3 Best Hotels in Traverse City, Michigan

Right on the beach, this three-story Victorian-themed hotel has wonderful views of West Grand Traverse Bay from most areas in the hotel, including the rooms that have private balconies or patios. There are five room categories, including the suites and spa rooms featuring a two-person spa tub, fireplace, refrigerator, and wet bar. Amenities include an indoor swimming pool, fitness room, arcade room, and guest laundry. Breakfast is included with rates and there is a free airport shuttle.

Year-round, the 900-acre Grand Traverse Resort & Spa is a posh retreat, whether it's base camp for skiing, a family beach vacation, or a girlfriends' getaway. There's a Jack Nicklaus–designed golf course, a tennis center, and a 7,000-square-foot spa. Along Lake Michigan's East Grand Traverse Bay, it is owned by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Native Americans. Kids' programming is but one aspect of the family-friendly resort, with eight room categories and eight restaurants, from top-notch cuisine at Aerie's on the 16th floor to the casual Governors' Pool Bar. A branch of Dylan's Candy Bar, operated by Ralph Lauren's daughter, Dylan, is among a range of boutiques.

With its Bavarian-style architecture and interior design, this family-run resort could have been plucked straight out of Europe and set down in its beachfront location. Rooms on the ocean side of the building, with a balcony or private patio, overlook its 200 feet of shoreline on East Grand Traverse Bay. Every room features a hand-painted mural by a local artist. Rates include complimentary continental breakfast and free Wi-Fi. Lawn games like bocce ball as well as beach volleyball are available to guests, in addition to a barbecue-grill area.