OT Chicago Hotels

[greenclan67]

Not sure if anyone can help me, but it is worth a try! My kids and hubby want to go to Chicago for our summer vacation. We live in Northern Ontario, and it is about a 12 hour drive for us, crossing in Sault St Marie,Mi. I have never heard the words, " I want to go to Chicago" so it has left me in a slump. I have never been and am not sure where to start.
First off I will tell you the things they want to do, Shedd Aquarium, Cubs, Wrigley Field, Shopping (of course, I have 2 girls) and Navy Pier is what they have picked. We will probably get there on a late Sat night, or earlier Sunday, then will stay til possibly Thurs/Fri, then start driving home. Is that to many days for Chicago? As far as places to stay, I have read a little about parking being expensive, what would anybody suggest? Is there anyone from Chicago that can lead me in the right direction. Names of hotels that would be the best option for commuting to these places? Cabs, busses, what would be the best way to get, where we are going? I have read all the websites, know there are water taxi's but still not sure what area we should be looking to stay in. Is their timeshare rentals in Chicago? I am totally at a loss. I don't want to be paying $150/night for a hotel eithier. So I appreciate any help you can give me!
Thanks so much

 

[TrustedTraveler]

There's lots to see and do in Chicago! You have a great list of places to visit and don't forget the zoo. Sorry I don't know the best deals on hotels but I'd research Hotwire and Priceline and then start with low bids on "Priceline name your own price".

Coming down through the Soo you'll have a nice ride on Rt 2 across the Upper Peninsula, right along the lake. If it were our family, we'd do some sightseeing across the U.P. and spend the first night north of Chicago and probably do the same on the way back putting us 2 night in places less expensive than Chicago.

There are lots of transportation options in the city and you should be able to try several of them. Have a great time!

 

[lilmadgray]

I just went to Chicago for my birthday in December. I found a great deal on Jetsetter. The link is http://www.jetsetter.com/invite/jsmith301! You must be invited to view or purchase from them. If there is nothing on there then I would check the usual places. We stayed at The James. Trader Joes was directly across the street and the mag mile was 1/2 block away. I thought it was a great location. Good luck with your search.

 

[MommyG]

We live in the south suburbs (husband lived there his entire life and I lived downtown for 12 years). I am a massage therapist who does in-room hotel and private residence work...i.e., I have seen almost every hotel in the area. I'm on my way out of the house but if you PM me your email I can take some time and send some tips. I don't know of timeshare although you can get vacation rentals at some really nice condo buildings (look at vcbo.com or vacationrentals.com) I can at least tell you if it's in a safe neighborhood...

 

[greenclan67]

Thanks everyone, great leads so far. I am a planner, and have been pounding the computer keys like crazy! I can't believe the price of hotels, AHHHHHH! Small fortune!I am used to finding one and putting in some codes, and getting the price down, not here!
Thanks again, keep the idea's coming!

 

[klj27]

We have stayed here: http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details...st_first&roomno=1&destinationId=1529368&rooms[0].numberOfAdults=2&tab=description&hotelId=188049&validate=false#description

We are hoping to stay here again this summer. I like it because they offer free breakfast and an appetizer buffet at dinner time. It is across from Woodfield Mall which has a lot of shopping, Rainforest Cafe, and Doorway to Dreams! (Two summers ago we were able to tour the Bay Lake Towers rooms there.)

We would drive to the Rosemont (I think) train station and take the train into the city. So easy! Parking was reasonable there. We buy three day passes http://www.transitchicago.com/fareinformation.aspx which are good for busses also.

We also buy a Cincinnati Museum Center Membership http://www.cincymuseum.org/tickets_membership/membership_information/MembershipBenefits.asp This gives us admission to the planetarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Childrens Museum, Field Museum and others.

 

[greenclan67]

We have stayed here: http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details...st_first&roomno=1&destinationId=1529368&rooms[0].numberOfAdults=2&tab=description&hotelId=188049&validate=false#description

We are hoping to stay here again this summer. I like it because they offer free breakfast and an appetizer buffet at dinner time. It is across from Woodfield Mall which has a lot of shopping, Rainforest Cafe, and Doorway to Dreams! (Two summers ago we were able to tour the Bay Lake Towers rooms there.)

We would drive to the Rosemont (I think) train station and take the train into the city. So easy! Parking was reasonable there. We buy three day passes http://www.transitchicago.com/fareinformation.aspx which are good for busses also.

We also buy a Cincinnati Museum Center Membership http://www.cincymuseum.org/tickets_membership/membership_information/MembershipBenefits.asp This gives us admission to the planetarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Childrens Museum, Field Museum and others.

Hi, thanks for the link, but the one for hotels.com brings me to their website, but doesn't tell me what place you stayed, if you wouldn't mind sharing again.
Thanks

 

[klj27]

Sorry.

http://schaumburg.summerfieldsuites.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/summerfield/index.jsp


I used betterbidding.com to find this hotel and got it on hotwire for $53 a night! It was a steal with the free parking and practically two meals a day. We also had a kitchen which was awesome.

 

[dgw9]

Go to tripadvisor.com. They have all the hotels ranked by reviews. I've used them for five years now and have learned a lot of tips and tricks of traveling.

We've stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown, which is in Riverland North. Very close to everything (Gino's East/Theater District/Ed Debevic's) with free tourist buses to Navy Pier. Big rooms with a kitchen and free breakfasts every day. Very nice. Not cheap, but it is summer in Chicago.

I think cta.org is the website that will tell you what buses and trains to take to get from anywhere to anywhere in Chicago.

Make sure you go to the zoo--it's free and it's a very nice little zoo.

I can hardly believe crossing at Sault Ste Marie is faster than taking the ferry and heading down through Sarnia/Port Huron or Windsor/Detroit.

Parking rates are high, so you could consider parking for free in Port Huron or Dearborn, Michigan and taking the Amtrak train to Chicago. It could add a whole new dimension, if your children haven't been on a train before. With gasoline and parking, the cost will be pretty close to what you would pay driving. My kids loved the train and Amtrak doesn't care how much luggage or how big your coolers are--they have room for everything. Timewise, they are only about an hour slower than driving an automobile.

Anyway, you will enjoy Chicago during your vacation!

 

[greenclan67]

That sounds like a perfect idea taking the train. It was cheap to take the train as well, I was shocked. Only $186 total there and back for 4 of us! That sounds like a wonderful idea. I will talk to my hubby tonight when he gets home! Will we be lost without our car? When we go to Fl we always rent a car, so not sure how that will go!

 

[dgw9]

The train station was only a mile or so from our hotel, so we took a cab. For everything else, we took busses and free tourist shuttle busses that run to and from the Navy Pier.

The train leaves from Pontiac, Michigan and makes 15 short stops before arriving in Chicago. Another train leaves from Port Huron I'm told. I'd imagine that would take an extra hour to get to Chicago, but Port Huron is much more convenient than Pontiac for a family coming from Canada. I believe these two trains run on separate tracks until they merge somewhere in western Michigan.

Here in Michigan, taking the train to Chicago is something every family eventually does because it's a fun little adventure.

That sounds like a perfect idea taking the train. It was cheap to take the train as well, I was shocked. Only $186 total there and back for 4 of us! That sounds like a wonderful idea. I will talk to my hubby tonight when he gets home! Will we be lost without our car? When we go to Fl we always rent a car, so not sure how that will go!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Will we be lost without our car? When we go to Fl we always rent a car, so not sure how that will go!

A car is a detriment in Chicago, especially downton Chicago. If your hotel is centrally located, you can easily get to all of the places you want to go by walking or just a short bus or cab ride away.

 

[4forMe]

Your best bet to get a hotel room under $150 per night during the summer will be through hotwire or priceline.

I suggest you check out betterbidding.com and read about how to bid for a room. I would be looking at the Magnificent Mile area. People have posted rates of under $150 per night for their summer travel plans.

Good luck!

 

[quagmire0]

Echo the sentiments on Hotwire. DW and I usually go downtown for our anniversary and I've found some great deals on there. Use http://www.hotwirerevealed.com/ . To see (with a decent amount of certainty - not 100% though) which hotels are which.

Parking is PRICEY. About the only 'deal' I know of there is that one hotel we stayed at let you park for free if your car was a Hybrid. Not sure if they do that anymore.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

OP, that is not too many days for Chicago. There are so many great places to go:Lincoln Park Zoo (free except for a few attractions), Buckingham Fountain, Millenium Park, The Chicago Architectural Boat tour (awesome!), Navy Pier (I-Max there too), North Avenue Beach, tons of sporting events and theater. Not sure how old your girls are, but we do have an American Girl Store where you can have brunch, lunch or tea as well.

 

[greenclan67]

You guys are all so awesome! My girls are 11 & 9 and I think they may like AG, especially my youngest! I am watching Hotwire. I will wait with them and book closer to the date, unless I get a smoking good deal! I think we are aiming to stay in the suburbs or further out, on the sat, cause it will be a 9 hour drive or so, from Sault Mi, so if we don't make it right to Chicago that night, then we will do sat night outskirts, then Sun to Thurs or Fri. My kids are very excited about Shedd, they are Seaworld fans, bigtime! Keep the ideas coming. This is our first roadtrip, and we have 12 days, so any and all suggestions are completly welcome.
Thanks again to everyone!

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

http://www.walkchicagotours.com/tours/index.html

This is a tour company that will customize a walking tour of many areas of the city, your preferneces and share stories/history with only your group. It is amazing and reasonably priced.

 

[sk8jdgca]

http://chicagogreeter.com/ Is a great free program. I kept bidding on price line for a 4 star and ended up with the hyatt (river and michigan) for $65 per night. You may be able to park on the outskirts and take a commuter train in also

 

[Barthy73]

I'll be in Chicago in October and wanted a cheaper hotel than downtown had to offer. We found the Springhill O'Hare a great property. Highly rated, free parking, and less than 1/2 mile to the Blue Line train! For less than $100/night, it was the perfect option for us!

 

[greenclan67]

I'll be in Chicago in October and wanted a cheaper hotel than downtown had to offer. We found the Springhill O'Hare a great property. Highly rated, free parking, and less than 1/2 mile to the Blue Line train! For less than $100/night, it was the perfect option for us!

This sounds like a good idea, I would be interested in hearing more about the train! If you wouldn't mind letting me know how hard it is to get around!
Thanks so much