Inexpensive stay May 18-21

Hi all!

We%26#39;re 2 couples,first time visitors, traveling from Toronto to Chicago.

Please share with me some ideas where we can have a budget stay. I even was thinking first night to stay somewhere close to Chicago (we%26#39;ll drive somewhere 8 hours in good case).

Thank you ALL!!!

Inexpensive stay May 18-21

May 18-21 is extremely difficult due to a restaurant convention that%26#39;s going on (...and that I wish I could go to.)

What is your budget for these dates? I%26#39;d be happy to suggest some hotels in very nice suburban areas near public transit. However, downtown hotels for these dates are extremely expensive.

Inexpensive stay May 18-21

Also are you both sharing a room or two rooms? Additionally, with suburban hotels parking would almost certainly be free, whereas it is often $40 per night (more or less) at downtown hotels, which are already in the $300-500 range for these dates.

I%26#39;m seeing a non-refundable 3* in the Northbrook area for $54 and a 3.5* for $79 (non-refundable) a night. You could get the Hilton Northbrook for $109 refundable.

Northbrook (http://www.northbrook.il.us/) is a safe, upscale North suburb. You could drive to a nearby Metra train (Metrarail.com), park there and take the train (about 32-40 minutes, depending on time of day) to downtown.

The Botanic Gardens, which are really pretty this time of year, are nearby in the suburb of Glencoe (chicagobotanic.org.)

Just throwing out ideas. If any of these sound good, let me know and I can go into further details.

Thanks a lot DVD! You the BEST!

We%26#39;ll need 2 rooms.

As I can see with Northbrook we can%26#39;t go wrong!

What about subway? Is it 24 hours or...?

What do you think about staying one night somewhere esle before we hit Chicago area? Any thoughts?

%26lt;%26lt;Thanks a lot DVD! You the BEST!

We%26#39;ll need 2 rooms.

As I can see with Northbrook we can%26#39;t go wrong!

What about subway? Is it 24 hours or...?

What do you think about staying one night somewhere esle before we hit Chicago area? Any thoughts?%26gt;%26gt;

It%26#39;s difficult to suggest a 1-nighter nearby, as most nearby places are more %26#39;2-3 night'; trips, such as:

1. Starved Rock State Park. Starved Rock is a gorgeous State Park about a 90-110 minute drive SW of the city. There%26#39;s a lodge in the park area, as well: http://www.starvedrocklodge.com/. This could be a possible 1 day idea, although it%26#39;s a little more something I%26#39;d recommend a couple of days for.

2. Wisconsin Dells. The Dells are about a 3-4 hour drive N/NE in Wisconsin. Essentially, the Dells is a resort town that is geared almost entirely towards tourists. There%26#39;s lots of attractions, waterparks, rides, arcades, enormous and elaborate mini golf courses, ';Duck'; (land/water vehicle) tours and more. The Dells would definitely be more of a 2 and better yet 3 day stay. You could also head to the nearby Devil%26#39;s Lake State Park, which is gorgeous.

3. Lake Geneva. Lake Geneva is a very pretty little resort town not too terribly far North in Wisconsin. It%26#39;s a relaxing small town with a sweet little downtown. The issue here is that Lake Geneva hotels can be ridiculous.

4. Milwaukee: You could head up to Milwaukee and browse around the Art Museum, zoo and other attractions (see: http://www.ci.mil.wi.us/Play479.htm)

Unfortunately, there%26#39;s really not many other attractions/major cities closer.

The Metra trains that run through Northbrook and head downtown are different than the subways that run around the downtown and outlying areas. The Metra trains are similar to Amtrak - they have 2 levels, bathrooms, conductors and are more comfortable than the CTA trains for not much more money each way. You can find out more information on the Metra trains at Metrarail.com, while CTA train/bus information is available at transitchicago.com.

In terms of Northbrook hotels, Hotwire.com (a *non-refundable* deep discount service where you are told the name of the hotel after purchase and, at that point, it%26#39;s not refundable and cannot be changed) has, if you search for 5/18-21 2 rooms/4 adults in Northbrook:

A 3* Northbrook with the amenities: Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry for $53 (likely the Radisson Northbrook)

or:

A 3.5* Northbrook fitness/pool/restaurant/business/internet/golf/tennis. $76. Likely either the Hyatt or Hilton.

Regular rate services also have some good possibilities, including the Staybridge Suites Glenview ($79, orbitz), the Courtyard Marriott Deerfield ($99, w/breakfast)

You could also get rooms at the Embassy Suites Northbrook ($103 non-refundable/$110 refundable), which would get you free breakfast and more space. The Hilton Northbrook has a refundable rate of $109.

If you have any questions, please ask.

See biddingfortravel.com and betterbidding.com about priceline.com and hotwire.com, so you can familiarize yourself with what those website are. This will probably (and probably is the keyword, as there maybe parking charges, free/no free breakfast, etc.) be the cheapest stay. Consider staying near Chicago airports, but do spend time on aforementioned websites so you don%26#39;t end up somewhere you don%26#39;t want to end up. Also note that it will take ~1hr to get from airports areas to downtown. I booked Hyatt Regency near ORD over 2 months ago for almost same dates, but I would expect a lot less rooms to be available right now at probably different prices.

Important to say, I appreciate your effort to help me:)

My friends insisting on staying somewhere close to Downtown.

What are my options?

The Hilton Garden Inn downtown is showing rooms at $259/night. $297 w/ valet parking.

Uupss...Is all Hotels so expensive in this area?