Grand Harbor Resort

The desk staff were nice, but the room was in really bad shape for the price, over $200 a night. There was rust, dirt, peeling wallpaper, stained chairs and curtains, and lumpy pillows. The AC and heat kept turning on and off unpredictably, so the room temperature was inconsistent. I found someone’s food in the fridge, and there was hair all over the towels, sheets, and comforters. I wondered when the room had last been cleaned. If you’re used to a hotel you consider nice, this will be a real bummer. If you don’t care about accommodations or haven’t stayed in a hotel before, it might seem reasonable.

The room was well kept, and the front desk gentleman was really pleasant. The breakfast buffet was the letdown. The scrambled eggs tasted bad, the sausage was overcooked, and the wrapped muffins were dry. No attendant was around, and the tables hadn’t been cleared.

Brad made the trip memorable, and we’re already looking forward to coming back to Dubuque. The kids’ room was honestly the best part of the resort, even better than the waterpark. He runs it with a lot of thought and care, engaging with families instead of just supervising. Most days he was there from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and he helped each family make keepsakes from their trip. Every night, he held a skee-ball competition in the game room for kids and adults, which everyone loved. From 7-9 p.m. he also ran a pool party, with organized games every 15 minutes that kept everyone involved and the energy up.

We go every year with our young kids, 1 and 4, my mom, and my teenage siblings, 13 and 17. Everyone finds something to do and has fun. The staff are amazing and really friendly. The waterpark is big enough to wow the little ones, but small enough that I’m comfortable letting the teens go off on their own and can spot them when it’s time to leave. The rooms are typical hotel rooms, clean, and we’ve never had a problem. The WiFi is pretty slow, but 🤷‍♀️ no biggie. Breakfast is large and good quality. It’s close to the aquarium, so we go there too. Definitely worth the money, and we’ll be back next year.