Need ideas for Christmas destination!

After having Thanksgiving with family, my husband and I decided not to repeat the process at Christmas, so we are looking for travel destination ideas in or within easy driving (5 hours or so) of Michigan that would be a nice couple%26#39;s trip away from it all.

We would like to find cozy lodging (a resort, nice cabin or cottage) with low-key activities nearby. Frankenmuth is the style and pace we have in mind, but we visit there often so we%26#39;d like to try somewhere else.

Can anyone recommend a town or resort that would set a slower pace, be adult oriented (Great Wolf Lodge may not fit the bill!) and, ideally, will have a nice atmosphere for Christmas?

Need ideas for Christmas destination!

Go to Saugatuck and spend your time in a B%26amp;B. Most are very upscale with fine dining in addition to being cozy.

Need ideas for Christmas destination!

You might want to try the Shippshewana area of eastern Indiana. Lots of shopping, dining, carriage rides, pretty countryside, esp. if they have snow...crafts, antiques, couple of museums. Any of the little motels around there are nice. You might enjoy The Potawatomi Inn, in Angola, IN. It is about one hour from Shippshewana, in the northeast corner of IN. It is located in Pokagon State Park. The Inn has many types of rooms available, many activities, especially during the holidays, and is close enough to a variety of towns/cities to explore different venues of entertainment. Google Pokagon State Park or the Inn. Have fun!

Check out Petoskey, MI.

Petoskey%26#39;s a great small town with a nice downtown area, not unlike Frankenmuth. There are lots of lodging options...from cabins in the woods or at the ski slopes to condos, B%26amp;B%26#39;s and inns, independent and chain hotels, etc.

Petoskey%26#39;s downtown (Gaslight district) is quaint, but a little funky...it kind of reminds me a little bit of SanFrancisco, but much smaller...hilly terrain, nestled right on Lake Michigan%26#39;s Little Traverse Bay. Christmas is a great time to visit Petoskey as the downtown area%26#39;s just abuzz with activity...shoppers, skiiers, etc. There%26#39;s tons of great little shops, restaurants, bars, etc. Two of the best ski resorts in Michigan are within a short drive, there%26#39;s snowshoeing, sledding, cross country skiing, etc.

My top reco is the Perry Hotel in downtown...this historic hotel overlooks the bay with the best sunsets in Michigan, is walking distance to all of the gaslight district and best of all, it%26#39;s owned and operated by Stafford%26#39;s Hospitality, the benchmark for hospitality in Northern Michigan.

Check out these websites, if you%26#39;re interested I%26#39;d be happy to help further!

www.boynecountry.com

www.petoskey.com (chamber site, geared more towards chamber happenings)

www.staffords.com/perry-hotel-4/

I know this is suppose to be a Michigan forum, but have you thought about checking out Chicago? Now we live outside of Detroit, and my son move to Chicago in May. It takes us about 5 hours to drive to Chicago from Plymouth/Livonia area. You can also check out taking a train there (which I might recommend doing) It cab be expensive to stay in downtown, and parking (parking along can be around $40 a day--even @ your hotel). But there are so many cool things to do and see there. And you really don%26#39;t need a car to get around---the EL can take you almost anywhere. There are a lot of cool places to eat--some are BYOB. These BYOB places are really nice upscale places. There are many muesums and broadway shows there too (? not sure if shows are on strike like NY). There are tons of things to see and do---this was just another thought.

Have fun!

Fantastic ideas! Thanks, everyone! I%26#39;ll check each of them out since I know the towns but have never actually stayed there (spent a few summers around Petosky, but never visited in winter).

Chicago was firmly on my radar, being one of my favourite long-weekend get-aways, but my husband has never been an wants to save it for summer when we can do a lot of walking.

Very grateful for your suggestions!

This is a newly restored historic resort you might enjoy.

French Lick Resort

www.frenchlick.com

The history really makes French Lick an interesting place, and I%26#39;ve heard good things about it.

frenchlick.com/about_us/…WestBaden

I know it%26#39;s been a year since I posted this, but I%26#39;m bumping up to say, Petosky was our choice for last year and was such a delightful town we ended up staying 2 extra days, with plans to return often. It%26#39;s a real find, and a true Michigan gem. Others considering a similar idea will not go wrong with Petosky.

We stayed at the Bay View Inn, a lovely Victorian B%26amp;B, and it was just ideal.

The single drawback was, we could not get a glass of wine with Christmas dinner, as the town is %26#39;dry%26#39; on that day. It was no real hardship, just something we wish we had been aware of.

The other recommendations are firmly on our radar as well. Thanks for the suggestions!

Cleo,

Good to hear you had a great time in Petoskey last Christmas. You are right, you can%26#39;t go wrong with Petoskey.

We were there last weekend for the Christmas Open House. The streets are closed off, they light the Christmas tree, have huge pots of bean soup, the merchants offer treats to eat and great stuff to drink, and there was a steel drum band playing Christmas music in the street.

I had another thought for a couples get-away is Garland just outside of Lewiston. You can stay in the main lodge but we always enjoyed one of the ';cabins';. They have cross country sking, sleigh rides, etc. Great restruant. You really don%26#39;t need to leave all weekend. Lewiston is a cute little town. A must is Tally%26#39;s Log Cabin Bar for a burger.

I%26#39;m glad to hear you chose Petoskey and had a great time! The Bay View Inn is one of my favorites (we had our wedding there several years ago). As for not serving alcohol on Christmas, that%26#39;s a new one on me...maybe that was a Bay View rule rather than a Petoskey law? Bay View was started as a Christian retreat and still has a lot of very conservative laws...in fact, the BVI just got it%26#39;s liquour license a couple of years ago, before that it was BYOB!

Good suggestion w/ Garland too...we were there a few weeks ago and though it was off season it was still a very good time...nice property with a very ';up north'; rustic feel.