';resorts'; on the west coast

I may have lived in MI my whole life but I%26#39;ve never been to the West Coast. We want to go to the WC in June and I%26#39;ve been seeking a nice place to stay. I%26#39;m not big on the Bed and Breakfast idea, and many places that looked good online turned out to be pretty much motels that had a good view but no real extras.

Are there any fancy resort type places to stay anywhere along the west coast? We would like to be near (or even on) the lake. And I%26#39;m looking for a hotel type thing that has things to do like a pool, a restaurant, etc b/c we are trying to make this a real relaxing vacation with only a few things outside of the hotel.

I got a little flustered finding only these little tiny places near the water and almost thought I might stay anywhere in MI, regardless of whether or not it is by the lake, so if you have OTHER nice locations besides the West Coast, I%26#39;d love to hear about them.

Any recommendations are appreciated!! I was mainly looking in Grand Rapids area but that%26#39;s because I don%26#39;t know where else to look! Thanks for your help :)

ps.. mackinac is still on my maybe%26#39;s list, just haven%26#39;t decided if I want to do that or not.

';resorts'; on the west coast

Your best bet to start would be to plug in ';west coast resorts'; in the search function in the full Michigan Forum (not the Detroit forum).

You will likely see recommendations for resorts from South Haven %26amp; Saugatuck to Traverse City, Petosky and CHarlevoix.

I would think that would offer you a lot of choices to review.

You don%26#39;t mention a budget but there are again many different proce ranges.

One of the nicest resorts in the NW is the Inn at Bay Harbor South of Petoskey. Someowhat pricey but it would have many of the amenities you are looking for...

';resorts'; on the west coast

As for right now, I%26#39;m open to read about all price options. Considering we don%26#39;t plan to do a ton, we might spend a little more than usual on the hotel aspect. I%26#39;ll try searching the forum for those terms. I tried searching the web many times for Michigan resorts and came up with a lot of things that I didn%26#39;t consider a resort - like bed and breakfast places. Do the majority of visitors to the WC stay in cabins and/or bed and breakfast? It just seems to be what I find the most.

FYI: I thought I posted this in the main Michigan forum, I must have been reading a post in the Detroit forum and accidently posted there - oops! Is there anyway to move it so more see it? I guess I%26#39;ll search first to see if my question was already answered before trying to repost there.

Thanks!

Your post appears in the Michigan forum if you post in the Detroit forum so you are OK. There are three resorts on the Northwest coast of Michigan that meet your criteria. They are The Inn at Bay Harbor in Petoskey, Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, just north of Traverse City, and The Homestead in Glen Arbor. All are beautiful resorts offering wonderful amenities.

I stayed at The Inn at Bay Harbor over the past week. It is absolutely lovely. The staff is very warm and welcoming and the rooms are beautiful. It is located in Bay Harbor which offers a number of restaurants, a pool (outdoor for summer use only) and myriad activities. I understand that during the summer bon fires are planned as well as other activities. I am not fond of the overall look of Bay Harbor from a landscaping stand point...it is clear that it was built in a former quarry...but it is a wonderful hotel/resort. It is actually on Little Traverse Bay. As I stayed in the winter, I am not sure about the quality of the beach for swimming.

Grand Traverse Resort offers similar amenities. It is located on Grand Traverse Bay. If you want to be located on the water, you need to request a condo on the beach section. Most of the rooms are located along the golf course away from the beach. Pool, golf, beach bar/grill, boat rentals available. Lovely.

The Homestead is still my favorite among the three resorts. Hotel and condo rooms available. Restaurants located both on and off the property. It is the view from the pool and beach that is unrivaled here. It is located directly on Lake Michigan and offers the most stunning sunsets. It also doesn%26#39;t hurt that Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes and the quaint town of Leland are close by.

You can%26#39;t go wrong with any of the above referenced resorts. They will be pricing in the summer but they will all produce a memorable vacation. Moms

Thanks for your tips! I actually found The Homestead online last night and was wondering if it was as good as it looked :) I have a whole pile of places to research now, nice to hear from someone that has been to a few of these places.

Love the Homestead... I think you would be very happy with it. That said, it actually depends on what you are looking for in a resort. Any of the three mentioned above should make you very happy though.

Well I talked to my husband a bit more and I think we ironed out what we really want... a nice-ish room with a kitchenette or at least a fridge and microwave. Still don%26#39;t want B%26amp;Bs or cabins or anything like that. I%26#39;m a hotel person which I know is hard to find on the West Coast (at least for me it is!) We want a relaxing vacation and don%26#39;t want to be going out to eat for 3 meals a day, so want to be able to bring packed lunches and breakfast.

I decided I really want a view of Lake Michigan or to be very near it at least! I%26#39;m thinking I will stick near the grand rapids area or a bit north/south of that, b/c that is only a 2.5 hour drive for us. the homestead looks awesome but when I mapped it, it just seemed farther north than I was aiming. There are a few events and attractions within about 30 mins of Grand Rapids which is why I was thinking that area.

So now that i%26#39;ve got more decisions, any help specific to the grand rapids area (or cities nearby) would be great!!)

Thanks for everyone%26#39;s help :) I can%26#39;t believe I know nothing about most of MI! I had an easier time planning my trip to Florida :)

Take a look at Lake Ranch Resort (www.lakeranchresort.com) near Holland. It is on a lake just off Lake Michigan. You can get a lakeside view room with refrigerator, coffee maker, etc. and still be very close to beautiful sunsets on Lake Michigan.

In the Saugatuck area, check out Lake Shore Resorts on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan.

Either place might work for what you have in mind, but neither is exactly a perfect fit.

It%26#39;s not you; we just don%26#39;t seem to have any ';full amenities'; resorts over here. If you%26#39;re looking farther south, the only one I can think of around here is Sleepy Hollow in South Haven. I think they require a week stay. They have many bungalows and a larger building, a pool, but no restaurant on site anymore that I%26#39;m aware of. You%26#39;d be an hour from downtown GR. There%26#39;s nothing really in the Saugatuck area.

We go to West Michigan a fair amount. We like it. And yes, in West and Southwest Michigan there isn%26#39;t much - most are in Northern and Northwest Michigan, as others have said.

You could also stay in Grand Rapids and GO to the beach. We%26#39;ve done that, and if you get going early enough it%26#39;s fine.

Get a suite at the Amway Grand... it%26#39;s a lovely hotel.

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