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Holiday Inn
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
4 reviews for Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn with Mayan Adventure Water Park
I remember years ago when Holiday Inn used to consider itself a destination, rather than just a hotel, with novelties such as the Holidome. The Mayan Adventure Water Park shows that this concept is still viable.
The water park is small, but large enough to have a toddler play area that includes several slides coming off a large play structure that also has a large overhead dump bucket. In the main area, a lazy river, a large tube slide, a body slide, hot tub, and pool areas round out the offerings.
We stayed on a Saturday night plus Sunday night, and it was definitely very crowded on Saturday. I don't think I'd recommend this for a Friday/Saturday night stay, it just has the potential to be too crowded. However, it was *excessively* well-staffed - I couldn't keep count of how many guards and staff there were walking around. The guards were doing a good job of walking that fine line between enforcing rules, keeping control, without being unnecessarily rough and unpleasant. That's tough in a crowded park. The crowdedness resolved itself on Sunday, and it was very pleasant later in the day.
The rooms were pleasant, what I would consider Holiday Inn standard. The only annoyances we encountered involved the porch. There were other guests hanging out on their porches, smoking and yelling at people in the parking lot below. We also found that a service grate covering access to a compartment where the backside of the HVAC unit sat was missing, and we didn't want the kids poking around in that, so this meant we just didn't use the porch.
Access to the waterpark is not automatically included with all rooms; be careful when booking to verify that you get a package that includes it.
I personally feel that Holiday Inn would do well as a brand to take what they're doing at this location and run with it.
We stayed here when we came for a weekend at the Mayan Adventure Water Park. The Holiday Inn is located in an industrial part of Elmhurst, not far from Lake St. and where I-290 passes nearby. Not a scenic part of town, but it boasts of a fine water park for kids (see separate review to follow).
The hotel is nothing spectacular, only 4 stories tall, but it is pretty tidy and decorated with the Central American Native motifs in its front lobby, benches, elevator doors and light fixtures. It also has a nice restaurant called Mango's, which offers steak, pasta and burgers, but we opted not to eat there though it looked OK.
Many of the rooms overlook the water park located in the center of the hotel. We stayed all the way on the far end of the 4th floor. Most of the people at the hotel are there to enjoy the water park. Just going down the hallway, you could hear the excited shrieking of kids in the various rooms you walked by, so you know it's mostly families going to the water park rather than business travelers.
Our room came with 2 double beds, a cushy chair with ottoman and a writing desk. Amenities included a microwave and a small refrigerator. There was even enough room to set up our porta-crib. I would say the bed was comfortable, the pillows were a little flat, but that's how I like them at home, and it was a quiet night without any noisy guests. The bathroom was really nice too with a granite countertop and clean tile floor.
The room's heating system was ineffective, though. I set it for 70, 72, 74, and ultimately 77 degrees during the night, but it never kicked in and we slept in a chilly 62-degree room. Then in the morning it suddenly began working again.
A word of warning to families with small children... The balconies overlooking the water park area have metal railings. My 2-1/2 year old Stunt Baby came out on the balcony to see the water park for himself, looking to find some way to climb over the railing. It only took him about 2 minutes and he got his head between the railing bars, which is pretty scary, since it means he could theoretically fit his whole body through the railing gap if he tried. We pulled him out and locked the balcony to prevent any problems. During checkout, we told the manager of the railing problem, but I don't think he took it seriously, despite the fact that many of the guests are little kids.
In all, it's a decent hotel but has some areas to improve on.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
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We stayed here for the water park. It was fine - clean, quiet, and had a workout room. Adequate.
Free kids' breakfast, so that was a hit.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Actually really nice. Quiet. Clean. Indoor swim park! Nice pub too. Price is about $8-$10 more than a standard Holiday Inn. BUT... worth it IMO.
