Chef reads the best lists and what reviewers say, and tells you how far each hotel is from dinner.
‹ Every part of Traverse CityOld Mission Peninsula and the east side of the bay mean vineyards, orchards and lake views, 15 to 30 minutes from downtown. You will need a car, and some places close in winter.
The food: Chateau Chantal serves wine dinners, Aerie sits high in the Grand Traverse Resort tower, and Old Mission Tavern (reopened March 2026) and Bad Dog Deli are on the peninsula.
Checking live prices...
A boutique inn with breakfast included on a ridge over both bays, a full-bar lounge, and multi-course wine dinners and cooking classes from January to June.
A tower resort east of town. Aerie on the 16th floor has bay views and the resort holds Wine Spectator honors. NIIJII, Jack's Taproom and The Grille are the other dining rooms.
From: Grand Traverse Resort, dining, Meetings Mags, Wine Spectator honors
A reworked hotel in Elk Rapids that opened in May 2026, with Noble Lounge, a restaurant and bar above the water.
Chef looks for hotels in Just outside town: wine country and the east bay first. Chef picks hotels the way he picks restaurants: from the best lists, and what reviewers say.
Chef's Traverse City guide is still short on Just outside town: wine country and the east bay. Ask the food concierge for a list built for your dates, or see everything Chef keeps in Traverse City.
Sources: Chateau Chantal, stay, Northern Express, Old Mission Tavern returns (April 2026)
Chef checks your hotel's rate every morning until free cancellation ends and emails you if it drops.
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Researched and published by Chef Amazing, from our own stories, this year’s critics and food press, and a check that each place is open. Nobody pays to be on our lists: how we pick. Spot something wrong? Tell us and we fix it.