Jane Austen vibes meet Soho House service at Deer Path Inn, a beloved Anglophile institution in Chicago North Shore’s swishiest lakeside town. Was innkeeping in England ever really this English? Who cares? Another Charles Dickens cocktail please, bartender.
If Chicago has an East Hampton equivalent, it’s Lake Forest, a historic, manicured, country club-rich tycoon town 53 km/33 miles north of the city in Lake County whose eye-popping mansions and private Lake Michigan beach defy you not to rubberneck as you cruise by. So, for all its charming claims of roots in ye olde country-style English innkeeping, it’s no surprise that Deer Path’s Inn’s service and facilities are unmistakably tailored to the most pampered of world-traveller palates.
Starting life in 1857 as the private home of Colonel William Sage Johnston, built on the site of an old hunter’s cabin, the 57-room property was converted into a hotel in 1929, since when it has earned a reputation as a beacon of gracious hospitality with an exotically Old-World ambience. A top-to-toe renovation in 2015 plus the recruitment as General Manager of James Barnett, a mover and shaker of Soho House & Co’s UK and US operations, have kept both surroundings and service culture top-notch.
Awarded a spot in 1992 on the US’ National Register of Historic Places and a member of Historic Hotels of America, the three-storey, manor-style building is a quietly grand, creeper-cloaked Tudor-revival affair. At its heart sits the English Room, an imposing, wood-panelled Tudor-Gothic main dining space – one of three award-winning on-site restaurants – with a charming adjoining conservatory called the Garden Room whose glass wall and ceiling flood it with daylight. Enjoying a delicious breakfast here, we were happy to see imaginative vegetarian and vegan choices on the menu, and while dining proudly leans into the traditional throughout the property’s dining options, lighter and more modern dishes, including outstanding sushi, were consistently on offer. The Garden Room gives onto an Instalicious, lushly planted courtyard garden arranged around a statue of a reclining elk, and is the venue of choice in fine weather for one of the hotel’s famously elaborate afternoon teas, developed in collaboration with a British master of tea – and complete with dainty and deliciously loaded three-tiered cake stands, natch.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Sophisticate | ORD | GMT -6 |
| While you’re Out There |
| A 30-minute drive from Deer Path Inn, the Bahá’i House of Worship rises like a time-travelling Taj Mahal from the Lake Michigan shorefront in the leafy village of Wilmette. The Baha’i faith aspires to unite and enhance all established religions, an uplifting aim that’s abundantly reflected in the design of this extraordinary and vast building, whose sparkling white, ribbed dome has the nickname ‘the juicer’ among landmark-seeking pilots flying into Chicago O’Hare airport. Visitors are graciously welcomed, whether for spiritual contemplation or simply to be transported by the singular space and serene gardens. |
Elsewhere, low ceilings and heavy, dark-wood furniture keep things country-house cosy, notably in the large living room, whose grand stone fireplace magnetises guests to deep leather armchairs in the late afternoon, when a tiny bar serves cocktails, house-party style. Rows of Wellington boots for guests’ use, board games and jars of help-yourself candy on side tables further encourage you to make yourself right at home.
So too does the wood-panelled subterranean snug of the White Hart pub (if only our childhood shepherd’s pies in actual England had tasted so good), reached via corridors hung with framed Scottish sporrans and vintage black-and-white photographs of Jazz-Age east-Coast blue-bloods motoring, fishing and carousing. This leads to the surprisingly lively The Bar, where on our visit televised sports games lost out in decibels to partying patrons’ chat – none of which ruffled the charming bar staff, who expertly blend polished attentiveness with chummy encouragement to indulge and enjoy. A star among them is chief spirits officer Jorge Centeno, who offers mixology classes and devised the aptly Anglophile cocktail trinity of the Charles Dickens, the William Shakespeare and the Jane Austen.
In keeping with the building’s dimensions, guest rooms aren’t large – unless you splash on a suite, some of which have fireplaces – but calm, understated décor, deft use of space and high-end furnishings ensure you feel cocooned in luxury and conjure a sense of indulgent retreat. We loved our compact but beautifully designed Deco-style bathroom with its elegant chrome sconce lights and marble-tiled shower, and the welcome trays of fresh-baked pastries and quality giftlets were a cute touch. Complimentary valet parking, a 24-hour fitness centre, access to Lake Forest’s private beach and guest-use bicycles for exploring the local area are among other features.
Photography courtesy of Deer Path Inn
