I was in town for a conference and Amanda's place was a peaceful retreat at the end of each day. Her home is beautiful, clean, and comfortable. Amanda contacted me on the day I was to arrive to make sure I knew exactly what was going on and then helped me get settled in once I actually got there. She was very organized and welcoming! After that, she pretty much left me to my own devices, which suited me fine.

I enjoyed the neighborhood - a lot of people out walking or sitting on their steps chatting. I tried out one of the nearby restaurants Amanda recommended (Ignotz) and it was a winner (chocolate-covered cherries in whipped cream instead of plastic-wrapped mints at the end!). To get downtown, it was about a 10 minute walk to the train and then a 20-30 minute ride to the Loop, depending on how long you have to wait for a train.

I've never had a cat so I wasn't sure how I would get along with Hafiz. We had a small dispute the first night about who would get to eat my bread, but other than that, things were fine.

The bedroom had a comfortable bed and pillow and the house was quiet so it was easy to get a good night's sleep. I loved that the bedroom has a balcony; I had dinner out there one night and just watched the neighborhood activities. The bedroom was slightly warm (Amanda said she might need to have the AC looked at) but I didn't find it to be a problem.

Overall, I would highly recommend Casa Corazon. I felt very at home there and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again if I'm traveling to Chicago in the future. Amanda was a wonderful host!