Last Updated on June 21, 2021 by Natalie
Sometimes, you go somewhere and it turns out to be so wonderful that you want to share it with everyone you know. Our stay at the the Captain Bell House Bed and Breakfast in Vermilion, Ohio was one of those times!
We had wanted to go up to Michigan for a week. However, some circumstances forced us to wait. Except, I didn’t want to forgo vacation entirely. I had to get out of town!
I also had to have a beach!
The Captain Bell House Bed and Breakfast Vermilion
It’s possible to have a beach vacation in Vermilion, Ohio. Though the Captain Bell House B&B isn’t directly on the beach, it’s only a few minute walk (or very short drive) to the Main Street Beach!
Disclaimer
Blissmersion a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post contains affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. All parts of our travels are paid for by us and we do not accept free stays or discounts related to blogging.
Vermilion to the rescue
I’d visited Vermilion before, but only for a half a day or so. I knew there were bed and breakfasts. I knew there was a decent looking beach. It took me a bit of searching to find accommodations in Vermilion. Since pickings were slim for the time I wanted to go, I didn’t expect the Captain Bell House to have a vacancy, but they did! I booked one night in the cottage.
But I was getting antsy. I woke up on the morning of July 5th, the day before we planned to leave and decided that I wanted to leave today (a luxury of driving). I called the innkeeper and asked if he would happen to have a room available for that evening.
The Captain Bell House in Vermilion, Ohio Comes Through
The Innkeeper told me that the cottage wasn’t available, but we could stay in the Sunshine Room. It only had a queen size bed, but there were options to fit our family. In fact, a family of four had stayed there over the weekend. He doesn’t have roll-away beds, but he could provide a sleeping bag to use and mentioned the carpet in the room is pretty cushy (spoiler: it was very cushy).
The website has check in time listed as 4 pm. Phil had asked our time of arrival and said the room would be ready. We arrived at 3 pm and it was available! Phil was outside watering the flowers when we arrived and said, “You must be Natalie and family.” He told us we could go on inside and he would meet us in the parlor.
My first impression
The Captain Bell House is an inviting yellow house, built in the late 1800s. We stepped into the house’s gorgeous dining room and I about died. My mouth dropped open in awe and I tried to contain my excitement. Directly in front of us was a beautiful and large wooden table and dining chairs. To the right, grand old arched doors. Across the room, there were two openings. One led to the parlor and the other to the foyer. The foyer is painted a deep, majestic maroon and probably one of my favorite wall colors of all time. The parlor was a simple and clean affair being a pleasing blue. The ceilings are at least 10′ high and I was in heaven. Old houses have charm and character. I love them.
I’m really glad we ended up having the opportunity to see two out of the three rooms available at the B&B. The first room, called The Sunshine Room, opened from the communal kitchen into the room’s private bathroom. Old houses, huh? Head through the bathroom to the room itself and it was exactly as warm and bright as you’d expect of the name. The bed is up against the other side of gorgeous arched doors you can see when you enter the house. In addition, the room has a door to the outside.
Sleeping on Heaven
The beds here are to-die-for. They are so soft and comfortable. My kids ended up sleeping on the floor (they begged). And after a few hours at the beach and then walking around Vermilion, they slept. All night. Which never happens on vacation. Oh, and they slept until almost 7:30 am. 7:30 am, people!! I didn’t believe that could happen to me. Okay, so it happened when we visited Wisconsin. The difference this time is that no one woke up screaming in the middle of the night.
About the Cottage
The cottage is larger and separate from the main house. In fact, I booked it originally because we are loud. We get up early and we are loud then, too. It has a couch in addition to the queen size bed. The air conditioning in the cottage also works really well.
It was the little things that made this stay so special. There was coffee and cream available in both rooms (the Sunshine room was right off the “shared” kitchen, but all the other rooms have kitchenettes so it seemed quite private). It was delicious coffee, folks!
There were also donuts and muffins available each morning. Those aren’t for those with celiac. However, they are definitely awesome for everyone else! In addition, there was cold bottled water and gingersnaps available in both rooms.
The breakfast part of this B&B are coupons provided to use down the street at Granny Joe’s. When Natalie’s cooking, the food is awesome!
Second Day
After breakfast on our second day, we changed for the beach. It was check-out time, so I called Phil to ask him what he wanted us to do. I expected to have to put our luggage in the car, check out, and come back later to check back in. He told us to leave our luggage in the room and that he’d let us know when the cottage was ready.
We headed headed to the beach. When we returned, Phil had moved our luggage from the Sunshine Room to the Cottage. It was great service! Additionally, Phil checked in with us when he’d see us around. He was on top of everything.
Ideal Location
The location was ideal for us, as it was a few blocks from Lake Erie. You can see the Lake from the parking lot of the Captain Bell House. The Main Street Beach is 4 or so blocks away. It is certainly within walking distance. We didn’t explore the shops on Main Street this trip, but there are some great ones there and on Liberty Ave.
If you want a quaint little beach town where people are friendly and also stay at a lovely place, choose The Captain Bell House Bed and Breakfast in Vermilion, Ohio.
PS – Light Stax are some of our favorite toys, even for road trips! Like legos, you can build with them. Unlike legos, Light Stax light up and blink! They are also sturdy and have lasted a long time, even with lots of use.
2 comments
I adore Vermillion! I’m from Toledo and I think Vermillion is such a hidden gem. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Alaina
Thanks, Alaina! My parents have been visiting there for years, but only for day trips. My sister just went over the weekend and loved it, too. It *is* a hidden gem. It has some touristy stuff, but mostly, it’s a small town. That means it isn’t overrun with crowds (except on weekends, perhaps).