Publisher's Desk: Bucket List Vacation: Don't Wait -- Go Now! Welcome to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island

Every afternoon the resident harpist entertains guests with beautiful music. The Grand Hotel closes annually around October 21 -- time is running out if you want to visit this year. The interior design is credited to two very famous decorators -- Dorothy Draper who originated the emerald green and black color scheme -- high contrast and high impact maximalism; and Carlton Varney, lead designer with the Dorothy Draper company who is known for colorfully bold prints.

Basically, a Grand Hotel vacation is like being on a cruise ship -- only you're not going anywhere! Like a cruise ship, the resort offers a full daily schedule of activities, scrumptious afternoon tea, dress-up dinners, attentive staff, expensive stores to browse, a salon and spa, nightlife with live music and dancing, even the "Esther Williams" swimming pool area complete with slide, private cabanas and so much more. If you're looking for an absolute dream vacation with minimal effort to get there, this is it!

This amazing resort dates back to 1887. If you ever saw the movie, "Somewhere in Time" with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, you have a sense of its timelessness. The inviting grand porch with its plethora of snow-white rocking chairs bids guests to stay awhile, forget their cares, order a beverage from the porch staff and take in the freshness of the lake air along with its incredible views of Lake Michigan. The clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages regularly pass through the stately porte-cochere because this island is car-free!

Here are a few tempting images to browse...

The expanse of this front porch is breathtaking! The view overlooks Lake Michigan.

This is how guests arrive -- via horse-drawn carriage.