Serenity Springs

A few years ago I came across a place online called Serenity Springs and I jotted it onto my list of places to visit at some point. It came back on my radar this month as I was scoping out possible spots for an anniversary overnight that wasn't too far from home and Serenity Springs seemed the perfect spot. It was within an hour's drive of my home in Chicago's South Suburbs (it's between LaPorte, Indiana and Michigan City) and from all the online photos and descriptions sounded like a romantic, secluded place to get away. It absolutely lives up to the name - it's complete serenity from the moment you enter the grounds.

We reserved a room for a Thursday evening and as soon as we got there realized we really should have reserved two nights. The place offers much more than a room to spend a night in. The 85-acre grounds are beautiful and have 31 unique cabins situated either on their lake, pond or creek. There are five different rooflines, so there are different layouts - like the A frame with an upstairs bedroom and a barn-style with a loft with a little seating area that you get to via ladder, but that offers pretty, elevated views. 

The place opened 19 years ago and although it's easily accessible and right off of an expressway exit, it feels far away from the hustle and bustle. 

Although it is designed to be distraction-free and there are no phone in the cabins, there are televisions and a number of activities on site for couples to enjoy together - trail walks, bike rides, ping pong, board games, fishing and more. Each cabin has a private deck with a fire pit and grill and there's a bin of food for the geese, ducks and swans that reside there.

When you arrive, you park your car in the lot next to the check-in building and you are taken back to your cabin via horse-drawn carriage. You then get a little tour and explanation of the cabin and amenities by staff. One of the really unique features of the cabins is that once the staff drops you off any correspondence is done through a butler box, so for anything you need you don't have interruptions. 

If you have a request, you put a note in the butler box and flip a switch to let them know something is there. When they drop something off for you, they put it in the box and flip a switch that activates a light inside the cabin to make you aware that something has been dropped off. 

Not long after check-in, our light went off and we had a little s'mores kit waiting with everything we needed to make s'mores on our little patio campfire. After dinner our light went on again and we found dessert in our box. 

And then before bed, we had breakfast for the next morning delivered - a basket of muffins and fresh fruit. We also had the option of requesting complimentary fresh eggs (there are several chickens on site that lay eggs for guests) and for $5 we purchased bacon from a local meat shop. Both were delivered to our butler box with pans and utensils so that it could be prepared on the grill in the morning. They also leave a basket of snacks in the room, so there's always something there if you get hungry.



With grills on the patios, guests are welcome to bring their own meal to prepare. You'll also find menus for some local restaurants in the cabins. For dinner, we opted to order from one of the local restaurants and have it delivered. This was the only time delivery didn't come through the butler box. Two employees came in quickly, set down a table cloth, lit candles and placed out our meal of steak and pork chops from Decoy's Bar & Grill. It was lovely. 



There's a big selection of movies in the check-in office and I picked out a couple. It seemed an appropriate time to watch "The Notebook," which I had never seen in its entirety, so we watched it. At home, we have few opportunities to sit together and watch a full movie without interruptions, so it was nice to have the luxury of time to do so. After dinner we watched the movie, after a couple of rounds of ping pong in the clubhouse that was a short walk from our cabin. We also took an evening walk where we could see fish jumping out of the water. We talked about getting up and fishing the next morning, but after cooking breakfast we just didn't have time. A second day would have definitely been enjoyed - doing a little more walking, fishing, feeding the geese and just chilling together in our room. I now see why the line "One Night's Just Not Enough" is printed just below the logo on the home page of the website. It was a perfect anniversary get-away and one I am certain we will repeat for an anniversary in the future.

Serenity Springs

5888 N. U.S. Hwy 35

Michigan City, Indiana

219-861-0000

Serenity-Springs.com

***We were hosted so that we could experience a stay and write about it. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.