Travel Section                                      Sunday, May 7, 2000

CLOSE TO HOME 

Nature, papering, fine dining recharge guests at adult-only retreat in LaPorte

By MIKE MICHAELSON
Correspondent

       You're relaxing in an Adirondack wooden rocker on the deck of your cabin just 10 feet from the water's edge. It's dusk, and bass ripple the still water as they rise to flies. A pair of Canada geese honks as they circle the small lake
      As darkness settles on the water, fireflies flicker and tree frogs begin their nightly concert. An evening chill creeps into the air and you light the gas-powered "campfire" and warming flames leap into the slight breeze. A spotlight beneath the deck illuminates cattails that rim the lake and you sight a muskrat powering through the water.
     Looking back into the cabin through the sliding glass door you note a red light glowing above the "butler's door." It signals delivery of dessert - creamy cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies. Earlier, you had studied a menu and ordered dinner delivered to the cabin - clam chowder, New York strip and king crab legs. Everything was delicious, catered by a local restaurant, Portofino.
       Except for the hum of Interstate 94, which soon blends into the background, it is hard to believe you're not at a northwoods retreat. You're near LaPorte, less than an hour's drive from Lake County and just across the Porter County border.
      Serenity Spring is an adults-only retreat that opened last fall. So far, five cabins are completed with foundations in for a total of 36. A second lake is being excavated, connected to the existing lake by a canal. 
     When owners Rich and Laura Ostergren bought the property, the lake was a pay-to-fish operation. Today, the remaining populations of largemouth bass and bluegill are getting fat and guests are invited to fish for them on a catch-and-release basis. Each cabin is equipped with a bamboo fishing pole, and bait is available at the office.
     "Most guest who fish are successful," Rich says. "It is not uncommon to catch a six-or-seven-pound bass."
     Around the lake are birdhouses that provide shelter for about 500 purple martins.
     "Our guests love to watch them," Laura says, "and they also like the fact that each bird consumes about 2,000 mosquitoes a day."
      When you arrive, you'll park your car and perhaps leave it for the weekend, as some guests do, as a carriage pulled by a pair of Belgian draft horses transports you and your luggage to your cabin. Or you may prefer to use Serenity Spring as your headquarters for exploring LaPorte County and Michigan City. 
     Plenty of attraction await - gambling, shopping, and scrambling up and down the massive sand dune know as Mount Baldy. Anglers will want to check out Michigan City's large charter fleet. Birdwatchers head  for Northern Indiana's Harbor. Country parks, spanning prairies and wetland as well as miles of lakeshore habitat. Art fanciers can explore "Millennia Nexus," a large-scale exhibition of contemporary sculpture on Purdue's North Central campus. It runs until August.
     Should you decide to hang at Serenity Spring, you can relax in a double whirlpool tub and order a deep Swedish massage in the privacy of your cabin. Included in room rates is a one-hour horse-and-carriage ride around the 85-acre wooded grounds, during which you might encounter deer that make their home there. Also included is a microwave and a supply of microwaveable popcorn, a refrigerator stocked with complimentary beer, wine coolers and soda, baskets of snacks and continental breakfast delivered to the cabin. Guest also receive a framed photograph of their arrival by carriage, a loaded disposable camera and tote coffee mugs.
     "We appeal to adults looking for a retreat where they can snatch a night or weekend away from careers and kids," Laura says. Although the resort opened last fall and is far from complete, guest stayed over the Christmas holidays. Pre-construction rates are $149 a night Sunday through Thursday and $249 Friday through Saturday.
     Get directions to Portofino Grill, which caters dinner at the resort. It is located at Briar Leaf Golf Club, the only golf course in the area to stay open year-round. The comfortable dining room is decorated in burgundy and hunter green with light oak and brass trim. An outside deck overlooks well-tended greens and fairways. For lunch, sandwiches ($5-$6) are well made and soups are a specialty. Varieties include carrot bisque, chunky clam chowder, fresh green pea, chicken lemon, broccoli and French lentil made with beef stock and chunks of sausage. Desserts, including ice cream and sorbet, also are homemade.
      Another excellent - and romantic - nearby dining option is Cafe L'amour in downtown LaPorte. An unlikely find in a small Hoosier town, this restaurant does a fine job with standards such as French onion soup, rack of lamb and steak au poivre. This eatery also is pretty to look at. Converted from a former bank, circa 1867, it features a balcony with iron railings that overlooks a mural of a 19th-century Paris street scene, featuring cafe society and the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. On Saturdays, a classical trio adjoining wine bar occupies another rehabbed storefront that once was a theater dating back to 1889.
       Another new lodging option is a 188-room hotel adjoining the pavilion of Blue Chip Casino. Modern and comfortable, it offers bountiful value-priced buffets as well as find dining at Brio, specializing in steaks, pasta and pizza prepared in a wood-burning oven. The Blue Chip Hotel not only is convenient for patrons of the sleek gaming riverboat, but also for shopping at nearby Prime Outlets.
     Shopping is a major pastime at Michigan City and the mall offers outlet stores with brand names such as Polo, Espirit, J. Crew, Crate & Barrel, Royal Doulton and Mikasa. Sprinkled with nooks of coffee and ice cream, fudge, soup and sandwiches, it is a pleasant place to search for not-so-hard-to-find bargains.
     Another big attraction is nature's massive mounds of sand, especially 123-foot-tal Mt. Baldy, a "living dune" that actually moves. Northwest winds push it inland at the rate of four or five feet a year. The view from the top includes Chicago's skyline. A muscle-testing climb of its steep slopes and a skittering romp down are popular activities at Mt. Baldy (but parking is limited at this National Lakeshore Park, so do plan to arrive early).

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A place to get away from it all
Serenity Spring on U.S. 35 has welcomed 350 so far

DANIEL PRZYBLA
THE LAPORTE HERALD-ARGUS

     Rich and Laura Ostergren wait eagerly to read the comment card from the guest who just depart their 85 acres of secluded woodland north of LaPorte back to their over-crowded urban jungle.
     And why not? The Ostergrens haven't had a disappointed guest yet at their adult lodging getaway. Serenity Springs 5888 N. U.S. 35, according to Rich.
     Rich, 45, and Laura, 40, LaPorte residents since 1988, said it's the personal reward they feel in getting positive feedback from their guests that's most delightful.
     "We want them to feel like they're a visitor in our home," Laura said.
      But the Ostergrens admit their enterprising venture will also help pay for college for their three children.
      Open since Labor Day weekend of last year, Serenity Springs has welcomed guests from Indianapolis, Detroit, Chicago and points in between to its five separate bungalows due in large part to its convenient location off I-94 and U.S. 20.
     One might think the speeding traffic 100 yards away on the intersecting highways contaminates the romantic hideaway. 
      But that's not the case based on the hundreds of comment cards from guests who, before leaving the grounds, wrote beaming statements regarding their visit. 
      Serenity Springs advertised as the "Adult Escape" prohibits pets, children or maybe the most refreshing absence - the phone.
      "They want to know they can be away from the hustle and bustle," says Laura.
      So a ringing telephone is replaced with a butler door, an invention of Rich's near the front door of each bungalow the ensures privacy. 
      Whether it's the nightly snack or the breakfast tray, the valet staff deliver the food items into a small cubbyhole where the guest can then pick up the food without ever coming into human contact.
      It is these small touches that the Ostergrens felt was so important in order to create an a atmosphere of solitude, intimacy and most of all, the idea of a home away from home. 
      Other meticulous details include: a horse-drawn carriage ride to and from their bungalow, a gas grill, a stocked refrigerator, heated tile floor, fishing poles, flashlight and bug spray.
      Each bungalow contains a waterfront deck, king-size bed, couch, TV/DVD, dining table, microwave, sunken whirlpool, surround sound system, fire place, double bowl sink and seated shower stall. 
      Of the five bungalows made with cypress wood that are located north of a 2-acre lake, each has a different theme, including The Loft and The Vineyard.
      The Ostergrens still have a lot of work to do. Rich laid the foundations for 36 waterfront bungalows back in July 1996. That means 31 have yet to be built and they intend for each one to have a unique theme as well. 
      How the two South Chicago natives discovered the land was by accident really. 
     It had been Rich's dream to open a hospitality lodge of some kind. While returning from Illinois to their LaPorte home back in 1990, the Ostergrens noticed a For Sale sign on the wooded property. 
      Not long after, the Ostergrens bought the property that was formerly a firing range. At first, things moved slowly as Rich and Laura gathered the funding and outlined the design for the land. 
     The Ostergrens still own a real estate office in Oak Lawn, Ill., and Laura is a registered nurse who no longer practices. It was Rich and a small team of builders who constructed the bungalow. 
     "I got the vision for the whole thing, When the time comes, it will all come together." Rich said. The rest of the land sits bubbling with anticipated construction. 
     However, the property remains true to its nature by allowing nature to be itself and do as it pleases. 
     The Ostergrens admit they don't want a "country club, manicured" look.
      In nine months, Serenity Springs has had 350 guests, which has included some 30 honeymooning couples.
      Serenity Springs is open 365 days a year. Sunday through Thursday, a one night stay costs $149. Friday, Saturday or holidays, a one-night stay costs $249.

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Business Section                       Sunday, October 3, 1999

By Lee Schelling

       It’s a land of nostalgia where adults can recharge, relax and enjoy a night or two away, say the owners of Serenity Springs.
      Located at U.S. 35 and Interstate 94, the 85 acre retreat includes a serene 10 acre lake with two water channels running through it.
       Rich and Laura Ostergren, LaPorte, owners of the retreat, think they have hit upon the right combination of what they believe over-worked adults need. Time alone.
       Rich calls Serenity Springs an “adult retreat/getaway and escape.”
       Laura said she and Rich, whose main work has been in real estate, “knew if we did it (Serenity Springs) we wanted to offer more than rooms. We wanted to make it a little more unique.”
       Everything about Serenity Springs is done with unique in mind.
        Laura said the experience begins from the time guests arrive to check in at the carriage house.
       Guests park their vehicles there and are taken to their bungalows by a porter and horse drawn carriage.
       At different times of the day, guests may be able to see teams of draft horses doing work on the property, such as plowing or mowing.
        Rich said as much work as possible is done by the draft horses to both bring back the nostalgia and romance of the past, but to also reduce disrupting sounds of motorized vehicles.
       “That is why we only use horse-drown carriages to take people to the bungalows,” Rich said.
        Modern, log cabin-style bungalow buildings have wooden deck balconies which face toward the lake, only feet away.
       Rich said he has taken to setting up feed for the numerous deer on the property so when guests get up in the morning they can see deer feeding near the lake.
       The porter gives guests a tour of the bungalow and how to use all of the amenities, such as a sunken whirlpool bath for two, gas campfire grill on the outside wooden deck, and surround sound stereo and television system inside.
      There also is a microwave oven, gas fireplace, stocked refrigerator, and a radiant heated floor to keep those toes warm.
      Rich said he designed each bungalow to be different in overall shape and architecture, so repeat guests would have some variety.
       The Ostergren’s, who are parents of three children, based much of the Serenity Springs concept on what they thought would be nice for a couple doing a one or two night escape.
        That led to the incorporation of horses into the heavily wooded setting.
        The price of the stay also includes snacks and all beverages in the refrigerator, Laura said.
        Dinner/snacks are delivered with quiet in mind, Laura said. The horse-drawn housekeeping wagon goes to each bungalow and a worker puts the food into a Butler’s Pantry in the wall between the outside and inside. A breakfast basket is served the same way.
       When the goodies have arrived a light is activated by the pantry to show the food is there. “We didn’t want the guests to be disturbed and we figured this was a nice way to do it,” Laura said. “That way they can take it out at their convenience.”
       But, guests also get to take a carriage ride around the 85 acre grounds. The carriage trail winds past water areas and through woods on a path just big enough for the carriage and draft horses to maneuver. The intimacy of the woods is what Rich had in mind when he added the carriage trail, he said.
       During winter months, when there is enough snow, the carriage rides will become horse-drawn sleigh rides, he said.
      Rich said guests can come over to the stables and see the draft horses, or feel free to walk the trails. A nice, restful evening by the lake works, too, he said.
      For night-time communing with nature, insect repellent and a flashlight are available to keep guests smiling, Laura noted.
       Labor Day Weekend was the first full operational weekend for Serenity Springs, Laura said. “All the bungalows were booked full.
      “We had one guest who had reserved one night and as soon as he saw what was here he immediately booked a second night.”
       Rich and Laura have great dreams for Serenity Springs.
       Currently they have five bungalows constructed. Rich hopes to eventually have a total of 36 constructed around the lake and along the water channels.
        Plans for next year include introduction of personal paddle wheel boats to cruise the lake.
       Rich wants to add cane fishing poles for those wanting to do some catch-and-release fishing at the lake.
       Rich believes the target client for Serenity Springs will reach from area residents wanting the quick get-away to Chicago area residents looking for that special escape.
       Laura said the facility will be evolving during the next few years. “A guest who visits us today will find things different next year.
      “We bring things together that are nostalgic and romantic that people don’t have to time to do anymore and let them enjoy being together.
       Including part-time workers, the facility employs 14 people and has plans to expand.
      Linda and Russ Coules are the bulwark of the equestrian team handling the horses, Laura noted.
       Laura said the facility is for adults only and no children or pets are allowed.
      Reservations are strongly recommended because of scheduling of horse rides and other amenity services. Customized guest surprise packages are given to guests who make reservations.
      Laura said Serenity Springs is having a 50-percent off sale for the next month or two as a way of getting people acquainted with them.
      Rooms Sunday through Thursday nights are $149. Friday through Saturday the rates are $199 a night. The regular rates will be $299 and $349, respectively.
      For more information on Serenity Springs, see their website at www.serenity-springs.com, or call them at (219) 861-0000.

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