Birthday Staycation in Chicago
I finally crossed “do a staycation” off the bucket list, and it was amazing! I’ve been wanting to do a staycation for years, but there was always a pull to leave town if we were going to spend the money on a hotel. After feeling the world skip a beat in 2020, we all really felt just how important spending quality time with family and friends truly meant. I made the most of my #quarantinebirthday last year, but since things were finally opening up and feeling safe enough to have a small group get together I finally decided it was time. I called up a few girlfriends and booked a room!
The best things about a Chicago Staycation:
This city is very walkable, which makes it so easy to explore downtown, have easy access to the best restaurants, see your favorite luxury stores, and check out the most iconic photo ops - like the Chicago brides or The Bean. Staycations are about indulging in luxury and breaking up routine in your life without the stress of a full trip - and we did just that!
Photo by Elena Cuellar
Location: The Gwen
Balloons: Paris312
Photo by Elena Cuellar
Location: The Gwen
Dress: Rent the Runway
Photo by Elena Cuellar
What I did During My Staycation
Even though I currently live downtown, it felt completely different being able to explore with my sister and friends. There was so much energy, great laughs, and just good, quality ladies’ time after a nearly a year of not seeing each other. Quality girls time is always a must, and I’m so glad I finally booked it!
Where we stayed: The Gwen
Balloon Decor: Paris312
My Itinerary:
Day 1: Relax & Enjoy
Spa Day 11am-3pm
You can either choose a hotel with spa services, or go to a spa nearby. Our hotel didn’t have spa services, so I opted to take a 12 minute Uber to one of my favorite spas, Allyu. It’s always so earthy and inviting. There are so many wonderful options in Downtown Chicago, so you can easily find the right spa for your price point and the services you’d like! I indulged in a 90-minute facial and 90-minute massage. DM if you’d like recommendations for practitioners. :)
Dinner 7pm-9pm
Later in the evening, Matt & I went to El Ideas, which is a unique Michelin star restaurant that turns classic favorites into fun dishes with a global twist. We had so many interesting flavor fusions, it’s hard to choose a favorite! It was delicious, but it was one of those fine dining moments where you left still hungry. (We ended up down the street getting tacos after haha!) Other restaurants I love that I think are worth checking out (they aren’t Michelin rated, but they have other amazing awards in the food world): Cabra, Girl & the Goat, Etta, and Machine Engineered Dining. If you are up for a little splurge moment - here are two really popular Michelin star restaurants in Chicago: Topolobampo and Alinea.
Day 2: Amp up the party a bit!
Tea & Champagne Party 2pm-4pm
The next day my girls joined me at The Gwen hotel, which hosts a fun tea party with tea, champagne, and cocktails - what you sip in your tea cup is your business ;) You can cute or casual, it’s really up to you, because the live DJ keeps the mood upbeat either way. We order the tower of tea treats filled with sweet and savory elevated items like caviar and trendy veggies like beets. With my sweet tooth, I skipped the beets and went straight for the desserts. These were fun to nibble on, but definitely plan to order lunch as well or build that into your schedule if you didn’t include breakfast on your itinerary.
Shopping 5pm-6pm
After a little tea & champagne, we made our way down to Nordstrom’s (with our masks on as required) and took a stroll through the shoe section to check out the latest trends! It was fun to do a little “window shopping” since The Gwen is attached to The Shops at North Bride (basically an upscale mall) on Michigan Avenue. Since it was raining outside, we stayed inside the mall area and went back to our hotel room to set up the decor and hang out until the others arrived!
Hotel Room Hangout 6:30pm - midnight
When we arrived to our room, there were two incredible balloon set ups waiting that were delivered by Paris312, a really awesome Chicago balloon decor service that delivers your balloons pre-blown up and assembled. It made setting up the room so easy and fun.
Once all of the girls arrived (we kept the group under 10 as suggested by local guidelines at the time), we got ready and went to The Upstairs at The Gwen - their craft bar. We felt very safe because we were able to have our own corner of the lobby (without a reservation) and enjoy our cocktails with plenty of space to ourselves.
What’s a Chicago staycation without a little Lou’s? If you’re not from Chicago - you’ll probably hear people swear by Giordano’s or Lou Malnati’s - I’m definitely a Lou’s gal!
Be sure to ask your friends for help with bringing games, snacks, wine, water, makeup etc. It makes it more fun when everyone has a role and can participate. We stayed up playing card games, listening to music, and catching up. I honestly couldn’t ask for a better time with friends after nearly a year of not seeing them.
The ONE THING I wanted was to treat the girls (and myself) to a little room service breakfast. Matt & I stay in hotels quite a bit, but we never indulge in that (especially for the past year with COVID restrictions), so it was definitely a fun thing to do to round our staycation pamper weekend.
If you’re considering a staycation - definitely make sure to keep a good mix of relaxing time & fun time so you can take advantage of the hotel comforts. You can also opt to upgrade your room for an extra luxe stay with the money that you saved on not needing a plane ticket for this fun little “trip” right here in your own city.
If you made it this far, head back over to Instagram and let me know which Chicago hotel you’d love to plan a staycation at!
Always,
Arika