Vacation Rentals by Owner

EVERYTHING AS QUOTED

Guest: Louis (ontario canada)
Date of Stay: 03/12/12 Review Submitted: 03/26/12

The whole time I was looking at this rental I was worried that it was too good to be true. All the reviews were too positive. As it turns out, all the compliments are valid. We purchased a week's pass on the transit system and didn't use our vehicle once. We went to a bulls game, a blackhawks game, a concert at the rivereira, a tour of Wrigley and the dying of the river and the St. Patty's Day parade. Being so close to the Blue Line which runs 24/7 was such an asset. We got home after midnight all 6 nights and not once did we feel threatened. People in Chicago are awesome. Twice we were looking at a map in the downtown area and people offered to help. The house itself is as described. Perfect, no need to elaborate. The neighbourhood is wonderful. Extremely safe. Little children playing in their front yards helped to alleviate any fears we had about the neighbourhood. I would rent again in a minute. Andrew was awesome to deal with even thought we never saw him. Perfect rental perfect vacation!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with young children, tourists without a car, pet owners, sightseeing.

Great family vacation rental

Guest: ljschultz1 (Tucson, AZ)
Date of Stay: 10/13/11 Review Submitted: 01/06/12

My parents, my husband and I stayed in the house over a long weekend in October. We had a great time in the city, and it was nice to come back to a comfortable home each evening to relax with a beer. The house was clean, had everything we needed, and was exactly as represented in the description and photos. We had no trouble with parking, and getting around the city from this location was very easy. I would recommend this property to my friends and family, and we would stay here again. The rental transaction was quick and easy. The neighborhood was very quiet.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

great chicago rental!

Guest: arlene (san francisco bay area, california)
Date of Stay: 08/30/11 Review Submitted: 09/12/11

my family (two adults + one child) traveled to chicago in august/september 2011 for a week-long vacation. since we were traveling with a young child, we did not wish to stay in a hotel; instead preferring to stay in a home rental which could afford more flexibility around meal preparations, laundry, and the like. upon reviewing a number of vrbo rental opportunities, we settled upon the 2b/1ba mayfair property. we are fortunate that we did! each correspondence with andrew estep - from initial inquiry to post-travel completion - was incredibly pleasant and professional. upon arrival, it was clear that the unit was well-maintained and freshly cleaned. all of the amenities advertised in the vrbo listing were accurate and in fine working order. he provided a helpful basket full of local cuisine menus, maps, and local fair, as well as a detailed instruction sheet of “how to’s” about the unit (i.e. location of local grocery stores, garbage/recycling pick up, internet access password, etc.). this was especially helpful when we inadvertently tripped the fuse because we had too many appliances running simultaneously. his instructions provided details so we could easily locate the fuse box and return power to the unit. he also made himself available during our stay if any questions arose (there was a minor problem with the dryer, which andrew quickly addressed). the unit was perfectly situated within walking distance of the train station (10-15 minute walk) and was within walking distance of a few restaurants and stores. the property is also two blocks from a children’s park, which is great for small children. the only downside was that we stayed in the second floor unit, which was not ideal for traveling with a small child and a lot of gear. there were approximately 10-12 steep stairs (in addition to the 4-5 at street level), so if you are traveling with a lot of luggage/gear or have physical limitations, i would be very mindful of this fact. otherwise, i would highly recommend renting this unit and would not hesitate to do so on a future trip to chicago.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Fabulous vacation!

Guest: Sue (Croom, MD)
Date of Stay: 04/23/11 Review Submitted: 05/01/11

My family and I truly enjoyed staying in this home. My kids now have a sense of "living in the city". We walked to church on Sunday, the neighborhood park and the subway station. Location was convenient to Wrigley Field and to the downtown attractions. A little space for my kids to spread out is a "must have" for us, so the layout of the home and the backyard were perfect. The Easter Bunny even hid eggs in the backyard on Easter! Plenty of everything we needed - towels, pillows, etc. Andrew has thought of everything! If we travel to Chicago again, we know where we want to stay! Thanks so very much!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, pet owners, sightseeing.

Enjoy Chicago

Guest: BobCy (Minden, NV)
Date of Stay: 03/26/10 Review Submitted: 04/03/10

We enjoyed our stay in this cute, well furnished duplex very much. It was an exceptional value and was perfect for us. The location was great, very near the Metra and the neighborhood was charming and we felt quite comfortable taking our walks. It's not a sterile, four star motel with room service, but if you want a warm, charming, comfortable and affordable "home-away-from-home", this is it. Since this was the last leg of our three week journey, we really appreciated the washer/dryer! We would definitely recommend this property and would gladly stay here again. Thank you Andrew!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Cindy105 (Kansas City, MO)
Date of Stay: 01/11/10 Review Submitted: 01/11/10

We recently stayed at this wonderful property. We came to our son's graduation from Navy boot camp. All our son wanted to do was to stay in, watch some movies, and eat some home cooked food. We had everything we needed right in the unit. The beds were very comfortable, and the unit was clean. We even met some of the wonderful neighbors. Our dogs were happy too with the fenced back yard. We will definitely stay here again.

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Guest: Alexandra H (New York, NY)
Date of Stay: 08/05/09 Review Submitted: 08/04/09

Wow!! what a great location and home for the money. In this economy it's nice to find a bargain for the family vacation. For the price I was worried it was too good to be true but the home is well kept and very nicely furnished. Not the Trump Tower but very attractive and comfortable. We parked our car in the home's free garage, walked to the train station to get everywhere and saved on valet/parking charges. I've traveled with my family all over the country using VRBO and this is one of the best big city values I've ever seen. You are right in the city but it's also a friendly neighborhood with parks and churches. Best of both worlds. We spent our two week summer vacation here and enjoyed going to see the Chicago Cubs, The Adler Planetarium, Blue Man Group, Navy Pier, Michigan Avenue, American Girl, Sears Tower, Great Restaurants, Lake Michigan....LOVED IT ALL! The kids enjoyed getting out in the enclosed big back yard...running around, playing soccer and helping Dad at the BBQ grill. if we had been trapped in a small hotel room for two weeks bad things would have happened :) Thank you we will be back!! Alexandra New York, NY

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Best of Both Worlds!!

Guest: Alexandra H (New York, NY)
Date of Stay: 06/19/09 Review Submitted: 08/04/09

You are right in the city but also in a nice neighborhood with parks and churches...best of both worlds!! Wow!! what a great location and home for the money. In this economy it's nice to find a bargain for the family vacation. For the price I was worried it was too good to be true but the home is well maintained and very nicely furnished. Not the Trump Tower but very attractive and comfortable. We parked our car in the home's free garage, walked to the train station to get everywhere and saved on valet/parking charges. I've traveled with my family all over the country and this is one of the best big city values I've ever seen. We spent our two week summer vacation here and enjoyed going to see the Chicago Cubs, The Adler Planetarium, Blue Man Group, Navy Pier, Michigan Avenue, American Girl, Sears Tower, Great Restaurants, Lake Michigan....LOVED IT ALL! The kids enjoyed getting out in the enclosed big back yard...running around, playing soccer and helping Dad at the BBQ grill. if we had been trapped in a small hotel room for two weeks bad things would have happened :) I've recommended this home to all my friends traveling to Chicago. Thank you we will be back!! Alexandra New York, NY

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Great house in a very nice neighborhood

Guest: Jeannie C (St Paul Mn)
Date of Stay: 06/19/09 Review Submitted: 07/02/09

This was a girls weekend(old women I guess all 50+) and we decided on getting this house rather than a hotel. Great decision. It was a couple blocks from the blue line and even when we took a cab from downtown it was only $22.00. It was the kind of neighborhood where everyone said good morning and hi when you passed them on the sidewalks. The house itself was exactly as promised. It was very hot when we were there and the window units kept us cool. The only problem was the bathroom got to hot all in all not a big deal. It was very easy to rent and Andrew was very easy to work with. We paid our money,got access to the house and that was it. We all loved having the extra space it was so much better than a hotel. We did a lot of our own cooking which saved us even more money. Great place highly recommend and would definetely rent again when back in Chicago. We stopped at a neighborhood bar and had a great time. If you like neighborhood bars go to Sidekicks on Montrose.

Recommended for:Age 55+, girls getaway, tourists without a car.

Appartement confortable et abordable

Guest: Hélène & cie (Montréal, Québec Canada)
Date of Stay: 06/01/09 Review Submitted: 06/09/09

Nous avons beaucoup apprécié notre séjour à Chicago. L'appartement est situé tout près d'une station de métro, ça ne prend pas plus de 20 minutes se rendre au centre-ville. L'appartement était très propre, et c'est très confortable.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Short trip to Chicago

Guest: Viktor D. (Kent, England)
Date of Stay: 05/01/09 Review Submitted: 05/20/09

"i found this flat after surfing for hours and emailing many landlords. Andrew replied pretty much instantly and was very friendly and cooperative with the payment over the phone (given the time difference between the 2 countries). the flat itself is only a few stops from O'Hare airport (on the blue tube line) which makes it very convenient at both arrival and departure. Takes about 10 mins from the station to get there, walking through a very peaceful suburban area. we loved the fact that the flat does not have keys, but a 4 digit entry code, so a bigger group like ours, can split up and do their own things. the place itself is massive, plenty of space in every room and comes with a garden for bbq's. tv, satellite box, dvd player, wireless net - you name it! the "loop" which is the city center is about 20 mins on the blue line and tubes run around the clock. in a nutshell, great value for money in a great location."

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Practically perfect in every way!

Guest: bydsyn (Colorado Springs, CO, USA)
Date of Stay: 03/21/09 Review Submitted: 03/31/09

With that title you would think we got to see the Mary Poppins broadway play but didn't make it this time. However, I don't think you can go wrong renting this property. There is easy access from 94/90 and the private garage is a big plus. The place is being well taken care of and maintained. Wireless internet was easy and fast and invaluable. The kitchen is well stocked with everything you need. Andrew, the owner, is very responsive when you have a question before or during your rental time and great to work with. Hmm, what else... we loved the wood floors and how they retained the old woodwork in the place. The washer and dryer in the basement allowed us to pack half of what we needed for the week. Rent away! We used this as base and saw many things including the Shedd aquarium, Alder planitarium, Field museum, Chicago Institute of Art, Contemporary Art museum, Millenium Park, Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, Ferris Wheel, Stained Glass museum, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago Bulls, Sears Tower, Water Tower Mall, Pizza - Pasta & Super Dawgs!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 01/01/09 Review Submitted: 01/12/09

My family had a wonderful time here during a week's vacation to Chicago last summer. Everything went well and we appreciated the value! Lots of space to spread out...big back yard perfect for our golden retriever and BBQ cookouts. We saw the Cubs play (twice!) went to Michigan Avenue for shopping, Navy Pier, Art Museum was fantastic, ate WAY TOO MUCH pizza!!!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 12/01/08 Review Submitted: 12/25/08

Wow what a deal! Was in Chicago paying for a training course myself and looked for an affordable home away from home in a great location for my family. This was it. To think that you can rent a large duplex home with a garage in Chicago for about $100 bucks a night...a real find. Took easy walk to train to get downtown quickly. Owner Andrew very nice and easy to reach and work with. Highly recommended. We will be back!

Recommended for:

Great Rental

Guest: Greg R (Seattle, WA)
Date of Stay: 06/14/08 Review Submitted: 01/13/09

Spent a lot of time researching properties in Chicago and found this GEM for family vacation in a nice neighborhood on the North side. Nicely furnished, comfortable and quiet despite being close to the train station. Happy to have free wireless internet and free parking. Parking is very expensive in Chicago so be sure to consider this. Easy access on the train to all the downtown fun for the family. For us the 20 minute train commute was worth the $200 per night savings vs. a downtown condo!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, pet owners, sightseeing.