DoubleTree Chicago Elk Grove – Hotel Review

Chris Boothman
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DoubleTree Chicago Elk Grove – Hotel Review

Anyone for free cookies? Well if you have ever stayed at a DoubleTree location, you will know that this hotel chain is famous for offering their free cookies upon checking in. Of course this is just an added gimmick that most folks will likely not care about but in my opinion it is these minor touches and incentives that really set these types of hotels apart from their competitors. Is it a competitive advantage for DoubleTree? By itself, probably not but when you combine this with a great rate, beautiful rooms and other amenities you are likely on to a winner!

We have just recently decided to start focusing our stays on the Hilton Honors chain which encompasses Embassy Suites (if you read our recent review on our stay in Cincinnati you will know we are a big fan of this chain!), Hilton, DoubleTree among others.

Location

Heading to Chicago for the weekend, we didn’t want to stay downtown so we opted for the Elk Grove neighborhood located about 20 miles north of downtown Chicago. The DoubleTree Chicago Wood Dale – Elk Grove hotel was a perfect spot for us and the first thing worth noting is that arriving at this hotel we were impressed by the overall setting and surroundings of the hotel.

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Located directly behind a beautiful lake and a wooded setting, this hotel is a perfect ‘weekend getaway’ spot whilst at the same time offering a good location to connect with nearby attractions. This hotel is also located in close proximity to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport so would also prove to be a perfect choice if you have an early morning flight.

The Hotel

The design of the DoubleTree Chicago Wood Dale – Elk Grove hotel is aesthetically appealing both on the exterior and interior. Check-in was smooth and painless and of course we were offered the famous DoubleTree cookies which are always a delight to sample.

The hotel offers the usual amenities such as a modern looking business center, gift shop and a Garden Cafe that has a full service restaurant offering options for all daily meals.

The Room

One thing worth noting if you are given a room at the other end of the hotel, be prepared for a pretty lengthy walk after reaching the second or third floor because those hallways seemed to be never ending.  Our room was located on the second floor adjacent to a window overlooking the swimming pool. Entering our room we were immediately pleasantly surprised by the spacious layout and the modern decor used to furnish this space. Everything was in order and the room really had a welcoming feel to it.

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Our main negative with the room was the cleanliness of the bathroom. The bath tub didn’t appear to have been cleaned very well but aside from that, the bathroom was maintained at an adequate standard.

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The free wi-fi connection was of course another benefit and will always get full credit from us as we always appreciate when we can connect our devices for free. We had no issues with the speed of internet and no problem with being kicked off the network as you frequently find on hotel networks, especially if you are using for a sustained period of time.

Summary and Details

For just over $90, the DoubleTree Chicago Wood Dale – Elk Grove hotel is a real bargain! It has everything you could want in a hotel and it is situated in a great location. I would definitely stay here again and would highly encourage anyone needing a spot north of the downtown area to consider this option.

Dates: Saturday, May 10, 2014 – Sunday, May 11, 2014 (1 Night)

Price: $94 per night (HHonors Double Points Rate)

A Forgettable Trip to Benton Harbor, Michigan

Chris Boothman
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A Forgettable Trip to Benton Harbor, Michigan

Have you ever taken a road trip somewhere and then realized that the whole trip was a complete letdown? Well, I have to say that we experienced this feeling to an extent during our recent trip to Chicago!

Flying out early Saturday morning at 6AM meant it was an early start for us as we had to drive to Memphis Airport around 4AM. We landed at Chicago’s Midway International Airport around 7:35AM and immediately headed over to the rental car center. A short wait for the shuttle bus lead to us taking a 5 minute ride to the Alamo rental car area. Our ride for the weekend – a Kia Soul!

The decision was made to take a road trip early Saturday morning from Chicago to Michigan. Our final destination – Benton Harbor, Michigan!

You may be asking why did we pick Benton Harbor as our Michigan location? Well, if you take a look at the map there are not many locations within relative short driving distance from Chicago unless you are willing to drive further to the likes of Kalamazoo or Grand Rapids. Plus our research on Benton Harbor led us to believe it would at least prove to be a spot on the Lake that would offer some beautiful scenery and a few things worth exploring.

Heading out of the Chicago metropolis through several tolls (I would highly recommend taking advantage of the rental car companies offer for the I-Pass which is a pre-paid tag that allows you entry through all Chicago and surroundings state tolls!) which are certainly plentiful in this part of USA.

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Crossing the Michigan State Line

The drive to Benton Harbor took around 90 minutes, the highlight along the way being a quick stop at the Michigan Welcome Center. One thing we were unaware of was that driving to Michigan saw us cross into Eastern Time Zone (if you ever drive to Benton Harbor, be aware of this time zone change because there are not too many notices letting you know!) but given that we drove back that same morning it didn’t make much of a difference.

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Benton Harbor, Michigan

Benton Harbor was in all honesty a major disappointment! The downtown area was small with very little to see and explore. A few bookstores, coffee shops and a run-down look was all this town on the side of Lake Michigan to show. Maybe we didn’t explore enough but we didn’t even get to see Lake Michigan.

We did come across the Harbor Links Golf Course which is hosting the US Senior PGA Championship in a couple of weeks but apart from that we were really struggling to find anything worthwhile.

We also stopped for breakfast at McDonald’s (yes, there wasn’t much in terms of options!) before we headed back on the drive to Illinois as we attempted to justify going 1 1/2 hours out of our way. Did we succeed? Probably not but that’s random road trips for you and they don’t always work out the way you plan them.

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I don’t want to judge the state of Michigan purely from this short road trip because the reality is that there are likely many beautiful spots throughout this state that are more appealing than Benton Harbour. But I have to admit that we were both slightly disappointed by our experience simply because our expectations were much higher of this location on the Eastern coast of Lake Michigan.

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Summary

Had we visited here during the US Senior PGA Championship, I am sure I would probably be writing a more positive review but if you have any desire to visit Michigan I would highly recommend visiting somewhere other than Benton Harbor.

Trips to upstate Michigan are by all accounts much more interesting and aesthetically appealing with beautiful scenery, but unfortunately our initial experience in this state leaves a lot to be desired.

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I have to admit that the highlight of this trip was heading back into Chicago, especially with the gorgeous skylines we were treated to on a beautiful Spring day!

A Walking Tour of Downtown Chicago

Chris Boothman
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A Walking Tour of Downtown Chicago

After visiting Chicago in 2012 for the Ryder Cup and only have a little time to explore downtown, we decided that a great way to spend a weekend getaway was to revisit the Windy City. Despite wanting to explore Chicago, we also wanted to take a trip around Lake Michigan, through Indiana and into the state of Michigan as this was another of our states that we had yet to visit.

However, the highlight of this trip had to be our walking tour of downtown Chicago which allowed us to really experience true Chicago and see some of the key landmarks and highlights of this city.

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Navy Pier

Driving back from Michigan, we arrived in downtown Chicago around 1:30PM. On a gorgeous Saturday afternoon this is always going to be one of the negative aspects of driving a rental car because parking is either expensive or difficult to find.

We decided to park in the Navy Pier Parking Garage which for $25 was expensive but at least it gives you the freedom of leaving your vehicle there all day. Chicago’s Navy Pier is similar to Pier 39 in San Francisco and is a real hub for entertainment and dining options. Unfortunately, the Pier is currently undergoing renovations although you are still able to explore the Pier.

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The Navy Pier is a great place to look back on the impressive Chicago skyline and take some memorable pictures. You can also take various cruises that go out around Lake Michigan from this location and the River Architecture tour is highly recommended by many though we opted to walk around instead.

There are numerous restaurants and a great food court to choose from at the Navy Pier and we opted for Carnelli’s Deli for lunch. We would highly recommend this to anyone who wants a lighter option but still has a Chicago style feel to it.

Walking Tour – Downtown Chicago

One of the great aspects of Chicago’s downtown area is that you can wander around for hours seeing a variety of different landmarks and genius architectural designs. The image below shows a snapshot of the route we took from Navy Pier as we decided to create our very own ‘Chicago Walking Tour‘.

Chicago Walking Tour

I have highlighted a few of the key spots along the way but this route was a little over 3 miles and well worth taking the time to do. Along this route you will see Chicago’s skyline up close with a variety of beautifully designed skyscrapers but there is so much more to Chicago’s downtown area that just high-rise buildings.

Walking Tour Key

A – NAVY PIER

As I have already mentioned the Navy Pier is home to various restaurants including Bubba Gump’s, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville among others.

B – CENTENNIAL FOUNTAIN AND RIVERFRONT

The Centennial Fountain is a great spot to just go and relax along the river. Throughout the day, the fountain shoots into the river providing a spectacular display for onlookers.

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You can sit and take in the beautiful architecture with some of Chicago’s high-class hotels located on this part of the Riverfront. We spent quite a bit of time here, buying an ice cream from a van parked on the side of the street and just relaxing in the late afternoon Chicago sun!

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C – MILLENNIUM PARK

Millenium Park is a real hub for tourists and locals alike who want to just relax, work out or check out some of the key landmarks within this park. Home to the Cloud Gate Sculpture and Pritzker Pavilion, this is a really great part of the city worth exploring.

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D – LAKE SHORE PARK

As we headed back to the Navy Pier, we came across another gorgeous little park in the heart of Chicago – the Lake Shore Park. This is a great spot for people to walk their dogs or take their children on the play area.

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Full credit must be given for the upkeep of this park as tulips and other floral arrangements were neatly maintained in this park.

Summary

Of course we didn’t see everything there is to explore in downtown Chicago but this is a really good walking tour if you are interested in seeing all of the key landmarks on foot.

Aside from the fact taking a personal walking tour is free, unlike the architectural river cruise or lake cruise, you will certainly burn some calories which won’t hurt you after sampling some of Chicago’s finest cuisine.

Interview – Paul Johnson (A Luxury Travel Blog)

Chris Boothman
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Interview – Paul Johnson (A Luxury Travel Blog)

Today we are truly honored to interview a true legend in the travel blogging world, Paul Johnson from the globally acclaimed luxury travel website – A Luxury Travel Blog. I have been fortunate to get to know Paul over the last few months and certainly have the highest respect for him and his website. I would highly recommend taking time to check out his site and also read on to find out more about Paul.

Please feel free to comment, ask questions and connect with Paul using his various social media fronts listed below.

We would like to give a special THANK YOU to Paul for taking time to interview with us!

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Name: Paul Johnson

Hometown: Kendal, United Kingdom

Website: A Luxury Travel Blog

Social Media: 

What is your favorite aspect of traveling and if you are a travel blogger, why did you decide to create your website? 

I love enjoying new experiences in my travels. In the last few months I’ve been on a helicopter trip in Eastern Europe, enjoyed an Everest flight from Kathmandu, watched ice hockey in Finland, driven right across Nepal and into India, done clay pigeon shooting in Ireland, eaten bear (not a whole one), been on a wine tasting tour – by bike – in South Africa and had a Russian banyan (like a sauna) – naked – in Lithuania, and visited an improvised comedy show in Greece.

Lots of variety and fun!

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How many continents have you visited? 

Four

How many countries have you visited? 

30+

What is your favorite destination in the world and why? 

Home. I know it might sound a bit strange for someone who loves to travel, but there’s something wonderful about returning home, too, particularly when you live somewhere as beautiful as we do.

We are sandwiched between two of England’s most beautiful national parks – the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales.

If money/time was no object and you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you travel to and why? 

There are many places I’d like to go but if money and time were an issue (time is a major limiting factor for me at the moment), then I guess I’d choose somewhere distant such as New Zealand. That’s somewhere I’ve yet to visit and I think I would love for the scenery if nothing else.

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Which of the following gadgets do you take on your travels? 

Laptop, Phone and Camera.

What is your preferred method of transport? 

Running!

I guess it depends what I’m doing but distance running is a bit of a hobby of mine. I’ve done 6 different marathons to date (3 in England, 2 in the US and 1 in Scotland) and am deciding on which to attempt next.

Complete the following, “Everywhere I go, I visit….” 

…with my camera. I do love my photography but wish I had more time for it to hone my rather limited skills further. I would love to go on a trip one day that combines my love of travel with a photography course.

Here is your chance to sell yourself and your website! Tell us some more information about yourself, what your travel philosophies & future plans are and anything else that people may find interesting to read about… 

I have worked in tourism for over 25 years, and specifically in online tourism marketing since the Web first came along. I am a Director at The Dedicated Partnership Ltd. which specialises in this area, as well as Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog.

I am also a Director of Kendal Holiday Cottages Ltd. so am spinning several plates at once!

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