Places to Stay : Baileys Harbor

Beachfront Inn at Baileys Harbor
8040 Hwy. 57
Baileys Harbor
stay@beachfrontinn.net
866-251-0750
920-839-2345

Hit the beach!  The Beachfront Inn at Baileys Harbor, that is!  The new owners are working hard on updates here while keeping their rates affordable for travelers to the Door Peninsula.  Beachfront Inn is the new name for the former Sunrise Motel and the Inn at Baileys Harbor.

Tammy and Terry Bork, who purchased the place in January 2004, have freshly painted the exterior buildings in a warm creamy color. Inside, they use “Key West” inspired hues—the cream as well as soft greens and blue.

The couple painted dark wooden trim around windows and doors a crisp white. They added new bathroom sinks, toilets, tile and lighting fixtures. There’s also new bedding (with harmonizing green and blue natural prints) and lamps.

“We are building from scratch.  We are an older motel so can’t offer all the amenities of condos.  We have clean rooms, our changes and our personalities. That’s what we can do for people,” Tammy says.  “And we haven’t raised our rates for two years.”  But there are lots of niceties here, including an indoor pool and their own beach, with 170 feet of shoreline – check out the bonfires there at night!   There aren’t too many places in Door County that have their own beach, so this is unique!   Read on!

So look for an inviting cream-colored hotel, as the green paint from the past is totally gone. Tammy or Terry will personally greet you (with their adorable friendly Springer spaniel, Max) in the office for check-in.

Beachfront Inn has 22 rooms on the lakeside and 15 more rooms in the west building across the street.

At Beachfront Inn, choose from lakeside rooms, side view rooms and west side rooms.  Rooms are outfitted with:

• Two queen-size beds, or
• One king-size bed or
• Two double beds

Three rooms have sofa sleepers, as well.   We admired the gorgeous water view and the Bird Cage Lighthouse from a second floor lakeside room. “And when the ships go by, it is just beautiful,” Tammy adds.

You are really close to Lake Michigan here as the inn sits just 60 feet back from the water.  See and hear the waves roll in on the inn’s very own beach.  You can enjoy the outdoors from a large deck and patio accessible from the office. There’s a grassy area, too, where you can sit at one of the provided picnic tables and enjoy lunch or dinner. 

And there’s a pool house with a heated pool, water depth ranges from three to nine feet.

“At night, we get campfires going. We supply everything needed for s’mores, and they can sit and hang out.  People just love it,” Tammy says.   So hit the beach at night too!

In the west building (on the west side of Hwy. 57) choose from 15 rooms outfitted with:

• One queen-size bed or
• Two queen-size beds or
• One king-size bed

There is parking just outside your room at both buildings, but the parking at the west building is especially spacious.  Fishermen like to move their boats in such a large space, Tammy says.

All rooms include private bath, a microwave, refrigerator and a table with two chairs.  If you like some snacks for keeping in that refrigerator, all you need to do is walk to the office.  The Borks sell cheese from Star Dairy in Weyauwega, Wis. That’s where they lived before moving to the Door Peninsula and starting their own business.

“We’ve been coming here for 20 years, and it has been a dream to move here. We wanted to stay in Door County,” Tammy says.

So after coming here so long, the Borks know all the good places to go. They maintain copies of restaurant menus in the office and are full of tips—just tell them what you like and your budget.

Tammy likes to chat about the nearby Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor,  a natural preserve, saved from a trailer park developer in 1937, and home to 25 native orchids and rare plants.

But a lot of people just like spending time outside their room or taking a walk on a nearby pier at Beachfront Inn, where the owners often partake in cocktails with their guests.

Oh, and don’t forget to tell Tammy and Terry that DoorCountyNavigator.com sent you and to check out the old red gas pump in front of the office. The price posted is a site to behold--32 cents per gallon!

“We had it redone. Everyone says they are going to fill up before they leave,” Tammy says.  So check out the Beach Front Inn at Baileys Harbor – there are so few places to stay this close to the water!  We think you will find the place and the hospitality very enjoyable!

© 2006 Door County Navigator. Disclaimer