Blue Harbor Resort

Absolutely, hands down off the chain! Can’t beat the price or proximity to Chicago. Beats the dells any day. Tons of things to do for little ones, food is fantastic and everything is within the resort that you could possibly need. Have been here numerous times in the past two years and will continue to come visit this gem on the lake.

We got a really great rate here and I was super excited because we had been wanting to visit, but it just wasn’t in our budget.
Finally there was a deal that was an absolute STEAL — so we booked and took the kids for the weekend. A friend and her daughter even booked their own room and met us there!
The resort is glorious and gorgeous — my daughter says it reminds her of the Grand Floridian in Disney World (we’ve never stayed there — just have gazed at it from the monorail) and I agree with her.
We had a loft room, which was fun — and the kids thought it was awesome to have STAIRS in our room! And we enjoyed being separate from them (but still able to hear and observe what was going on downstairs) and able to watch our own TV. We booked a lake view — and it did NOT disappoint.
I woke up early the first morning — and sprang out of the bed when I realized it was just about time for the sun to rise. I stood on our balcony and watched the sunrise over Lake Michigan.
It was SPECTACULAR.
The waterpark was fun and my kids had a blast on the surf simulator.
The only thing I’d say is that the furniture needs some refreshing. Tears in the fabric and just some minor repairs that are needed to freshen the place up a bit (just had age & wear look to some things).
Oh! I had also read about the bonfires and roasting marshmallows at night. So we waited and headed out to the bonfire our 2^nd night there (a Saturday) — and there were no marshmallows. My kids went in & asked at the front desk — and they were told they’d be out there. No marshmallows ever came out. So — they went back to the desk and spoke with someone else — who informed them that there would be no marshmallows because of the time of year it was.
Ummm…are marshmallows seasonal? I didn’t realize that the Midwest had difficulty securing marshmallows at particular times of the year. Or do the Marshmallow Bushes in Wisconsin stop blooming?
My kids were disappointed — but it wasn’t a deal breaker. The guy’s attitude however, was not appreciated (our friend had quite the ordeal with this same person the night before when she arrived … but that’s for her review).
Other than that — we really enjoyed our time here and it was hard to pack and leave at the end of the weekend. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to make it there again.

Not sure what is going on at Blue Harbor. I have been going there with family and friends for the past 4 years. This last time I was a bit disappointed. First of all, our villa wasn’t ready at 4pm, or rather if it was, nobody called us to say it was. OK… we just had 4 kids going nuts in the bar for 2 hours and I kept going up periodically to check the villa status. Annoying.
Secondly, our villa seemed kind of outdated and lacking simple things I would expect in a villa or room with a kitchen, like paper towels. There were no laundry bags in the entire 4 bedroom villa.
There were several miscommunications from the staff as far as how to register our kids for the kids movie night and that was also a bit frustrating. Seems like a rather straightforward request on a service they are now promoting (I received an email advertising the kids movie night).
Took forever to get any food at the pool bar. I heard this from several other people as well.
The final thing that prompted me to think twice about returning to Blue Harbor anytime soon was the fact that a soiled diaper and kids clothes laid in the same spot in the locker room for over 24 hours. That is just uncalled for and tells me the place is really lacking in management.
Get your act together Blue Harbor or you are going to lose your regulars.

Checking in is a pain in the as*. Forget about an early check in. Then at 4:00 they have 25 people in line trying to check in at the same time. Ughhhh

Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan, WI is nicely located next to the Michigan Lake with great view, and indoor water park geared toward young children.
I found a good deal on the resort on Groupon and decided to bring my family for a weekend getaway, here. The front, life guards, and various folks at Blue Harbor were courteous and atmosphere was good as well.
However, there was a big problem. Bed Bugs!
After the 1^st night, I found pink colored bumps on the shoulder, neck, and back. Initially, I didn’t take it seriously; since I was very busy taking care of kids. After 2^nd night I found more of those, and on my way back home, I realized that these bumps were getting itchier.
I was worried about others getting into the same problem, so I let Blue Harbor know via email. But I just got a very shot reply saying they did not find any pest.
The itchiness got worse, so I went to see a doctor, who confirmed that those are from bed bugs. I had to wash my bedding and comforters, but now I am worried that some got carried home.
In summary, although you can have great time enjoying Water Park, great view, and courteous staff, I cannot recommend Blue Harbor for safety reasons for you and your family.

Blue Harbor was recommended to us as a place where we could take our younger-​ish children to a water park and not have it be overwhelming. Overall, we had a fantastic weekend.
First, the price for a weekend in November was amazing. $ 99 (plus tax) for a great room. The children had their own themed room. You could choose from a boat, an aquarium, etc… We felt that price would be hard to beat.
The rooms were great, super spacious. The staff were friendly. There was a little coffee shop/​café where affordable breakfast was available (coffee, rolls, yogurt, cereal…). We ate there every morning for breakfast under $ 10 for a family of 4.
Great gift shop with Vera Bradley on sale for 25% off. That was a mom highlight!
Sheboygan has a different feel from the dells and if you are looking for night life or shopping you will be disappointed.
Overall though, we had a blast. It lived up to the recommendation!

Clean, comfortable and cool location.
I travel often for business. This stay though was with my family for fun. I would definitely stay here again, for either business or pleasure.
It’s a short drive to Kohler-​Andrae State Park and the harbor location is cool.

I am absolutely coming back here! The room is clean and spacious and the view is amazing! The waterpark is fun for all ages. We did the glow mini golf which was a little long and boring but at least it was cool (temp) up there. Everything was clean and the family loft was perfect for our family of 5! Each of the kids got their own bed and my husband and I got the loft and some privacy.
I can’t believe I’ve never been here and it’s only an hour away. Will definitely be back!!!

We love it here! We came off season, which is what we prefer. The building is beautiful and clean. The water park will satisfy any age. It is very clean and well taken care of. We got the Kids Aquarium room at a reasonable rate on Groupon. We were on the lake side, third floor. What a beautiful view of the lake! The sunrise was amazing! The room itself was very clean and still looked new. The decorations were even nice! Everyone we encountered from the front desk to the restaurant were very accommodating. I would definitely come back!

My family rented a large villa for 5 days in June, I was getting married in Sheboygan. Growing up in Alaska, my family is not easily impressed with scenery (it’s hard to top Alaska!). However, my family was blown away by how beautiful the beach and Lake Michigan were.
We loved the villa. It was the perfect gathering spot for our extended family. It was also perfect for all the getting ready activities I needed to do with my large wedding party. They have great customer service and were very accommodating for our large party. Also the water park the day after the wedding was a great way to soak our aching dancing muscles!

Accommodations — Good value for the money. Pretty scenery. The surrounding grounds are kept clean.
Restaurants — The food was bland but the servers were friendly and helpful.

Our family has been coming to Blue Harbor for several years now, with our children now approaching their teen years. We’ve had a lot of fun over the years at the beach, dining at the restaurants and in the water park. Ownership has changed hands over the years and it seems like, as each year goes by, the quality and service keeps dropping a notch.
It is true that the views of Lake Michigan can’t be beat, but the kudos for that goes to God, not Blue Harbor. As for our resort experience, the bad outweighed the good on this trip, which is disheartening because I have hundreds of pictures of my kids all around the property through the years, so it has really been our «go to» vacation spot.
As in the past we rented two villas for our extended family members. When we got to our villa, the housekeeping staff had been there, but only provided two bars of soap and one extra roll of toilet paper per bathroom for a 5-​day stay, and no extra paper towels. During our stay, housekeeping didn’t show up, so I tracked down a housekeeping staffer who was working another area of the villas and I asked him for soap and toilet paper… so I ended up having to get it myself. I also tried to call housekeeping at 3pm on another day to get fresh towels, but got voicemail. My request was ignored, so I called again around 6pm and actually reached a human, who sent someone over with towels that also emptied our garbage… she was extremely nice. Another nuisance was that all 4 toilets in the two villas had wobbly toilet seats that I had to repair on my own.
On the upside it should be noted that the water pressure for showers in the villas is excellent and having a washer/​dryer combo is very handy.
The second villa we rented was kind of nasty. The showers had mold in the tile grout and the place was infested with flies. The oven was not usable since it was dirty and the racks didn’t fit properly. We called the front desk and they said they’d see if they could find a fly swatter for us. They called back a couple of days later to say they couldn’t find one. There was no response regarding the mold. We spent time each day killing flies.
On a side note… In the past Blue Harbor had offered a substantially discounted «bounce back» rate for rooms if you were to book your next stay during your current stay. When we inquired about it this time, we were told that the rate was no longer being offered because they didn’t have to, since people we’re willing to pay full price. Perhaps, but the place didn’t seem overly crowded, (the water park seemed fairly empty at times) so they might want to re-​think the discounted rate for loyal patrons. We’re not going to pay Hawaii prices for a villa in Sheboygan.
While out of their control, another issue involved the beach, which seems to have amazingly disappeared. I’m assuming it is due to the rainy summer we’ve experienced, but the beach is probably 50 feet shorter than it was when we visited two years ago. The sand doesn’t seem to be well kept, with a couple of abandoned volleyball poles still sitting there, along with a random boat. The water was also green with algae, so most everyone avoided going for a swim.
The outdoor pool is fun and a nice change from the noise of the indoor water park. However, even there I observed a couple of negatives. First was my experience at the poolside bar where the bartender was nice to the patrons (although I had to tell her what liquor goes in a Mai Tai) but when she turned around she made a variety of comments to co-​workers along the lines of not wanting to be there, and even told one co-​worker that she was quitting since she had a found another job. When I’m paying $ 10 per drink on my vacation, I really don’t want to hear about an employee’s personal issues with her job.
The final issue issue involved a table umbrella that went airborne and crashed down on another table. Thankfully no one was injured, but when the incident first took place, no one from the Blue Harbor staff (2 bartenders, a server and a life guard) made a move to help. The patrons removed the umbrella and checked to make sure everyone was OK. To their credit, a bartender did call a supervisor who arrived within a few minutes to assess the situation. But the initial lack of reaction showed a lack of concern for patrons.
New in the water park is the Riptide surf simulator (for which you have to sign a waiver) which seems like a blast, but I took a pass due to my «certain age.» It displaced the «baby slides,» so I do feel bad for parents with little ones who no longer have a slide option.
As for dining, we all ate at the breakfast buffet, which has actually improved since the last time we tried it and is reasonably priced. Some of our party tried the Beacon restaurant for dinner which they said was just OK.
If they are going to charge upscale resort prices, I really hope Blue Harbor refocuses their efforts to better serve patrons, because the property and amenities have such great potential.

This place rocks! The property is beautiful. The water park is perfect for our kids 5,5,8. I was surprised at how nice the views and property was. There is plenty to do and eat and the best part is it’s just a short walk away. I thought we’d be bored afta 3 days but we didn’t get to do all we wanted so we’ll definitely be back. The kids were in heaven and loved the view of the «ocean» haha. You can spend a few bucks eating out, many of the places were a bit pricey but didn’t have a bad meal. My only negative was the town of Sheboygan didn’t have much to do. The internet made it seem like the town was rockin but that wasn’t the case, and many things closed early or never opened. Get yourself some Sheboygan sausage you’ll be begging for more

This is a very pretty resort right off lake Michigan, but the service is terrible, very inconsistent. The younger employees don’t seem thrilled to be working, no smiles, and no going above and beyond. Our phones were not working and they didn’t send anyone to fix it. The response was, a lot of phones are not working right now. I asked for a bed rail for my son and they said they ran out. No other options until he fell that night and hurt himself. The next morning when I complained is when they gave me other options for my son and mysteriously had another bed rail.
If you get a really good/​cheap rate, go. Otherwise, don’t spend your money.

The Blue Harbor Resort is great for couples and families alike. My hubby and I spent 2 nights and 3 days to getaway from the city and it is the perfect amount of time to explore the resort which is about a 2 ½ hour drive north of Chicago.
A beautiful lakefront pathway for long walks or a bike ride for over the sunrise or sunset.
There is an onsite waterpark with themed rooms for kids and also villas and family suites. Lots of scheduled activities for kids including nightly smores over a bonfire.
There is an onsite Starbuck’s that serves local ice cream and fudge flavors!
We plan on ending our stay with a relaxing visit to the onsite Aveda spa called Reflections.

Lovely and beautiful hotel that makes you forget you are in a small industrial town. I was there for work and was very pleased with the accommodations, my room was large, well lit and with a killer view of Lake Michigan. I even had a private terrace. Definitely made my stay in Sheboygan a lot more pleasant!

BH new ownership is making strides to improve but some old habits die hard. The waterpark is still «mid sized» and inadequate.
New flow rider is cool but overdue.
Food still is terrible at water park.
Poolside bar??? Not in 2015 while deck outdoor is fixed/​expanded. Great timing & planning.
Website says park is open. Recording on phone says closed. When person finally picks up, neither is correct.
And outdoor deck not ready for limited 82 days of «summer». Nice! Wait til fall cold lake breeze to open deck!

Few water park hotels get it exactly right. Usually it’s about the number of water slides and the aquatics with secondary emphasis on comfortable rooms at the hotel part and the food is low-​end hot dogs and nachos kind of stuff. This place gets it right on all counts. Blue Harbor is in the touristy part of Sheboygan. I never imagined the area to be a touristy destination but this place must be booming during the summer months with the lakefront right there and a part of town full of little shops and attractions.
Blue Harbor has this look of a prestigious resort though places like Key Lime Cove in Gurnee, IL or in the Dells are actually more expensive. We found that out while looking for a spring break destination. Blue Harbor’s circular driveway entrance and the huge lobby give you the immediate impression of a luxurious place. Sure enough, once we got into our room, we saw how big it was and its arrangement made it a lot less cramped than similar sized hotel rooms we’ve stayed at before. We had a great view of the city. There’s even a little balcony where you can come out and look outside if it was warmer.
The beds were comfortable and the place looked clean. Downstairs, there’s a full service restaurant and a little coffee/​snack/​ice cream shop. That’s a great place to stop by if you’re at the hotel so you don’t have to leave. Its prices would compare to Starbucks. And they had Cedarcrest ice cream too, which is a good WI brand. They close at 9 pm, so we made sure we got out of the pool area a few minutes early before the snack shop closed up. If they’d stay open about another 30 minutes longer, that would be even better, as we ended up being their last customers before they quickly turned off the lights after serving us.
And then there’s the water park. It’s just plain fun. Two tube slides and two body slides are the main attractions. The tube slides are quite a thrill. They are pretty fast but lots of fun, especially at night when you fly through totally dark tunnels before making a splash at the end. The body slides are geared towards smaller kids or the people who do not like going fast. For me, they were kind of slow, even when I wanted to go faster by laying flat on the slide. But the best thing at the water park has to be the surfing area. There’s a line for this all day long. You get a surfboard and lay on it. If you are older, you can stand up and hold a rope as one of the lifeguards holds it at the other end. Powerful wave making water jets push you back. I did OK but my 8 year old skater boy is a surfing champ. He was able to bodyboard hands-​free, among other tricks.
We got plenty of water action at the indoor park for the day we stayed and even on the morning of our check-​out, we still got a 90 minute session in the water before we packed up and left, since it opens at 9 AM and checkout is at 11. We could have stayed the rest of the day if we had wanted, as long as we checked out of the room on time.
I can see coming back to this place again. It’s a good value for the money and probably better than other water parks that cost even more.

This review is for waterpark. Prices are extremely high this time of year but im willing to pay for a day of indoor fun in the winter. I do not appreciate them charging $ 5 and a $ 5 deposit for the locker. Like i paid enough to get in here. It’s a water park how can i guarantee nobody will take my stuff from a table while I’m riding the slides. Oh well. The slides are increDibly fun no matter how old you are. Plan to wait at concession stand, they r very slow.

We had early morning reservations for the Kohler factory tour at nearby Kohler, WI and decided to stay at the Blue Harbor Resort & Spa in Sheboygan, WI. Located two hours north of Chicago, the resort is located on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Our upgraded room ‘433’ was a nice loft unit that had two queen beds on the lower level with a sitting area with fireplace and where the bathroom is located. On the loft level, there is a queen bed and a half bath. Opening up the sliding doors to a small deck which looks out to beautiful view of Lake Michigan.
We had to chance to walk around the grounds of the resort and then strolled along the lakeside walkway where you can see and hear the waves break against the shores and breathe in the fresh air.
Overall, a nice resort for a weekend getaway or a one night stay.