Le Bear awakens as an eager staff welcomes guests

By Norm Wheeler
Sun editor
The colossal Le Bear Luxury Residential Club & Spa is welcoming owners/guests into their new “digs” at the end of Lake Street on Sleeping Bear Bay. Peggy Whiting, Director of Member Services and Chief Concierge, reports that 6 residences along the north side of the new resort are completed and furnished. There will be 14 residences in all, each roomy at 2,400 square feet, and each stretching from the back of the building to the front so that each has a view of the Bay, the Dunes, and the Manitou Islands. “The middle units are a bit wider and not as long, and they should be ready by July,” Peggy adds. “We expect to be using the pool (it’s heated and surrounded by a radiant heat deck) by late-June, the indoor pool by the Fourth of July, and the south units by September.”

Interior work will continue throughout the summer, and as Peggy explains, “Each interior is opulent, warm, and comfortable, and each is created and decorated with exquisite taste. Granite kitchens, Viking and Sub Zero appliances, slate floors, steam showers, and jetted tubs are a few of the highlights.” Work also continues on the restaurant, with an opening date in 2005 as the goal. “Our vision for the restaurant is of an inviting, friendly, and elegant dining experience with the best chefs and the freshest food,” promises Peggy.
The vision for Le Bear comes from the Moceri family who developed the resort. “The Moceris are a very close family and they love being up here in Glen Arbor as members of a real community,” Peggy continues. “They want to share their love of this county by providing Le Bear. It’s beautiful and intimate and done with sensitivity to the environment. Along the beach there is a large protected area for the endangered Pitcher Thistle.”
Members of the Glen Arbor Chamber of Commerce attended an open house on June 2 and were treated to tours and refreshments by Peggy Whiting, Phyllis Foley Wanroy, and Fran Marie Munaco. It was the consensus that the residences are indeed luxurious, tasteful, and comfortable.
But for the members of the Club & Spa as well as for the members of the Glen Arbor community, it will be the warmth, the diligence, and the personalities of Peggy, Phyllis, and Fran Marie that guarantee the richness of the experience. “My job has everything to do with getting the people of the community together with our guests,” Peggy says. “We know our members/guests personally, so we try to take care of everything ahead of time — meal arrangements, activities, the best places to go for breakfast, for pizza, or even to find raspberries!” Peggy emphasizes that in all respects they are trying to stay local with the services they provide and recommend. “We will have delivery services through [Anderson’s Market] and other local businesses, for example,” Peggy explains. “All of the spa services are independent contractors who live locally. This isn’t just a seasonal visit for our members. This will be their second home for 6 weeks of the year!” Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, Peggy has degrees in Anthropology and Religious Studies from Iowa State University, and she lives in Lake Leelanau with her husband Brian, an airline captain of a 737 for American Trans Air. Newcomers to Glen Arbor should have no trouble picking up on Peggy’s enthusiasm for this area. “It has been great fun to research the county and to pass on all that is special about it,” Peggy grins.
Phyllis Foley Wanroy is already a “local.” She and husband Rich own The Cove in Leland, live in Suttons Bay, and have two children, Sean, a student in the aviation program at Northwest Michigan College, and Chris, a student at Suttons Bay High School. Having married into the restaurant business, Phyllis is used to planning winery tours for customers or for recommending the best areas to find morels. “I love taking care of people,” Phyllis smiles, “and it’s easy to share the love of an area as beautiful as this one.” As well as having been concierge at The Cove, Phyllis has served as a long-time volunteer at the Hospitality House at Munson Manor in Traverse City. Like Peggy, Phyllis is a people’s person who enjoys working with the residents of Le Bear and with the people of Glen Arbor.
Fran Marie Munaco is the youngest member of the concierge staff, but she is no less eager to please. The niece of Dominic and Maria Moceri, Fran Marie just graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Psychology. “This is my first real job!” Fran Marie beams, “I passed up a corporate job in Connecticut because I don’t have to sit in a cubicle here, I get to see the water and the sunsets all the time!” Fran Marie has a dazzling smile to go with her energetic and helpful attitude, just like Peggy and Phyllis, so she fits right into the trio of can-do concierges at Le Bear.
Le Bear Luxury Residential Club & Spa will be part of the Parade of Homes June 18 — 29. Peggy says, “The public is welcome to come and satisfy their curiosity, to stop by and see the vision and the view!” Go to LeBearResort.com, call Peggy, Phyllis, or Fran at 231-334-2502, or get hold of Steve or Suzy Netherton at Glen Arbor Realty for more information.