Omnibus
Greg Fleming enjoys five-star luxury at The Peninsula, Chicago
Location:The 20-level, or is that 19? — there’s no 13th floor — Peninsula is set in the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. This year the 339-room hotel was named the secondbest hotel in the US by U.S. News & World Report and last year was Travel + Leisure magazine’s No 1 hotel in Chicago. Renovated just last year, it’s across from Saks Fifth Avenue and numerous high-end retail stores, restaurants and attractions.
Getting there: About a 40-minute Uber from O’Hare; add another 40 if it’s rush hour.
Check-in experience: Great. You enter the hotel to be greeted by a receptionist, doormen and bellhops. The lobby and concierge desks are up one level — and that lobby is spectacular, consisting of a large dining room, The Lobby, complete with fresh flowers, a grand piano and, if you arrive at the right time, a string quartet performing. And there’s no having to use your room key to operate the lift.
Price: Ranges from $800 a night plus taxes (around 18 per cent in Chicago) to well over $1000 depending on room and dates.
Room: 1726 — with fast Wi-Fi, a separate dressing area, large bathroom, business desk, good pod-coffee machine, even a fax machine. The room has the largest TV I’ve seen in a hotel, with more than 80 channels including the NFL channel, all controlled by a bedside Android tablet. That tablet also controls everything from the air-conditioning to the lighting. Of course, if you get in late like I did there’s 24-hour room service and the food’s fantastic (there’s an 18 per cent service charge on top of the meal).
Bathroom: As big as some hotel rooms I’ve stayed in — a deep bath with an inset TV in the wall, an enclosed toilet, roomy shower, lots of mirrors, and a phone. Toiletries: Oscar de la Renta.
Facilities: The hotel has a three-lane indoor lap pool on the 19th floor. It is spectacular with floor to ceiling windows and amazing views out to Lake Michigan. There are gym facilities on the 20th floor and the hotel offers spa facilities, which you can book. There’s a bistro, Pierrot Gourmet, on the corner (also run by the hotel) featuring all-day dining and some fabulous desserts. A hip rooftop bar, Z bar, opened recently overlooking Michigan Ave if you fancy handcrafted cocktails. Add to that an award-winning Chinese restaurant, Shanghai Terrace. The Lobby serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon teas.
Verdict: This is understated five-star luxury, impeccably done. Sometimes it’s the little things — the way housekeeping left spectacle-cleaning cloths out, the Welcome to Chicago platter featuring a Sears Tower made of dark chocolate, the complimentary fruit bowl, the gracious mid-western hospitality throughout my stay. Yes, it’s pricey — but it’s an unforgettable experience.
Getting there: Anyone who’s ever left Auckland on a Friday evening to head south knows how painful the traffic can be. We had the bright idea to leave on a Friday morning, after the commuter traffic. We blitzed down the motorway, got to Tauranga, headed towards the Mount and then drove 11km down the coast to Papamoa. The whole thing took under three hours. Too easy.
Check-in experience: They make this easy. Drive up to reception, park up, hop out, and grab your key. You’ll get a quick briefing about the place, and a code to open the barrier arms. Drive slow — there are often kids running wild, as ours were five minutes after arrival.
Room: We scored a pretty sweet spot, a two-bedroom apartment with a small kitchen (used a lot), a mid-sized heat pump (used quite a bit), and a giant TV (which remained unused). The kids had a room to themselves; the adults had a king-size bed in the lounge.
Price: Our two-bedroom apartment is just under $300 a night, but there are plenty of options, from camping spots to caravan sites, cabins and more. Check their site for mid-winter specials. What's so good about this place? The beach is the biggest drawcard. Opening our sliding door led to breathtaking views across the ocean. That door stayed open most of the time, and only got closed in the evening when it got a bit cold. The place is very well set up for kids: there’s a playground, plenty of grass to run around on, bikes and trikes for hire, and giant jumping pillows.
And the bad? Our stay was at the tail end of winter, so we couldn’t make full use of that beach. In summer, the park can fit more than 800 people. But there were just a smattering of us, including some hardy campers, a few lush campervans, and only one person that I saw game enough to enter the throbbing surf outside.
What’s in the neighbourhood? Papamoa is well kitted out for ex-Aucklanders. There’s a giant Pak N Save nearby, a plaza and plenty of eateries. If you want to branch out, or want to warm up in some hot pools, The Mount’s just down the road.
Food and drink: You could easily head out and about to find food. But why would you, when eatery The Blue is right next door? They’re open for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and deliver solid service. Three plates of eggs bene and coffees on a Sunday set us up for the day.
The bed: Soft, comfy and freshly made every day.
Bathroom: It was large and sparse, but it did the job. The showers were super powerful.
Toiletries: A limited array of shampoos and body washes. You’re not staying here for the fancy amenities. You’re staying here for that beach and that view.
Free Wi-Fi? We ran through our first free 1GB in the first day. After that, you have to pay.
Noise: Our kids made the most noise, especially when they were on those jumping pillows. Sorry about that. Room service: Nope. But we made full use of the kitchenette for whipping up scrambled eggs and pasta. Value for money: If you’re heading there in winter, you might want to check their website for a special on an apartment with a heat pump.
Exercise facilities: You can hire bikes, go for beach walks, swim, surf. Ideally, you’ll want beers chilling in the fridge as you put your feet up outside on the lawn. Contact: www.papamoabeach.co.nz
Perfect for: A family-friendly stay, wearing out the kids, scoring some sun and grabbing plenty of beach vibes. The bottomline: A great place for a mid-winter break.