Saturday, July 21, 2018

Luxuriating in Bay Harbor

It didn’t take me long to feel relaxed and comfortable at the Inn at Bay Harbor, a hotel in the Marriott Bonvoy Autograph Collection. 

My suite was perfect, and I had slept well. I was ready to take the relaxation to another level.

My day was wide open with the exception of the start of it -- at The Spa.
I arrived a few minutes before my appointment for the Ginger Glow treatment. 

I changed into my luxurious robe and sat down with a cup of tea in the quiet waiting area.




The Ginger Glow is one of the signature offerings at the Inn at Bay Harbor, and I can certainly understand why its so popular. I could easily rename it “Heaven on Earth.”

It began with a scrub made of ginger, with a hint of eucalyptus, to get rid of the dead cells on my skin. 



After that was rinsed off, I had a full body massaged with a ginger oil and hot stones.

The next part was probably my favorite as arthritis always has me seeking warmth: my whole body was wrapped in a warm robe-like cocoon while I received a scalp massage.
When the spa experience was done, I was ready to take a nap, but I was too hungry to do so. It was late for breakfast at the resort and 

I asked one of the drivers to take me to the Marina.

It's a free perk if you are looking to go around Bay Harbor and don’t want to walk or bike along the beach path. 

I saw a sign in front of the Original Pancake House for their famous Apple Pancake. 
I decided to go inside and, with a side of eggs for some protein. 


I managed to get through less than half of the scrumptious treat. (Of course, I brought the rest back to my room.)


I asked the driver to give me a little tour on the way back to my hotel suite.


In addition to the main lodge, there are also 35 cottages on the property. 

They are two and three-bedrooms each, and popular for family reunions, girlfriend getaways, and golf weekends.

Guests have the option of playing at the Bay Harbor Golf Club, an award winner with 27 holes along the shoreline, or the 18-hole championship course at Crooked Tree.

Golf is available in three seasons.

 In the winter, guests can do cross-country skiing and snow shoeing, or arrange to head to the sister properties, Boyne Highlands or Boyne Mountain, for downhill skiing.

In the afternoon, I took a drive to Charlevoix (about 20 minutes away). I stopped at one of their beautiful beaches before heading to the quaint downtown to visit one of my favorite Michigan stores, Cherry Republic. 






I picked up two bags of cherry goodies (especially the Cherry Fudge Sauce my daughter loves).

Brittany and Jamie came back to the hotel to join me for our final night in Michigan. 

We decided to stay on property and relax with s’mores by the fire pit in front of the beach. (I also decided to stick with some leftover cheese for dinner as I had enough snacking.) 
It’s just one of the free activities the Inn at Bay Harbor offers its guests.

Before leaving the next day, I had a delicious breakfast of Blueberry Pancakes and conversation with Erin Ernst, Director of Communications for the Boyne properties.

Then it was time to head south, back to Illinois. It was good to be going home, but I was also happy that I’d be going back to beautiful Michigan in just a few short weeks.

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