The Homestead Resort is the best place we’ve stayed for a long time and we don’t say that lightly.
Everything about The Homestead Resort screams at you to relax and take it easy.
Arrival and check-in takes place at the front of the resort in a little homestyle building overlooking one of the swimming pools. You can help yourself to complimentary coffee and tea if you need to wait, and relax in a lounge area.
Our delightful lounge room in the Stony Brook Lodge at the Homestead. That fire would be lovely in winter
The Homestead is set over a large block of land surrounded by forrest. The area hasn’t been overdeveloped so the buildings are spread apart and surrounded by large trees.
Although popular all year round, The Homestead sees most of its guests through the summer when visitors can enjoy the lake as The Homestead Resort is on the lake front.
Location
Located just outside the small town of Glen Arbor, The Homestead Resort is in a good location if you want to explore the area’s national parks like the Sleeping Bear Dunes.
We spent three nights at The Homestead and we didn’t feel this was nearly enough time to explore everything in the area.
There are lots of places to hike near The Homestead Resort. Dave is dressed in his best clothes for exploring! Haha
If you drive up the Leelanau Peninsula there are lots of wineries to sample. We spent an afternoon listening to a bluegrass band at one of the wineries in the local area.
And if you drive in the other direction there are lots of hiking trails to keep you busy.
Food
There are three different dining options at The Homestead, from the casual sports bar Beppi’s, to the more upscale Nonna’s. We dined at Nonna’s one night and were thoroughly impressed.
A fine-dining Italian restaurant, we both had the fresh smoked salmon to start, which was served with capers and was full of flavour.
For my main, I enjoyed the grilled calamari which was tender and fresh and a much more enjoyable alternative to the usual deep fried stuff.
The delicious seafood spaghetti we ate at Nonna’s
Dave had the seafood spaghetti and the spaghetti tasted homemade. The seafood included mussels and bits of white fish, with a lobster on top, and was served in a creamy sauce that wasn’t too heavy.
I finished the meal with a creme caramel. It was gone before I knew it because it was so tasty. The biscotti it came with complimented the flavours perfectly.
The creme caramel t=I had at Nonna’s
Dave had the cherry tart for dessert. The Glen Arbor / Traverse City area is well known for its cherries and Dave said his tart was fresh and moist.
I’d highly recommend dining at Nonna’s. Even if you don’t stay at the resort, Nonna’s is worth a trip to The Homestead on its own.
Rooms
We loved our room at The Homestead, which was in the Stony Brook Lodge. As you’ll see from the video, on one side our room overlooked the forest and on the other we had the view of the pool and the lake.
Our suite had a large lounge room which had its own balcony overlooking the pool. It was a perfect place to watch the sunset over the lake in the evenings.
The view of the forest from one side of our lounge room at the Stony Brook Lodge
The kitchenette came with a full sized fridge, dishwasher, stovetop and microwave which meant we could save money and cook a few meals in our room for some of the nights.
The bathroom had a steam shower as well as a regular shower so you could use that for extra relaxation. There wasn’t a bath in the bathroom though.
The bedroom was of reasonable size and the bed was large. There was only a small window which didn’t offer much light, but we spent most of our time in the lounge room looking out at the view anyway.
The Stony Brook Lodge has its own pool which feels secluded thanks to the trees that offer a natural fence. The building also has its own gym and sauna which Dave spent some time enjoying!
The kitchenette in our suite at the Stony Brook Lodge
Other amenities
There’s a lot of stuff to do at The Homestead Resort that it’d be pretty easy to have a holiday there without leaving the place.
There’s an 18 hole golf course which offers golf clinics if you want to improve your game.
The Beach Club is great because there’s a pool on the lake as well as the lake itself and a beach area to relax. You can hire kayaks if you’d like to get in a spot of activity time.
The view from our suite at the Stony Brook Lodge of both the pool and the lake in the distance
Afterwards, you can buy refreshments at the bar at the Beach Club or from the little cafe.
Café Manitou, the bar restaurant at the Beach Club, is open until 10pm in the summer so you can go there for sundowner drinks.
In the winter you can ski at the resort as there are a few runs coming down the hill at The Homestead, as well as a chairlift. It’s a good place for beginner skiers.
What we liked at The Homestead Resort
We really enjoyed walking around the grounds of The Homestead because there are lots of paths that weave in and out of the trees and past ponds and streams. It really felt as though you were in a special part of the world and is the perfect place to come to relax. No wonder The Homestead holds lots of weddings each year, I think it’d be the perfect place to tie the knot!
The bed in our room at the Stony Brook Lodge was certainly big enough for two
What we didn’t like at The Homestead Resort
The wifi didn’t work very well. It dropped in and out and somedays it didn’t work at all. Not great for people like us who need it to do our work.
Although if you’ve come to The Homestead to relax, you probably wouldn’t care whether you could get wifi or not!
Anything else you need to know
Cost:
Rooms cost from between $102 for a place at The Inn, up to more than $1,000 for a four bedroomed condo. You can reserve online.
The Homestead address:
The Homestead
1 Wood Ridge Road
Glen Arbor, MI 49636
Please note: We enjoyed three nights complimentary accommodation at The Homestead Resort. As always though, our opinions are our own.
Video transcript for The Homestead Resort, Glen Arbor, Michigan
Carmen PTC: I never really knew how people could go on vacation or holiday and just stay in the resort… but now I do now how they can. We’re at The Homestead and there’s everything you could possibly want at this resort. There’s restaurants, fine dining, pools, the lake, a golf course, a kid’s club – there’s everything you could want and more. Oh and don’t forget the spa! It’s absolutely delightful.
Carmen VO: We picked our key up from reception and wandered through the beautiful gardens up to our room housed in the Stony Brook Lodge.
Dave VO: The view from our room was spectacular. On one side the forest, on the other the pool and the lake.
Carmen VO: Yep, that’s the lake you can see in the distance. The blue absolutely sparkled on a sunny day.
Dave VO: There are lots of activities for the whole family on the lake….
Carmen VO: …Or if you’d rather just relax there’s a place for that too.
Dave VO: The Homestead sits on land adjacent to the lake so you’re never far from the water. Or if you’d rather swim in the pool then the beach club area is open all day in the summer.
Carmen VO: If you want to stay active you can go kayaking. The man on the right represents Dave’s kayaking style and the guy on the left is more the way I like to do it.
Dave VO: And after all your exercise you can enjoy a drink at the bar.
Carmen VO: Or go for a walk in the grounds…
Dave VO: Or play a spot of golf…
Carmen VO: Whatever you desire, the Homestead will have it.
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