Archive for the ‘Holiday’ Category

B&Bs in Michigan Invite You to Celebrate New Year’s Eve

December 17th, 2011 by linda

New Year's Eve CelebrationsIn every Michigan community where New Year’s Eve festivals and events are scheduled this December 31, there are bed and breakfast inns pledged to make your celebration especially memorable.

Take Traverse City, home of the 2nd Annual Cherry Ball Drop. The festivities are centered in the heart of downtown, right in front of the official Christmas tree. Stage show entertainment starts at 10 p.m. and features a light show throughout the night. When your party hat starts drooping, you’ll want to snuggle into a luxurious bed at a nearby Lake to Lake member B&B and awaken to a scrumptious, home-made breakfast. That’s how you start the new year on the right foot!

The Ludington New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Celebration includes an entertainment tent in James Street Plaza, a Pub Crawl all around downtown and, of course, the midnight ball drop. Welcome the new year with a 6-foot-diameter ball of thousands of lights lowered on a countdown to midnight. As the celebration winds down, relax and refresh in the unique ambiance of a bed and breakfast inn. Here are those in and around Ludington.

Kalamazoo’s long-established New Year’s Fest features 24 performing artists in 10 buildings surrounding downtown Bronson Park, all lit up as Candy Cane Lane. “Pop into” musical entertainment encompassing classical, rhythm and blues, jazz, bluegrass and Christian contemporary. Performing artists include magicians, clowns, jugglers and storytellers. Admission is just $5 for anyone over four years old.  After the festivities, rest your head in one of the clean and comfortable beds that uniquely identify Lake to Lake-member B&Bs in and around the city.

In Whitehall, swing into the New Year with the George Cole Quintet at the historic Howmet Playhouse. Direct from San Francisco, the quintet offers an elegant and sophistated evening of jazz, followed by an afterglow party on the theater’s stage. You can combine your visit with a specially-designed two-night New Year’s special right across the street at the White Swan Inn. Or choose from among these member B&Bs in and around the White Lake area.

Last but certainly not least, the Hot New Year’s Eve Party 2012 invites you to ice skate at Rosa Park Circle downtown, adjacent to the stage featuring musical entertainment starting at 6:30 p.m. An encore by headliners, The Romantics, will herald in the New Year just after the countdown to the midnight ball drop. Add dozens of great clubs and restaurants within walking distance to this unique venue, and you’re off to a fabulous 2012. Prairieside Suites Luxury B&B in suburban Grandville is Lake to Lake’s pick as the best close-by place to end the night and start the new year right.

For your peace of mind, all Lake to Lake B&B members are inspected regularly for more than 100 points of quality including safety, cleanlines, comfort and professionalism. We ensure you can rest assured at any of more than 100 member inns statewide.  Questions?  Call us at 888-575-1610.

Michigan Bed and Breakfast Inns Celebrate the Holidays!

December 10th, 2011 by linda

There are 128 Bed and Breakfast members of the Michigan Lake to Lake B&B Association. That means there are 128 inns uniquely decorated to light up your holidays. Here are a few of them.

Inn at Old Orchard Road

The Inn at Old Orchard Road in Holland is all dressed up for Christmas. Innkeeper Elizabeth DeWaard even decorates the gazebo for the holidays with green swags, red bows and a "santa" sleigh filled with presents.

 

The Wellington Inn B&B (Antiquites’ Wellington)

Innkeeper Barbara Rishel annually hosts "The Inn at Christmastime" in Traverse City, opening the doors of the The Wellington Inn downtown to give the public an opportunity for a "look see" on the two Sunday afternoons preceding Christmas. Local designers "deck the halls," covering every square inch of the landmark home with holiday decorations. Musicians perform throughout and hot mulled cider and traditional sweets are served in the third floor ballroom.

 

Few B&Bs — or businesses of any kind — are open for business on Christmas day. Jittka and John Nelson, innkeepers at Dove Nest Bed and Breakfast in St. Joseph, found themselves looking at an empty nest this season and decided to open their B&B on Christmas Day. Since their Christmas no longer looks the way it used to, they figured other people equally dread facing the holiday alone. So they are opening their home on Christmas to overnight guests.

Dove Nest offers this unique special: Arrive December 24 and stay two nights or more. Wake up late on Christmas to a three-course, from scratch breakfast. Enjoy the day. Walk the Lake Michigan beach or window shop downtown.  Return for Christmas dinner in front of a log-burning fireplace and the real Christmas tree.  Then go to sleep in peace and awaken to another scrumptious three-course breakfast.

Come alone or as a couple or bring a friend. Dinner includes appetizer, soup, main course, salad, desert, coffee, tea and beverage. Snacks and beverages throughout the day are included in the $60 per person package added to the cost of the guest room. Book through the Dove Nest website or call 269-429-2211.

The Kalamazoo House

Laurel Parrott is innkeeper at The Kalamazoo House in downtown Kalamazoo. She collects Santas like these and places them all around her holiday-dressed Victorian B&B for the amusement of her guests. She calls these her "resting Santas."

Munro House B&B and Spa

This Christmas tree at Munro House B&B and Spa in Jonesville is twice as tall as innkeeper Mike Venturini. He, his wife, Lori, and friends who don't mind climbing ladders decorated all 12 feet of this fabulous fir with a grand total of 3000 lights and 3000 decorations.

Visit more Lake to Lake Bed and Breakfast Inns on the association’s website. All are regularly inspected and approved by trained, third-party professionals. Enjoy a night’s stay any time of year.

 

 

 

Let Michigan B&Bs Get You Outside and Loving Winter

November 3rd, 2011 by linda

FIRST IN A SERIES…..

Michigan’s first snow always seems a little magical, filled with promises of rosy cheeks and chubby snowmen. With the second and third and fourth snowfalls comes reality. Expectations turn dreary. Don’t despair: not only are Michigan bed and breakfast inns the Better Way to Stay, they’re the best way to ensure that winter keeps its promises.

A promising winter composition at At Willow Pond. Read on.

 

White Swan Inn in Whitehall invites guests to enjoy cross country skiing at nearby Muskegon State Park Winter Sports Complex, home of one of only four luge tracks in the U.S. For a unique experience, buy tickets now for the fundraising “Dine and Glide,” January 21 and February 11 and 17. Enjoy three dining stations with delicious food along the 5K trails, with blazing bonfires at each stop. A heated outdoor tent with music and dessert wraps up the event.

For a special skiing and dining get-away, look at the inn’s “Nordic Nights” package on its webpage.

If you prefer shopping over skiing, visit Holland’s downtown and enjoy unique stores, restaurants and breweries along snow and ice-free heated sidewalks. Enjoy downtown activities all winter long including Kerstmarkt, an outdoor Dutch holiday market, holiday open houses, carolers, ice sculpting contests and more. After spending all that time on your feet, go “home” to Crimson Cottage Inn the Woods to relax in front of any of several fireplaces and enjoy winter wonderland views of the woods and pond outside. Visit holland.org for more Holland activities.

Rosa Park Circle, Grand Rapids MIWhen you’re talking Grand Rapids, winter in the city is about more than shopping. Bring your hat and gloves when you stay at Prairieside Suites Luxury B&B in suburban Grandville. Spend an evening ice skating at Rosa Parks Circle in the heart of downtown, just minutes from the inn. Admission is only a buck — and ice skates are free! While you’re downtown, enjoy at least one of more than 90 privately-owned restaurants and night clubs, all within walking distance of each other and of Rosa Park Circle. 

Candy Cane Lane Bronson ParkThen there’s neighboring Kalamazoo. While its downtown offers year-around galleries, shops, a wealth of restaurants featuring innovative local and seasonal dishes, brewpubs (think Bells), wine bars, live theater and even a dueling piano bar, its holiday season makes it all the more special.

“During the holiday season,” says Laurel Parrott, innkeeper of The Kalamazoo House, located downtown, “guests always talk at breakfast how they enjoyed strolling through Candy Cane Lane and seeing all the beautiful lights of the park right next door to the inn.”

Prefer riding to walking in the snow?

This winter, enjoy romantic sleigh ride packages at DeLano Mansion Inn B&B in Allegan. En suite massages can be arranged for your after-ride pleasure. Are you beginning to envision just how well winter can keep its promises?

 
There are a lot of ways to ride. If horseback is your preference, head to At Willow Pond B&B in Fenwick, near Greenville. They are ready for winter, with warm German flannel sheets on the beds and a fire flickering in the fireplace. Innkeepers Jerome and Claire Vandenburg keep their horses outside, so they’re not to cold to ride. Bundle up and enjoy as long as the footing is more sure than slick.
 
Here, you can cross country ski the way it’s meant to be: no sounds louder than your own shush. Or borrow a set of snowshoes and enjoy acres of wildlife. Afterward, cuddle  in front of the fire with a cup of hot cocoa or steam in the hot tub under the stars.  
 
We’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg (no pun intended). Come back in a few days for even more ways to make winter keep its promises.
 
All the inns featured in this blog post are members of the Michigan Lake to Lake Bed and Breakfast Association. They are regularly inspected for multiple points of quality, including safety, cleanliness, comfort and professionalism. Never think twice about staying at a Lake to Lake-member inn: it’s Quality Assured.

 

 

 

 

Get Away to A Michigan B&B This Memorial Day

May 26th, 2011 by linda

American Flag Memorial DayYou need wait no longer for the latest weather forecast before deciding to get away for Memorial Day. The sun starts shining on Friday and just keeps getting brighter and warmer all weekend long. And you’re in luck: up one coast, down the other and everywhere in between, Michigan B&B’s have plenty of holiday availability.

West Michigan Coast:
Starting at Holland and heading south along the Lake Michigan shoreline, many inns are waiving their minimum-stay requirements this weekend. Dutch Colonial Inn in Holland is among them, offering one to three-night stays that range from $119 – $179 per room including breakfast.

In Saugatuck, Serendipity B&B offers a two or three-night stay at the B&B or its cottage at a range of rates from $145 to $215 per night. Just up the street and edging one of Saugatuck’s scenic marinas, Park House Inn has space available.

In South Haven, Martha’s Vineyard has single nights available on Friday and Sunday, while the Sand Castle Inn has a $100 room available Friday night and two $175  rooms available on Sunday. Seymour House has four rooms available all weekend, while Carriage House at the Harbor has both two and three-night stays available priced at $240 and $275.

Keep driving south and you’ll find yourself in Saint Joseph, where newly-opened Dove Nest B&B is offering a Grand Opening/Memorial Day Special with 15 percent off  one night and 25 percent off multiple nights from its regular $135 to $195 rates. No minimum stay is required.

Just south of Saint Joseph in Lakeside, The White Rabbit Inn has rooms from $105 to $220 with no minimum stay required.  A deluxe, pet-friendly cabin is also available all weekend long.  

Heading north up the coast from Holland, Whitehall perches on the edge of White Lake with its much photographed Lake Michigan lighthouse. Three B&Bs, all within walking distance of each other and of downtown, have availability. They include A Finch Nest, Cocoa Cottage B&B and The White Swan Inn. Both Coca Cottage and White Swan have waived their minimum stay requirements. White Swan has rooms Friday and Sunday only, with a $99 special on any room on Memorial Day Monday.

Driving north to Ludington, Abbey Lynn Inn B&B and Cartier Mansion both have rooms available. In Traverse City, Wind in the Pines has one room available on Sunday, while Antiquities’ Wellington Inn has rooms available in the inn all three days as well as its French Country carriage house apartment, suitable for four people.  In Petoskey, The Gingerbread House has two rooms available Saturday and Sunday at $185 with a minimum two-day stay required. One room is available on Sunday only at $135. All have views of Little Traverse Bay.

East Michigan Coast:
The Lake Huron shore is a hot spot for Detroiters looking to get away from it all. And it’s an easy one-tank drive from practically anywhere in the Lower Peninsula.

Start at Linda’s Lighthouse Inn on the North Channel of the St. Clair River in Algonac and watch the Baltimore Orioles frolic at the feeders. Enjoy Friday and Sautrday room prices at $95 and $125 or $135 per night for the double jacuzzi room.  

Adventure Inn, a gem on Lake Huron in North Lakeport, has availability all weekend long. Its  phone has been out of order for the last four days. Service was just restored. What was bad timing for Adventure Inn is your good fortune.

Then there’s Lexington, a treasure of a beach town that is the East Coast’s version of Saugatuck on Michigan’s West Coast. Inn the Garden B&B has availability and has waived its minimum stay requirement. So has Butler Photography and Bed & Breakfast, which has three rooms available all weekend long at $99 per night.

In Port Sanilac, The Raymond House Inn has rooms available for the weekend. In Bay City, The Historic Webster House has waived its  minimum stay requirement and has rooms on Friday and on Sunday with rates ranging from $125 – $175.  

Michigan Inland
In Mount Pleasant, Edelweiss Haus has four rooms available from Friday through Tuesday. No minimum stay is required, and rates for two are $109 for one night and $99 for multiple nights.  Each room has a private bath and includes a scrumptious breakfast.

In Kalamazoo, The Kalamazoo House has  availability over the holiday weekend. In Ypsilanti, Parish House Inn has four rooms available Friday through Monday at $120 per night with no minimum stay required. Right next door in Ann Arbor, Vitosha Guest Haus has vacancies with rates ranging from $139 to $149 with a two-day minimum stay. A hot milonga spot, enjoy Argentinian Tango this Friday.

In the quaint village of Jonesville,  two B&Bs have availability. Munro House B&B and Spa has rooms Friday through Monday from $99 to $199 with no minimum stay required. Grayfield, charmingly housed in the town’s former train depot, has availability as well.

In Grandville, a suburb of Grand Rapids, Prairieside Suites Luxury B&B has its romantic and luxurious English Cottage room available Saturday and Sunday at $199 with no minimum stay requirement.

Uniquely itself and just a stone’s throw from the Grand Rapids metropolitan area, At Willow Pond B&B is a countryside experience that includes freshly-laid eggs every morning. One room is still available all three days at $105 per night, with no minimum stay required.

NOTE: Prices quoted do not include taxes and are for a two-person room per night. All overnight stays include breakfast. Available rooms are rented on a first come basis, so call now to get your first choice. All B&Bs listed with availability are members of the Michigan Lake to Lake Bed & Breakfast Association and are regularly inspected for quality including cleanliness, professionalism, safety and comfort.

Bed and Breakfast Christmas Gift Certificates

December 16th, 2009 by insideout

What’s the most wanted, sought-after, dreamed of holiday gift this year?

The answer is “Gift Certificates” for a luxury get-away at one of Michigan Lake to Lake Bed & Breakfast Association-member inns. There are over 150 quality-inspected B&B’s all across the state that meet the association’s high standards and are eligible to redeem the association’s gift certificates.

Worried about that last-minute Christmas gift? That impossible-to-buy for person who has everything? Our gift certificates are your salvation.

Gift certificates are available in any amount, and can be ordered as late as December 23rd (note: overnight shipping rates apply to certificates ordered after December 22). Just click here to order online. Or call 888-575-1610 weekdays between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST.

Linda Singer, Executive Director
Michigan Lake to Lake Bed and Breakfast Association
6757 Cascade Rd SE Ste 241, Grand Rapids MI 49546
(616) 575-1610 Office (616) 575-0270 Fax