Maples Motel

Got drunk here on some Chillwave Double IPA after a day riding coasters at Cedar Point. Good times!

We absolutely loved this wonderful place. Steve is so hospitable and knowledgable about the area. Check out our pic with the t-​shirts! Beautiful back way to Cedar Point. Loved it so much the first night, came back for a second. We don’t care what anybody says — LOVED the train at night. Reminded us of childhood! Will go there any time we’re back to Cedar Point, which is the best coaster park around. Rooms are clean, even have a small fridge.

Having arrived in Sandusky with no reservation, the first couple places we checked were booked up. Not wanting to pay $ 150+, we somehow came across info for the Maples Motel. I could see the retro/​kitchy appeal. After seeming to inconvenience the surly front-​desk guy, we asked if it would be possible to take a look at a room. I’m glad we looked before checking in. Man, the place is depressing; dark and dingy. We were almost resigned to stay there, thinking it might be our only option, when Mr. Friendly front-​desk-​guy said we were taking «way too long» to decide. Well, that made our decision easy. We drove just a little up the road and found three other much nicer places to choose from for only $ 5 – 10 more. The rest of our stay in Sandusky we were so glad we didn’t settle for the sad sh! thole that is the Maples.

One of Ohio’s best kept secrets — that’s the Maples Motel, and if you want a genuine retro experience (not like one of those fake and tacky «imitation 50s» places, but the real deal), then this is the place to go. We are so lucky to have this here. I think it deserves some kind of award for being one of the country’s best and most iconic roadside motels. If you live in Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, or somewhere not too far away it makes a wonderful weekend getaway for the retro minded. And if you’re from far away, this is definitely a place worth seeking out. Great pool, cool signs, Hollywood-​worthy neon, family run and clean — it’s just a down home old fashioned place full of charm. I love the retro details like the metal chairs in the rooms, the vintage bath fixtures, the cool light fixtures that are 60 or 75 years old. It’s surrounded by farm fields and there’s a train that blows its whistle just across the street, and all that adds to the feeling that you’ve just gone in some kind of time warp. If this place were in Palm Springs it would be $ 250 a night and crowded with too many ironic hipsters. Thank goodness it isn’t. Here in Ohio it’s just part of our history and local color. I’ve seen it in magazines so with the film scene growing so much in Cleveland, don’t be surprised to see this place in a movie sometime!

A wonderful little place to stay. It’s off the beaten path, yet close to all the attractions downtown. It’s owned by a great family. The service can’t be beat! If you want the ritz and lots of amenities, this isn’t the place for you. If you want great hospitality, a clean and comfy place to lay your head, and to save some cash– this is the motel you want to stay at!
Pros: Best service I’ve ever had at a hotel, hands down. The room was clean and smelled good. The doors to the rooms are outside doors, and parking is right in front of your room. There’s cable TV and a mini fridge. There’s an ice machine and pop machine at the end of the building. They actually bring fresh towels everyday (many women who have traveled a lot know exactly what I’m talking about, haha). Fresh coffee, donuts, and fruit are in the office every morning (free). There’s also a small pool (which we didn’t use being that it was October when we went). Many places deliver to the motel– a good variety– and almost all had great food and service.
Cons: There was no coffee pot or microwave in our room– which we can live without. There was no tub, though I don’t know if there are other rooms that have ones or not. Quite honestly it was my own fault for not asking as I was simply not thinking about that. The motel is right across the street from a train track. Trains run fairly regularly, but they go by very quickly and honestly didn’t bother us one bit.
All and all this was a nice place to relax after running around the town. Yeah, so the décor is dated, who cares? It’s a great stop off the beaten path with warm and caring service and a CLEAN room. It was nice and quiet when the trains didn’t run and we found it incredibly relaxing to open the windows and door up to the breeze and gaze at the lovely trees. My husband and I stayed here on our honeymoon, and we’ll happily return if we make it back out to Sandusky.

Very retro, and very much family owned; it’s been in their family, in one form or another, for at least three generations.
Location: Almost perfect. As if the grounds of the motel are not park-​like enough, there’s a nature preserve and a metropark within walking distance. Also, it’s a stone’s throw from the back entrance to Cedar Point. (In case you didn’t know, Cedar Point does have a lesser known, and much less busy, back entrance). The only trouble with the location is the proximity to some train tracks. Everybody in my family sleeps like a log, but if you are a light sleeper, you might have a problem.
Pool: Clean, warm and nicely maintained. Plenty of lounge chairs.
Rooms: Clean and comfy. A bit run down, but nothing major. (There was some loose wood paneling in our room (Not falling-​off-​the-​wall loose, but loose). The TV/​cable was fine, the mini-​fridge was fine, and the sink/​toilet/​shower were just fine). The two queen size beds were soft. There was a bit of that «old motel» scent, so maybe you might want to open the windows or bring some air freshener.
Free breakfast: The owners provide coffee and donuts, as well as granola bars and fresh fruit, in the office, from 6am until it’s gone.
I’d give MM five stars, because it’s perfect for me, but if I did that, most people would think I was crazy; there are some minor (IMO) issues. However, if you’re not too hoity-​toity, Maples Motel rates a solid four stars.

Wanting a little getaway and not wanting to stay in a huge place or something super expensive, I found Maples on the internet. Being a lover of vintage and retro it looked good to me. After calling and booking a room (and I loved the young lady who took my call; helpful and friendly and that’s a huge plus in my book) a friend of mine called who lives nearby. She offered me to stay in their upscale place but I turned her down. She then said I might like to stay at the Maples Motel!
Upon my arrival I told the owner’s son and cousin (Steve and Scott) of my friend’s recommendation and they brought mom out to meet me. I was charmed and bought a t shirt for me and one to send my friend who lives on Maui.
I used to spend time in the nearby area in the 60’s so we chatted about where to eat and how things have changed or not changed.
My room was small (ok with me). Didn’t need the A/​C and yes, the trains are very close and run often but I found that quite alright. I guess if you are a light sleeper you might have issues.
I would love to see them decorate in more vintage/​retro and there are some small repairs that could be done but would I go back again? Yes! Would I recommend? Yes!

With a good price, nice management, and a pretty if not loud setting, the Maples is a great deal. As others have said, you have to be really tolerant of the trains because they are right across the street and they are loud. Having grown up and lived near trains all my life, it was not a problem. My room was clean and had a small table with two chairs, queen size bed, mini fridge, a TV and a small bathroom. They took care of me and checked in on me and recommended places to eat if I wanted. I enjoyed walking around the grounds (out back there is a farm) and I spent a whole evening enjoying some porch beers outside my room. This is a classic, charming, but not amenity-​laden place to stay. What you see is what you get and it was worth every penny.

The Maples Motel is right outside the back entrance to Cedar Point. Affordable rooms. Family owned. Joan and Steve — mother and son run the small motel. It’s not fancy but it is cheap and relatively clean. They have a pool too. We used to stay at the Breakers but we changed to the Maples several years ago. I doubt the Breakers misses us but if we didn’t come to the Maples Joan and Steve definitely would. There is something comforting about that. The trains right across the street took some getting used to but now we barely notice them. We love it here.

Gotta love TRAINS to stay here (or else be deaf), because there’s a train crossing right outside. Luckily I’m a hard sleeper, and don’t live too far from a track myself, so the frequent whistles, bells, and chugga-​chugga at all hours were no big bother to me.
This place is totally retro and authentic. The room was a little mildew scented, but I was there the first weekend after the off-​season close-​down, so, since it looked clean, it probably just needed to air out.
The owner couldn’t have been nicer. She helped me with some unfortunate car issues as much as she could, and even gave me a chocolate bar when she saw I was having a bad day.
The pool is nice, and they have brand new lounge chairs around it.
They have a better-​than-​many cable selection, and a safe feeling location only a few minutes from the causeway to Cedar Point. (The «back way» is only about 2 minutes away, but easy to miss. It’s a slower drive up to the park, but a nice ride, and you’re less likely to get stuck in a parking line, once you get there.)
It’s a sweet little, old fashioned motel. I’ll take this over the Roadway Inn at the same price ANY day!

Location, location, location … was great — barring the train noise. We did not get much sleep because of trains and uncomfortable mattress. Our a/​c unit worked fine. Pool was a nice. Great family running the place and nice for traveling w/​a dog because of the setting among the potato (?) fields. Could be called «charming» and «old-​timey» but in reality it is tiny and overdue for a face-​lift. Not that much of a bargain.