Rooms with a View

21 gorgeous Up North getaways.

Apr 15, 2009 Lynda Twardowski

(page 3 of 4)

Room 315, Lakeview Lodge, Shanty Creek

Cue the swans. Like a romance movie on repeat, the view from room 315 inside Summit Village’s Lakeview Lodge showcases Lake Bellaire, breathtaking nightly sunset shows and, almost always, an inseparable pair of life-mated swans. No small wonder Shanty folks call this lovebird nest the Honeymoon Suite. $160+, 800-678-4111, shantycreek.com.

Room 16, Inn at Watervale, Arcadia

When the dinner bell rings each evening at 6 and 7:15, guests at the historic Inn at Watervale sit down to elegant meals at tables set with antique linens, fresh flowers and silver. Days are whiled away upon the shaded terrace, the tennis and shuffleboard courts, or on the backyard dunes, Lake Michigan or three nearby land and nature preserves. You—and you alone—can sit above it all, looking through the trees to Lower Herring Lake from a cotton candy–pink garret room that’s trim, tidy and, with only room for one, a dollhouse-lover’s dream. $85+, 231-352-9083, watervaleinn.com.

Sweet Room, Torch Lake Bed and Breakfast, Central Lake

The stars as seen from the B&B’s bubbling outdoor hot tub are beautiful. But even they can’t compare to what the sunrise reveals to folks in the Sunset Room: an 18-mile, eagle-eye view of Torch Lake, the North’s crystalline, cobalt, colossal queen of inland lakes. Take in the scene from your
private balcony. $270+, 231-599-3400, torchlakebb.com.

Lakeview Loft, Vineyard Inn, Suttons Bay

A 12-room inn steeped in comfy-casual Euro style, the Vineyard Inn sits in the center of Leelanau Peninsula’s wine route, and every room looks out over West Grand Traverse Bay. Our fave? The roomy, two-story lake-view loft: there’s a wine bar for mom and dad and separate quarters for the kids. $175+, 231-941-7060, vininn.com.

Keeper’s Lodge, Middle Island

Out in Lake Huron, halfway between Presque Isle and Thunder Bay Island, floats a lighthouse lover’s dream escape: a rustic lodge refinished following its days as the Coast Guard’s foghorn building, on an otherwise uninhabited island. A stay here guarantees panoramic views of the towering brick lighthouse and its storied surrounding waters, plus a 30-minute cruise around the island. $250+, includes transport to the island. 989-884-2722, mikeeperslodge.com.

Tower Suite, Hotel Iroquois, Mackinac Island

Watch the sky turn violet as the sun sets over the Straits. Three walls of 14 windows make it even more marvelous in this colorful, king-size suite inside the historic Mackinac hotel to which Condé Nast Traveler magazine awarded Gold List ranking. $500+ nightly. 906-847-3321,
iroquoishotel.com.

The Suite, Rayburn Lodge, Grayling

Envision a soft quilt covering a carved pine bed, a stately 79-year-old lodge built from hand-hewn logs and well furnished with modern amenities, and the singular awe-inspiring sight guests come year after year to worship: the flash of trout levitating—OK, jumping—from the Holy Waters of the mighty Au Sable River. Your best look at the action comes courtesy of the lodge’s only suite. $115+, includes wader-worthy breakfast. 989-348-7482, rayburnlodgebnb.com.