Kohler
Wisconsin


The Experience

Never has a former boardinghouse for factory workers socially climbed so far, so fast and so seamlessly. Credit its good bones. The Kohler bath-fixture bosses provided rooms for their immigrant factory hands in their progressive American Club, a 1918 Tudor-style manse complete with peaks and dormers roofed in slate tile. A 1981 renovation embraced the "club" in its name, creating perhaps the Midwest's best destination golf resort, with four Pete Dye courses, four restaurants and an aptly water-focused spa. For most travelers it is indeed a destination; once you reach the grounds, located midway up the Lake Michigan shore between Milwaukee and Green Bay, you're here to stay.

The Rooms

Underscoring the "American" in American Club, the resort's rooms are decorated in traditional wood furnishings by McGuire (from San Francisco) and Baker (Michigan) furniture companies, now subsidiaries of Kohler. It's no surprise the bathrooms are standout, with whirlpool baths and multihead showers. Make the most of the connection in one of 10 tranquillity-inducing Immersion Suites, which bridge the spa-and-stay experience with a whirlpool tub for two anchoring the layout and Asian-inflected decor, including Chinese wood furnishings by artist Robert Kuo.

The Service

The American Club managers have shaped and honed the natural affability of Wisconsinites to the standards of international travelers. Expect service that is eager but not prying, with quick responses to everything from room service coffee to insider trout-fishing tips.

The Highlights

Only the true attention-deficit afflicted could be bored. Consider dining, for example. One night it's herb-crusted lamb loin and French Bordeaux at the linen-and-crystal Immigrant Room, another it's local goat cheese and a glass of pinot at the clubby wine bar, bone-in rib eye in the historic, window-wrapped worker's dining hall or fried walleye in the original and still convivial taproom. Work up to it on one of four championship golf courses or the resort's 500-acre wilderness preserve, with 25 miles of hiking trails, clay shooting or pheasant hunting. And wind down in the spa, which cues off the Kohler reputation with waterfalls and soaking baths.

-- Elaine Glusac

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