Quality Inn and Suites, Sandusky Ohio: Featuring a Water Park, Bowling Alley and Restaurant

My husband and I were looking for a fun way to spend our winter vacation this year, but we didn't have the money to spend on airfare, and driving out of Ohio is always risky due to the ice-slicked December streets. So our choices were limited to our surroundings, which include the cities of Cleveland and Sandusky. We eventually decided on booking a hotel close to home and having a relaxing weekend away from the housework, cooking, and the whiny cat. We picked Quality Inn and Suites, which is located at the entrance of Cedar Point Drive in Sandusky, Ohio. We decided on this hotel for our getaway because of the wide range of in-house activities.

We are locals and Cedar Point and its surrounding area are things we are very familiar with. Sandusky is quickly becoming the indoor water park capital of the world. It started in 2001 when Great Wolf Lodge (then Great Bear Lodge) opened, and the city is now home to 5 indoor water park hotels: Great Wolf Lodge, Castaway Bay, Kalahari, Maui Sands, and Quality Inn and Suites which has the Rain Indoor Water Play Park. Quality Inn and Suites is definitely the cheapest of the water park hotels, and once we visited the water park, it was obvious why. Two nights for two people in a standard room with a king bed was $180, and that included a discount for booking online. Admission to the water park is free for each hotel guest.

Our room itself was nice but simple. Everything appeared clean throughout the room and building although there were some gross, moldy ceiling tiles in the second floor hallway which looked like they might cave in at any moment. I guess that's what happens in the older hotels and I can only hope that it will be repaired before Cedar Point opens for the season.

Our first stop after visiting the room was to hit the water park, Rain, which was located right off the lobby. If you're looking for a park for adults to enjoy, then this definitely isn't it. There are two bigger slides , one small slide and a play area with water spouts, fountains, and areas to wade and climb. There was a hot tub which was nice and relaxing. When we visited, only one slide was open, due to a lack of lifeguards. The slide was fun, plenty of twists and turns and even an area with strobe lights. But after a few goes at it, we quickly became bored. There is no actual pool, which was very disappointing. I actually visited this hotel as a youngster and they had a nice-sized pool. My guess is that the pressure to compete with the bigger water park hotels in the city caused them to remodel, but it was a bad move.

Up next was a visit to the hotel's restaurant, The Thirsty Pony. They are home to simulcast horse racing, called Cedar Downs. My husband and I had no clue how that worked so we stayed away. The food was your typical bar grub. We ordered an appetizer of Italiano chips which were homemade potato chips smothered with garlic butter, cheese, and onion. They were absolutely, unbelievably delicious! We each also ordered burgers, which were big and filling. Overall the food was good and well-priced, the service was a little slow but average, and the atmosphere was a bit too noisy. Per Ohio law it was smoke free, as all restaurants in the state are.

After dinner it was time to head over to the attached bowling center, Cedar Lanes. Surprisingly, it was packed; we had to wait about fifteen minutes for a lane. The bowling is not included in the price of a room. It cost $8 per person per frame. In the bowling alley there is also food and drink, a laser tag area (which we did not visit), virtual golf (we didn't visit that either), and a small arcade. We visited the arcade but several of the games were out of order. Bowling was a lot of fun. There is cosmic bowling on the weekends, which consists of glow in the dark balls , neon lights, strobes, and dance music.

Our second day of vacation was more of the same. We went back to the Rain water park, this time ordering drinks from the Thirsty Pony, and playing cards. We ordered pizza from the local Pizza Pan and stayed in our room and watched movies. We went back for more bowling, too.

Overall we enjoyed ourselves and had a nice escape from home. Here's a quick review of all the aspects of the hotel...

1. Rooms: simple, older, fairly clean, nothing extraordinary

2. Restaurant: loud, good food, reasonable prices

3. Bowling alley: fun but pricey

4. Water Park: what water park?

Seriously if you are expecting a fun water park, do NOT come here. Go to Kalahari and you will have a blast. However, if you are visiting Sandusky to go to Cedar Point, then this hotel is a good one to pick. It is located right at Cedar Point's entrance, it has the Thirsty Pony restaurant, and is a stone throw from a TGI Friday's restaurant, too. If your Cedar Point plans get rained out, there is always the bowling alley which you can visit. Also, the Rain water park would be worth visiting after a long, hot day at Cedar Point. It would be a fun place to unwind in the evening, for an hour or so, but remember that there is no actual pool. If you are planning a vacation solely for the water park, then this is not the place for you, but if you just need a place to crash for the night, then Quality Inn and Suites, Rt. 6 and Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky, Ohio, is worth checking out.