Island House Hotel

Well… it’s not the Ritz Carlton.
When I saw that CoasterMania was taking place at Cedar Point in early June, I knew that every hotel within 10 miles would be booked up solid. Sure enough that was the case, so I was happy to have found this quaint place not far from Sandusky, Ohio.
TripAdvisor ranked Island House Hotel very highly (almost suspiciously so, hmmm…) so booking a 2-​night stay was an easy decision. They called me the afternoon before we arrived to confirm our reservation, which was nice of them to do so.
Upon arriving we were greeted and given keys to our room. Taking the elevator was a mistake, as that thing has been around longer than most cemeteries. It could possibly be the world’s oldest operating elevator, for all I know. Small, slow, rickety, didn’t inspire confidence. From then on, we took the stairs.
The hallways were winding and gave the whole place a very cozy, yet creepy feel that would feel right at home as the setting for the next supernatural horror movie (coming soon to a theater near you!) Exhausted from a long night of traveling, I promptly passed out on the fluffy queen size bed as a ceiling fan peacefully whirred above me.
Waking up the next morning, I hoped for a decent continental breakfast prior to a full day at the amusement park. Sadly, I was a tad let down. I wasn’t expecting an omelette bar or homemade Belgian waffles, but it would’ve been nice to have milk in cartons (instead of a large pitcher) and pastries that weren’t hard as rocks. Maybe I’m just used to being spoiled with deluxe breakfasts at Hilton Garden Inns and Embassy Suites…
They had bacon the first day, alas on the second morning they ran out :’(at least they had the plastic tubs of cereal that I took to-​go, but even the selection of fruit was barren on the Sunday morning we checked out. Wah wah.
Following a very soggy night at Cedar Point (we got absolutely drenched), at least one of us was banking on taking a hot shower. It took something like 10 – 15 minutes for the hot water to actually kick in. And when it did, it was SCALDING. Yowza!
The highlight (lowlight?) of the stay happened when the toilet seat came off in my hand. So there I am, doubled over laughing, waving around the seat lid like a moron and not even able to catch my breath. I managed to reattach it to the crapper, but the whole episode was pretty hilarious. Not good, but still damn funny. You had to be there, bro.
Bread = 3
Circuses = 3.5
Joe DiMaggio stayed here, I think. So did Grover Cleveland, and Marilyn Monroe (or was it Marilyn Manson… Charles Manson?) Whatever. Place is old. Not dilapidated so much, just «historical». Room rates were somewhat reasonable, but a meager continental breakfast and outdated facilities don’t leave me aching to return anytime soon.
I suppose if you’re staying in the area and seeking someplace that isn’t a chain, then Island House Hotel should fit the bill nicely.
Then again, I’m a man who holds hotel bathrooms to a higher standard, so when I have to deal with long load times for hot water and a sh*tty broken sh*tter, I’m less than impressed.

We were staying here for the Biggest Birding Week. The hotel was about 13 miles from Magee Marsh so it wasn’t too bad. Some of the Van birding trips have a pickup at Port Clinton and the pickup location is only a block away so overall it was close for all the birding events we did. The hotel has a lot of charm but the rooms were a bit cramped especially with a king side bed. The breakfast didn’t have much selections. It also didn’t start till 6am and since we were doing some crack of dawn birding trips we just ended up buying some stuff from the grocery store and keeping it in the refrigerator in the room.

Very happy with our stay here. We stayed on a whim due to another hotels error. Despite our rushed reservation, the room and staff were very accommodating. The room was small… very small but it was extremely clean! The breakfast had a good selection available. This place is within walking distance to numerous pubs, a coffee shop, and the jet express ferry. We LOVED the ability to walk pretty much anywhere. We would definitely come back and stay again. The historic vibe the hotel maintains while also remaining modern and clean is difficult to do but this place does it well!
OH! And the bed was extremely comfortable. One of the best hotel beds I’ve slept in.

Nice clean cozy place with great service. I hate staying at hotels but this place was very nice.

My girlfriend and I spent a wonderful day and night. The staff were incredible and very friendly. The room was clean and neat. It was a perfect stay. The bed was SO comfortable! I can not say enough good about our visit and plan on visiting again in the future. It snowed the day we were there and made the visit all the better.

we just love coming here. the people are just great, and even the staff in the 1812 resturant were wounderfull. can not say enough about it. keep up the great work

Excellent meal! I had the salmon with the cabernet blackberry reduction and my husband had the filet and lobster tail. Both were wonderful, as were the garlic shrimp and coconut shrimp appetizers.

Our party of four had dinner and drinks at the 1812 Island House on a busy Friday night. Each one of us had an excellent meal and the drinks were also very good. You can choose to go casual or dress up a bit, it’s nothing fancy but surroundings are attractive right down to linen table cloths and napkins. We also used valet parking due to the crowds. Even though it was busy, our waitress was excellent. The prices are not cheap, but you will get an excellent meal in the $ 20+ dollar range which also includes a salad and warm, crusty bread. You can choose to sit in the large eating area, a smaller lounge area or outside. We sat in the large dining area and were able to enjoy conversation at our table without any problem. We are happy that the Island House has finally gotten it right after going through many owners and menus We will certainly go back and take others with us.

We booked a 2 queen bed room for 4 adults. We were going to Cedar Point as part of our vacation and wanted to stay somewhere that wasn’t your standard business/​chain hotel or overrun by kids. This was a great choice! Our room was nice and clean. The beds were small but comfortable. The hotel had character. I was glad we stayed there!
Port Clinton is definitely a small town but there are a couple restaurants near by. We ate at the restaurant downstairs & great place on the beach only 5 min away.

My friends and I were were staying nearby during labor day weekend and stumbled on the restaurant at this hotel named 1812. We didn’t quite know what to expect, (as we were casually dressed– and asked to be seated in the bar area) but the hostess was pleasant and assured us we were dressed fine and placed us in the restaurant. This is a nice place (cloth napkins and water glasses…) and the food was excellent. I got the crab cakes, my husband got the stuffed pork, our other friend got the perch, and his fiancée got the soup and salad. After we all started eating, we decided that everyone should try the others and started sharing food (everyone but soup and salad– I think we all passed on that…) and it was all delicious! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for good food and a beautiful ambiance.

Port Clinton, which I take to be a vacation town in the summer, is a sleepy and quiet town in the winter. As it is roughly equidistant from myself in New York and my girlfriend in Chicago, it is a perfect place for us to meet halfway for an unplanned weekend date.
The staff at the hotel is very friendly and accommodating. We got a great deal on a room with a king size bed, and had a great time hanging out around the little town. The room was very nice and clean. I would highly recommend the Island House to anyone looking for a place to stay!

Every town and every city has its history, its life, and hiccups. Port Clinton, once a blooming beautiful resort town by the lake has seen its day of fame, tourist, and socialite. But since the crash of the big American Auto Industry, the crash of Detroit, hit the surrounding cities and towns like a domino affect.
While some places have closed down, there are still places like Island House Inn, refusing to fall to the economy. In its prime youth the Island House has hosted the big shots like: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Clark Gable, Joe DiMaggio, General Douglas MacArthur and Bob Dylan.
On a beautiful Wednesday evening with my customers we had the wonderful opportunity of eating dinner at this quiet restaurant. Even when happy hour hit there was a total of 7 people 3 of which were part of my party. While the food isn’t creative, but my local catch of the day was delicious. Steak was cooked perfectly.
Best way I can describe it is food at its simplest.