Cedar Point trip question

I'm planning a trip to CP in late June. I've found a good rate at the Maples Motel, but I haven't stayed there in years.

Anyone stayed there relatively recently? Comments?

I don;t know anything about Maples, but I've said on here before, Never cheap out on the hotel. Personally, I'd stick to well established brands, Marriott, HI, Hilton, etc. A cheap motel near a huge tourist attraction is just that.

But I could be wrong, I've never stayed near CP before.

I’m pretty sure the same people don’t own it, it didn’t open for a whole year IIRC so I’m not sure. Everyone always said it was super nice and clean and what not. It wasn’t open the last time I went to CP tho.

For kicks and giggles I searched the interwebs for this joint and found some traveler review photos and you couldn't pay me enough to stay there. Surprisingly, the motel gets some decent reviews, mostly about how nice and hospitable the owners are, but no thanks based on the photos I saw.

I'm a hotel snob and believe that when traveling, your hotel is part of the experience and not just a place you sleep at. I want a clean, modern property and one that passes my bare foot test....meaning I don't get all grossed out walking in the room barefoot, or even more so the bathroom. I want to take a shower in a bathroom that is as nice, or nicer than the one I do at home.

This basically means I typically bunk up at a fairly high scale business class properties along the lines of a Hilton, Marriott or Hyatt. I can even do some of the mid-level chain properties like a Hampton Inn if needed, but it has to be the rich scenario, and after some internet vetting.

But for the no name mom and pop's like this place, no thanks. I'll gladly drop the extra $100 bucks for something that I'm comfortable going back to each night, even if it just to sleep there. I want to look forward to going back to my hotel at night; not dread it.

I get that, totally.

But I have a fondness for mom and pop joints and like to support them when I can.

Decent hotels in Sandusky are few and far between. I've not ever stayed at Maples. I heard a few good things, but that was many years ago.

Hanging n' Banging said:

I'm a hotel snob and believe that when traveling, your hotel is part of the experience and not just a place you sleep at. I want a clean, modern property and one that passes my bare foot test....meaning I don't get all grossed out walking in the room barefoot, or even more so the bathroom. I want to take a shower in a bathroom that is as nice, or nicer than the one I do at home.

Almost any time I stay in a hotel, it's just a place to sleep and I still want all of that.

Yeah same here. Last trip to CP we actually got a really nice AirBnB about 20-30 minutes away. I had s conversation with my sister recently about how once I started staying in nice hotels I can’t really not do it anymore.

I won't stay anywhere but Breakers at this point.

^ This 100%.

I've stayed at nearly a dozen different hotels in that area at all different price levels. I always hesitated to stay at Breakers because what they were charging seemed incompatible with the quality of the rooms. I saw pictures of the renovated hotel and finally decided to stay at Breakers last year during a quick two-day trip to the Point.

I was impressed. The renovated rooms are really nice and have a lot of nice Cedar Point touches. The fact that it's steps from the park cannot be overemphasized. Being on property gives you options. It allows you to relax so much more because you know you have a place to come back to in the late afternoon, rest up, go to the beach, etc. There are a lot of nice activities at the hotel and on the beach there from Memorial to Labor Day. It is a wonderful experience and worth every penny.

Gary Dowdell said:

The fact that it's steps from the park cannot be overemphasized. Being on property gives you options. It allows you to relax so much more because you know you have a place to come back to in the late afternoon, rest up, go to the beach, etc. There are a lot of nice activities at the hotel and on the beach there from Memorial to Labor Day. It is a wonderful experience and worth every penny.

100% this

Gary Dowdell said:

I was impressed. The renovated rooms are really nice and have a lot of nice Cedar Point touches.

94% this

And for the record, McClure has a wife. And kids.

My wife and I got so used to penny pinching in my grad school days that the thought of staying at Breakers never even entered our mind. Our first stay was the year of the renovation and nope...never staying anywhere else again.

Just for kicks, we have gotten the same room 3 years in a row during our annual first week of June trip.

But to each their own.

Jeff said:

I won't stay anywhere but Breakers at this point.

I'd love to stay there -- when I was young my family stayed there often. But it's well outside my price range these days.

Heck, part of the enticement for the trip is the promotion Cedar Point is running for Michigan residents, $39 per person admission and free parking.

We wanted to stay at Breakers last year but they didn’t have anything but family sized suites and there were only 3 of us. It was a last minute trip. I do want to stay there next time.

Before I went to Cedar Point last year I looked into Breakers and was shocked at the price; definitely out of my range. Accommodations may be an important part of the travel experience for some but I don't really care where I stay as long as it's clean, safe and close to the park. Last year I stayed at the La Quinta in Sandusky and while it's a really unprepossessing facility, it was absolutely fine - especially as it was free thanks to the points I had accumulated through the La Quinta Returns program (recently abolished b/c La Quinta was taken over by Wyndham so I transferred my points to the latter). As modest as this place is, it was a significant step up from the EconoLodge where I stayed several years ago during Coastermania, which unfortunately coincided with Ohio Bike Week so that the motel was full of bikers. All of my recent park trips in this country involved stays at a La Quinta and they were all satisfactory with the exception of the one within walking distance of Busch Gardens Tampa; that one was horribly dilapidated.

I used to turn my nose up at La Quinta, but I gave them a chance several years ago when I got a corporate discount code from a friend and I've been pleasantly surprised. I've found that it's best to stick to the properties with inside entry rooms and their newer or at least recently remodeled properties. We've done 4 NYC trips over the last 9 years and stayed at the same La Qunita in mid-town on 3 of the trips.

I think LaQuinta is the best choice at their price point. I'm normally a little bit of a hotel snob, not super picky like some, but I don't stay below Marriott/Embassy Suites/Doubletree level hotels. I stayed at the LQ by Kings Dominion solely because of location and the fact that they could fit 6 people in a room, and thought it was a nice facility. I've stayed in 5 or 6 since (they're my go-to night before cruise hotel) and only one has been below my standard... and as you mention it was an outward entry room.

My last 4 times at CP were Breakers (nice), Sandcastle Suites (complete dump), and 2x at Castaway Bay which is a great option in the bumper seasons when the park is closing earlier.

If Breakers is out of your price point, you could look at CP Express. Express, along with the other Cedar Point resorts comes with early entry.

The problem with most of the big brands is that they're all franchisees, and enforcement of brand standards varies. That's why brand loyalty is less useful... they're not owned by the same people from town to town.

Two unsuspecting Brits stayed at the Rodeway Inn. Fools.