The brick Victorian Hall and its columned sister house, the Laurium Manor Inn, are a pair of luxury bed and breakfasts in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Laurium is an old copper mining town, once home to many of the wealthy mine executives, and these two homes have been lovingly restored to the original early 1900s’ splendor.

Both buildings are opulent mansions with at least three floors. The rooms are renovated and outfitted in period furnishings and antiques, and all have an ensuite bathroom. Many of the rooms have fireplaces as well. Sitting areas are located on each floor, and on the first level, guests can use the dining room, kitchen, library, and parlor. Both houses have elegant wrap-around porches with ample seating as well. As for my room, it was the tiniest bit smaller than I would have liked—I believe it was the smallest in the house—but still had a comfortable king-size bed and plenty of room to move around and feel at home.

Breakfast was nothing shy of exceptional. Although I had to walk across the street to the dining room (I stayed in the Victorian Hall and breakfasts were served in the Manor), it was always well worth the effort. Everything was made from scratch by the owner and tasted the part. During my stay, I had salsa eggs, almond poppyseed pancakes, and herb and cheese eggs with ham slices. Other breakfast staples like yogurt and granola, cereal, and fruit were supplied to allow for a balanced breakfast. The other guests were friendly and sometimes prestigious. On my last morning there, I dined next to a Michigan senator.

 
Since 1937, this Ann Arbor boutique hotel has been owned by the same family. The grounds include the hotel, a pool, a lounge, banquet and conference rooms, and one of Ann Arbor’s highest-rated restaurants. Each floor is inspired by a different luxury hotel around the world. Nature is a big deal here and sustainable, natural materials are used whenever possible. Whether it’s the moose sculpture among potted grass in the lobby or the wooden artwork on the wall at every elevator, the outside easily finds its way inside at Weber’s.

The guestrooms are simple but luxurious and have pillow-soft beds. In the bathroom, guests can use their phones or MP3 players to link up via Bluetooth to a surround sound speaker system while bathing in a multi-sprayer rainfall shower. My room had a fridge, but it wasn’t too useful—it appeared to just be an emptied minibar fridge that was awkward to keep things in.

My favorite part of Weber’s is the pool. The hotel is in Michigan so obviously, outdoor pools are not always a benefit. Weber’s pool is indoors but on a four-season patio. The area is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows and large skylights. Looking toward the main portion of the hotel, it appears to be outside—and rooms along the poolside have spiral staircases heading down to the deck right from the rooms. And the best part? There’s a poolside bar and snack shack.