Summer at Crystal Mountain: We stayed at Crystal Mountain for two days in the summer and I had to write a review to complement the outstanding staff. From the spa to the ropes course and everywhere in between, the people who work at Crystal Mountain are amazingly friendly and helpful. Seriously made the trip. The resort itself is very charming and idyllic. The only reason I did not give this five stars is because our room in the Colony was a bit dreary and outdated. read more

Spent a great day at the spa. The eucalyptus treatment was fabulous and the sauna was perfect. The products they make available for use are not only great smelling but invigorate the senses. Everyone at crystal mountain is so friendly and helpful it makes it hard to leave. Lunch after at the pub was top notch too. Had the Michigan panini and a cup of soup, both of which were really good. The only down side was the home made chips, They were soggy. All in all well worth the visit. read more

We traveled with four families (kids aged 2-13) for a quick getaway and everyone had a great time. The staff are all very friendly, the landscaping is beautiful and the kids loved the pool and activities. read more

Beautiful resort, golf course, and cottages. Only has 2 restaurants. Wild Tomatoes had a great prime rib buffet for $20. Alpine slide didn't seem to be working though, which was a bummer. read more

After making reservations for myself and twin sons for a very significant birthday occasion, I told a close friend who now lives on the west coast but grew up in Michigan, that I was going to Crystal Mtn. His response: "It's the best ski resort in Michigan bar none. You're going to love it." After spending 3 or 4 nights there, I agree, this place is beautifully designed for skiers, snowboarders, and fun-loving people who want a semi-exclusive and high-quality winter getaway. Everything you want is literally onsite: ski shop, fitness center, restaurants & bars, all very competently staffed. There is an excellent indoor swimming pool, and a full service spa on the property as well. I really have nothing but great things to say about this resort, and the kids loved the slopes. Having ski'd everywhere from Colorado to West Virginia, and to have them be completely satisfied, is saying something. We stayed in an owner's condo that they upgraded us to at no additional charge (from 1 BR to 2 BR), and it had just about every creature comfort we could want other than a hot tub out the back door. Many of the units have fireplaces, which was our case; full kitchens, well equipped. What an excellent vacation spot for real winter fun, all in a secluded NW Michigan enclave. read more

Crystal is a great family destination. It doesn't matter what time of year there is plenty to see and do for the whole family. We've been skiing and golfing here for over 30 years, and they continue to upgrade and add new amenities, like the spa. It's small but amazing!!! The rooms range from a hotel style studio to 5 bedroom fully furnished condos. The mountain cottages are simply stunning and amazing to stay in. The water park in the summer is a huge favorite of the kids. The golf is challenging and beautiful scenery. read more

I think one of the best Midwest Ski Resorts; with many different slope options. This is not Mountain skiing; but still challenging and fun. Family friendly, all workers are helpful and greet you with a smile. The ski shop is reasonably priced and the little store you can stock up with the essentials (good Michigan wines). Many fire pits to enjoy after a day in the slopes. In early spring you can ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon. read more

Great spot. Underrated IMO. Staff is great and the grounds get better every year. Wonderful for kids. Hats off to the MacGinnis team.

Had a great summer stay! Beautiful views! Alpine slide was so fun and kids loved the outdoor pool. We'll be back! Clean rooms and very friendly staff! read more

We had 10 of us choose Crystal Mountain as our destination for our annual golf trip and rented one of the resort homes so we could all stay together. We were very happy with the home, as it was just newly renovated with a pool table and table football added in the lower floor. Everything was clean, spacious, and perfect for our group of 10. The kitchen was stocked with any utensil you would need to cook just about anything, We never could get the WiFi working, but we never really called to ask about it either. The resort home was 60 seconds away from the clubhouse, which services both of the courses they have there. The benefit of not having to coordinate a shuttle was a big plus us, as that's what we had to do for every round last year. Crystal Mountain has two golf courses, Mountain Ridge and Betsie Valley. Mountain Ridge has the higher slope and rating, but we found it to be the easier of the two courses. It has beautiful fairways surrounded by trees most of the time, and the holes played wide so there was room for error for us that struggle with keeping it straight. The greens putted fast and true and they were in great shape. The bunkers weren't the smoothest, but the "wasteland" type area on the sides of the fairways and behind the greens had real fine sand. There wasn't anything too difficult about any of the holes. If I had any complaint about the course, it would be the lack of elevation changes. Our first golf trip last year we went to Shanty Creek, where the majority of the holes have some sort of elevation changes - which made for some fun cart rides in between holes and some amazing views. Not killer scenery on this course, but it was still one of the nicest courses I've shot! The second course they have, Betsie Valley, plays more closer to the main property where the Betsie River comes into play a lot. This course was rated easier than Mountain, but we found it to be a whole lot tougher! They start you off on handicap hole #1, par 5, with a double dog leg that has water instead of rough on both sides!! Talk about "welcome to Betsie Valley" as many of us scored high to start the round, something that could stick with you for the round if you're not careful! Betsie plays a lot tighter and accuracy trumps distance here. There is very little room of error on mishits, as trees and out of bounds guard almost everything here! The greens are smaller, more rounded, and seemed to putt way faster than Mountain Ridge. Once we got the hang of it, it really was a cool course! We made the turn and found our first major elevation change, shooting up this giant hill at #10! Now that's what I'm talking about, even though I didn't do so well both shots at it. Oh yeah, and I'll definitely bring some bug spray if there is a next time - the bugs were crazy on the greens! We really like the golf, as we played a total of 5 rounds there (and an additional two elsewhere). The beverage cart came around often, and the prices for drinks weren't too bad for a resort. If I had to gripe about anything, it would be the $2.50 coffees in the very small cups....for the money, you should get a bigger cup! Beer was $21 for a six pack of Labatt, but the killer was the $7 hot dogs!! I never ate anything there for that reason, who would pay $7 for a dog at the turn?? I did, however, love the Crystal Mountain Energy Bar they make on site and sell there - it was $3 but was amazing! We never took advantage of anything else on the resort, so I apologize for not being able to review anything but lodging and golf. Every Crystal Mountain employee we came in contact with was exceptionally nice and pleasant and made us really feel like guests. I would definitely come back to this resort and maybe try some of the other stuff out like zip line or paintball! read more

Dingy little resort surrounded by trailer parks and shacks. Ski resort is basic with uninteresting runs. I know it's Michigan but there's better options ie boyne nubs nob read more

drove up from chicago last friday, it took 5 hours which included 3 brief stops, one for speeding in indiana (luckily i got a warning), one for gas and one bathroom stop, the drive was very easy and there was no traffic at all we arrived around 2:30pm, we were not able to check in yet because our room was no ready so we went and signed up for lessons, check in time is officially 5pm and many people do end up waiting that long, we got our room around 4;15 our room was in pinehurst, room 445, i loved our room, its a studio, very high ceilings with a large sky light, huge jacuzzi tub, small kitchen with fridge, microwave, sink, coffee maker and toaster, there were two outdoor seating areas, one in the front with a sliding glass door and one at the rooms entrance that had benches, the building had about 12 units, ours was the end unit so we did not have anyone above us, do not get a room on the second floor if you have little kids, the stairs are not good for little ones, anyways i could not have been happier with our room originally we were also looking at crystal colony and hamlet as they were the same price, these units are more cookie cuter condo units although they are closer to the slopes, if you look at a map, our room was just across the street from kinlochen, this looked like a great place to stay as well walking isnt an issue, it only took maybe 5 minutes from our room to the kids ski school which is the farthest spot, but they also have a free shuttle that will pick you up, since my daughter is little and was tired, we did use the shuttle two times after we settled in we were off to the inn where they had storytime at 5pm, it was nice, its located at the fireplace which also has an indoor pay area for kids which makes the inn a great place to stay with little kids, then we went to the kids ski school which had painting and playtime and then back to the inn for a craft, finally had dinner at thistle, it was great, they have a peak performance menu which is mostly local and healthy, i had the ahi tuna sandwich which was really really good! sign up for text alerts while you are there, we saved $5 on our dinner that night saturday morning we were at the ski school at 830ish, my daughter got her skis and was off to school until 4pm i took a lesson at 10am, it was ok, nothing amazing but it was $24 and it was with skip who is really nice the employees at the resort really go out of their way to help, i didnt have any cash on me at the rentals and forgot id need somewhere to put my shoes so they guy at the ski desk gave me a token for a locker ($1 bills are needed to get a token) and even stored my skis overnight for free (regular price $5) when i asked about the ski valet and told him its too much for me to take them back to our ski locker at the room with a 2.5 year old the snow is man made this year, i had a great time skiing, i hadnt skied since i had my daughter, the conditions are not perfect and it is not colorado but i really did have a great time saturday we went to the inn at 5;30 for another craft and then did the 6;40 horse ride, this was nice its $10, little kids are free, you meet up over by the tennis courts and they have a bonfire and you can make marshmellows and they have hot chocolate, the horse ride is about 30 minutes, it was nice this night since it was snowing my daughter was too tired for dinner tonight so we just went back to the room and ate some things that we brought back on the hill sunday morning at 9am, and it was empty! it was nice, saturday was crowded, nothing crazy but sunday was nice, both days i had lunch at the cafe, just a cup of chili that was good went up to the lounge in the afternoon for a drink, didnt really care for it so i went to the bar at thistle, much nicer, met a bunch of nice people there and picked up my daughter at ski school who was now skiing the bunny hill : ) stopped by the bonfire at the bungalows, really nice and then headed back to our room for pizza night, the resort delivers to your room gaylan was my daughters favorite ski teacher, i believe he is still in school but is very energetic and great with kids! when we got back to our room on sunday we noticed that everyone was gone, our car was just about the only one there and monday morning the slopes were a ghost town, seriously there was no one there! oh, i would avoid sundays after 1pm, they have a lot of specials for locals so it did get really crowded didnt have time for the pool, but it looked nice made it back to chicago in 4 hours and 40 minutes, again an easy drive and no traffic we had a great trip and would like to return thanks for everyones help : ) i forgot to mention, we booked last minute and took advantage of the winter white hot ski package, 3 nights at pinehurst and our lift tickets was $381 which included all taxes and fees, amazing deal read more

This place is great. Went with family for a day and what I found was that - the ski slopes are nicely groomed (even though I didn't use many of them, I could tell); the service is fantastic (got the rental agreement signed, and onto the slopes within 15 minutes); and the slopes are not crowded. Reasonable prices too. A few nits -- a couple of the instructors are less than diligent with their wards; the eating areas are really crowded and untidy. I'd come back here. read more

Stayed here 2 nights during the summer and the only regret is that we didn't have more time to spend. Great space, great amenities, great selection of activities offered, great restaurants. We were in one of the Pinehurst studios and found the space to be plenty adequate for a short stay. It is very similar to a single bed chain hotel room but with great vaulted ceilings and a private balcony. We ate on-site at the restaurant in the Kinlochen both nights and loved the food. The only complaint is the poor hosting at that restaurant. No one is ever at the host station and there are 2 or 3 people doing the host duties who just walk around confused with some form in their hand. read more

Was there over the holidays and was very disappointed in the lack of day skier facilities. The big room in the Crystal Center was not open and we were all crammed into the hallways. No where to put your stuff and hard to find an open chair and table to eat. Not very family friendly which they claim is their strong suit. read more

We stayed at this resort for a few days for our summer vacation for the first time and let me say Jessica from the activity center and her wonderful staff made our vacation very memorable! Jessica was very helpful, attentive and knowledgeable about what's a good fit for our family when it came to planning activities! We will definitely come back because her service showed us the level of exceptional service the resort offers! read more

i havent been there in a long time but my mother used t work there and dang the service there is exquisite

I raced here as a kid in college, took a family of kids up there growing up and now grandkids. They just "get it", especially as it applies to all the heavy lifting associated with kids and slope side activities. I have been in lots of great winter places but this spot tops them all when it comes to the short people part of the equation. Plus if you can avail yourself of the mid week rates it is actually an affordable winter vacation. Kudo's to all the staff there. read more

What is not to love about this place in the winter. Only negative is that there is not much nightlife after 9, kinda quiet. Great food, accomadtions, staff, skiing, atmosphere. Quality all the way. read more

Summertime at Crystal Mountain The house we stayed in was immaculately kept with an incredible furnished basement complete with foosball and ping pong tables. These were fun in the evenings but we were out doing activities most of the other times. The Alpine sled ride is a must do. The ride up the mountain in the chair lift is fun and brief. Each person gets their own sled and are divide up between the two side-by-side tracks. It is completely up to you how fast you want to go down by controlling the lever/break in between your legs. We also did laser tag which was more fun than I though outdoor laser tag would be. You battle out in a confined/roped-off area with various obstacles to hide behind. Your marker is a modified paintball marker with a sensor on the gun barrel - that is what you want to aim for. We did the paintball practice shooting and the paintball game. In the game, there is an arena with mesh fence surrounding the inside with various structures and obstacles to hid behind. Word of warning - wear a couple layers of clothing over your upper and lower body. Even with the FPS (power) dialed down in these guns, they can and do hurt. All the staff was very friendly and, on the last day, we went to the pool for a while and I left my sandals there. I called up and they were very polite and helpful - they had the shoes and were willing to ship with no expense to me. Ralph, the guy who called me back, went out of his way to get them back to me. Says a lot. read more

This place was phenomenal! We booked a cabin and brought our dogs. Reasonable priced, clean and roomy, within walking distance to the restaurants, spa, pool, and the ski lifts! We loved the spa, amazing massages and their locker rooms were outstanding. They have a sauna and steam room, showers, complimentary soaps and hair dryers, etc.. They even offer child care! Definitely coming back! read more

Spent the past weekend at Crystal, my third visit. The weather was nothing short of fantastic - blue skies and highs in the 30's. Some of the best weather I've ever experienced with Michigan skiing. The snow was fantastic, with great grooming and no icy spots. The terrain is varied and good. (Ya can't expect much vertical in MI) On the negative side, the Saturday lift lines here horrendous. The wait and trip up the mountain took an average of 11 minutes, the run down 1.5. Not a good ratio. Crystal made things worse by not opening two lifts until noon on Saturday. The huge lines were surprising for a non-holiday Saturday. One more good point: Thistle Pub & Grille has a great menu and great service. Typically expensive for a ski hill restaurant, but very good. read more

I had a bikini wax and it was honestly the worst I've ever had. I've been getting bikini waxes for 7 years and I know good quality ones. The wax was extremely hot--to the point where I could have cried and even when I told her it was too hot, three times, she did not turn it down apparently, although she claimed to. She was not nearly as through as I'm used to--no backside and I had to ask her to cut up higher on the front. She also rushed through it and used two different wax methods. She just seemed really inexprienced. She did an okay job of hair removal, but I would never go back and try that or another service at their spa. They automatically include a tip which is good for them because she certainly did not earn one. Really disappointed. Get your waxing before vacation! read more

It is 4 a.m. and I haven't slept all night due to the snowmaking machine running right outside our window for over 6 hours so. Snow doesn't even need to be made right now. Sounds like I am on the tarmac at an airport. Don't stay in mountaintop townhomes. I just called the front desk asking if the machines will ever be turned off and she said nothing we can do about it. Paying a lot of money for no sleep. read more

This is a gem held back by mediocre amenities and bad service. The summertime here has a ton of potential, but I'd be hesitant to stay for more than 2 days, 1 night. That's about the time you realize the food choices are severely lacking. There's no place to get even a decent cup of coffee. By the third night we settled on McDonalds over the resort restaurants. Room service didn't change the sheets, just made the beds. They didn't clean the bathroom, just changed the towels. Really leaving disappointed. The good: if you're traveling with kids of different ages there will be lots to do. This is best for probably over the age of 6. We ended up mostly in the pool. The outdoor Alpine Slide was something we did a lot. The bike trails are for older kids and adults. We had a good time, but should've been better. read more

No place to hide for adults!! Even the bar which clearly states under 21 not permitted was loaded with kids!! More kids than adults even sitting directly at the bar. read more

Resort is great and offers a lot of activities, however the food is sorely lacking. The wild tomato is perhaps one of the worst restaurants I've been to and definitely a no go. We paid upwards of $60 per meal and everything always tasted the same, bland, unseasoned and disappointing. I recommend going to the other only restaurant on the resort, or making the trip in town for any meals. A trip to the wild tomato will only lead to disappointment and a lighter wallet. read more

I have been coming up for 12 years now. It has been forever a favorite place of mine and my family but that feeling has diminished over the past few years. It was always pricey but has gotten even worse. Additionally I come up for a boys weekend of golf and beer and I feel like I'm constantly being policed. Our group gets visited by staff constantly to check our carts and look to see that the beer we have has been purchased from the resort. It always is. One staff member even took our resort cooler from our cart because it was empty. Without asking. I have literally spent thousands of dollars ($3400 for the boys weekend alone) and now get looked at like a criminal. We cause no trouble and simply play a ton of golf. Maybe others have ruined it but last year was likely our last trip there. We will look for a new place. Our yearly boys trip and family vacations will be elsewhere. read more

Loved the place. I dont ski but went for golf and to relax. Place was pretty cool, I actually have no complaints which is rare for me. If you are thinking of going, go. read more

I came here five years ago by myself to spend the weekend in the spa, and it was lovely. But brought the whole family here for an extended weekend and this time it's been terrible. The pool is overcrowded and the resort is catastrophically understaffed. We just tried to go to dinner on a Thursday night and we couldn't be seated in a nearly empty restaurant because they have so few servers and cooks. All of the restaurants on the resort are similarly understaffed so we are driving the 40 minutes to Traverse City to eat. A restaurant manager told me he can't find enough people to hire, and the ones he did hire weren't particularly good at their jobs. We'll be checking out early because I'm worried I won't be able to feed my kids. This is what anti-immigrant policies get you. read more

My friends and I loved this place! Although it's a ski resort, during the summer, they transform into a summer paradise. There are lots of activities to do on the resort and within a mile from the resort. The housing on the mountain top had great views and was very clean when we moved in. Services were great, employees were friendly, and the environment is very upbeat. I will come back for the winter trip in December! read more

Liked the family friendly atmosphere. Stayed in Crystal Colony. Room clean and close to main attractions, but vestibule and sitting area had strong moldy odor. Wild Tomato restaurant is great for breakfast, buffet was a big hit w kids but do not eat dinner there you will leave hungry. The dinner portions are ridiculously small and they never refilled our drinks. Kinlochen restaurant for dinner was excellent and super professional service, good food. Junior golfers prices were great for my boys. Water park is geared for very young kids, not anything there for older kids. Ropes course and zip line a great hit w older kids. Indoor pool uses too much chlorine it literally burns your eyes walking in there, makes you sneeze a lot. Is close to Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes and Frankfurt, MI. We will be back sometime. Very family friendly place! Kids loved it! read more

We stayed in one of the newly remodeled rooms. The room was quite nice particularly the bathroom. However, the carpet was filthy!! It definitely looked like it had never been cleaned. The walls are very thin and we could hear the neighbor's next door with ease. There is so much to do here we would probably give this place another shot. read more

This is an upscale expensive place to stay. we went in the off season, between golf and skiing. Not a lot of people here which was nice for my wife and I to just get away. The only issues we had is the door entry system was not working properly. We had to try the key several times before the door would open. Usually on the 4th or 5th time. Also the smoke detector battery failed and was chirping about 10pm. The maintenance man replaced it after 2 calls to the front desk. 20 Minutes after he left the smoke detector started chirping again. We just disconnected it and told them about it the next morning. They fixed it while we were out for the day. They have a nice nature walk where they have art/sculptures along a path on the mountain. Very good exercise. I would rate this place a 3.5 if Yelp allowed for half stars. Not really a 3 and not quite a 4. We loved the spa and the couples massage. read more

Went here the first week in January. I had a great time. Great for couple, teenagers, families. Great for everyone. Awesome runs. Great skiing. It was busy but the lines were fast. Definately will be back. Very welcoming, actually felt like a resort. read more

We drove 3 hrs to get to Crystal to ski on Friday, 12/14/12. There was only 1 hill open. Management told us the lift was broken and that it would fixed in 1/2 hr. The hill didn't open until 11:30 am. They gave us a free coffee for our inconvenience. Make sure you call BEFORE you go. read more

Amazing pretty much sums it up! We did not have one single complaint. We rented a condo that was clean and spacious. We took advantage of all of the activities and the parents had as much fun as the kids. The facilties were spotless and the staff amazing. A special thanks to Nick and Zach on the adventure course who encouraged my son the whole way. There was a number of food options all which were delicious. We left trying to figure out when we can come back. I highly recommend this resort for people of all ages!!! read more

Went there in the middle of Feb, prime ski season. It was a Wednesday. Two of their restaurants and bars were open..... They have more than seven. I realize it was a weekday, but nothing was open. Hopefully you show up on the weekend, when there are things to do..... Hopefully everything won't be closed for you too:/ read more

Great resort. They are very committed to excellent customer service. Wonderful people there.