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Travel back in time to 1905. Cedar Point was still a young resort, only 35 years old, when the massive Hotel Breakers was built. The goal for the sprawling Breakers was to have a view of Lake Erie from every room. Approximately 90 percent of the rooms met that goal. You can walk out of the hotel and step right onto the beautiful Cedar Point beach -- the resort's main attraction back in 1870. |  |
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Times have changed, however, and the historic Hotel Breakers has changed, too. On the east side of the hotel, two of the original wings were leveled to make way for Breakers East. To the west, one original wing was demolished in favor of the Breakers Tower. These modifications added much-needed space to the popular old hotel, while also providing modern conveniences. The central section of the hotel, including the Rotunda area, is about the same as it was nearly 100 years ago. |
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To the right is a nighttime view of the Breakers East swimming pool
-- one of three pools at the Hotel Breakers. All three pool areas
also include jacuzzis. The two jacuzzis by the Rotunda even have
waterfalls. The pool for the Breakers Tower section is indoors, so
swimming can be enjoyed in any weather.
The Breakers Tower also has a special Peanuts floor, where the rooms have Peanuts characters on the walls. |
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On the left is the bedroom of a suite in the Breakers East. Despite
the new rooms, the hotel's historic charm has been retained.
On the right is the entertainment for Halloween. I've heard of ghost writers, but skeletal pianists? I think Bones has been playing the same tunes in this very spot since the hotel opened! |
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Want to do some shopping? The Breakers can handle that, too. The Ship's Store contains some souvenirs, snacks, and little items you may have forgotten to pack. (One year, I had to purchase a razor, shaving cream, toothbrush, toothpaste -- gee, I didn't forget too much on that trip, did I?) Forget your swimsuit? Check out the Surfside Boutique. There's also Island Accents with some tropical-style clothing.
If you want to do some game playing, there's an arcade in the Breakers Tower, right by the indoor pool.
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Sandcastle Suites is billed as the first new hotel at Cedar Point since the Hotel Breakers. Well, that's not exactly true. Built in 1915, the Cedars Employee Hotel was originally a guest hotel. Eventually, it was turned into employee housing. Anyway, Sandcastle Suites was built in 1990, enlarged in 1992, and given a facelift in 2007. This hotel is right on the tip of The Point, making for stunning views! As the name implies, every room in Sandcastle is a suite. |
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| Next door to the Sandcastle Suites is the Breakwater Cafe. It's
a good place to go for a hearty meal, escaping the standard amusement park
fare. Additionally, the glass-enclosed restaurant offers excellent
views of Lake Erie, with boats often passing close by the restaurant.
Breakwater can be a bit of a frightening place in a storm. Twice, I've been in the restaurant when some of Lake Erie's fiercest storms arose -- from this vantage point, it appears to be a miracle that Cedar Point has remained standing since 1870! |
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Would you like to bring your own lodging? Cedar Point can help
you with that, too. Surrounded by the Magnum XL 200, Camper Village
provides over 200 camp sites for RVs. Sorry, no tent camping, which
is probably a good thing. If one of those fierce Lake Erie storms
came thundering in, you and your tent would probably find yourselves heading
for the wonderful land of Oz! Be sure to say "Hi" to Dorothy and
Toto while you're there!
Camper Village has done a lot of shrinking over the years. In the "Unsubstantiated Rumors" department, there have been thoughts that Camper Village eventually may become a new Cedar Point midway. |
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Time to "rough it" in style at Lighthouse Point at Camper Village. Added for the 2001 season, Lighthouse Point has cottages with beautiful views overlooking Lake Erie. There's room for 6 in these cottages, with a double bed, bunk beds, and a pull-out sofa. Plus, every cottage has a deck and a charcoal grill. |
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| In addition to the cottages, there are also log cabins in a cozy setting
surrounding a small pond. So that there's no doubt you're at Cedar
Point, the Mean Streak is easily seen looming nearby. For the campers,
an additional 59 sites were built, adding to the sites in the older part
of Camper Village. Tent camping is not allowed in this part of Camper
Village, either.
Lighthouse Point also has its own swimming pool, a children's water playground, and a recreation area, all in the vicinity of the historic Cedar Point Lighthouse. To add to that traditional Cedar Point feeling, there are even shuffleboard courts! Even if you're not staying at Lighthouse Point, this area offers some fabulous views, so be sure to take the time to walk out on the Lighthouse Point pier. During the day, the views of Lake Erie are breathtaking. At night, Millennium Force provides a fabulous light show that is easily viewed from the pier. Due to its popularity, Lighthouse Point was expanded in 2004 with more cottages, cabins, and camp sites. |
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Rather do you camping on the water? Opened in 1959, the Cedar
Point Marina is one of Lake Erie's largest in-water marinas. The
Marina has recently undergone a major renovation and expansion.
Additionally, there is a Marina swimming pool, a Marina Store, and two
restaurants.
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Of the restaurants, the Bay Harbor Inn is Cedar Point's fanciest, and is also the only one that is open year-round. It's rather expensive, but the food at Bay Harbor is delicious! My wife and I enjoyed a wonderful meal here to celebrate our first "month-iversary" in May 2006. Bay Harbor features seafood and steaks. |
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| Also next to the Marina is Famous Dave's restaurant, with barbecued ribs. It's another place to get some delicious food that isn't quite your standard amusement park fare. Famous Dave's replaced the BoatHouse restaurant in 2004. |  |
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If you can't stay on The Point, you can at least stay close.
Right across the Cedar Point Causeway is Castaway Bay, formerly the Radisson
Harbour Inn, also owned and operated by Cedar Point. This beautiful
waterfront hotel is almost as close as the hotels on The Point. The
beds are remarkably comfortable, and the rooms are rather large and have
private balconies. Even if you don't visit Cedar Point, this hotel
is a great place to stay!
And now, there's more! The hotel's name change came about in November 2004 due to the addition of a year-round indoor water park. The water park is often only available to Castaway Bay Resort guests, but, some days, non-guests are permitted to visit if the park is not busy. With Castaway Bay, it's now possible to have some Cedar Point fun all 12 months of the year! |
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Upon going through the main entrance to Castaway Bay, we come across
a shipwreck. We might even find that Snoopy boarded this 3 hour cruise!
Hmmm, I wonder if Lucy would be playing the role of Ginger Grant -- somehow,
she doesn't strike me as the Maryann type!
For all your shopping pleasures, there are three shops off of the lobby. To the left, you'll find Nick Knack's. Nick has those various little items you just can't live without! Forgot your swimsuit? No problem. A little farther back on the left is Pearl's Swimwear Boutique. For the souvenir hunters, Capt. Woody's Tide Pool Treasures is on the right. You don't even have to get your feet covered in sand -- Woody did the beachcombing for you! |
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Even on a bitterly cold (but bright and sunny!) February morning, those
three slides that stick out the side of the building (as seen on the left)
still manage to remain remarkably warm! I rather expected to exit
the slide with icicles hanging from my... uh... toes. (Remember,
Cedar Point is a family park! Gotta be careful of where those icicles
might be hanging!) But, not only was the ride free of icebergs, the
water was actually quite tropical. On top of that, those slides had
some real zip in them, so they were lots of fun!
Upon entering Castaway Bay, just look for the signpost to help you get anywhere in the water park. If we turn to the right, we'll find those three slides sticking out of the building. We'll also find Rendezvous Run, of which we can see the first drop in the lower right picture. Rendezvous Run is a water coaster. You'll ride in a rubber raft. Along with the usual drops of a water slide, this slide also has forceful water jets that push you back uphill. It's a real blast! The right side of Castaway Bay also has Big Daddy's Snack Shack, with hot dogs, pizza, and other such items to give you energy to keep playing. If we turn left at the entrance, we'll find the Castaway Bay Wave Pool (lower left photo). Every few minutes, the waves will start, and it's surf's up in the tropics. Continuing along on the right, we encounter The Grotto, which is a large indoor-outdoor hot tub. Even in the winter, you can enjoy sitting outside without your feet ever touching the cold ground! It's actually quite refreshing to have the wintery fresh air cooling the face combined with the warmth of the hot tub. (It's not supposed to be done, but some sneaky people even slip out of the tub and get some snowball tossing action going!) At the very back of Castaway Bay is Lookout Lagoon, a large activity tower with a bucket that dumps water every once in a while. If you want to try out a couple more water slides, you'll have to brave that bucket to get to 'em! On top of all that, there are some areas for climbing, playing basketball in the water, and relaxing in the tropical paradise. |
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Next door to the water park is Crabbie's Quarter Deck Arcade.
Side-step on into there if you'd like to enjoy some dry fun for a bit.
While the kids are playing games, the parents might even try sneaking off
to the spa.
Looking to eat? There are several options! If you'd like an all-you-can-eat buffet, look for the flamingos wearin' the really cool shades. You'll find them at Mango Mike's. If you're looking for a quick treat, try Ebb & Eddy's Island Sweets & Eats for ice cream, fudge, sandwiches, and other tasty snacks. The parents can sneak off to Gil's on the 3rd floor to enjoy some liquid refreshments. At the end of the building, there's also a TGIFriday's restaurant, sure to have something for everyone to eat. During the amusement park's operating season, this TGIFriday's is usually not quite as busy as the one at the Hotel Breakers. |
| The 2000 season brought about Breakers Express, a relatively low-cost alternative to the other Cedar Point resorts. The prices for this Cedar Point hotel are comparable to most of the less-expensive hotels in the Sandusky area, yet it's quite a bit closer to the park than the Sandusky area hotels. Breakers Express is located along the Cedar Point Causeway, right across from Cataway Bay. |
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Keep on riding those roller coasters!
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| Return to Soak City | Go to The Point Tour | That's The End! |
