Hotwire Hotel: Downtown Chicago near the beach

[mitchgo21]

Hello,

Thank you for such a great site.

For an upcoming trip (8/29-9/1) to Chicago, I am hoping to stay at a hotel within a 5-10 minute walk to the beach.

I'm hoping for 4* or up, and have been looking on HOTWIRE, but since I have never been to Chicago, I was hoping to get some advice on which of these hotels is the closest to a public beach.

Thanks!

[AaronJB]

The two main beaches right in the city are Oak Street and another, smaller beach (I believe Olive Beach is the name, although I'm blanking on it). There is a path along the lake that you can take to go from one to the other.

Personally, I actually like the smaller beach - it's nicer, there's some shade in the park behind it and Navy Pier is up the street if you want to get something to eat.

My main idea for this would be a "Stay 2 Days, Get 1 Free" at the Sheraton Towers or Westin River North, which you can find at the link below.

Stay 2 nights, get 1 free

The Sheraton is not my favorite hotel; it's not a bad hotel, but it's a very average 4* in a great location. Additionally, if you look on Hotwire, 4* hotels in the Mag Mile/Streeterville and North Michigan Ave/Gold Coast/Water Tower areas are $125-150. This averages out to $119.

The reason why I am suggesting this property is not only because it is a tad cheaper, but also because if your primary destination is the beach, this is a only a couple of blocks away from the beach near Navy Pier. It is $179 a night for the first two nights, then the third free. $119.33 average.

The Westin River North price via this deal is $199 for the first two nights, third free. $132.66.

The Westin River North is a much nicer 4* property, but you would be looking at a 15 minute walk to the beach instead of a 4-5 minute walk.

If you don't mind being mildly further from the beach and spending about an extra $15 per night, the Westin would be a much better hotel choice than the Sheraton.