Text: Brenna Buckwald // Photography: Cambria Hotel Traverse City, Noah Jurik, Courtesy of A-Ga-Ming, Nile Young Photography

Throughout the Traverse City region, there are numerous golf courses, more than 30 wineries, and historic area attractions to explore—an ideal golf destination that leads to days of entertainment. When in the city, golfers can stay overnight at Cambria Hotel® Traverse City, an all-suites hotel offering golf packages to overnight guests, a shuttle system that transports guests right downtown Traverse City for worry-free adventures, and an onsite restaurant to unwind at after a day spent on the golf course.

Each room at Cambria Hotel is a suite, offering a spacious, open room with a divider between the sleeping area and living area.  

“It gives you the sense of having two spaces. I know when my wife and I travel, it is so nice. She can sleep in, and I can get up and do work on the computer at the desk and not be real distracting,” said Ron Robinson, director of hotel operations at Summerside Properties in Traverse City, Michigan.

Ranked the number one restaurant in Traverse City on TripAdvisor.com for four years running, Reflect Bistro inside Cambria Hotel presents a full-service restaurant and bar, featuring local craft beer and wine from Michigan wineries.

“To have a restaurant in a hotel lobby [consistently ranking] number one in a foodie town with over 200 restaurants—that is pretty amazing,” Robinson said.

Robinson also noted that much of Reflect Bistro’s customers are local patrons, keeping regular business inside the restaurant regardless of the hotel’s occupancy, a testament to the quality of the restaurant.

One of the most valued amenities of the hotel is the free, on-demand shuttle service that runs from 5:00 a.m. until midnight. The transportation service can commute between the airport and hotel to pick up and drop off guests at the airport, as well as routing to downtown Traverse City.

“If somebody is here and they are not familiar with the area, to be able to get on a shuttle and go downtown to a restaurant without having to worry about finding a parking spot or how many drinks they are going to have before they drive back, it is just a luxury that people say is one of their favorite amenities,” Robinson said.

Other than heading downtown Traverse City to check out wineries, restaurants, and shops, guests can also find entertainments that highlight the area’s history and natural beauty. Robinson recommends Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a national park in Leelanau and Benzie counties that extends 65 miles of protected shoreline and both North and South Manitou islands. The park is an approximately 40-minute drive from the hotel, popular for its natural features such as forests, beaches, dune formations, and ancient glacial phenomena.

Another favored tourist attraction, according to Robinson, is The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, which is about a 15-minute drive from Cambria Hotel. Formerly the Traverse City State Hospital, this site is home to one of the largest historic preservation and adaptive reuse redevelopments currently underway in the country. The unique renovation of multiple historic buildings invites visitors to enjoy the collection of onsite dining establishments and local boutiques. The Village also offers a few different educational tours of the grounds that dive into the history of the former Traverse City State Hospital.

When it comes to golfing, Cambria Hotel makes booking a Traverse City trip easy, with their golf packages offered to overnight guests. Some of the more popular courses in the area include: The Wolverine, The Bear, and Spruce Run at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme; Antrim Dells, Sundance, and The Torch at A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort in Kewadin; Mountain Ridge Golf Course, and Betsie Valley Golf Course at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville; and Bahle Farms Golf Course in Suttons Bay, among others.

“If you are coming up to play golf, you can stay at Cambria, and we will put together a custom package for you and arrange for tee times for the type of course that you are interested in, or we can make recommendations,” Robinson said. “That way, whether it is two people, four people, or 20 people, we will put together the package and handle all the details, and [guests] just come up and enjoy the golf.”