From our very first time visiting Crystal Mountain Resort, my husband and I knew we’d found a favorite place to stay. We’d first gone there at the recommendation of a stranger, nearly 20 years ago. After that initial visit, Crystal Mountain became our getaway of choice.

An all-inclusive resort, it is a destination in itself. It’s tucked away in northern Michigan, nestled in a wooded enclave some distance from any highly populated area. Its primary target markets are skiers and golfers, but since my husband and I are neither, we opt to go during their “shoulder” seasons when one group has left and before the other arrives.

Oh, and they have a mini-season for mushroom hunters when the harvest season is in and pickers flood the area.

The weekend of our most recent visit had an early cold front blow in, which is not entirely unusual in northern Michigan, even though it was still early November. A heavy, wet snowstorm blanketed the resort and knocked the power out. While in some properties this might have made people grumble, it speaks to the nature of this resort that most people greeted it with a sense of adventure.

We had just finished our meal and were sitting in front of a roaring fireplace right outside the restaurant. With the power out, the beauty of the falling snow outside the window was on display. We struck up a conversation with another guest who was knitting in front of the fireplace. What was first meant to be a short dalliance before walking back to the lodge turned into an hours-long conversation with the woman from Chicago. She described how her family now owns a cabin at Crystal Mountain and visits three to four times a year. Everyone in the family has a different favorite activity—hers was the spa.

While the snowstorm and power failure was unplanned, it became yet another feature of the resort, as we sat around the huge fireplace having a northern Michigan experience that could never be replicated but will always be remembered. As for some of the inconveniences, Michiganders, like anyone from snowy states, are quick to pitch in and help each other get around unexpected issues caused by power failures and cold temperature. It was no exception at Crystal Mountain, either from the staff or from other guests.

It also gave us the pure thrill and joy of watching the resort transform into a winter wonderland, blanketed in the pure crispness of white snow.

Why You’ll Love It

Let’s be honest, Michigan is known for its water and its trees, not its mountains. But snow it gets. The “mountain” in Crystal Mountain refers to the large slope built especially for skiiers. The mountain isn’t just for skiiers, though they have events on it year round. In the summer there is an Alpine slide. In the fall, you can ride the ski lifts up for campfires and to take in the stunning fall colors.

Winter resort activities include fat-tire biking, horse-drawn surrey rides, snowshoeing, ice skating, cross-country and downhill skiing, archery, outdoor laser tag, an outdoor hot tub and family crafts and games.

Summer activities include canoe and kayak trips, outdoor pool and water playground, biking, chairlift rides, an adventure curse and zip line, a vertical climbing wall, archery tag, disk golf, hiking (be sure to take in their Legacy Art Park—a 30-acre preserve with two miles of hiking trails and more than 50 sculptures, poetry stone and an outdoor amphitheater), tennis, pickle ball, garden tours, archery, outdoor laser tags and tubing trips.

These aren’t just after-thoughts either. Crystal Mountain hosts the nation’s largest 3D archery event every year. They have hosted the Michigan PGA Women’s Open for each of the past 20 years. They hold a yearly Beer and Brat Festival. They take their recreation seriously at Crystal Mountain.

Those are all in addition to the three main features: golf, skiing and the spa. There are 59 downhill slopes, 27 of them lit for night-time skiing. There are eight lifts and 103 acres of skiable area in a resort that typically gets 11 feet of snowfall each year.

There are different types of lodging that caters to your preferences. You can stay in a lodge, a condominium, a suite or a hotel. Families are welcome—including their pets.

It has an atmosphere of its own—a place where strangers become friends and neighbors, where the outdoors beckons, where they promote healthy living and lifestyles.

What to Expect

When you drive into the resort, you’re leaving the rest of the world behind and entering a special place filled with return visitors for a reason. Many guests actually purchase property in the resort that they then sublet to other guests.

The resort started out as a high school student project and then grew into a destination recognized by some of the swankiest travel magazines in the world. In the mid-1950s, a geography teacher named Ward Creech assigned his high school students the task of finding the best place in Benzie County to start a ski area. They evaluated terrain and snowfall rates and selected the Thompsonville spot on which the resort now sits.

In 1956, community members created Buck Hills Ski Area by installing a rope tow powered by an old pick-up truck engine. Donated lumber made it possible to build a warming hut.

By 1960, private investors became interested and the area started to become what it is now—a resort with lodges, properties, pools, ski facilities and eventually, two 18-hole golf courses (plus a practice and learning center and a golf school).

Now, the resort covers several acres and is a year-round destination.

Cuisine

While there are breweries and wineries nearby, the resort itself has plenty of places to eat from casual to formal.

The Thistle: This is their signature, fine-dining restaurant and one of our favorite places to eat. With Scottish-themed décor lunch and dinner menus range from a burger and truffle butter Thistle fries to a full gourmet meal. The menus change by the season and the availability of locally-sourced ingredients from nearby farms, but the quality is always top-notch. We started with a whitefish dip and worked our way through tender cuts of beef and mushroom to luscious deserts of carrot cake and chocolate torte. You can’t ever go wrong by taking the server suggestions for the meals. You’ll also do best if you make reservations because it is a popular place that is right off the ski lifts and near the parking lot of golf carts.

Wild Tomato: Available only at the main lodge from 8 to 11 a.m., Wild Tomato offers both a breakfast buffet and a full breakfast menu. The buffet includes a Greek yogurt parfait bar, a sliced fruit display, a smoked salmon display, a cheese display, a toast station, and a variety of cereals, crepes, pastries, bagels, French toast, pancakes, eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs, potatoes, corned beef hash, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal, and all the juices and coffee you would expect.

Betsie River Pizza and Subs: For a more casual lunch or dinner that you can have delivered to your room or pick up to eat anywhere at the resort, Betsie River offers specialty pizzas, salads, toasted subs and wings.

Mountain Market: Many of the accommodations include full kitchens, which is why there is a specialty grocery store located inside the Inn at the Mountain. Like the restaurants, the market features many local goods and is filled with food for picnics, meals, late-night snacks or even to pick up gifts. They have a deli stocked with sandwiches and freshly made soup, a selection of baked goods, cheeses, crackers, fresh fruit and vegetables. They sell a selection of northern Michigan wines and craft beers.

We made frequent trips to the market during our stay, indulging in their cheese and whitefish dips for our late-night snacks. It also doubles as a gift shop and we picked up souvenirs and did some early holiday shopping. A feature we didn’t use but would consider in the future is the “Fill Your Fridge” service. You fill out a request form before you arrive and the Market will have your food waiting in your room’s kitchen.

Bru Bar: Located at the Inn at the Mountain Lobby, the bar opens early to serve specialty coffees and teas (spiked or not) and stays open late for those who want to gather in the lobby and enjoy wine, beer or spirits. Guests can spill out through the two levels of lobby and enjoy their drinks.

Level Four Rooftop Bar: Also located at the Inn at the Mountain Lobby, this is a summer-only establishment and its hours are entirely dependent on the fickle Michigan weather. It offers craft cocktails and entertainment and is designed for the 21+ crowd.

Throughout the year, they host special culinary events. They’ll even prepare take-out holiday meals and offer special gourmet buffets. For example, their Thanksgiving buffet includes black pepper and cider-glazed Michigan turkey breast with rosemary pan gravy and homemade cranberry sauce, maple and mustard-glazed Dearborn ham, a harvest chop salad, fruit and cheese displays, smoked salmon pate, char-grilled salmon, chicken scarpariello, Michigan apple and sage stuffing, sausage and sweet potato hash, lots of vegetables and deserts ranging from gourmet pies to traditional pumpkin tartlets to brown butter apple crisps, cookies and parfaits.

Insider’s Tip

Check out their weekly “This Week at Crystal” menu that will tell you the week’s Wi-Fi password, any special events, the hours of each outlet and any special promotions. It also provides the hours of each activity from pickleball to campfires to pumpkin carving.

If you’re not a skier or a golfer, visit during the shoulder seasons. You’ll get some great deals and be able to explore the resort in intimate ways.

Make time for the Legacy Art Park. It really is a special experience and you can do it at your own speed.

Spa Treatments

It was Crystal Spa that we first heard about while visiting another Michigan resort—a guest told us it was the best spa experience she’d ever had. It was what first drew us to the resort and part of what has drawn us back time and again over the past 20 years. In 2022, Spas of America named Crystal Spa the #1 spa in Michigan and the #10 in North America. They’ve been on the list every year since 2009.

The resort will often host “Spa Days” and those are great weekends to go. You’ll want to give yourself time to enjoy the lounge, hot tub, steam room and sauna. The spa is 18,500 square feet and LEED certified.

Spa Profile: Crystal Spa at Crystal Mountain Resort

Services include skin care, massage, body treatments and nail care. While lavender-mint is their signature scent, they also have seasonal offerings using scents and products sourced locally. Their massage therapists are trained in both oncology and pre-natal massage techniques. Couples can reserve the spa for an entire evening, an after-hours event where they are the only guests. The retreat is customized to the couple’s desires and can include an artisan cheese and fruit tray, a bottle of wine and signature spa robes to take home.

The signature scents of the spa, lavender mint, are found throughout the resort and they offer refills for their return guests on such things as body lotion, body wash, shampoo, conditioner and the facial and skin cleanser.

Spa Diary: Crystal Spa at Crystal Mountain Resort

In the same building as the spa is the Crystal Mountain Peak Fitness Center that includes workout equipment, a pool and a variety of classes from water aerobics to yoga to ski conditioning.

The center and classes are free to hotel and house guests and members. There are also personal trainers for those who want to schedule individual sessions. There are also youth sports skills training that can be reserved for sports-specific fitness.

Accommodations

If you’re looking for variety in choice, Crystal Mountain is the place to go. They have many different sorts of accommodations from hotel rooms to full houses scattered throughout the property, each with their own view and near different facilities.

While we’ve stayed at several different accommodations at Crystal Mountain, our most recent visit was our first time at the Inn at the Mountain and it did not disappoint. Set near the entrance to the main village, it is the home to two of the bars, the grocery store and the breakfast restaurant. While you stay in a hotel room, each room is designed to make you feel at home. They are filled with warm touches that don’t feel at all commercial.

We stayed in one of the suites and it was incredibly beautiful—the kind of room you almost don’t want to leave, even though there is so much to do throughout the resort.

One of the most delightfully memorable parts of the room was one we didn’t even use. However, we did vow that when and if we ever have grandchildren, we will again stay in one of these rooms and bring them here. Of the three beds in the room (the others were the king-size bed in the master bedroom and the queen sofa sleeper in the living room) is a bunkette with a television designed for kids. It’s built into the wall and is its own little alcove that the child climbs stairs to get into.

The walls are painted with murals, there is a reading light (and under the bed a basket full of children’s books), and there are paneled doors that slide shut, giving the child their own private alcove in which to read, play games, watch TV or sleep. Both my husband and I gushed about how much we would have loved that space as children.

The 780-square foot room came with a full kitchen, one larger than the one I have at home and fitted with amenities such as a full fridge, oven, dishwasher, microwave, lighted cabinets with glass doors and lots of counter space. The dining area contained a long glass table that could sit up to six, surrounded by a fireplace and sculptural wall art evoking skis.

The living room area had a cozy feel with a long L-shaped couch coffee-table and a floor-to-ceiling window. It led out onto a private deck with a table and four chairs overlooking the resort’s main square and firepit.

The bathroom was luxurious—it had a separate walk-in shower and a spacious bath surrounded by warm marble. Not only was it warm in color, but you could heat up the floors with the touch of a button and warm your towels on heated bars. They were also filled with large bottles of amenities from the spa, bringing the lavender-mint aroma into the guestroom.

The master bedroom was filled with a beautifully decorated king-sized bed and a separate entrance to the patio. We loved that we could dim the lights in the room and enter into a place of peaceful restfulness that invited us into a beautiful night’s sleep.

While there are some hotels that lock everything down, this room does everything it can to make you feel that you are the guest at the home of a friend. It is filled with throw pillows and magazines. The kitchen contains tea kettles and a full range of dishes, baking equipment and silverware. Banished is the feel of anything overtly commercial or boilerplate. Everything feels warm and individualized.

Even while the power was out, there was a warmth to the rooms, electronic candles and plenty of room to snuggle in front of the fireplace.

While there is nothing “typical” about this hotel room, for those who don’t want to stay in a traditional hotel room, there is a great diversity of accommodations available at Crystal Mountain. They include:

• Bungalows at Crystal Glen sleeps 9-10 guests. They feature a living room with a fireplace, full kitchen and dining area, a walk-out deck and a washer and dryer. They are within 500 feet of the ski slopes or lifts.

• Cottages at Water’s Edge sleeps 6-9 guests. These are clustered in a neighborhood setting surrounded by streams and waterscaping. The two- and three-bedroom cottages include a living room with a gas-log fireplace or gas wood stove, a full kitchen and dining area,  a screened porch and sun deck, and a washer and dryer.

• Crystal Colony sleeps up to 4 guests. This hotel is nestled between Kinlochen and Crystal Spa. There are a few different types of rooms, each 430 square feet. One type has a king bed, the other two queens. They come with either a full or efficiency kitchen and some have fireplaces.

• The Hamlet sleeps up to 4 guests. This hotel is between the Crystal Spa and the slopes and not far from the Park at Water’s Edge. There are pet-friendly units and they come with an efficiency kitchen.

• The Inn at the Mountain sleeps up to 4 guests. This is the central hotel where many of their services and check-in is located. The rooms vary from one-room condos to legacy suites to queen size rooms. Some are individually owned, have full kitchens and private decks. There are coin-operated washers and driers (see above for our latest experience in one of these rooms).

• Kinlochen sleeps 6-10 guests. Home to the fine dining restaurant and the pro shop, these rooms feature a living room with a fireplace, full kitchen, and one to two baths.

• Mountainside sleeps 10-14 guests. Designed as a family getaway, the spacious units can accommodate family or friend getaways and retreats. The units feature a living room with fireplace, full kitchen and dining area, a master bedroom and a walkout deck. The town rooms have four to five bedrooms.

• MountainTop sleeps 8 to 12 guests. This is an accommodation for those who like a view. Perched at the top of the mountain, it has a view of the entire surrounding area. Amenities include gas grills, a private firepit and a private (to Mountaintop guests) pool. The two- and three-bedroom townhomes have full kitchens and a washer and dryer. Each townhome also has a fireplace and a private deck.

• Pinehurst sleeps 2-4. These pet-friendly condominiums are surrounded by pine trees out by the 9th fairway of the Betsie Valley golf course. There are one-bedroom condos and studio condos. The former has a full kitchen and fireplace, the latter an efficiency kitchen.

• Pinehurst Green & Resort Homes sleeps 6-14. The pet-friendly resort homes are designed for get-togethers and feature three to four bedrooms, full kitchens and private baths. They have full living rooms with fireplaces and are two to three stories (no elevators).

• Wintergreen condominiums sleeps 4-8. With an up north contemporary feel, these condos feature a living room with fireplace, full kitchen and dining area, and a private outdoor patio or deck. Some units have washers and dryers and many accommodate pets.

For anyone wanting to vacation in the water wonderland of Michigan, whether it is to tour fall colors, engage in winter sports, golf, swim or set aside wellness time at a spa, Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville is a high-quality, must-visit destination. It won’t take long to see why they have so many repeat guests, many whom invest in their own properties within the resort.

For more information and to book a stay at Crystal Mountain Resort, call 855-995-5146 or visit their website. Follow them on Instagram: @crystalmountainmi

12500 Crystal Mountain Dr, Thompsonville, MI 49683

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[Photos by Bridgette Redman]

Bridgette Redman, who is a second-generation journalist, fell in love with spas and travel while working as a writer and editor for 16 years at the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. As a freelancer for the International SPA Association, she co-wrote two textbooks, nine workbooks and numerous case studies on spas. Her freelance career began in the 80s and she has written for publications in Michigan, Arizona, California, and Texas along with several regional and national publications. She is a committed storyteller who loves sharing narratives which improve people's quality of life and build community. Born and raised in Michigan, she currently lives in Lansing with her husband and son. See more of her writing at www.bridgetteredman.com