Ah, the big city. I love Chicago. Each time we go, we stay in a different hotel. Not necessarily for any grand purpose, it just seems to work out that way. We made our most recent trip with friends for one reason. To be hedonists. Eat well, drink well, stay in a nice hotel and shop until we could shop no more. Talk about bliss. Our companions recommended we all stay at a downtown hotel called The Amalfi. Another couple was able to get us a discount at said hotel. Sounds like an excellent start to Hedonist’s Weekend.

The Amalfi resides at 20 West Kinzie Street. As many times as I’ve stayed in downtown Chicago, I still have no real idea how any particular location relates to anything but Michigan Avenue. The Amalfi is close – very close – to the lower end of this shopping Mecca. A ten minute walk at most. It’s also close to the Chicago River and several fine dining establishments.

The exterior of the hotel is impressive, a glass high rise with impressive views of the city. The lobby is retro-funky with lots of geometric shapes and warm oranges set off by cool blues. It isn’t a huge space, but adequate, with space to sit, and ample staff to make check-in quick and painless. There is also staff on hand to take your bags to your room and show you the amenities – always a nice touch for a group of Hedonists out to play. The staff is also extremely helpful – able to answer questions about nearby restaurants and clubs, as well as provide directions and recommendations upon request.

Our room itself was, well, less impressive than the one on the website. Lovely, but not as lovely as others in the building. We did not have a view of the city. Unfortunately, the hotel has a back side, overlooking the loading dock and the dumpsters. We had that view – and the noise that went with it. We also had the misfortune to have the room directly across from the housekeeping closet. The housekeeping staff starts working really, really early. Really early. So the room was quite a bit noisier than we would have preferred. It seems that I can sleep through anything, but it woke Misternocket repeatedly. This seems to be sort of luck of the draw (or cash on the barrel) – given a choice I would pay more to insure a room at the front of the building.

Now the room was tasteful bordering on slightly elegant, decorated in rich, dark colors. Not huge, but certainly plenty of room for two. Two queen beds took up much of the space (and had these giant round bolsters on them – we could have had awesome pillow fights had the spirit moved us), but there was also a desk (with internet access) as well as a lounge type chair, armoire and TV with loads of stations and a CD/DVD player. The CD/DVD player did have this disarming red light that glowed all the time, whether the unit was on or not, which was creepy in the middle of the night. But we came to see it as a little night light, a little red devil-eyed night light. Charming, almost. The hotel also supplied us with a selection of CDs and books – with more available at the front desk – to add to the comfort of our stay. While none of the music or books held even the slightest smidgen of appeal, it was still a nice gesture. Perhaps they supply these so that the guests have something to do when they’re awakened at five in the morning by the housekeeping staff.

The bathroom – always a prime focus in any hotel room – was really quite nice. Separate dressing and shower areas, with a cute little dressing table built into the vanity – make-up mirror and everything. The make-up mirror scared me with its ultra magnification, but again, it’s a nice gesture sure to be appreciated by someone. Aveda bath products were supplied in the mint-rosemary scent that Misternocket for some unfathomable reason seems to love. I don’t much like it – but the products were good quality and replenished daily. The towels were big, fluffy and yellow (by design, not with age). Hair dryer, iron, all the usual stuff was supplied. The double head shower was a fun touch – except ours had an alarming tendency to come loose from the wall. Misternocket simply shoved it back in place and we were in business, but they might want to look at that…..

The Amalfi also has a work-out room (didn’t see that – Hedonists don’t exercise on their weekends) as well as a work room with computers. Room service is available, but we did not make use of this amenity. I believe the food is brought from Harry Caray’s across the street, so is standard pub fare. Parking is close, but not on site. You can self park or valet – self parking is easy enough. Total parking charges for the two nights we were there came to $48. We simply left the car in the lot and walked or took cabs or the El where we wanted to go.

So far we have a pretty nice hotel (though one with some unfortunately located rooms and a few nagging inadequacies), but not a fabulous Hedonist’s paradise. No, more was needed to achieve our required level of indulgence, and The Amalfi came through. Twice! Their first coup – the complimentary continental breakfast, laid out near the elevators on each floor (not on the floor, people – on a table on each floor). Good stuff – fresh pastries, juices and what have you. A more than adequate spread. Now that’s nice, but not quite enough to tip us into the bliss zone. Their piece de resistance (which is why this hotel was recommended in the first place) is their Happy Hour. Now, I know that lots of places have something like this. The location in the hotel (really just a small room on the sixth floor) isn’t even spectacular. It’s rather cramped and doesn’t have quite enough seating. The thing that makes this hotel entirely worth every penny we spent there is a little something called The Amalfitini. This is the girly martini of the gods. Free each evening (as is any other drink you might want) from, I believe, five-thirty until seven, this is a concoction so sweet and boozy that it is, simply, a Hedonist’s delight. Along with drinks, the Happy Hour features an excellent selection of hors d’oeuvres representing foods common to the Amalfi Coast of Italy (from which the hotel, obviously, gets its name). Fresh mozzarella, crostini, olives, various meats and other Mediterranean treats were abundant, fresh and wonderful. The atmosphere could definitely be better, but the food and drink at The Amalfi Happy Hour are not to be missed. They’ll even give you the recipe for the Amalfitini – and it is replicable at home. Trust me.

So The Amalfi gets a mixed rating. It’s a beautiful hotel in a nice location, but our rooms were badly situated at the back of the building. The rooms were nice, but noisy, the bathroom was great, but the shower fell apart, you get the idea. For every wonderful thing, there was a minor (or loud) annoyance. Normally, I would end up giving the place three stars for coming up just a little short, but they fed me Amalfitinis, pastries and hors d’oeuvres that were heavenly, so they get an extra star from The Hedonists. If you’re looking for a place to stay on business – I think there are better for the price (we paid $199 per night). The location is great, but the minor annoyances would turn major for someone looking for peace and quiet. So four stars it is since it fit our needs well, but beware the nagging problems if you book a room here for business travel.


Recommended: Yes