AND THE SHIP SAILS ON

Mackinac’s Grand Hotel delivers a memorable experience

Written by Jeffrey Cohen

From Indianapolis, the drive to Mackinaw City had been uneventful, with no intimation that our return trip would be not quite so straightforward (please see Letter from the Editor for the full story). Making the 20-minute ride to the island courtesy of Shepler’s Ferry, the kids thought it would be a good idea to sit on the upper deck, where we got pleasantly misted as the boat cut through the waves. Upon disembarking and regaining our equilibrium, we were transported in a leisurely fashion to the hotel by horse-drawn carriage, cars having been banned from the island shortly after their invention.

Arrival by horse and carriage is a time-honored tradition at the Grand Hotel.

Famously the setting of the romantic movie Somewhere in Time, the Grand Hotel presents a bit of an adventure, somewhat like stepping into a bygone era. Each guest room bears the unique stamp of design legend Carleton Varney in a riot of colors and patterns that simultaneously evoke Palm Beach and a seaside candy store, with no two rooms alike. Following a most cordial welcome, we were accompanied to our lakefront suite and reunited with our luggage, golf clubs, tennis racquets and the inordinate amount of fishing tackle our son had acquired prior to the trip, before setting off in search of lunch. I should also add that there was complimentary red wine and fudge waiting for us in our rooms, the latter of which our offspring devoured immediately, happily in no way spoiling their appetite for hamburgers at the Gate House, one of several offsite restaurants owned by the hotel.

Visitors to Mackinac Island arrive by ferry.

Our first full afternoon was spent exploring the narrow streets of the quaint town on bicycles kindly loaned to us by the hotel. We soon found out, much to the kids’ delight, that fudge is a big deal on Mackinac Island, as there seems to be a sweet shop on every corner. The center of town is something of a tourist mecca, not entirely our cup of tea it must be said, so after a quick stroll past a few of the vendors and an essential purchase of more local confectionaries, we headed towards the coastal road for a leisurely tour of the island. Here, buffeted by a gentle offshore breeze, we pedaled contentedly past the marina and into gently rolling woodland, passing by Fort Mackinac and Fort Holmes before heading back to the hotel to ready ourselves for dinner in the Main Dining Room.

Horse-drawn carriage tours of the island are a must.

The charming Woods Restaurant

After 6:30 pm, the Grand Hotel adopts a dress code, including jacket and tie for the gentlemen and something more formal for the ladies. The kids especially enjoyed donning something other than shorts and sandals, and relished the daily ritual of dressing for dinner, while I had the opportunity to break out some choice neckwear that had not seen the light of day in several years.

Views from the Cupola Bar

Looking out over the Straits of Mackinac, the Main Dining Room is the gastronomic hub of the hotel. Catering as it does to multi-generational families, there is something on the rotating menu for just about everyone, with a focus on freshness and healthy preparations. The excellent and thoughtful wine list is compiled by master sommelier and wine director Elizabeth Schweitzer, so we had no shortage of magnificent choices to accompany our Berkshire pork and ribeye steaks. As an unexpected bonus, there is also a menu of fabulous rib-sticking desserts, including a superlative chocolate Napoleon, which proved a perfect end to a memorable dinner. Afterwards, the kids were eager to visit the hotel’s vintage theater, which shows movies nightly, leaving my wife and me to enjoy a nightcap or two accompanied by gorgeous sunset views at the Cupola Bar.

Though no two rooms are alike, all feature designer Carleton Varney's signature mix of color and pattern.

The following morning, after a fulsome breakfast, we repaired to the Jewel golf course and enjoyed a round punctuated by the unique feature of a twenty-minute carriage ride between the front and back nines. In the afternoon, we attended a fascinating tour of the hotel and private history lesson with resident historian Bob Tagatz, before hitting Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor (not for the first time on the trip, I might add, and not for the last). Later on, my wife and daughter paid a visit to Astor’s Salon and Spa for facials while my son and I enjoyed a spot of fishing with his new equipment. Setting aside an hour before getting dressed for the evening, we convened at the Esther Williams pool, a massive expanse of water that harkens back to the days when people used to swim to cool off, as opposed to walking into an air- conditioned room.

With rocking chairs and gorgeous views of the Straits of Mackinac, the porch at the Grand Hotel is the perfect spot to spend an afternoon.

Sadie's Ice Cream Parlor

Dinner that evening was at one of the hotel’s (not too) remote restaurants. In contrast to the Main Dining Room, Woods Restaurant, located a short carriage ride away, summons up a giant’s hunting lodge, where needlepoint cushions and gingham jostle for place with hunting trophies and memorabilia beneath a massive vaulted ceiling above an equally imposing checkerboard floor. The menu is again eclectic, with an emphasis on fresh local produce when available. While the ladies enjoyed the New York strips, my son and I opted for a change of pace with the Wiener schnitzel and Hungarian goulash respectively. Relaxed and replete, we enjoyed the crisp Michigan summer evening air on the carriage ride back.

The hotel's Main Dining Room, where dinner is an occasion.

Our dinner at Woods made a delightful end to a delightful sojourn in a truly unique resort; the following morning we rode the ferry back to the mainland, this time indoors, as we did not relish the prospect of wearing damp clothes all the way home. It had been a wonderful visit. Throughout our stay, the level of service and attention to detail had been exemplary on every level. Well over a century on, this grand old dame of the steam age shows no signs of slowing down.