Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock

“I have to be honest, we booked this trip before reading the reviews and only looked at them the day before we were leaving. I was terrified and almost canceled, but I'm SO glad we didnt. We really had the most wonderful time, and we can't wait to book another trip! First of all, the rooms were completely clean and we had zero issues others have reported. There wasnt much light in the rooms, but my blue-eyed light sensitive husband really didnt mind that at all. The lodge itself was very cute, and they even had a little theatre with concessions that I didn't see anyone else mention in other reviews. I had no issues with the water park either. I do agree with those who said the bottom of the pools need to be touched up and re-painted, but I didnt feel any mold or felt like the water itself was murky. The water was clean, it was just that the wear over time of the pool made the bottom look a little dark. I truly believe the resort would get much better reviews if they allocated some time to touch up the bottom of the pool/do a few small maintenance things. The water was a little cold when you first got in, but nothing you couldn't acclimate to. Once you were swimming in it, it felt fine. It was nice to go back and forth from the hot tub to the jacuzzi. I do wish the little shop that was open at the water park had fresh nachos and pizza as is displayed, but that really wasn't a big deal. Overall, I had no real complaints. We really could not understand why this place gets such a bad rep. We had a fantastic time and plan to be back! Some tips for anyone wanting to visit: make sure you bring your own towels for the water, as the ones they offer are quite small and barley cover your body. There are places to get food within the resort, but if you want to save money, just bring plenty of snacks or stuff to make sandwiches. But you have to take the kids to the café to get some ice cream--its a fun little absolute must! If you are interested in going to eat somewhere other than the resort, i felt like there were plenty of places available within even a 10 minute distance. We went to a Mexican restaurant about 7 minutes away from the resort and it was honestly some of the best I've ever had!! Dont let the reviews scare you. The only reason I didnt give this place a 5 star review is because I do think they should re-paint or touch up the pool a bit. Other than that, we truly had no issues whatsoever. We will be back!”