My wife and I stayed at Ashley's Island House for two weeknights in June to get the feel of Put-In-Bay or "The Key West of the North" as is self-proclaimed by some(I am a huge fan of Key West). We were met outside by Judy, the owner, and she was very gracious and gave us an immediate tour of the house. What struck me immediately was a feeling of being in a home that the owner had obvious feelings for both inside and out. The grounds are photo worthy and the interior was inviting and easy to navigate. The front porch is just as it is in the picture on the website, it gave me a feeling of being in Savannah, GA or Charleston, SC for some reason. The rooms have wireless high speed internet which was nice and ironic, being in such an old home with such high technology. The breakfast spread is inviting, informal, and adequate. LOCATION: Ashley's is perfectly located two easy walking blocks from the downtown nightlife and daylife restaurants, bars, shops, and the bay itself. The only negative I noticed during our stay was the amount of industrial traffic that passed in front of the house. By this I mean, garbage trucks, cement trucks, loud trucks, etc. There was some new construction going on at the end of the street that may have contributed to this and also the fact that it was during the weekdays but something I noticed nonetheless. Bonus Prize: There is a sculpture in the living room made by someone the owner knows well. Have here tell you about it. It's beautiful. Put-In-Bay is no Key West, and I can vouch for that now, but it is 75% of Key West and it's a heck of a lot closer!
