As I have mentioned before, a lot of the traveling that Ryan and I have done has been very scheduled. And what I mean by scheduled, is that I have very meticulously planned out our itinerary (sometimes practically to the minute). While knowing what we have planned for the day, and knowing that everything is planned out in the most efficient manner makes for a really enjoyable travel experience, we had found that in general, we were trying to pack way too many things into our schedule. And so after many years with a ‘go-go-go’ travel mentality, Ryan and I decided to go in the complete opposite direction and see what we thought.
For our Europe travels this past June, aside from having ideas about what to do, we literally made no plans. And as you can imagine, this ‘not planning’ style of travel brought us a different set of challenges.
although we were hoping for snow, Chicago welcomed us with a beautiful display of Fall
With a taste for both ends of the spectrum, we have basically figured out that we thrive more with plans, but that we just need to plan less things. We want to be organized, but we also want to feel like it’s no big deal to adjust our day, take more time where we want to, or even throw the itinerary out the window and just sit around, relax, and drink some wine.
the beautiful neighborhood surrounding our b&b
So having finally worked out all of these travel planning kinks, and having had great success with this new plan of action while we were in Paris, we were both really looking forward to our time in Chicago. Although when it came to planning out an itinerary for the Windy City, there was one thing that we hadn’t accounted for – the absolute comfort and relaxation that we felt at the bed & breakfast that we had been invited to stay at, the Sono – meaning, we basically didn’t want to leave our room.
the amazing view of Chicago from our private patio
Having stayed in a lot of hotels, and I think that you know what I’m talking about when I say this – there are the good ones, and then there are the bad ones – and even when you’re lucky enough to stay somewhere nice, you very often still feel like you’re staying in a hotel. And so that was our absolute favorite part about the Sono. We didn’t feel like we were in a hotel, we felt like we were staying at a friend’s home.
our insanely fluffy and comfortable bed that I basically did not want to roll out of in the morning
Aside from literally being one of the cleanest places that we have ever stayed at (hallelujah), the lighting was bright, the owners were so kind, the shower was insanely huge (I’m talking built in shower bench huge), the breakfast spread had something for everyone, and just generally, we felt at home.
we absolutely loved how decorated the entire city was for Christmas already
Since we travel a lot, this ‘feels like home’ feeling was a breath of fresh air. So much so, that we actually brought in takeout one night to enjoy in the comfort of our room. It just felt so enjoyable to be there, that we really just wanted to lounge around, relax, and feel cozy.
While our original plans for the Windy City included a bunch of touring (and eating of course), we were completely happy to adjust our schedule to accommodate some much needed and enjoyed r&r. The Sono really gave us the opportunity to recharge our batteries and feel rested before traveling onward for some Thanksgiving fun; and for us, that was the perfect way to spend our time.
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Although the Sono Chicago gifted us a complimentary stay, no financial compensation was received. As always, all of the opinions that I expressed here are an honest account of our experience.