One of the most crucial mistakes an avid traveler can make when booking a vacation rental is ignoring the background story. There should be more to the creation than just a drive for monetary gain. In a background a guest can find out if there is a true passion for service and reputation or just another “investment corporation” looking to spend as little as they must to make as much as they can. You can get a sense of whether or not the host(s) have what it takes to be a team member for making your vacation unforgettable in a good way or a tragic waste of your precious time and money.
We at Offshore Breeze certainly have a passion for service and a pursuit of great experiences and want to make sure everything we can do to facilitate a great expeience.
How it Began: The Mitiwanga properties were Purchased by Dwight’s parents. Janet and Dezso bought them in the 80’s. Janet, a Vermilion graduate who was the daughter of her Millwright father and accountant mother, pursued a Computer science degree in the mid 60’s and then a real estate license in the 80’s. Dezso was a union carpenter who owned his own business until he took a job at Ford, but never stopped being a member of the Carpenter’s union. Together, they decided to purchased other investment properties before buying in Mitiwanga. With mom’s suggestion they started renting them out as vacation homes until Janet was tragically afflicted with cancer. She passed 5 years later and Dezso moved to permanent residents as it was too hard to keep them rented without a proper first mate.
Dezo and Dwight start a journey:
Decades would pass. Dezso would be afflicted with FTD (Frontal Temporal Dementia). Event\ally, Dwight would have to step in. He had worked with Dezso to some extent in the past, but now Dwight would have to take on role as caretaker and some ailing houses with full time tenants in them. Dwight (That’s me by the way, I am writing this) would use his skills in IT Networking and remote access to keep dad at home, but then also learn quickly how to do the maintenance required.
Dad had a innate fear that he would lose all he had accumulated in his life time to the medical system. I was going to give it my best to avoid that. I truly didn’t know if I could.
I had a lot of “Support” but it was solely on my shoulders. Like his mom and dad, Kristy worked with me as a teammate. Logistics and support tasks made it capable to focus on the things that needed focus at that time. A maintenance nightmare had us accept help to remodel what would become “the Hibiscus House” and we picked up dad’s VRBO. It was a pleasant surprise that we liked doing it.
In December of 2022, his journey was complete. We had done it. Everything was saved, But there was so much work to do.
Finding our knack and Passion:
Kristy and Dwight had started the Short Term Rental on a single space (The Hibiscus House) in 2020 and found they had a natural talent for it. But the other spaces were not so easily rectified.
So it was that we took on “The Shipwreck House”. Named so because the building inspector informed us that many of the houses in the area were actually built out of old hardwood taken from ships that had wrecked upon the shallows on the Western Basin of Lake Erie. It was in desperate shape once we pulled back the façade of the walls and flooring. But with much perseverance and barking at contractors, we got what we wanted. I had to learn a lot along the way.
Every renovation taught us something new and strengthened our resolve to create spaces where families can relax, reconnect, and make memories.
A bit of a Confession:
I am a sailor. I love sailing and want to at least cross the pond one day on my own boat. I had a 30′ Pearson when I took over for dad. It was a “good old boat”. At that time Kristy and I hosted weekly “Monday night madness” sails where we would have friends meet us at the marina, eat a pot luck dinner, then go out and watch the sun go down. The boat was a lot of work in the spring. I had wanted a bigger boat anyway, so I sold my beloved Pequod promising that “If we can get dad through this journey, I will have saved the money and I can buy that dream boat.” Spoiler alert, I still don’t have that boat. And in fact I have a hard time getting out on any of my little boats. In the end I decided I would keep the houses, continue what dad had started, then turn that investment into a business. With that business I can justify buying a bigger boat to “take guests out for a sunset sail”. It was so far just a dream, but a possible dream.
Our Philosophy
Vacation rentals are not hotels. They offer something better: space to cook, do laundry, and gather as a family. That means cookware you can actually cook with, a working grill, and towels for both the shower and the beach. We stock basics like condiments, spices, and cleaning supplies so you do not waste money on things you will leave behind. Kristy has thought of countless extras, from pack-and-plays to spare leashes, because little details make big differences.
Tell us why you are visiting, who is coming, and what you love. Give us a hint, and we will give you ideas that wow you. Our goal is simple: clear communication, thoughtful preparation, and a stay that feels effortless.
So welcome aboard. Ask us about our sunset Sails. 😀 Maybe by the time you are reading this, I will have gotten my dream boat.
Thank you for reading this. Calm Winds and Following seas.
The Offshore Breeze Story
Offshore Breeze Philosophy
As we grew into this role of “Hosts”, Kristy and I brought brought very different experiences. She had stayed in a handful of shore term Airbnb’s on her travels to see local bands in distant places. I had no such experience, but had a lot of experience traveling with minimal personal belongings on boats. That meant depending on the owners to anticipate needs and supplies. She explained to me that “most of the vacation homes she had stayed in had the most minimal of amenities. That didn’t make sense to me.
We insist that “Vacation Rentals are not hotels.” There are different expectations and different “pros and cons” of each. I wanted to set up places that save families money by providing what a hotel can not. A place to cook, a place to do laundry, a common dining and relaxing space. But that means cookware you can cook with and the utensils to do it. A working functional grill. towels that you can shower with that are different than “beach towels”. But it has to be more than that.
We have been using the phrase “Fly in accommodations” . I imagined a family getting on a plane and flying in to a rental car and driving to our place, maybe even arriving late. You might have to purchase basic groceries, but you shouldn’t have to buy condiments, spices, or basic cleaning supplies that you will have to leave behind when you go. Likewise, Kristy has thought of so many things you would not have thought was available at an Airbnb. If you forgot it, she probably has one there. We offer pack and plays, a leash if yours breaks or got left, and so much more. Just ask and we will make it happen.
And that is the root of our philosophy. Let us know why you are coming, ages, and things that appeal to you. If you give us just a nugget, we are going to give you ideas that will wow you. Mostly, you are going to be confident and pleased with how we communicate what to expect. Our mantra is “Earn that 5 star before they even set foot on the door step.” The winds and the waves are far too unpredictable for certainty, but that is our goal and destination for every stay request we accept. The other end of that philosophy is that on occasion we see a family mid stay with a place a bit more in chaos that usual, “Let them be themselves, it only matters how they leave the place.”
Calm winds and following seas.