Grand Traverse Resort And Spa

Find out if the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa on Michigan's west coast makes the grade with Family Travel Forum's resort reviewer.

This split-personality Grand Traverse Resort and Spa (800/236-1577) in Acme, Michigan does a terrific job of being all things to all people, especially parents who want some quality time with the kids, and time without them, too.

Summers, you can spend the day together at the lakeshore beach and pool relaxing in a lounge chair, digging in the sand, paddling canoes, and splashing in the water. The following day, pop the kids in the 2,000-square-foot day care center and head out solo to test your mettle on one of three 18-hole championship golf courses or nine tennis courts, or pamper yourself in the resort’s lavish 100,000-square-foot spa complex. Because the day care is state-licensed and the staff is CPR and First Aid trained, parents can head off the property with confidence to take in the popular summer Cherry Festival, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore, or the Interlochen Festival of the Arts, all nearby.

Also in summer, the kids program really gears up with a full-on day camp with indoor and outdoor activities for children ages 6-12. “Camp Traverse” operates from 7am to 6pm daily and features field trips around a weekly theme. The resort is open year-round, and features cross country skiing, ice skating, sleigh rides, snowmobiling, and more in winter.

Most of the resort’s accommodations are about a half-mile from the lakeshore, but if you want to stay along the beach, you can rent a condo near the water. Then take the free resort shuttle (or drive your own car) to the resort center where you’ll find the spa, the children’s center, restaurants, shops and the golf clubhouse as well as hotel rooms and suites.

The daycare is for children ages 6 months to 8 years, and there are separate rooms for different age groups, including a special baby nap room, and an adjacent fenced-in playground. Babies have a caregiver to child ratio of 1:3. The facility is open hours from 7am until 6 pm daily in the summer.  On Friday and Saturday nights from 6-11pm, kids ages 6 to 12 can enjoy a Kids Night Out with games, crafts and pizza.