Memorial Day Weekend
My husband and I wanted to get away for Memorial Day weekend this year. I let him select the location, since I picked our last trip. I was a bit shocked when he selected Avalon Lakes in Warren, Ohio. Then upon further inspection I discovered that the resort we were heading to has one of the premier golf courses in the world, which was designed by legendary golf course architect, Pete Dye. My husband is in the photo to the left on the golf course.
The Grand Resort Hotel
We stayed on property at the Grand Resort for 3 nights, arriving Friday and departing Monday. We had a king room that was located on the first floor in a very convenient location. It was centrally located to pool, lobby and restaurants. The room was clean and in general very nice although when we first walked in, I was concerned as it had a musty smell. Most of the people who really know me know I am very particular about hotels in general. The smell dissipated quickly, and the room worked very well for us for the weekend. It had a nice size refrigerator for drinks and our leftovers. The sheets were soft, and the bathroom was updated. It had a mirror outside of the bathroom which is a plus because we both can get ready at the same time.
The Pool
They have two outdoor pools - the one to the right in the photo is the colder family pool. It has the bubblers, waterfalls, and a diving board. It goes from 0 to almost 12 feet in depth. The pool below is the adult only pool and it is maintained at a warmer temperature.
You have the ability to rent the cabanas (tent or brick and mortar ones). The blue couches below are also available for rent as well, which I found odd. The chairs are at a first come first serve and you can get towels at the desk. The resort allows locals access to the pool for a fee so it can get busy. They ran out of towels quickly even with only permitting two per person and we resorted to borrowing ours from our room.
There are waiters and waitresses that are available for food or drinks. The resort makes it very convenient as you can bill your purchases directly to your room. They had two bands playing each day directly facing the adult pool which was great. We had some disruption due to weather, but the live entertainment was a very nice touch.
There was not a significant number of staff cleaning up empties during the day so later in the afternoon the trash got to be much, and the wind would blow the trash into the pool. They did have trash receptacles available for people to throw away their own empties.
On Property Restaurants
There are plenty of options for food on site - 7 to be exact. We enjoyed 5 of the 7 spots.
Gatsby's - The ambiance of this restaurant was wonderful; service was spot on, food was great and while we were there for dinner Joe was on piano it was wonderful entertainment during our dinner. The convenience of being able to make a reservation on OpenTable was also a plus.
The Chophouse - we ate here for lunch once upon our arrival and dinner once. During our lunch we ate on their sunporch, and it was wonderful. So, we requested to sit on the sunporch for dinner, that unfortunately was an error on our part. There was an engagement dinner on the sunporch that had candles lit. The party did not permit the fans to be on or the windows to be open. It was extremely ho, we were both sweating. A table eventually freed up inside and we were moved into the AC. The food and desserts here were very good. The waitress was very understanding and accommodating. Another item to note - this restaurant is not affiliated with the hotel. This posed a bit of a problem because I became accustomed to billing to the room which I could do everywhere else on property therefore we had to make a quick run back to the room so we could pay. Ooopsie!
The Atrium - we had the breakfast buffet every morning. It was very reasonable with many options! We had dinner here once as well, our waitress seemed new, and dinner took forever. Other tables were experiencing the same, so I am assuming something was going on in the kitchen. The food was very good though.
The Pool Patio - we ate here for lunch, the salads, pizza and sandwiches were great. They have big screen tvs where golf is playing. However, it was unfortunate they let people smoke here this was the only downside of this location.
The Wine Cellar and Lounge - a large selection of wine with a great bartender with a sense of humor and a fantastic memory of names and what you are drinking.
The only time we left the property was to get ice cream at Handel's a few minutes away. We could not believe there was no ice cream on the property!
Spa & Golf
GOLF
Avalon Lakes is one of the premier golf courses in Eastern Ohio and designed by legendary golf course architect, Pete Dye. The Lakes is a par 72 golf course features undulating greens, beautiful terrain, and plenty of “lakes”. The signature hole is number 8, a very cool peninsula par 3 that plays from 128 yards to 244 yards, with the pin usually placed close to the water's edge! I love this course so much; beautiful herons and other waterfowl will surprise you throughout the round but the strategic placement of the bunkers by Dye will give you fits! I cannot recommend the course highly enough, make the trip to play it, you can thank me later!
While my husband was golfing, I enjoyed a spa day. With soft robes, a nicely laid out spa area and quiet relaxation I had a 90-minute massage and facial/microdermabrasion. The facial/microdermabrasion was great, and she also recommended a great daily face cream which I love. The massage was wonderful as well. However, I did fall asleep, and she SLAPPED MY FEET when she was done! It was a rude awakening for sure. I have had many massages, and this was something I had never experienced. It was a bad ending to a good spa experience
They also have a med spa on premise for injections and such, but I did not partake.
In Summary
The Grand Resort is a bit older, but mostly in good condition.
The restaurants on property are good quality and very convenient.
I am not sure I would go back to the spa.
It does not feel like you are in Ohio at all! It has a resort style feel and is very relaxing overall. I would definitely go back.
All photos by Rosko Photography.