Waterbird Lakeside Inn

2.0 star property

Photo gallery for Waterbird Lakeside Inn

Relax in this stylish room with a large bed, a smaller bed, and a cozy seating area.
Stunning lobby with grand staircase, reception desk, and large windows offering a view of the outside.
Welcome to Waterbird, where a curved roof and elegant entrance set the tone for a memorable stay.
Stunning multi-level interior with a staircase, chandelier, and comfortable seating area.
Relax on the serene deck overlooking a tranquil lake and forest landscape.

Popular amenities

  • Laundry
  • Housekeeping
  • Parking included
  • Air conditioning
  • Free WiFi

Explore the area

Map
556 Indian Boundary Road, Chesterton, IN, 46304
  • Indiana Dunes Visitor Center
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • Indiana Dunes National Park
    ‪4 min drive‬
  • Indiana Dunes State Park
    ‪5 min drive‬

Room options

Room, 1 King Bed, Lake View

  • Lake view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

Room, Lake View

8.4 out of 10
Very good
(44 reviews)
  • Lake view
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Double Beds

Standard Room, 1 King Bed, Lake View

8.6 out of 10
Excellent
(43 reviews)
  • Lake view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

Similar properties

About the area

Chesterton

When you stay at Waterbird Lakeside Inn in Chesterton, you'll be on a lake, within a 5-minute drive of Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park. .This hotel is 3.7 mi (6 km) from Lake Michigan and 12.8 mi (20.7 km) from Blue Chip Casino.

What's nearby

  • Lustron House - 2 min drive - 1.8 km
  • Indiana Dunes Visitor Center - 3 min drive - 3.9 km
  • Indiana Dunes National Park - 4 min drive - 4.6 km
  • Indiana Dunes State Park - 5 min drive - 5.6 km
  • Bailly Homestead - American Indians and Fur Traders - 8 min drive - 7.8 km

Getting around

  • Portage - Ogden Dunes Train to Chicago - 12 min drive
  • Chicago Midway Airport (MDW) - 68 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪McDonald's - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪The Original George's Gyros Spot - ‬10 min walk
  • ‪Wendy's - ‬7 min walk
  • ‪Round the Clock Restaurant - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Sunrise Family Restaurant - ‬13 min walk

About this property

Waterbird Lakeside Inn

Lakefront hotel in Chesterton with free parking
Waterbird Lakeside Inn offers 30 air-conditioned accommodations with coffee/tea makers and hair dryers. Rooms open to balconies. Guests can make use of the in-room refrigerators and microwaves.

This Chesterton hotel provides complimentary wireless Internet access. Flat-screen televisions come with premium cable channels. Change of towels and change of bedsheets can be requested. Housekeeping is provided daily.

Make yourself at home in one of the 30 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and microwaves. Rooms have private balconies. Flat-screen televisions with cable programming provide entertainment, while complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected. Conveniences include phones, as well as coffee/tea makers and irons/ironing boards.
Featured amenities include express check-in, express check-out, and laundry facilities. Free self parking is available onsite.

Languages

English

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transport

  • Free uncovered self parking on site

Family friendly

  • In-room microwave
  • In-room refrigerator
  • Laundry facilities

Conveniences

  • Laundry facilities

Guest services

  • Change of bedsheets (on request)
  • Change of towels on request
  • Housekeeping (daily)

Outdoors

  • On a lake

More

  • 1 building
  • 2 floors
  • At least 80% lighting from LEDs
  • Double-glazed windows
  • Local culture and ecosystem education
  • No plastic water bottles
  • Reusable cups
  • Reusable tableware
  • Smoke-free property

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Hair dryer
  • Private bathroom

Entertainment

  • Flat-screen TV with premium cable channels

Food and drink

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Microwave
  • Refrigerator

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Energy-saving switches in guestrooms
  • Iron/ironing board
  • Mobile key entry
  • Phone
  • Water-efficient showers
  • Water-efficient toilets

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: 11:00 PM
Contactless check-in available
Express check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 21

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM
Contactless check-out available
Express check-out available

Special check-in instructions

This property doesn't offer after-hours check-in

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Payment types

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards and cash
Safety features at this property include a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, and a security system
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios, terraces which may not be suitable for children; if you have concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm they can accommodate you in a suitable room

Property is also known as

Waterbird Chesterton
Waterbird Inn
Waterbird Inn Chesterton
Waterbird Lakeside Hotel Chesterton
Waterbird Lakeside Inn Chesterton
Waterbird Lakeside Inn
Waterbird Lakeside Chesterton
Waterbird Lakeside
Waterbird Lakeside Inn Hotel
Waterbird Lakeside Inn Chesterton
Waterbird Lakeside Inn Hotel Chesterton

Waterbird Lakeside Inn Reviews

Reviews

8.0

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 364 out of 896 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 300 out of 896 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 128 out of 896 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 66 out of 896 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 38 out of 896 reviews

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

7.0/10

Amenities

7.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

4/10 Poor

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Nice place. Nice location. Unfortunately, the
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Emergency stay was perfect

Local power outage at our home made us relocate. Waterbird was awesome
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Christine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Key card fiasco

Love staying here. I have stayed here several times because being able to wake up and look out across a lake is just beautiful. It’s instant relaxation. The hotel is reasonably clean. I could tell that no one had stayed in my room for awhile but I was there in the off season. My only complaint is that I had to keep returning to the front desk because my key card would stop working. Once, twice, okay. After the third time I was not pleased and the fourth time was absolutely ridiculous. Please fix this! I will be back soon to see the turtles….
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kelly

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great scenery and room. Would atay there again.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

2/10 Terrible

Rajmohan

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Empty
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort

This place is a joke

I checked in, was told I could have a late check out BY 5 PM. Knocking on my door at 2:00 pm asking why I haven’t checked out. I tell the employee who was a real peach by the way, that I was told I could check out by 5. The fact that employees can’t communicate is not my problem. This woman literally kicked me out at 3 pm explaining how this is a business, insinuating I don’t understand how this works. Mind you, there were like 2 whole other cars there - there were PLENTY of clean rooms. Her salary must be really big, HAHA. I politely got my things & left, I wasn’t going to stay there one more minute. The outside was questionable, inside was giving nostalgic & not in a good way. I would never stay here again, absolutely NO CUSTOMER SERVICE RUDE EMPLOYEES
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

8/10 Good

Scott

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nothing special
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kathleen

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I just always enjoy staying at Waterbird and eating at Lemon Tree and its not very far from Indiana Dunes
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jason

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Chris

Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

8/10 Good

Marquise

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Was a nice weekend getaway
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

4/10 Poor

Richard

Travelled with family
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Terrible stay. I can forgive not having a continental breakfast because that was my fault. However, the service was also poor. Got handed a plunger with plastic to plunge our own toilet - the plastic had someone else's feces on it and was already wet. The faucet was leaky. The heater kept popping off throughout the night so we were constantly frigid. The mix of poor service, lack of a breakfast, and it was more than other hotels in the area? Worst stay I've had at a hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Dana

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Staff was wonderful! Great place to stay.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025

8/10 Good

Rebecca

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Great view!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2025

6/10 Okay

Mandye

Disliked: Amenities
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Angie

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2025

10/10 Excellent

Angie

Travelled with family, Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This place was an awesome retreat! I would go out of my way to visit here again just to get away!
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

6/10 Okay

April

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Room was updated and spacious except the bathroom which was dirty, old, and moldy. Coffee maker was filthy. Nice view of the lake with balcony. It has a lot of potential
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

fanny

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

2/10 Terrible

Kaitlyn

I’m upset I couldn’t cancel my reservation and be refunded
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

2/10 Terrible

Tracy

Travelled with group
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities

The not so stress free get away.

Hot tub didn’t work. We tried to call service numbers nobody answered. Then no smoke detector. Changed rooms. Shower didn’t work and no TV service.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2025

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The sheets were so comfortable, the room was spacious, and the view over the lake was lovely:
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Amy

Travelled with partner
Liked: Amenities
Nice, quiet and spacious room
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2025

10/10 Excellent

Sung woong

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2025