WaterBird Lakeside Inn

About The Hotel

WaterBird Lakeside Inn is a 3.2-rated (93 reviews) bare-bones budget inn at 556 Indian Boundary Rd, right next door to Best Western Indian Oak on the same private pond. Subratings: 3.3 cleanliness, 3.5 location, 3.4 rooms and 3.4 service. Amenities include free parking, WiFi, pet-friendly rooms, non-smoking hotel and express check-in. Recent reviews describe a pond balcony as the main draw — coffee outside and late-night chats over the water. Warning from a reviewer: the ‘lake’ is a pond, not Lake Michigan, and the property is about 10 minutes from Indiana Dunes proper. Breakfast not included and one person is on staff at night. A budget-only pond-view inn rather than an in-room-jacuzzi property.

What Guests Are Saying

“This hotel is bare bones. Breakfast isn’t included. One person is on staff and that person leaves overnight. However, though the hotel is in a busy shopping plaza, once you’re inside you’ll feel you’re deep in the woods. Open the patio door. Right outside is Chubb Lake. It’s a small lake surrounded by trees, and every room has a lake view. The name of the hotel “Waterbird Lakeside” is absolutely appropriate. The lake is teaming with geese, gulls, herons, egrets, ducks and other birds. The lake itself is home to hundreds of turtles and, of course, Chubb fish. You can sit on the balcony and look right down into the water. It’s so beautiful and relaxing. A bonus: If you get hungry, there are about five restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, including McDonald’s, Dominoes, Little Caesar, a Chinese restaurant and more. There is also a CVS right there. Return to the hotel, and it’s like the busy world disappears. I used to go to Spring House Inn in Porter, which is also nice. But, not all rooms have a forest view and it has gotten pretty pricey. I like this hotel more. The only thing that would make it better is continental breakfast, but with Dunkin’ Donuts right across the street, it isn’t really necessary.” — rose813, 5 stars

“My husband and I enjoyed our stay here. We stayed in room 149 which had all the amenities one could hope for at a reasonable price- a comfortable bed, clean bathroom easy check-in, and personable staff. I travel with special dietary requirements and appreciated the refrigerator in the room. I didn’t use the microwave but on a longer stay, I might have. What really made this place special was the balcony overhanging the lake, and the relaxing atmosphere to just sit back and view the water birds who inhabit the lake.” — Karen K., 5 stars

“This was our last overnight stay on an extended road trip. We chose it for the lake view and were not disappointed. We spent most of our time in the hotel sitting on the balcony watching the birds and turtles (the perfect spot for your morning coffee). The room was large, clean and comfortable. It was probably the best room at the lowest price we had had throughout the entire road trip. (full disclosure, there are train tracks behind the woods across the lake. We both grew up in rural Iowa listening to trains at night, so this didn’t affect our stay at all). We were visiting Indiana Dunes the next day and the hotel is very conveniently located near the park.” — Denise S., 4 stars

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Balcony rooms overlook the pond
• Pet-friendly and non-smoking
• 3.5 location subrating — 10 minutes from Indiana Dunes
• Express check-in
• Budget nightly rates

Cons:

• Bare-bones — no breakfast and one overnight staff member
• Pond is not Lake Michigan (as reviewers warn)
• A shower curtain flagged as dirty in one recent review

The Location

556 Indian Boundary Rd, Chesterton, IN 46304 — Right beside Best Western Indian Oak on the same private pond in Chesterton. You can find more details or book your stay on TripAdvisor.