(Above) Little Cardinal Golf Course at Saint John’s Resort. Photo provided by Saint John’s Resort. Click on images to view larger versions.

By Pamela Dittmer McKuen

23-Oct-24 – A few miles west of downtown Detroit lies Saint John’s Resort, a luxury boutique hotel that originated in the 1940s as a Catholic seminary. The scenic 200-acre campus recently underwent a multi-million-dollar transformation to include two new restaurants and reconfigured championship golf courses.

The resort also adopted a new mission: 100 percent of the net profits are donated to educational and humanitarian causes around the world.

Previously known as the Inn at Saint John’s, the property was purchased in 2021 by the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation.

You may recognize the name Pulte, the country’s third-largest builder of homes. The company was founded by the late William “Bill” Pulte (left), who in 1950 constructed his first home, a five-room bungalow near Detroit at a cost of $10,000. A lifelong philanthropist, he died in 2018 at the age of 85. To date, Pulte Group has built nearly 800,000 homes nationwide.

Saint John’s Resort, located in Plymouth, Michigan, is a sprawling complex of stately, low-rise red-brick buildings crowned with terracotta tiled roofs and anchored by a soaring bell tower. Within its footprint are formal gardens and mesmerizing water features.

The interior is rich with architectural details from a bygone era – coffered ceilings inset with gilded moldings, arched windows, and marble mosaic floors, to name a few. Lining the hallways is a splendid collection of contemporary paintings, glass, and sculpture by international and regional artists.

The AAA Four Diamond hotel is a separate wing off the main building, housing 118 luxe guest rooms and suites on seven floors. In addition to the golf program, recreational amenities include an indoor swimming pool with waterfall and whirlpool, fitness center, and bicycle loans.

Also onsite is Saints Mary and Joseph Chapel, a serene, reverential space hallmarked by ornate wooden beams, carved stone, intricate mosaics, and about 50 stained glass windows. You’re welcome to enter for quiet meditation when the doors are open, but because the chapel is owned by the Archdiocese of Detroit, only Catholic weddings can be held within. However, the resort has several elegant ballrooms and event spaces, including the new glassy Garden Pavilion, for non-denominational and non-affiliated nuptials.

Under construction is The Monarch, a larger event space that features a 200-foot glass wall and massive chandeliers overlooking a dedicated courtyard. The Monarch will accommodate 1,000-plus, depending on the configuration. The space can also be subdivided.

Culinary pleasures

The resort’s flagship restaurant is FIVE Steakhouse, where creative comfort cuisine is served for breakfast and lunch amid an ambiance of a casual chic of warm woods and gold accents. Dinner is a white-tablecloth experience with a menu of steaks, seafood, and shareable sides – accompanied by selections from the award-winning sommelier team – in the formal dining room.

Two newly opened restaurants join FIVE Steakhouse:

The Wine Grotto, a lively, lower-level wine bar reminiscent of an underground wine cave, is infused with Old World refinement and the eclectic artistry of a modern, sophisticated lounge. With a rotating menu of 150 international labels, the grotto has already been honored with a prestigious Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine.

Classic and seasonal cocktails as well as nonalcoholic concoctions complete the beverage offerings. Tastings are encouraged. Captured By Kelsey

Accompany your libation with a robust selection of savories and sweets such as small bites, flatbreads, and shareables.

We stopped in for dessert one night and ordered the Chocolate Charcuterie (left), which was as scrumptious as it sounds. Heaped on a platter were milk and dark chocolate-caramel bars, chocolate wafers, chocolate-covered pretzels, truffles, and strawberries – with a side of ganache for dipping. Pamela Dittmer McKuen

Doyles Irish Pub is a two-level restaurant and bar adjacent to the golf course that merges Irish warmth with a contemporary tavern ambiance. It’s relaxed and posh at the same time. Standout dishes are Fish & Chips and the daily Pot Pie along with Celtic staples and customizable brisket burgers. Grab-and-go breakfasts cater to early morning golfers.

On the beverage menu is a hearty compilation of draught and canned beers, specialty cocktails, and bourbons and Irish whiskeys. Saint John’s Resort

Of course, there’s a green beer, Doyles’ Drive the Green, a refreshing mild taste while lounging on the patio, and a collaboration with Michigan’s lauded Short’s Brewing.

Adjacent to the patio is Doyles Backyard, an expansive lawn for outdoor activities like cornhole tournaments and live entertainment.

Golf galore

Golf has been integral to Saint John’s from the very start. Seminarians built the first nine holes for their recreational use (and were expected to maintain it), and later additions brought the total to 27 holes.

The landscape was remodeled into three brand new courses designed by noted golf course architect Ray Hearn of Holland, Michigan. Woven among the undulating terrain, century-old trees, water features, and sandy bunkers are: The Cardinal, The Little Cardinal, and The Cardinal Putting Course. (Around the resort, the golf courses are referred to as Big Cardinal and Little Cardinal.) A driving range and pro shop are also onsite.

Unlike the original course, which was open only to the seminarians and faculty, all are open to the public. Pamela Dittmer McKuen

The Cardinal is an 18-hole, par 72 course with a distance of 7,002 yards. Beware of the 15th hole, where you must navigate a pond and two sand traps while shooting over the water and aiming to the right. The 18th hole frames gorgeous views of the water and hotel. The Little Cardinal is a 7-hole par 21 short course measuring 652 yards.

Although I’m not a golfer, I usually don’t embarrass myself too badly at putting. Such was not the case on the Saint John’s 18-hole putting course, where the first hole is on a mound. Yikes! Many strokes and wayward balls later, I managed to sink the putt.

In the beginning

The property opened in 1948 as Saint John’s Provincial Seminary under the leadership of Cardinal and Archbishop of Detroit Edward Aloysius Mooney. It was designated a major seminary, one that confers graduate degrees. At its peak, the seminary enrolled about 200 candidates for the Roman Catholic priesthood.

The number of seminarians gradually dwindled, and in 1988 the seminary closed and became dormant.

A few years later, Cardinal Adam Joseph Maida (right), Archbishop of Detroit and a golfer, led a redevelopment effort, and the property reopened in the mid-1990s as a conference and retreat center. The hotel was added in 2006.

William Pulte was instrumental in that redevelopment, and the property was dear to his heart. When it came up for sale, the family foundation was inspired to purchase it and launch the present renovation and expansion. They named the golf courses “Cardinal” as an homage to the contributions of Cardinal Maida, who is now retired.

Saint John’s Resort is one of three (so far) hotels under the foundation’s initiative Humanitarian Hotels, which gifts its profits. The other two Humanitarian Hotels are The Inn at Stonecliffe at Mackinac Island, Michigan, and Hilton Garden Inn at Laramie, Wyoming.