Overall Impression

Sawmill Creek Resort is ideal for those planning a golfing weekend or a day at the Cedar Point amusement park. This is also great for families exploring the greater Shores and Islands region. If one of the parents attends an event at the adjoining Conference Center, the rest of the family can enjoy their time in the area. Then, mom or dad can join the rest of the family when their event allows.

The hotel has an upscale vibe. From the lobby with several modern fireplaces to various seating areas to hang out with family and friends, I could easily imagine this as a family-friendly resort, even for a multi-generation group. This would be a fun spot for a family reunion.

I felt welcomed as the friendly front desk staff showed me where my room was on the map and explained the hallway naming conventions. 

Are you looking for a place to stay in Sandusky, Ohio? I stayed at Sawmill Creek, a Cedar Point Resort, and I loved it.

Pros of the Sawmill Creek Resort

• Proximity to Cedar Point
• Suites available
• Free self-parking
• Free Wi-Fi
• On-site store, Creekside Market serving Starbucks coffee
• On-site indoor and outdoor swimming pools
• Deluxe granite bathrooms with walk-in showers
• Hotel safe
• On-site fitness center
• Adjacent golf course
• Complimentary Bath & Body Works toiletries
• Indoor pool and outdoor pool

Cons of the Sawmill Creek Resort

• No traditional room service for in-room dining
• No in-room coffee/tea maker
• No complimentary coffee offered in the hotel lobby
• No pets allowed, only service animals

Piper’s Pro Planning: The property operates cashless, so you must use a credit or debit card even for small purchases. A kiosk in the central atrium offers a VISA card instead of cash.

Accommodations

The room’s décor follows the hotel’s nature theme. It features contemporary touches in beige and brown tones, which are mixed into the tweed-colored carpeting. The bedding is pristine white, accented with brown bed scarves and decorative pillows.

I’ve stayed at Sawmill Creek twice, once in a king room and once in a room with two queen beds. Both room configurations felt spacious. I liked having a desk and chair to set up my computer and spend some writing time. The room also included a mini fridge for chilled drinks and leftovers, and a microwave for warming up leftovers. While a bench at the entry was most likely for putting on or taking off our shoes, I found it quite convenient for leaving our luggage open. We stayed only one night this time, so unpacking didn’t make sense. However, if you’re staying for a few nights, the room does have ample drawers and hanging space.

Sawmill Creek Golf Course

Sawmill Creek Golf Course is part of the resort. World-renowned golf architect Tom Fazio designed Sawmill Creek Golf Club’s 18-hole course, which has challenged amateur golfers since 1974. This scenic par-71 layout offers diverse terrain and natural beauty, making it perfect for any skill level.

Dining

You’ll find several on-site restaurants on the property.

Harvest

Start with the breakfast buffet at Harvest, the resort’s breakfast restaurant. The self-serve buffet features an impressive variety of cold and hot items. You’ll also find a fresh waffle station, where the servers bring waffles to your table when ready. They also offer made-to-order omelets.

Piper’s Pro Planning: The adult price is $19.95, but it is $11.95 for seniors over 62 and children under 12.

Miller’s Table

The on-site upscale restaurant, Miller’s Table, is off the main lobby. It offers convenience and a great menu. The restaurant can get busy during the high summer season, so I recommend making reservations to ensure Miller’s Table can accommodate you at your desired time.

The restaurant celebrates the ingredients of the Great Lakes Region. It’s an upscale restaurant featuring locally sourced, farm-fresh, seasonal ingredients. One of the specialties is fresh fish from the Great Lakes.

Lake Erie produces trophy walleye, available in various preparations at Miller’s Table. The menu includes Lake Erie Walleye Cakes, bell pepper, Spanish onion, and lemon-dill aioli for an appetizer. If you want a larger portion of this Great Lakes specialty, try the Almond-Crusted Walleye. It features a citrus beurre monte, farrow salad, and asparagus with blistered tomatoes.

Another favorite of the Great Lakes is perch, where you’ll find it in a southern favorite preparation, as a Perch Po-Boy, complete with lettuce, tomato, remoulade, served on a hoagie roll. If you’re in the mood for more than a sandwich, try the Lake Erie Perch Dinner with citrus slaw, fries, a grilled lemon, and a remoulade for dipping.

If your tastes are those of a land-lubber, you’ll find plenty of steak and chicken options rounding out the menu.

For dessert, celebrate the classic Buckeye cookie with a twist. The chef turned all the flavors of the cookie into a tart. The Buckeye tart features peanut butter mousse and chocolate ganache, which they top with Chantilly cream, for a delicious bite of a classic flavor combination.

If you enjoy cocktails, don’t miss the full-service bars.

Mulligan’s Pub

Mulligan’s Pub in the Sawmill Creek Golf Course clubhouse is ideal for unwinding after a day on the links or socializing with friends in a casual setting. It has a welcoming atmosphere with hearty food, signature drinks, and large TVs to watch sports or PGA Tour events. You can enjoy dining inside or relax outside on the covered deck, which overlooks a scenic pond and the ninth green. The Lake Erie breezes enhance the dining experience.

Amenities of Sawmill Creek Resort

The hotel offers excellent amenities in its comfortable rooms, including:

• Air conditioning
• Daily housekeeping
• Desk/workspace
• Hair dryer
• Fitness center
• Incredible pools, both indoor and outdoor
• Flat-screen TV
• Free Wi-Fi
• Microwave
• Mini refrigerator
• Complimentary shampoo, conditioner, and body wash

With three fireplaces in the lobby and rotunda, I spent some time warming up by the fire on the cool spring evening.

What’s Nearby

While the hotel is within 7 miles of Cedar Point, you’ll find a lot of other Shores & Islands attractions nearby.

Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve

This 472-acre state nature preserve along the shores of Lake Erie features a variety of landscapes, including pine plantations, swamp forests, open marshlands, and beaches. It is a birdwatching hotspot with almost 300 bird species on the preserve. This is due to the diverse habitats on the preserve. This is an excellent location for nature hikes, perfect for those looking to reconnect with the outdoors after a day at the amusement park. The 1.6-mile out-and-back trail is what most would consider an easy walk.

Piper’s Pro Planning: Dogs aren’t allowed on this trail.

Ghostly Manor

Located in Sandusky, Ghostly Manor is a multi-attraction indoor family entertainment center that offers fun year-round. It has been featured on The Travel Channel’s “Best Places I’ve Ever Been,” Forbes Top 10 haunted attractions, and USA TODAY’s Top 20 Haunted Houses. Open daily at noon, you can experience the scariest haunted house, Ohio’s fastest virtual motion theater, a one-of-a-kind interactive 3D black light miniature golf journey, a skating rink, bounce houses, and an indoor playground for children 12 years old and younger. In other words, you’ll find a lot happening here and could easily spend most of the day enjoying the property.

Goofy Golf

Goofy Golf in Sandusky is open seasonally from May to October. The venue features three go-kart tracks. You’ll experience the adrenaline rush as you speed through the twists and turns of these exciting tracks. Challenge your friends and family to a race and see who will be crowned the Goofy Golf Go-Kart Champion. With thirty-six holes of mini golf, you can put your putting skills to the test on two 18-hole mini golf courses. Navigate through obstacles, water features, and sand traps as you aim for a hole-in-one.

You’ll get lost in the state-of-the-art arcade featuring various games for all ages. Whether you enjoy the classic old-time favorites or the latest releases, there’s something for you to enjoy. Collect your tickets as you play and redeem them for awesome prizes.

Kalahari Resorts & Conventions

Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, in Sandusky, is the largest indoor water park in the Midwest. It’s an incredible time for the whole family, featuring an exciting mix of adventures, including rides and slides. From the fantastic indoor and outdoor water park to the thrilling Safari Outdoor Adventure Park, many attractions exist for guests of all ages. Plus, with amenities like Spa Kalahari and Salon, exceptional dining options, and other amenities like The Big Game Room, which is equipped with a mega-arcade, escape rooms, virtual reality, laser tag, and mini bowling.

Piper’s Pro Planning: Get a day pass for the waterpark. However, no pass is required to eat in one of their restaurants.

African Safari Wildlife Park

African Safari Wildlife Park, located in Port Clinton, is a free-range animal park that has delighted families for over 50 years. We feed the giraffes with lettuce purchased from a cart labeled “Giraffe Snacks.” With the purchase of a ticket, you are provided with a cup of food per car that can be used to feed the zebras, bison, deer, and other amazing animals from the comfort of your vehicle. I got a bit nervous feeding them from the cup and dumped some pellets on the ground. That didn’t bother them, as they gobbled them up just as quickly. You can purchase more food cups to have enough for each kid to feed the animals. I recommend one cup per child to enjoy the experience thoroughly.

You can stroll through the Walk-Thru Safari and take in educational programs to see even more exotic wildlife.

Piper’s Pro Planning: You can drive through as often as you want. We drove through twice, and it was a different experience each time. I would have gone again, but we were short on time.

Getting There

Sandusky is in the Eastern time zone, within Erie County. The nearest airport to Sandusky is Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE), 44.6 miles away. Most major U.S. airlines operate from CLE, including Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, and United. Budget and international airlines, such as Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, and Spirit, also serve this airport. The international carriers include Aer Lingus and Air Canada. 

Getting Around

Once you arrive, you’ll want to rent a car to enjoy your next Lake Erie vacation fully.

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