Where we stayed:
The Inn at Bay Harbor (Hotel & Cottages by Crooked Tree Golf Course)
We stayed at the Inn at Bay Harbor. This hotel was absolutely beautiful. The hotel itself sits right on Lake Michigan and isn’t too big but also holds all the amenities needed. The hotel holds an amazing spa, two restaurants, and a cabana bar that is located by the pool. There is an open green area with outdoor games (bags and oversized chess for example). We actually stayed in a private cottage across the road from the hotel (about a 3 minute drive) that sits on a golf course.
The cottage held 3 bedrooms and 3 full bathrooms. We had our own private full kitchen, living room, and patio where we could sit outside in the AM to have coffee and PM to have adult bevies. Although we couldn’t see the water from our cottage, we still had an amazing sunset view, nightly.
Across at the hotel, people gathered nightly to watch the amazing sunset over Lake Michigan, as well. We were able to head out one night and catch it just in time!
What we did:
We went with another couple so while the boys were golfing, I made sure to book myself a massage at The Spa at The Inn at Bay Harbor. I had a swedish massage with a sinus massage enhancement. There were multiple enhancements available to customize your service including the use of CBD oil for both facials and massages.
As mentioned, the guys went golfing both Friday & Sunday mornings. The Bay Harbor Golf Club houses three, 9-hole courses to choose from- The Links, The Quarry, & The Preserve and is located on 5 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. It was voted No. 13 on the “Top 50 Most Beautiful Courses in The World” by GolfAdvisor. Crooked Tree Gold Course is located across the street from the Inn at Bay Harbor and is the course that our cottage was set on. This course also has views of Little Traverse Bay and as mentioned, a killer sunset view. The boys would go out and play a few holes later at night until it got too dark to play.
Saturday was a rainy day so it was the perfect day to try to hit up a few wineries in the area. Northern Michigan is known for wineries and they usually do not disappoint! There are 12 wineries that encompass the Petoskey Wine Region. Although we would have loved to make it to all 12, it was not in the cards this trip. After doing some research, we decided on a few we would like to hit up as well as some that were near each other to limit driving. We ended up only being able to go to two due to timing but that just gives us an excuse to head on back!
We spent the day Friday at the pool/lake once the boys got done golfing. Although not a huge pool, it was perfect for the size of the hotel and guests that were currently staying. There were chairs around the pool that were all taken by the time we got down but there was a large area of greenery between the pool and the lake that was perfect for us. We sprawled out some beach towels and posted up there- not too close to others either, which was perfect!
We have noticed Northern Michigan beaches tend to be more rocky and this was the case in Bay Harbor, as well. It is definitely recommended to have water shoes if going in the water as the first few feet in are all rocks. There is not much of a “beach” area with sand but there were lounge chairs right by the lake that people were hanging in. I will say, the temperature of the water during the week we went was perfect!
Places we ate:
Because of COVID, we were obviously very particular about where we wanted to eat, making sure we could sit outside if at all possible. The first night, we headed down to the marina area. Here, dozens of beautiful boats were docked, amazing houses lined the marina, and there was a cute little street with a few open shops and restaurants.
We ate at Fox & Rose Provisions and sat outside watching the sunset over the boats. Friday night we actually headed back down to the marina and ate outside at Knot Just a Bar. After the wineries on Saturday, we made a reservation for Palette Bistro which was located in downtown Petoskey. This was a tapas style restaurant that blew us all away. We ordered almost everything on the menu to share between the four of us, I think, and not one thing disappointed us. Prior to dinner we stopped in Beard’s Brewery for one- which had a great atmosphere!
After doing some research on places to eat in Bay Harbor/Petoskey, a few other restaurants kept popping up that I would like to try the next time we are there. The Vintage Chophouse is actually one of the restaurants located at the Inn at Bay Harbor. It seemed a little more upscale and had amazing reviews. We did get lunch carried out from there on Sunday and I must say, their fried chicken sandwich was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had! I would love to try their dinner. Another place that was nearby that sparked our interest was located on Walloon Lake. Barrel Back Restaurant also had great reviews and from pictures- killer scenery!
Located on the backside of the hotel
We had such a great time in the Bay Harbor/Petoskey area! We cannot wait to go back to try all of the other wineries and restaurants in the area!
