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For one magical weekend, Hotel Walloon welcomes guests to embrace the simple luxuries and spirit of the season.
The cold wind gusting off Walloon Lake is no match for the warmth that sweeps guests into the lobby of Hotel Walloon on this cold December night. It’s a welcome reprieve after a long, dark drive to the tiny lakeside hamlet that’s home to one of the most delightful hospitality experiences in the North, and it’s clear visitors are ready to get their holiday on.
Before check-in is completed there’s a glass of red wine in hand. A carving station with beef tenderloin is tucked into a quiet corner, and a fire snaps and sparks in the huge fieldstone fireplace decked out in greenery. The buffet is stacked with bites of dessert, a hot chocolate station and bowls of fresh whipped cream.
You can watch visitors visibly melt into the scene with a flicker of recognition. “We hear, ‘It’s like a Hallmark movie,’” the front desk clerk says. “We get that a lot.”
The setting is movie-set perfect, but so is the camaraderie. In the lobby lounge, two couples meet who are both celebrating their anniversaries. Families with troops of littles in Christmas sweaters are clustered around the fireplace. A mother of four settles into a couch with a glass of cabernet, a coffee table book and a deep sigh as her brood adds sprinkles of crushed peppermint sticks to their hot cocoas.
There’s a relaxed air of contentment and an undercurrent of joyful expectation as families with youngsters mix with the rest of the guests during this Christmas in Walloon Weekend. There are the “grandma brought us” family trips; couples celebrating a wedding anniversary; a three-generation girls’ getaway. All of them are here to dial up the holiday spirit.
Related Read: Hotel Walloon: Vintage Northern Michigan Vacation Magic
Photo by Hotel Walloon
Photo by Hotel Walloon
Photo by Hotel Walloon
The Christmas in Walloon Weekend is a new (as of 2022) offering, a way to create a little bustle and traffic in the sleepy pre-holiday season before the snow really flies and the lifts start humming at nearby Boyne Mountain. The weekend appeals to a wide range of guests with afternoon activities like cookie making and cocktail mixology, all of it laced with a hefty dose of holiday spirit.
The next morning, brunch with Santa is the main attraction next door at Barrel Back restaurant. With Walloon Lake stretching out into a chilly December horizon behind him, a kindly Santa in a rich red velvet robe with fur trim gives could-be-for-real vibes (seriously good beard, seriously twinkly eyes) and holds court as scrambled eggs and pancakes are passed around tables. The little kids, chubby legs in white tights under swishy taffeta skirts, are uncertain; the big ones break the ice. A family of buzz-cut boys, all in matching plaid shirts, marches up to the big guy and leans in to tell their wishes, saving the lap sitting for the littles.
One dad hands a toddler to Santa, saying, “Well, this could go either way.” But the toddler can’t keep his eyes off the jolly old fella. He gazes up at Santa’s glasses, transfixed, and when finally pulled away, gives Santa a tiny high five and a wave. A breathless mother herds her boys in matching red-plaid shirts back to the table after their photo with Santa; from a passing waiter, she orders a mimosa. “They’re bottomless, right?” she jokes. Indeed, they are—no little comfort is left to chance this weekend.
After a brunch of brisket poutine, avocado toast and silver-dollar pancakes, everyone embarks on a not-too-much/just-right itinerary of holiday fun, from Christmas movies with popcorn to an afternoon of gingerbread-house making. A handful of visitors head out to shop nearby Petoskey, a postcard vision of small-town shops decked for the holidays, and stop at a winery or two on the way back to the hotel.
On Saturday evening, guests can attend the nearby Crooked Tree Arts Center School of Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker.” That night, the hotel lobby is a swirl of high-pitched chatter, white tights and Mary Janes, taffeta and crooked bow ties as families bundle up to head out for the show.
Those who aren’t looking for dancing sugarplums are more than happy to spend the night in. The lobby bar offers bespoke cocktails and generous pours of wine, with a delicious dessert and coffee bar served on the house. Guests grab drinks, then snuggle into bathrobes and tiptoe out to the hot tub, where the steam rises high into the starry sky above Walloon Lake. Then it’s off to long-winter’s-nap territory in the dreamy guest rooms, complete with slab marble bedecked bathrooms with heated floors, and truly delicious beds.
Photo by Hotel Walloon
Photo by Hotel Walloon
Photo by Hotel Walloon
Sunday morning finds a thin sheen of ice forming on the lake. A bald eagle makes a few lazy laps above the beach before winging off into the trees, and slowly the hotel comes to life. The hum of the espresso machine and the smell of fresh coffee fills the lounge, where last night’s young Sugarplum fairy and Nutcracker prince stand like sleepy sentinels at the hotel doors, giving hugs and waves in a holiday sendoff.
As the couples say goodbye and wish each other a happy anniversary, littles are on tiptoe giving Grandma one last hug before heading home. There’s talk of coming again next year—a tradition in the making.
Whether you’re looking for a romantic escape, a girls’ weekend, a family meetup or simply need a little Christmas spirit, a weekend at Hotel Walloon awaits. Pro tip: Families love the double-queen rooms, which book early, so plan accordingly. There are also two-bedroom suites that sleep eight, with the second bedroom offering bunk beds with full-sized mattresses.
Related Read: 5 Magical Mother-Daughter Getaways in Northern Michigan