Cedar Point Beach, Sandusky, Ohio

The fun at Cedar Point Beach begins at check-in at Hotel Breakers. Vintage artwork guides leisure-seekers toward the hotel from Perimeter Road. Hotel guests should take advantage of hotel parking by having their reservation number handy when first entering Cedar Point. The grand entryway to the lobby has been updated, too.

What a difference a couple of years can make . . . guests who have stayed in the Bon Air tower in the past wouldn't even recognize these new rooms. These rooms have brand-new everything for the 2015 season. All rooms now have elevator access; the old three-story Bon Air tower, built in 1926, was torn down.

This is an example of the new flatscreen TVs in the newly remodeled rooms. Prices have gone up a bit, but the increase is indeed worth it ($182 vs. $245 per night). The greygie-beigey paint has been brightened, replaced with better furniture, cable channels, temp controls, and even an easy chair just to the right of the image.

The white and blue accents really brighten the room. To the left is a much bigger bathroom than what was there earlier. To the right are a nice little microwave and a good-sized hotel fridge. The bathroom had not a standalone sink (with ancient hot-and-cold faucets) but a full counter with a combined tap.

This indoor pool complements the new outdoor children's pool and the beach. (A second outdoor pool was removed for 2015.) A game room is right around the corner, too. (Lake Erie weather can turn on a dime.) There is a change room just behind the lifeguard. Cedar Point Beach is just beyond the doors on the far right, and so is TGIFriday's.

These are the eastward-facing rooms at Hotel Breakers. There is a Starbucks here that is open late, as well as a bar. After Cedar Point Beach winds down after dark, the hotel staff light fires where adults can sit and talk and enjoy a beverage under the stars. The beach itself is open till midnight. For 2015, the number of Breakers rooms is down from 650 to 511, decreasing by 139.

May 2015 brought new furniture to Cedar Point Beach; the season to enjoy these amenities runs from the first or second weekend in May to the last or second-to-last weekend in October. Two "amenities" that are for certain, though, are the muffleheads and the mayflies. When they come, you'll know it.

These shaded loungers are new. The sand here is groomed, which helps mitigate the sandflies. Unfortunately, some hotel rooms were not made up on Saturday evening; but new towels came quickly. The Top Thrill Dragster is to the left, and the two hills of the Magnum XL 200 are to the right.

It was an early Memorial Day morning that had yet to find takers for beach volleyball. People were still at breakfast, enjoying their coffee and pancakes at Perkins. The water was cold, and the temperature would not reach 70 degrees for a few hours yet. Beach-goers can enter the amusement park just a few steps to the southeast, near the parasail attraction.

This is surely the reason why Hotel Breakers was full this weekend. The sun has risen over Cedar Point Beach and the swimming area is open. Cedar Point also has Lighthouse Point: The Pier, an RV campground, cottages, cabins, and 52 large new deluxe cabins near Soak City. A lighthouse, still standing proudly in the campground, was built in 1862.