The highly-respected travel publication ‘Travel & Leisure” is out with its 2022 List of ‘Best Places to Go”. And right there… between Singapore and St. Moritz, Switzerland on the alphabetical list is Southwest Michgan!
The ‘Travel & Leisure’ folks say they were looking for a combination of both exotic and easy-to-reach destinations for this year’s list. Places that are out-of-the-ordinary, but appeal to a wide cross-section of Americans.
Although COVID variants remain, regulations are still evolving, and precautions must still be taken, many of the destinations we chose for 2022 offer what we believe travelers are looking for in a post-pandemic world, from hotels with private accommodations to destinations teeming with fresh-air activities.
Our 2022 list, organized alphabetically, doesn’t hold back, with aspirational trips as far away as India, Mozambique, Qatar, and even space — but we’re also including hometown favorites, like Walt Disney World and its new Star Wars hotel; the wellness retreats of beautiful Sedona; and the simple pleasures of small-town, farm-to-table living in Franklin, Tennessee. Because no matter what type of trip you’ve been dreaming of, we want to help you turn 2022 into the year you get back out there and make it a reality.
Here’s how Travel & Leisure summarized Michigan’s Great Southwest:
Southwest Michigan
Beaches with ocean-like views were once the main draw to Michigan’s southwest coast, but new high-style accommodations and hyper-local experiences are giving us more reasons to go. Where to stay with so many options? Consider the cool new motel-turned-boutique Lake Shore Resort in Saugatuck; The Fields glamping retreat with new spa tents in South Haven; the revamped, modern Harbor Grand Hotel in New Buffalo; or anywhere along the coast with high-touch Bluefish Vacation Rentals, which has killer lakefront homes now stocked with handmade local goods. Hop on the new pedestrian/bike trail in Union Pier, and definitely shop two new woman-owned standouts: the beautifully curated Haven and Ariane Prewitt’s AP Cottage, scheduled to open this spring. Women are showing off the culinary scene, too, with everything from a special saison ale — winner of the 2021 Great American Beer Festival — at woman-owned Waypost Brewing Co., to new herb-inspired cocktails at James Beard-winning chef Melissa Corey’s Penny Royal Café & Provisions, to James Beard nominee Abra Beherns’ Granor Farm, where dinners return this year in a new glass-enclosed barn. — Nina Kokotas Hahn
A photo from New Buffalo, highlighting the Stray Dog bar/restaurant accompanied the piece.
You can find the full article at: https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/best-places-to-travel-in-2022
