I cannot recommend Hotel Palomar more highly for families. Besides be located (long) within long walking distance of most of the DC attractions, we thought that the service was impeccable! There were lots of little extras that were fun for the kids - Popsicle in the afternoon, milk and cookies in the evening delivered by room service, wine and wii afternoon. We were also happy to jump into the simple, but clean pool everyday after a long day of walking around. Sometimes you might have to just ask about amenities if they aren't offered right off the bat by the staff. I was glad that despite my kids being pretty noisy, the walls were thick enough to handle it. Such great value for the quality of service.

The Grand Hyatt is in an excellent location to all the major sights we wanted to see with our kids. The hotel upgraded us to an executive suite - nice surprise. The suite was very spacious, clean and had a lot of extras like a refrigerator, a coffee maker and an iPod dock.

Our friends had a 5 month old baby with them. The crib had a nice soft blanket. They also provided extra towels and baby bath products and a rubber ducky!

You won't be disappointed!

If you can, request one of the river view rooms at this luxurious hotel. Our kids had a fabulous time watching the boats go by which kept them entertained when we were in the room. Big plus.

If you pay extra for the club amenities, know that it doesn't include your kids. So expect to be tipping the staff to get your kids in or pay an extra $12 for every extra meal you stop in for.


The location is great location. The Millennium Park is a short walk away. In the summer there are concerts and a fun water feature. In the winter, kids will like the ice-skating rink.

If you let the hotel know you're arriving with kids, they have a Westin Kids Club back pack for them upon our arrival. It was a nice welcome that may made our kids free special. We loved that you could request cribs, bed rails, diapers and wipes, bottle warmer, high chair, booster seat, potty seat, step stool, strollers and a safety kit. My kids a little older, but if you're traveling to the Westin with little ones, at least you know that these are available.

The location of the Sutton Place Hotel cant' be beat. It is located in the Gold Goast neighborhood, steps away from magnificent mile. The Red line subway is just a few blocks walk away. We found it very convenient to just about anything we wanted to see and within walking distance to Oak Street beach and Lake Michigan. If you have girls who love American Girl, you might want to check out their American Girl package.

Our kids were thrilled when they were greeted with freshly-baked cookies and milk and a teddy bear. Staff was super friendly and the beds were oh so comfy. Rooms were pretty spacious.

Rooms include complimentary movies, video games and buttered popcorn with the Family Affair Package, which also gets you 25 percent off additional rooms. The hotel is steps away from Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile shopping district. The Sutton Place is one of a few Chicago hotels which offers the American Girl Place Package, with rates starting at $219/night. The hotel is located just a few short blocks away from Water Tower Place, home to the new American Girl Place Chicago.

We visited Biltmore Estates when my youngest was just 2.  We were with the cousins who were older - 7 and 11.  The older kids had a wonderful time exploring the mansion and grounds, but the 2 year old had a hard time keeping behind the roped off areas.  There were lots of breakable objects everywhere.  I finally left the mansion and headed for the beautiful gardens.  He was able to enjoy that a lot.  The Biltmore Estate is truly stunning.  For those of you who have kids who still enjoy all things princess, the Biltmore Estate is the next best thing to a Castle that America has to offer.