Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock

We had a good time, but Great Wolf Lodge would be my recommendation for a better experience. The water park was smaller than we expected, and the lifeguards weren't always on duty. During calm waters, the slides and wave pool were off even though everything else was open. Sometimes there was one lifeguard, and sometimes none. The front desk also wasn't staffed well, and the operating hours we were given turned out to be wrong. The key cards need an update too: bringing one near a cell phone deactivates it, so you have to go to the front desk for a replacement.

The pool was fun, but I probably won't come back. We had to buy VIP passes for an extra $70 to get into the water park before 4pm, even though we'd already bought passes that covered 4pm to 9pm and 10am to 11am the next day. VIP let us check in at 1pm and swim a few hours earlier. After checkout, the hotel left a voicemail saying we could keep using the pool until it closed that day. That wasn't what we'd been told when checking in, when we had to pay for VIP just to get in before 4pm. I don't know what to believe now. Staff need better training. The rooms and TV are small, everything is closed, and nobody looks happy. Corporate green at its finest.

A few staff members were wonderful despite the problems. Justice, a restaurant waiter, was phenomenal. Shawna did the best she could with the situation and helped us find food after the infestation ruined quite a bit. The maintenance man seemed to try hard too. Still, after paying close to $1,000 for two nights in a villa, I wouldn't recommend this place at all. There was an ant infestation in the middle of winter, and we had to move twice. The third place wasn't as updated, but at least it had no ants. Imagine moving seven adolescent boys again and again during their dad's sons' birthday weekend. The ants ate so much food I'd brought for the boys. Internet was shaky, and the upstairs TV in the first villa didn't work on the first night. The restaurant and bar had run out of so many things. I tried ordering a menu drink and was told, 'we don't have any of that'. Even at these high prices, they don't seem to stock well in the off season. The hot tub was packed with babies in floaties despite a sign saying '16 and older'. We couldn't find anywhere to sit, and the rule clearly wasn't enforced. When we tried to get a late lunch or snack after losing much of our food, the sign said the restaurant closed from 3 to 4 for changing over food, but teen hostesses wouldn't seat us at 2:30 because they'd stopped seating. The sign should say that. The restaurant bar was closed, and the lobby bar didn't open until 4. Family time matters to me, but management sets staff up to fail. There was no manager to talk to, only an email address. I never got a reply after five days, so it seems they ignored me. I have other videos of the ants and other issues, and I'm attaching a photo. Go to Great wolf lodge. I'll update if I ever hear back.

The resort's location near Starved Rock gives it potential, but the poor upkeep and communication made our stay frustrating. I felt I would've been better off glamping and spending the money on a tent. Our in-room fireplace wouldn't work because the resort turns them off starting April 1st, something nobody disclosed when we booked. The whirlpool tub knobs were broken, so I had to use the outlet's GFI breaker to turn the jets on and off, which felt unsafe. The tub also drained so slowly during a shower that it filled with water. The third-floor window opened all the way with nothing to stop someone falling out, a serious concern for families with kids. The blinds wouldn't close fully, so we hung a towel over the window for privacy. Cleanliness was poor too: Hot Cheetos stayed on the elevator floor for over 24 hours before anyone picked them up. Tree Top Cafe's ice cream tasted stale, and the in-room maintenance number connected to a Budget Blinds store instead of resort staff. The lazy river was tiny. Nobody enforced the hot tub's 'no one under 16' rule, and it was constantly full of kids. The supposedly free miniature golf was unusable because clubs were never available; staff said people didn't bring them back. The TV couldn't stay connected to the internet and Roku to get channels.