Harvey House Inn — Hotel in Oak Park

Harvey House is a gorgeous brick inn standing resolutely in a row of nicely appointed but not ostentatious Oak Park houses. The walk up to the front door from the street parking is impressive but not out of place for the neighborhood.

The smart lock on the front door quietly lets you in (assuming you know your code) and the beautiful decor greets you inside. The dining room seats many and the kitchen and lowered living room, sporting a bright white baby grand piano, impresses immediately.

The staff is friendly and attentive, and the is self serve tea and coffee available at all times, plus some small healthy snacks like granola bars (but I advise you bring some of your own favorite munchies as options are limited).

The rooms are as grand as the rest of the place, with ample floor space and high ceilings. Everything was clean, crisp, and modern, with a two sided fireplace and wonderful hot tub for two (other rooms may have different options). In our room, the bathroom was in a separate space, cut off from view, but not in a separate room. We were perfectly comfortable with that, but understand that's not for everyone.

The only negatives had to do with technology. If you're planning to come here to unplug, this might not be too important to you. They offer free WiFi, but it was spotty at best; the signal was always strong but about half the time, we couldn't get to the Internet, so we kept having to turn it off on our phones. There was a nice little flat screen high definition TV in the room, but it was the way it was connected to the little cable box only gave it a low definition video, which was fuzzy and both pillar boxed and letter boxed (or stretched out of proportion). The air conditioning was a window unit and the central heater controls were locked at to high of a temperature, so we needed to fight one with the other (we did get to a comfortable temperature but it felt terribly wasteful). On the positive side, the AC's fan blocked out the sound of the trains rumbling by on the elevated tracks less than a block away.

Even with those issues, the rest of the experience was so positive that we would...

My husband and I stayed here for a small vacation in Chicago. It's a very cute place, with a georgous back patio area for a nice relaxing breakfast. It's in a quiet neighborhood but is right next to the train, so it may be a small issue on noise for some, but it didn't affect us at all. In fact, it made our lives super easy since we could get anywhere we wanted via the trains. The owner was super nice, giving us whatever we asked (wine glasses, bottle opener, plates, etc) though she is super talkative.

My ONLY issue is the room layout. Our fridge was literally right next to the toilet in the bathroom. Within 2 feet from the royal throne! Which is not sanitary at all. There were a few times that my husband went to put something in it while I was using the facilities and it just freaked me out and told him to wait until I was done (for sanitary reasons, not for modesty reasons). I am not one to care about germs as much as other people. But that is YUCK! And that is the only reason I am giving a 4 star and not a 5...

This is our third year staying at the Harvey House, and it is far and away the best lodging experience out of any Airbnb, bed and breakfast, or hotel we've stayed at. Our favorite is the Jimmy Stewart suite, but we've stayed in other rooms as well, and they are lovely. The inn is private, quiet, and even with a full house, you hardly know anyone else is there. Upon checkout, we were surprised to hear that the place was full, because we hadn't heard anyone else most of the time we were there. Beth, the host, really has an eye for interior design, with an aesthetic that is subtle, classic, and timeless. We always go there as a couple when we are visiting friends, but it's also a great place to land if you are traveling by yourself, or on business. It's in Oak Park, which is lovely, and it's a quiet place to retreat to at the end of the day if you are spending time in the city. When we visit, my husband always says the Jimmy Stewart suite is the nicest place we've stayed, and I agree with him. We will...