Michigan's Grand Traverse Resort: this brilliant gem has long been recognized as one of the Midwest's finest year-round resort hotels

Travel America, May-June, 2005 by Christina Victor, David Victor

THE RAIN FELL ALL WEEK. OUR EAGERLY awaited family vacation was in danger. Our dreams of nature hikes, canoe trips, and beaches were turning to mud. Fortunately, we were heading to Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in northern Michigan, where rain does not fall on the indoor pools and indoor tennis courts. Where spa-goers remain warm and dry in their secluded sanctuary. And where golfers just don't care when it rains--or pours.

Golf is a primary activity for many of the guests at this retreat situated six miles northeast of Traverse City, not far from Lake Michigan's East Grand Traverse Bay. Its three 18-hole championship courses--The Bear, designed by Jack Nicklaus, The Wolverine, designed by Gary Player, and Spruce Run, designed by William Newcomb--offer a golf experience unmatched in the Midwest. The resort has hosted the Ameritech Senior Open and has been the site of the Michigan Open since 1981. A state-of-the-art clubhouse, built in 1999, serves as a hub for all three courses and is within walking distance of the hotel.

Our kids (ages 7 and 9) don't golf yet, so we were more interested in the indoor pools and tennis courts at the "Spa Complex," a generous fitness center connected to the main hotel by stairs and a hallway. We spent much of the week relaxing and playing in the free-form family pool. The kids also "worked" on their swimming strokes in the lap pool. A ping-pong table on the deck and an adjacent video arcade also provided welcome diversions. The entire area is bright, clean, and uncrowded--even during a rainy week in the height of summer vacation season.

David gave the children a tennis lesson on one of the fitness center's five indoor courts. (There are four outdoor courts, too.) Both parents took advantage of the nicely appointed weight room and "cardio theater," and Christina enjoyed one of the most welcoming and relaxing yoga classes she's experienced at a resort. Four whirlpools, a full-service beauty salon, and a sports-and-spa retail boutique are also in this fitness area.

Of course, the resort's spa is also in the Spa Complex. The spa experience begins with a selection from a full menu of services. A peaceful locker room provides plush robes and slippers, and the serene waiting room offers quiet music, a soothing fireplace, and herbal teas and lime-infused water while you relax before your appointment. Services include various types of massages, facials, and hydro-thermal therapy--signature services feature cherry infusions from the Grand Traverse region, the world's largest producer of tart cherries.

Perhaps the ultimate escape at Grand Traverse Resort is your guest room. Our room was in the "Tower," which rises above the area's rolling hills and offers tremendous views of the resort, Traverse Bay, and beyond. Even the view of rain clouds blowing across the horizon was impressive. The kids especially enjoyed the bathroom, which was equipped with a television and a Jacuzzi tub--never have they so willingly gone to their baths. A coffee pot and refrigerator as well as room service made in-room breakfasts a breeze.

Lunch and dinner were better enjoyed at the resort's two full-service restaurants. Trillium, the resort's fine dining restaurant, is on the 16th floor of the Tower and provides views to match the cuisine. The chef recommends the Cherrywood Smoked Quail with pomegranate molasses dressed cous-cous, crumbled Gorgonzola, and grilled peaches or the Pan Seared Rainbow Trout served over sauteed fingerling potatoes, applewood bacon, and wild mushrooms finished with a lemon and caper brown butter sauce. The casual Sweetwater Cafe offers local in-season specialties including cedar-planked whitefish and cherry cobbler. Both restaurants use micro salad greens, herbs, and vegetables grown specifically to Grand Traverse Resort's exacting requirements by farmers in the region.

Nearby Traverse City is a family vacation destination and also has many dining and entertainment options. We were happy with each restaurant we tried, and we noted with a great deal of regret that if the weather had cooperated we could have embarked on an afternoon's adventure on a sailing schooner. We did take advantage of a brief respite from the rain and enjoyed an afternoon exploring the shifting sands and unusual ecosystem of Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Lakeshore.

The sun finally broke through the clouds as we drove away from the Grand Traverse Resort on our way home. We didn't mind, though. We'd had a grand time in the rain at the Grand.

FAST FACTS

Name: Grand Traverse Resort and Spa

Owner/Operator: The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (www.gtb.nsn.us)

Location: The 900-acre resort is situated in the northwest corner of Michigans Lower Peninsula along the shores of Lake Michigan's East Grand Traverse Bay.

Accommodations: 660 guest rooms, including 424 Hotel and Tower rooms and 236 condominiums. (Renovation of all Tower rooms was just completed; rooms in the Hotel section underwent a makeover last year. The resort's condos are next to be upgraded.)