My family recently stayed at the Comfort Suites on Michigan Avenue in Chicago and had a great time. I can start out, though, with what it’s not. It’s not a 4 star hotel. We stayed at the Swissotel around the corner during our last visit to see our family and there’s definitely a difference in service, amenities, etc. So if you’re the type who has to have fine linens, fluffy towels (though these were pretty impressive for this class of hotel), turndown service and chocolates on your pillow, skip this hotel.

But…if you’re traveling with family and looking for a great value and unbelievable space, in an unbeatable location - this is your hotel. We also got an incredible Travelzoo special grand opening rate which made it even better.

We had a queen suite with a separate bedroom (though no door) including a flat screen TV. There was also a living room with a pullout sofa, chair, desk, dresser and another flat screen TV. There was a full kitchen: refrigerator, stove, microwave, toaster, dishwasher - the works. The kitchen was outfitted with basic pots, pans, dishes, glassware, flatware, etc. You could actually eat there, though there’s no table and chairs, there is a counter with two stools. Best of all, there’s an in-suite washer and dryer, which was such a novelty that we did laundry every night. We were on a high floor and had a spectacular view up Michigan Avenue over the river; what a bonus.

We were there over Memorial Day weekend, just a couple of weeks after they opened, and they were still working out a few kinks, but the front desk staff was so nice and helpful and really tried to fix things as they came up. When we arrived , our room safe in the closet wasn’t working and it was fixed within half an hour.

Housekeeping was spotty at best - they didn’t show up until we were back in the room at 4pm the first afternoon and wound up cleaning around us while we got ready to go to dinner. On our last day, they randomly didn’t leave any washcloths.

Breakfast and internet access (wired) are included in your room rate, which is nice. But on Memorial Day, we showed up at breakfast at 8:45 and all the hot food was gone already - and breakfast was supposed to go until 10am.

All the furniture in the rooms is brand new, which is nice, but clearly everything wasn’t redone. There was a “weird alien handprint” (as dubbed by the 6 year old) on refrigerator - some kind of disturbing red stain. The bathtub had a big sticker covering discoloration in the tub - we decided to steer away from baths for the weekend. There was a mysterious locked closet in the suite which turned out to be storage for towels, as we discovered when we wound up being there with the cleaning crew on Saturday. Though the guy who appeared to be the lead on the crew assured us they wouldn’t come in and out for towels, another woman on the crew let herself in to get some later on. A little unsettling to have your room used for storage, but we put up the Do Not Disturb sign anytime we were actually there and tried not to think about it too much.

Parking is a big, big problem in downtown Chicago these days, and the Comfort Suites does not, at this time, have a contract for a garage - though they tell us they are working on it and the website says they do. After spending a fortune on parking the first day, we found an outside lot around the corner between the Corner Bakery and the Club Suites hotel. If you don’t mind outdoor parking, it’s a deal at $17 for 12 hours ($12 on the weekends). Or don’t rent/bring a car at all and get yourself a CTA pass a block south at the CVS drugstore. There’s a bus stop that’ll get you just about anywhere right in front of the hotel. There’s also a Walgreens and a Chipotle Mexican restaurant (one of our favorites) on the same block.

There’s a very basic workout room with a bike, treadmill, elliptical machine, and weight machine, as well as towels. This is also the same room where the vending machines are. There’s no TV yet though they promise there will be.

On the whole, we'd go back again - even with the bumps.

Tips on sightseeing: we got to see some amazing Chicago museums, including the new Oceanarium at Shedd Aquarium, the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry, and the new modern wing at the Art Institute. All are not to be missed. We also enjoyed a quick visit to the Lincoln Park Zoo (always a favorite) and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park - both great for families with kids.