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Hotwire Hotel: 4* Chicago (Northbrook - Glenview - Mt Prospect) Sheraton Chicago Northbrook Hotel


crito
By crito,
in

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I'm going to visit Lake Forest College with my kid. We'll be flying into O'Hare and renting a car. It looks to me like the best bet is to try to stay in Northbrook -- does that seem right? (Good Hotwire inventory between O'Hare and Lake Forest.)

 

Here's the most attractive listing I found, in Northbrook-Glenview-MtProspect:

 

2 adults, April 6th, $70, 4*

Free Parking
Free Internet
Pet friendly
Indoor pool(s)
Smoke Free Rooms
Fitness
Pool(s)
Restaurant(s)
Business
Self service laundry
Internet
Golf
Accessible path of travel
In-room accessibility
Accessible bathroom
Handicapped parking

 

So, what might this be? (Crowne Plaza?) And, should I be looking in other areas too?

 

Thanks!

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Some various odds/ends notes:

 

1. Lake Forest is really very nice. Lake Bluff, which is the next suburb up (you can walk from one to the other), is kind of a "bonus" - it's a smaller town, but really has some very nice restaurants (three of which are run by the same chef - the high-end Innovasi, delicious taco/burrito place Side Door and cute take-out meal place Wisma.) Lake Bluff also has what I think is the best farmer's market in the area. There are a lot of restaurants in Lake Forest, too, as well as a lot of conveniences (Fresh Market grocery, Jewel grocery and both CVS and Walgreens.) There's also a huge amount of bike/walking trails - the trails extend West and South - you could bike from Lake Forest to Evanston (which is the last suburb before downtown.). Both Lake Forest and Lake Bluff also have designated nature areas.

 

Vernon Hills is a short drive from Lake Forest and basically offers a ton of malls (Wal-Mart, Target, Kohls, Trader Joe's, Lowes, everything. Costco also nearby.) 

 

2.If your child does decide to go to Lake Forest and doesn't want to stay on campus, Highland Park (which is a couple of towns South) has more in the way of rental options. There are rentals in Lake Forest, but they are more scattered and may be a little expensive for what they are due to the demand from college students. There may also be some rentals in Highwood (between Highland Park and Lake Forest), but Highwood doesn't offer nearly as much in the way of conveniences as Highland Park and Lake Forest do.

 

3. If you do stay in Northbrook, I would suggest driving to/from Lake Forest that will give you and your child a sense of some of the nearby towns/area. I'd be more than happy to offer some suggestions/directions once you get a hotel locked in. Lake Forest also is on a Metra line, so your child could live in a different town and take the train back/forth quickly/easily, or easily go downtown. Evanston (which is another college town with Northwestern) is also a great place to visit.

 

Highland Park also has the legendary outdoor Ravinia Music Festival - that venue attracts major names every year (http://www.ravinia.org/). The Chicago Botanic Garden (which is fantastic and in a 'burb despite the name) is a little bit West of Ravinia.

 

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If you are looking to be in a spot in-between ORD and Lake Forest, Northbrook is not a bad idea, although I do like Deerfield, which is just the next town up from Northbrook, too.

 

I see a 3.5* in the Northbrook-Deerfield-Glenview area on HOTWIRE w/:

Free Parking,Pet friendly,Suite,Indoor pool(s),Smoke Free Rooms,Fitness Center,Pool(s),Restaurant(s),Business Center,Self service laundry,Internet access,Golf Nearby,Accessible for the blind,Accessible path of travel,In-room accessibility,Accessible bathroom,Handicapped parking,Roll-in shower

 

That listing is $55 - you may see a slightly different price. My guess is that may be the Marriott Suites Deerfield. On PRICELINE, the "known" 3.5*'s in the Deerfield zone are the Marriott Suites Deerfield, Embassy Suites Deerfield and Hyatt Deerfield.  I've stayed at all of these properties and while I've enjoyed my stays at all three (the Marriott and Hyatt more than once), the Marriott does get a few mixed reviews. I liked it personally, but you may want to read the reviews and consider bidding at the 3.5* level in this zone if it looks acceptable for a one night stay.

 

Given the potential Marriott for $55 on HOTWIRE, my guess is that you may be able to get a 3.5* in Deerfield on PRICELINE in the $45-52 neighborhood.

 

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The 4* on HOTWIRE that you mention above in the Northbrook zone has not yet been ID'd/reported to the board. The 4*'s in this area that have been reported to the board are the Sheraton Northbrook, Westin North Shore and Renaissance North Shore. I'd lean towards this listing being either the Renaissance or Sheraton with a new amenity set, but any of the three would be possibilities. If it was any of those three, I think all are nice possibilities and would work. The Renaissance is right by a main road that zips right up through Highland Park to Lake Forest.

 

____________

 

Lastly, if you wanted to stay even closer to LF, I see what appears to be the La Quinta North Shore for $54. Vernon Hills does have some options, but they look expensive (as Vernon Hills goes.) Unfortunately, Lake Forest itself only has one hotel, an extremely expensive older boutique that gets mixed reviews and I think seems overpriced. A newer Residence Inn and Hilton Garden Inn have gone up in recent years just a few minutes drive from downtown Lake Forest, across from a Costco.

 

Let us know your thoughts on the above (and if you have any questions before purchasing) and we would be happy to offer further suggestions/thoughts. Also, let me know if you have any area questions.

 

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

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This is great, thanks. I'm not too surprised that I got bonus advice :-)

 

I'm torn. On the one hand, the handful of disgruntled reviews of the Marriott Suites give me pause. On the other, the Renaissance also looks just a bit sub-par.

 

I'll make a choice soon and then might ask for advice about restaurants :-)

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I've stayed at the Renaissance as well, which I thought was a fine enough property, with decent views from a high floor room. They have renovated since, but I haven't seen it. I've had very nice experiences at the Marriott Suites, which has very large rooms - but reviews remain mixed. The Hyatt in Deerfield is another property that I think is a great value for the lows that it can sometimes be had at (mid-upper $40's.) The Sheraton Northbrook is a newer property in a mall with a Whole Foods and a few restaurants.

 

Overall, I do think that the hotels that I've tried North burbs have been really good for the prices that I've gotten (generally in the $45-55 area.) I've seen some of a couple of others (such as the Westin, which looked nice from what I saw.)

 

There's not much right around the Renaissance, although Barnaby's across the street is a pizza place that's a local institution - it's been there for probably 30 years and looks the same as it did 30 years ago. Tons of really great restaurant options in the North burbs, including places like Abigail's (http://www.yelp.com/biz/abigails-american-bistro-highland-park), Walker Brothers (http://www.yelp.com/biz/walker-bros-original-pancake-house-highland-park), Bluegrass (http://www.yelp.com/biz/bluegrass-highland-park#query:Restaurants%20Downtown) and La Casa De Isaac (http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-casa-de-isaac-highland-park). 

 

Thank you for keeping us updated and please let us know if you have additional questions about hotels and/or the area.

 

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

 

 

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It was the Sheraton. Same amenities today, for $69 ($83.85 with taxes and fees).

 

Pretty happy with this win. I used your Hotwire link to book.

 

Any good ideas for dinner? -- pizza or not-too-formal Italian would be my son's favorite. And anything esp interesting for breakfast (interesting enough to lure me out of the Sheraton)?

 

Thanks for the help!

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Congrats on your success. :)

Awesome win for this property, which was really not built that long ago as part of an extension on a high-end mall (there's a very nice Whole Foods on the opposite end of the property.)

 

There are really two main routes that I would suggest to get to Lake Forest.

 

1. The Sheraton is on Willow Road. Head East on Willow Road towards the Lake until you get to Green Bay Road.  Head North on Green Bay Road. This will take you through a number of the very pretty towns along the North Shore area, starting with Winnetka and including Highland Park. In terms of breakfast along the way, there is the very cute little Original Green Bay Cafe in Winnetka, which I think has been there as long as I can remember (http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-original-green-bay-cafe-winnetka) in Winnetka, as well as the hugely popular Walker Brothers in Highland Park (http://www.yelp.com/biz/walker-bros-original-pancake-house-highland-park). Once you pass Highland Park into Highwood you'll get to Highwood Avenue. Cross over the tracks going East and the N/S street on the other side of the tracks is Sheridan Road. Keep heading North on Sheridan road and you'll go past Fort Sheridan (which has largely been turned into a nature area and houses) and then under a train bridge. Other side of the train bridge is Western Ave. Take Western going North and you'll quickly be in downtown Lake Forest.

 

Another huge local institution aside from Walker Brothers is Once Upon a Bagel (breakfast, lunch or dinner), which is tucked away on a side street across of a park in Hubbard Woods (http://www.yelp.com/biz/once-upon-a-bagel-winnetka) or the first location in Highland Park (http://www.yelp.com/biz/once-upon-a-bagel-highland-park) Like Walker Brothers, Once Upon has been around for decades. The one in Hubbard Woods is likely going to be less jammed than the one in Highland Park.

 

Highland Park and Highwood also have a number of other nice restaurants (Bluegrass, Abigail's, La Casa De Issac)

 

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2. Waukegan Road is the large N/S road that runs behind Whole Foods on the other side of the mall that the Sheraton is in. There is a small back road called Founders Drive next to the Sheraton. Take that North and within a couple of minutes you will get to Waukegan.

 

Take Waukegan straight North. You'll eventually hit route 60. You do not need to turn on Rt 60, but if you head briefly West on 60 you'll get to the Malls of Vernon Hills. Once you get to Waukegan and 60, you'll know that you are almost to Lake Forest. Go briefly further North on Waukegan and you will see Deerpath. Head East on Deerpath and you'll go right into Lake Forest. There's not a whole lot of note to see on this route.

 

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In terms of Italian, Francesco's Hole In The Wall (which is certainly a tiny place, plus cash only) is not right by your hotel, but not that far - it's on the way between LF and Northbrook (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g36464-d429995-Reviews-Francesco_s_Hole_In_The_Wall-Northbrook_Illinois.html) Lake Forest has two very good pizza places right down the way from each other - both on Western (Donati's and Ferentino's) I've had both and think they're quite good. I'm a little partial to Ferentino's, but I don't think you can go wrong with either.

 

One other local treat is Gerhard's in Lake Forest, which is right across from the train station - that's a great local bakery. 

 

For breakfast, there is also an Egg Harbor Cafe location in Glenview SW of your hotel (http://www.yelp.com/biz/egg-harbor-cafe-glenview-2) - there's also an Egg Harbor in Lake Forest.

 

I haven't been there, but in terms of Italian,  Pancetta in the Renaissance North Shore (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g36464-d4208291-Reviews-Pancetta_Regional_Kitchen_Bar-Northbrook_Illinois.html, http://www.foodspotting.com/places/558626-pancetta-regional-kitchen-bar-northbrook, http://deerfield.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/northbrook-hotel-makes-pancetta-restaurant-a-destination) does look good and has gotten a few good reviews so far.  

 

Barnaby's Pizza (http://www.yelp.com/biz/barnabys-of-northbrook-northbrook) is across the street of the Renaissance - it's not the world's best, but I've always thought it was good/occasionally very good thin crust (a buttery, corn meal-dusted crust that is very good) and it's remarkable that it almost feels like time stopped in the place, as it feels like literally not a thing has changed within in 30 years. It's dark and a bit of a hole in the wall, but it's an absolute institution in the area. It is not far from your hotel - this is a very good article on Barnaby's, complete with some great pictures (http://chicago.seriouseats.com/2010/07/barnabys-family-inn-thin-crust-pizza-northbrook-illinois-il.html). I wouldn't get anything but pizza there. 

 

There are also Lou Malnati's locations in Highland Park and (much closer to your hotel) in Northbrook, but they are really take-out.

 

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I'll add to this thread if I think of additional possibilities - please let me know if you have any questions at all.

 

Thank you for sharing your win and using the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links to start your purchases and searches.

Enjoy your stay.

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