understand that part of the fun is selecting a nontraditional color of polish for my toenails. I chose “Ultra”, which was a deep forest green.
Then it was time for a nap. I picked up an enticing pastry in the Marketplace off the lobby, and headed up to my room for some quality time with the free WiFi service. I was momentarily distracted by the magnificent view from my room, across the tops of trees changing color and all the way to the waters of the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay. But, then my head hit the pillow for a brief snooze before dinner in the Aerie Restaurant.
Two quibbles about my otherwise lovely guest room (one of 600 in the resort): the bedside clock was inexplicably set to Central Time (when the resort is in the Eastern Time Zone). Techno-idiot that I am, I couldn’t figure out how to change the time, and a call to the front desk elicited no assistance. It remained set an hour out of synch the whole time I was there. Second: the promised turn-down service (complete with mini chocolates on the pillow) happened only on the first of my two nights at the Grand Traverse Resort. I know…First World Problems.
There also were a couple of minor maintenance issues. When I ran the tap in the sink in the bathroom, water backed up into the secondary sink that was next to the coffee maker in the front hall, and, the outside of the door to my room had two very large chips in the paint covering the wood. It’s surprising to me that these easy-to-fix flaws had been overlooked.
You can make a reservation on the Grand Traverse Resort website, or via one of the usual hotel booking sites such as Hotels.com.
Below is my favorite Grand Traverse Resort breakfast — eggs benedict with spinach, salmon, and hash browns in the resort’s Sweetwater Café.
(Photos by Susan McKee, who was the guest of Traverse City Tourism) and the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa)
