PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

This boutique hotel deftly manages to straddle the line between fun and conservative. The rooms feature dramatic deep-red headboards and green-striped walls, while the lobby -- with its gold decorative accents and zebra-striped chairs -- looks like a 1930s-era salon. Despite the funky feel, the Monaco is rather subdued; it's a place to relax, not pose. The eclectic furniture includes mahogany writing desks and ergonomic chairs; suites come with a two-person whirlpool spa and pull-out queen-size sofa bed. (If you're taller than average, you can request a Tall Room, with longer beds.) All rooms include "meditation stations" -- comfy seats tucked into the larger-than-average windows, which are perfect for taking in the cityscape outside (ask for a river view). Given the hotel's playful spirit, it attracts a younger clientele, with an overall vibe that is laid-back and friendly rather than so-hip-it-hurts (this is Chicago, after all, not New York).

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Chicago 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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