By Joy Donovan
Photos courtesy of The Grand Hotel
Some wish to live life in a manner refined, elegant and elevated. They prefer a fancy life.
That’s how they want to vacation, too. Not all flip flops and shorts, but those same people think packing a suitcase with a couple of cocktail dresses and heels can be fun. We want to dress for dinner, and we like sitting politely, taking afternoon tea with a harp playing in the background.
And that’s how it is at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Every day, May through October.
The historic hotel is perched atop Mackinac Island, a northern Michigan glory, floating in Lake Huron. A National Historic Landmark, the picturesque island features sweeping views of the lake, forested hills and postcard-perfect Victorian architecture.
To add to the storytelling sense of it all, the island has famously banned “horseless carriages” since 1898. So, arrival on the island with a reservation at The Grand Hotel begins when luggage is transferred from the ferry from the mainland to the island. The guests are taken by horse-drawn carriage up the hill, past other charming inns, busy restaurants and fudge shops, to the hotel.
Rounding the final corner to the hotel makes for a dramatic entrance. As the horses clip-clop, the hotel’s famous white façade comes into view, revealing its impossibly long porch, walked by presidents and enjoyed by lucky visitors alike. The carriage stops at red-carpeted stairs leading to the lobby, and the glamorous adventure continues.
Stepping into the hotel, guests are surrounded by the bold interior style of the late Dorothy Draper. One of the first celebrity decorators, she mixes her emerald greens, geranium reds and sunshine yellows with black and white here. So renowned was her vivid sense of style that she also decorated other equally famous hotels, including The Greenbriar in West Virginia, The Carlyle in New York City and The Drake Hotel in Chicago.
Geraniums, The Grand Hotel’s signature flower, cheerfully dot the bright green carpets underfoot and lavishly fill planters and window boxes throughout the building. The unflinchingly vibrant decorating extends to the rooms — each one is uniquely decorated, punctuating the difference between this stylish hotel and more vanilla chain hotels.
The décor remains a tremendous characteristic, but there’s more to the hotel’s glamorous style. The hallmark sophistication and beauty made it a wonderful backdrop for the 1980 movie, “Somewhere in Time,” starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. But even earlier, in 1947, swimming movie star Esther Williams filmed the movie “This Time for Keeps.”
Because of that, The Grand Hotel’s swimming pool, truly more of a swimming complex, carries the name The Esther Williams Swimming Pool. Bright umbrellas and white cabanas surround the 500,000-gallon pool and the nearby pool house. One of the delights of Northern Michigan summers is the much more moderate temperatures, such as highs averaging 75 degrees in July, a pleasant relief from Texas’s oven-hot scorchers. Even as the sun shines brilliantly, the resort features heated water, such as the main pool, site of afternoon rubber-duck races, and the serene adults-only infinity pool. The beverage servers? They’re nearby, too, for any kind of cocktail desired.
Besides swimming, daytime at the resort is filled with other fabulous activities, of course. The hotel maintains a daily calendar of activities ranging from children’s flowerpot painting in a greenhouse center to afternoon tea with a harpist’s music drifting through the air. Historical talks on the 660-foot-long porch, claimed to be the world’s largest, educate guests, or wanderers can stroll to find the hotel’s secret garden, a river of colorful blooms.
Then, as the day gives way to evening’s golden hour, the hotel gets even better for those of us who delight in the fancy side of life. The hotel proudly and firmly maintains a dress code. During the day, “refined attire” is welcome and discourages cut-offs and sweatpants, according to the website. “As evening falls, Grand Hotel transforms into a place of timeless sophistication, where every night is a special occasion,” says the website.
Sigh. If only every day were this way, think of the people who were giddy about packing evening wear in their suitcases. Yes, there are those among us who would prefer the world not traipse about in flip-flops.
For 139 years, hotel tradition calls for guests to dress in “elevated evening attire.” Each night after 6:30 p.m., men are required to wear a coat and tie, and children are encouraged to “embrace the tradition” as well. So, after listening to the pianist play wonderfully on the lobby piano, guests, greeted by a formally attired maître d’, arrive for dinner dressed for the special occasion.
Following dinner, coffee is served in the lobby at an elegantly appointed table attended by servers in starched aprons atop black dresses. There’s still time to watch the sun set over cocktails at the hotel’s Cupola Bar, a two-level overlook of the Straits of Mackinac, while the pianist takes requests.
Finally, it’s the grand finale of the day. The people who packed extra outfits finally get to dance to The Grand Hotel Orchestra’s music. The mood is old-school. Dancers glide across polished floors while live music plays, and small tables surround the dance floor, where cocktails are sipped.
When the band plays its last note, returning to one of the hotel’s 388 rooms and suites is a treat, too. Each one is uniquely imagined with the signature bright flair of Dorothy Draper & Company. The next morning’s activity can begin with sneaking a peek into other rooms while they’re being cleaned.
In case none of this is quite special enough, The Grand Hotel offers specialty packages. The Titanic Weekend takes us back to 1912, and the June lilac festival gets celebrated. Add to the list of special events such as wine weekends, princess packages, murder mysteries and more, but the average day at The Grand Hotel is pretty special.
Yes, this is the place for people who want more glamour in their lives. We fancy people feel perfectly at home at The Grand Hotel. The hotel, the island, Northern Michigan — it’s glorious. Is it too soon to plan another trip?