With its varied dining options, fabulous spa and amenities that included a Beach Club and huge health club, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa was the perfect place for us to explore Northern Michigan.
Located 15 minutes from downtown Traverse City, the resort was in a convenient location to visit the shops, restaurants and attractions of the city, take a sunset sail on Grand Traverse Bay and winery hop on Old Mission Peninsula.
Highlights included dinner with a lake view at Aerie, a couples massage and meals at Niijii. Our suite had a lovely seating area and the largest shower ever.
Accommodations at Grand Traverse Resort
I felt like I was walking into a lovely apartment. Our Junior Suite, one of two, was designed that way during a recent $10.5 million renovation. The large kitchen had a full-size refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, cabinets, shelves and even an island with stools. I had my choice of an espresso or coffee maker for my morning brew. One feature I loved was a large rack on the wall with hooks to hang my purse and other bags.
The large seating area had a sofa, coffee table, two chairs, TV and gas fireplace. On the other side of a partial brick wall, the bedroom had a king-sized bed, desk and TV.
The bathroom was huge, with two sinks and the largest shower I’ve ever seen in a hotel room. It ran the length of the room and was big enough to fit my entire extended family. And the towel rack held enough towels to dry them all.
The room was beautiful and it was a delight to return to it after a day of sightseeing.
The 17-story tower at Grand Traverse Resort has 186 rooms, many with views of Lake Michigan, while a six-story building by the main lobby has 242 rooms and suites, all renovated recently.
Larger groups can book the two-bedroom Leelanau or Old Mission Suite in the Tower that have balconies with views of the Spruce Run golf course and East Grand Traverse Bay. Resort homes and condos are also available to rent through the resort.
Amenities at Grand Traverse Resort
There were so many things to do here, but I’ll start with the spa and fitness center. We had a delightful couples massage at Spa Grand Traverse in one of the 23 treatment rooms in the two-story spa. The 7,000-square-foot Spa offers body treatments, skincare, massage and hair services.
After the service and a short time in the sauna and steam room, I headed to the pool area of the health club and fitness center where there is an adults-only outdoor hot tub to enjoy a heavenly soak.
When I saw the size of the health club and fitness center (100,000 square feet!), I figured it must be a club for locals as well. It has five indoor tennis and pickleball courts and two indoor pools. Plus, I spotted a Members Only locker room. A membership health club is always a big bonus for hotel guests as you’re sure to get a first-class facility.
If shopping is your thing, you’ll find several retailers at the Tower Gallery of Shops, including clothing shops, an outfitter and a candy store with ice cream. I was able to steer Chris away from getting a scoop with a reminder of our ambitious dining schedule.
Located just off the lobby is The Den, which has a bowling alley, arcade, virtual reality games, ax throwing and an escape room.
Golfers can enjoy the three championship golf courses. The Bear, designed by Jack Nicklaus in 1985, is ranked one of the toughest courses in the country. The Golf Academy has three heated indoor/outdoor hitting bays.
On the banks of East Grand Traverse Bay, the Beach Club has a pool, private beach area, Fin’s Sandbar and watersport rentals.
We spent a restful afternoon lounging by the large outdoor pool at the hotel, which has a view of the golf course. There were dozens of lounge chairs available and you can purchase food and drink at Governors’ Pool Bar.
This being Michigan where winters are not for southern wimps like me, the pools, Beach Club and golf courses are open seasonally.
The resort is owned by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians, who also own Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel. The Casino is about four miles away and the hotel runs a shuttle there. There’s also an airport shuttle for the Cherry Capital Airport, about 15 minutes away.
Dining at Grand Traverse Resort
We ate well at Grand Traverse Resort and would return here just for the restaurants. The highlight was our dinner at Aerie Restaurant & Lounge, which combined gorgeous views of the Bay with a creative menu.
When Chris spotted three of his favorite dishes in the starters section, he opted to order all three. He loved his oysters, beet gazpacho and shrimp ceviche. Lucky for him, he only had to share the shrimp as I am not a beet or oyster lover.
Although it sounded a little more froufrou than I usually like, on the server’s recommendation I tried the compressed watermelon salad made with sheep cheese, pistachios and honey pickled watermelon rind. Delicious.
For an entrée I opted for a ribeye – hard to go wrong there and it was perfectly cooked. The server told us that the Iberian pork chop is only served in three places in the world so of course we had to try it. Scarcity breeds desire, no?
Chris declared it the best pork chop he’d ever had and I had to agree. We discreetly gnawed on the bones when no one was looking.
Niijii Restaurant, (the Anishinaabe spelling for friend) serves breakfast and dinner, and we enjoyed both meals there. Breakfast was a full buffet with an omelet station – very good – and the restaurant won my heart by setting a small pot of coffee on the table so I wasn’t flagging down servers for a warm-up.
Our dinner there was fantastic, which included a large soft pretzel, corn chowder, steak and salmon. We went wild on dessert, getting both cheesecake and crème brûlée.
The Marketplace has breakfast and lunch items so for breakfast one day I picked up a huge breakfast sandwich and overnight oats and we ate them in our spacious kitchen.
Other dining options include room service, The Den, Jack’s Taproom and The Grille at the Clubhouse. There’s also The Lobby Bar where guests can hang out and enjoy a beverage.
Location of Grand Traverse Resort
I mentioned its proximity to downtown Traverse City and the airport and it was also convenient to go winery-hopping on the Old Mission Peninsula. We started at the northern tip to visit the Mission Point Lighthouse, which was only about 35 minutes away.
We then worked our way down, visiting several wineries along the way and toasting to our newfound love for Northern Michigan.
– Jan Schroder, Editor-in-chief