Hotel Breakers or Sandcastles Suites?

i am going to coastermania and we are making reservations right now....where should i stay?? i looked at the map and it looks like hotel breakers is closer and a better spot to stay if i want to go back and rest during the day...What are your ideas??

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420 ft. 120 mph twice, 270º twist, brakes. ONLY at cedar point.

Xbox Live Gamertag: coasterdude 16

Never been to Sandcastle but I know it is all suites, and from what I gather they arent as good as Breakers (except in price). My advise stay at Breakers, you can walk to two park enterances (one by Magnum and one by WT) being able to walk to the enterance by WT is vitale because it is the closest entry point to the park for TTD and you are virtually assured you will beat anyone from who enters from another point (except world class sprinters who enter from the Marina or from Magnum). While this enterance is open to the public it is virtually impossible for GP to get to it, and a pain in the butt for anyone else staying on the Point too. Plus Breakers is within walking distance to Soak City, and has a TGIF in it.

*spelling*

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Summer 03-CP, HP, Canobie, SFNE, SFWOA, and SFGAm.
*** This post was edited by Touchdown 5/5/2003 10:05:53 PM ***

I think the Breakers is closer but I'm not entirely sure. It's easy to see the hotel while walking from the entrance by Magnum while you have to walk around Soak City (and the far end of Magnum's pretzel) to get to Sadncastle., so it's isn't easy to see by eye which is closer. If you book for the BReakers, I'd be interested in seeing if you have the same problem I did. I ended up renting a room with 2 Queen sized beds instead of 2 doubles, so my group is going to be paying more than we were budgeting. It may be because we're renting from Wed. through Saturday instead of just Thursday and Friday. Either way, perhaps we'll run into each other. :)

BREAKERS.

Sandcastle is fine but I think Breakers has much more character. All of the other Cedar Point resorts are just like any other hum-drum hotel in Sandusky (with the possible exception of the Radisson, which occupies a great lakeside location, and unfortunately I've never stayed there, but the TGI Friday's restaurant on site is very nice). If you are going to treat yourself to a night at Cedar Point, go in style. Breakers, in addition to being the largest hotel in the State of Ohio, offers a little taste of history and tradition, as well as a great location just steps from the park. You won't be disappointed once you walk into the rotunda. It's a great hotel.

I have a fondness for hiding up in the corner of the penninsula in the quieter confines of Sandcastle. It's a nice walk down the beach in the morning to get to the Magnum entrance. The rooms are cheaper, but not enough to make much difference. I'll admit to the rooms starting to show their age, but we always request a view of Magnum and it's so nice to take a break mid-day and sit on the balcony with a refreshing beverage and listen to the train get eerily silent as it floats over that last hill into the pretzel turn. You can actually count the airtime (or for those more anal enthusiasts, get a stopwatch). Then after the park closes, you get a wonderful night walk back up the beack to your room.

Just me...

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www.coasterimage.com
Dorney Park Visits in 2003: 2

Sandcastle is great with small kids. Suites are *required* when mom & dad don't necessarily nap with the kids. It's hard to get the tiny tot set to wind down unless you are away from the action. My kids dug the view of the Magnum pretzel, too.

The walk is not that big of a deal, maybe five minutes or so. We keep a set of umbrella strollers with us at all times when visiting the park, so the tiny feet don't get too tired. The main disadvantage of Sandcastle for me is that the beach there is closed, and will be until the Great Rains come and raise the lake levels quite a bit.

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http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~bnoble/

Is the Breakers really THAT close to the park? Is it all within walking distance? What kind of restaurants to they offer?

I'm really interested in staying, but is it worth the money? For the event they are charging something like $260 PER NIGHT! I mean, that's just a lot of money for someone coming from Jersey!

Breakers and Sandcastle are both within walking distance. Breakers Express and the Radisson are not. The easiest way to explain the value is this: staying off-site is a trip. Staying on-site is a vacation. For example, you don't feel like you are totally missing out on all the fun if you take a quick nap back at your on-point hotel, but otherwise might not want to leave.

It's up to you whether that's worth it or not. With two kids in the preschool set, it is mandatory for me for any visit longer than a half day. On the other hand, if my kids were teenagers, I might not shell out the bucks every time. (However, the less expensive rooms in "old breakers" might be a best-o-both-worlds option.)

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http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~bnoble/

The Breakers really is THAT close to the park. When you step outside, you are either literally on the beach, or less than a hundred yards from the park propper.

There's really nothing quite like it.

Also, there should be an older wing with single rooms that's less than $126 a night, if you're desperate. Not exactly the highest-end stuff, there, but you're paying for the location, not the quality.

Still and all, if you don't think it's worth it, don't do it. Staying at The Breakers is amazing, but there's nothing wrong with staying on te mainland. I've done both, and while The Breakers is more fun, the mainland has its advantages.

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I hear America screaming...

Everyone pretty much answered your question on closeness to the park (Breakers is closer than Sandcastle for park entry...both are within spitting distance of rides, if you're a world class spitter).

As for restaurants, in Breakers you have...Dominics, The Coffee Shop, T.G.I. Friday's, Mama Chetta's Pizzeria, Beaches 'n' Cream (an ice cream shop), and Poolside Deli. At Sandcastle, there's the Breakwater Cafe, which is possibly the most scenic of the restaurants on the Point, giving you a great view of where the bay and Lake Erie meet (although from a coaster enthusiast point of view, the best view in a CP restaurant is at Boathouse, at the marina, where you can see MF, Mantis, TTD, BS, & Raptor if you sit in the right spot). Since I've never stayed in Sandcastle, I really don't know if there's a restaurant in the building proper (Breakwater is adjacent to Sandcastle), or not.

Hope that helps.

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Goccvp1

0 - 120 in 4 seconds. Biggest rush of my life so far (with apologies to my wife...and a few former girlfriends).
*** This post was edited by Goccvp1 5/9/2003 4:24:00 PM ***

Great guys, thank you for your opinions. I think I may stay at the Breakers. I don't get to CP often, actually I have never been there before, and since this will be my first time there, first time on TTD, and first time on an entuhsiasts outing I may just have to bite the bullet on this one and stay in a nice room!!!

Even when we don't stay at the Breakers, we often take a little break from the bustle of the park to walk to the Breakers and have a nice quiet meal there.

Johnnyecks, I'm coming in with my group from NYC for Coastermania as well, so unless I forget to pack it, look for a guy with a shirt from Great Adventure. :)

I've stayed there in 2001 and last year's Coastermania and found the rooms to be worth the extra money considering the travel over.

A couple of reminders if you're staying at the Breakers.
l. Take your swim gear. if the weather is warm (not at all a guarantee this early), the beach is great, one of the best on Lake Erie along with Presque isle in Pennsylvania. If it's not, you have a fine indoor pool.
2. Request one of the rooms on the North Side facing the water park. That means you'll have coasters swooping past your window from early morning until late at night. It adds a certain ambience.
3. Remember you have a great miniature golf course, water park and go kart race track right across the parking lot. It makes a nice morning on departure day.
4. Don't forget while you may go in through the main gate north of the Breakers, right past the golf course, you can come out one of the more Southern gates for your breaks to save walking all the way back through the park.
5. When you arrive at the park, you'll swing left past the initial parking lot and take the long drive down the left (West) side of the park, then swing around the Northern shore, and come back down the East side to the hotel.
6. Brace yourself for the Muffleheads, the annoying little insects which swarm in early summer. They don't bite or sting; there are just so many of them the clouds drive you nuts.

I am gonna call the Breakers today and stay there. They have rooms avail. on the West (Tower) end of the hotel for like $406 (or so) for three days, two nights. It isn't lakeside, but is non-smoking (essential to me....asthma). Question: Are the rooms on this side located in a good spot to the entrance to the park? (Either one?)

I'm staying at Breakers Express. My parents said this: "If its cheaper, we stay longer." Good enough for me!

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SFNE Central v5- Online Six Flags New England Resource

Lol. I ALMOST booked my room today, but something still told me to stay back. I dunno if I'm waiting to see if I can get one more person to go with me, or if something is telling me to wait because maybe a cheaper room will open up. I'm not all that comfortable dropping $205 a night, even though it will be worth it I'm sure.