Play With Water at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest
The coolest thing about the Sheraton Chicago Northwest at 3400 West Euclid in Arlington Heights, other than its proximity (and views of) the Arlington Park racetrack, is its waterpark. This makes the Sheraton, an otherwise standard offering in the Starwood family of hotels, a destination for families and anyone else who likes to splash around.
The waterpark is called Coco Key, themed with a colorful, tropical Key West vibe. Coco Key is not huge, compared to others we could name (such as the ones in the Wisconsin Dells, including the Great Wolf Lodge). Actually, this isn't necessarily a drawback; it's big but not overwhelming. I enjoyed being able to see the entire park at once, and my two-year-old son liked the fact that he could have lunch while watching the tipping bucket, his very favorite thing in the world. Actually, I liked that too because it's usually really hard to keep him seated during meals--but not here!
In addition to the tipping bucket, there's a nice kids' pool that doesn't get deeper than two feet, allowing very young children to get around with confidence. That pool has small waterslides and a couple of basketball hoops, too. It's billed as a "dip-in theater," but a lifeguard told me he thinks the screen (in the form of a pirate ship sail) is broken because they haven't actually shown any movies recently.
A water playground allows kids to move levers and wheels to spray water around while getting wet in all sorts of creative ways. Visitors can also use a hot tub, pools with lots of toys, and one of the big waterslides or the lazy river ride. There's food, too, in the form of an A&W/Pizza Hut combination that's actually pretty good and fast. We were there on a Tuesday, so the crowds weren't a factor.
The waterpark is connected to the hotel but they are separate entities, though you buy your waterpark passes at the hotel's front desk. You can come in just to play at the waterpark, depending on availability. We stayed at the hotel and paid $18 apiece for one-day passes, or you can get a package deal with a room stay. The hotel also has an indoor pool, a fitness facility, an arcade, restaurant and a Starbucks. The lobby includes a flat-screen TV and lots of seating, along with a generic Arts and Crafts style vibe and modern art. Meeting rooms are available, as is Internet access (with a charge).
Like all Sheratons, the rooms are elegant with heavy drapes to block out all the light (wonderful!) and dark wood furniture. One thing I love about Sheratons is the lack of those scratchy bedcovers that you're not sure have ever been washed. Instead you get a soft, striped comforter with cover and soft sheets. We always sleep well at the Sheraton.
Service was good. The only hitch we had was that on our last day, our key cards stopped working at checkout time. Since we are members of the Starwood program we had a late checkout, 4 p.m. instead of 11 a.m., and had to go to the front desk to get our cards re-keyed. No big deal. Otherwise, I'd say this Sheraton experience was smooth, restful and a lot of fun.
The Sheraton Chicago Northwest is located in the suburb of Arlington Heights, about a 15 or 20-minute drive from O'Hare. Take I294 north to Willow Road. Willow becomes Palatine; take the Palatine express to 53 south to the Euclid east exit. The hotel will be just ahead on your left. For more information, go to the Sheraton Chicago Northwest Hotel.
