Name: Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock
Address: 2643 Il-178, Utica, Utica, Utica, 61373, United States of America
Rating: 7

24-hour reception

Elevator/lift

Smoke-free property

Newspapers

Gift shop

General

Accessibility features

Wheelchair Accessible

Accessibility

Breakfast

Restaurant

Breakfast/lunch to go

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Hiking

Picnic area

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Meeting and presentation facilities

Conference Hall

Business

Fitness facilities

Sports

Playroom

Children swimming pool

Kids

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Temperature control for staff

Personal protection equipment for staff

Extra decontamination measures

Temperature control for guests

Personal protection equipment for guests

Contactless check-in and/or check-out

Individually packaged food

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the resort

Grand Bear Falls Indoor Water Park

Mix's Trading Post

Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock

Utica

When we arrived, the cabin appeared very nice. The tall ceilings and open floor plan was great for our multiple families. The staff were nice and polite throughout our stay. Unfortunately, that is all of the positives that I can think of. The waterslides were not operating 90% of the time we were there. The wave pool did not operate the entire time we were there. We were told the waterpark would be fully operational, which was clearly untrue. Our first cabin flooded, forcing us to move cabins. The second cabin seemed just as nice as the first, with one huge problem. There were bed bugs. When talking to a manager, it was put off as if we were lying. They claimed to have a third party come in and inspect after we made a quick exit. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that no evidence of bedbugs were found. My husband, me and my 2 children were the ones staying in the room that had them. We got ate alive. I am attaching pictures of said bugs and just a couple photos of my bites. Because we had multiple families in the cabin, my brother (the person who booked the trip) did not have as many issues as my family did. We were refunded less than half of the cost, which is completely unreasonable. I wish the manager would have reached out to each family who stayed. Now, we are forced to spend even more money trying to prevent these bugs from coming into our home. We should have learned our lesson from the other reviews saying they had bedbugs, but unfortunately we didn’t.

Bed Bugs

I will say the food is really really good, and most of the staff are super nice. The food places imo close way too early. Their hours are all strange including the fact that you can't check in before 4pm and just go to the pool or something while waiting. The hotel room was ok, but the sink was semi broken. I was on the ground floor next to the arcade. The vending machine was never restocked the entire time I was there which was four days, and for some reason there wasn't an ice machine. You can see where they removed it at the end of the hall. 3 out of four slides in the water park were not working the entire time. It was pretty disappointing, and the water seemed murky. My kid stepped in fecal matterin the lazy river, and the staff did nothing about it. In fact I don't think they even believed him. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to drain the water due to contamination. I've seen it happen before. One of my biggest complaints is that their system was down all day when I was trying to extend my stay. The guy at the desk didn't tell us that until a few minutes later and as we were talking to him he didn't give clear answers to our questions, and just like stared at us like he just didn't want to try. I was just trying to see if everything was still fine with our extension because the night before they didn't know if the card went thru yet. There was another woman in front of us when we walked up that was visibly upset at him for some reason, too. He didn't seem to want to help anyone honestly. He was there all day yesterday on April 1st. We went back up because my key card got shut off. This was hours after the first time we went up there. The system was still shut down but the card machine was separate from the computer. We had to tell him 5 times that we need the card renewed because we had extended the stay the night before, and all our stuff was still in there. Again he just stared at us without saying anything. It was the weirdest experience with a desk clerk I've ever had in my life, and he was not friendly at all. In fact he barely said anything. FINALLY we went back up again and I got to speak to the woman who was working with him up there. She was very helpful. The Easter hunt and brunch was nice. The banquet hall was very fancy. One suggestion I'd have is that people should be required to dress nice for something like that. The food though was amazing, and the service was pretty good. The bar is very nice, and the bartenders were super friendly. The Cafe staff were also very nice. This is the first review I've ever written about a hotel, because there were quite a few discrepancies. If I could give a 2 1/2 rating that would be it.

It was... OK

We have been coming to Grand Bear for years just to swim and visit the front desk supervisor again we absolutely love her we stayed there for a family reunion for a week and half during the summer had a beautiful cabin!! I realized that the supervisor I loved so much  Davita was no longer there which broke my heart cause she did our over stay cleans for us and to watch her go from cleaning to supervisor at the front desk was amazing lol even though she never would take a tip for coming and cleaning as a housekeeper or a tip for handling our issues and reported them to the resort. All of our family loved her we rented a cabins and a villa and as we always do for 30 people or more.She always was there I wactched her handle guest being yelled at and noticed she was always there from early morning to almost 113@ at night when I would come down and get water she would be there we talked about how long she’s worked there and I said to her your always here so you ever go home she said yes but no but she loves it so it didn’t bother her to cover shifts because her GM she said was always so busy she never wanted her to have to stay so she explained why she was always there when i went to bed and when I woke up. Needless to say we came again this year and she.Is no longer there. I had asked for her because the lady on the night shift was so rude it was like us asking her for a bag for our snakes we got from the bear store. So I asked to speak with her again the  next morning to inform how the lady at 1130 was being with us.Then spoke with had a major attitude with me when I tried to ask for the same lady that helped us with our issues before which was Davita.Davita always made sure the guest had what they needed when She was there. but sad to say this is our last time after coming to Grand Bear is this last year we didn’t like how we got treated from the people that owned it first  same issue front desk agent rude! They need more Davit’s there and alway a older man who worked nights was also very helpful and. Never had an issue with coming in late in used to sit an talk to him as well and now they are both  no longer there. Needless to say we won’t be returning after this reunion we are going to travel furthee away for a. Yearly reunions for for our family kd 32 now. Bring more people like Davita and the older short man with the slight limp walk back!!! Loved this place but I’m the last week the night audit was rube wouldn’t let me finish asking my questions or talk at all m. So this is a good by to a wonderfull place due to a nkght lady being very rude rme did. K reason. Other then then that was amazing  the food is way way better rooms cabins are cleaner and villa as well. Maybe in a few years we will try back because spending thousands of dollars to be talked to like the way that lady talked to me and not being able to see the staff members I seen go above an beyond not only for me and my group. Jr for others are there again! So on my anniversary I would bill a villa for two nights and have down jr for the last 4 years Davita went out of her way bought us balloons and wine and candy with a card I still have today in my desk at home wishing us a happy anniversary with a box of fanni Mae chocolate and a cute bud and her wine glasses she had made herself and snuck it in our villa after asking if she could drop off some towels for us while we had been out hiking for the day! Don’t think we will get that treatment else where or every again from any hotel but pleas speak with your staff kn how to speak to guest smile 
Lee be polite and wear name tags so that people like me can see the same and get the information to give to a manager for a GM!!! So long grand bear hope things turn around. Cause this was our last straw after all these years that’s the only place we all stayed Liz

Our experience at Resort!

Upon arrival was slightly disappointed as we learned the water park had a pipe break so it would only operate as a “calm water” meaning none of the slides would be working. However, into our stay that disappointment was turned around quickly. There was so many fun things for the kids to do. On top of it all the staff was so accommodating and friendly. We definitely will be back to get the full waterpark experience.

Friendly and accommodating staff. Fun experience for family.

Our visit was from 2/29 to 3/3, and our family noted the following things: 

-Excellent service:  I want to give a shout out to Joni and other support staff because they were responsive and supportive. They provided service with excellence.
-Great rooms: our room was spacious and supportive for what our family needed, we loved having access to a microwave and mini fridge, and we could fit a full family for 4 in there without stacking on top of each other.
-A wide variety of activities that are supported by the resort. This includes being adjacent to Starved Rock, access to a water park with a variety of activities, playground, restaurants, arcade, movie, and crafts. You do a great job with activities. 
-Although there were some features of the water park that were broken during our stay, we recognize that staff worked to restore services as soon as they could. This included access to a wave pool, tot pool, and hot tub. Unfortunately, the body slides were not available during our stay. 

Some suggestions for improvement would include the following: 

-Having free crafts or other activities for guests of the hotel (e.g. a scavenger hunt with small prizes from the gift shop or arcade)
-Working to make the slides usable. We did appreciate that there was a heads up regarding the 2 main slides no longer working, though this would be something that we would note to friends and family who may have older children looking for something to do
-Consider adjusting the policy about having children under 16 in the hot tub. Though we understand how some vocal guests would be concerned about children in the hot tub, we think this would be a minority given that this is a family resort. Personally, our family could not fully enjoy the hot tub because it was separated from other areas of the water park, so we couldn’t keep a line of sight on our children while we were using it.  We would have used it more  as a way to warm up if the temperature in the larger pools/area was lower, which occurred from time to time. We would have much preferred to allow children in the hot tub so long as they weren't splashing and were accompanied by an adult. This was a common practice during our stay even though children weren't technically allowed, and it didn't pose a problem to us or others in the tub (we asked).  While we understand that some people may not keep a careful eye on their children, those people would still allow their children in the pool regardless, and you would only be left penalizing people who follow rules and watch children. 

In general, my family and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay, and we appreciated the staff and service. With a few tweaks, this place could move from good to great or great to excellent. Though we would note a couple things to friends and family, we would highly recommend this resort to others and would keep it in mind for future visits to the area ( (especially if kids could use the hot tub under supervision :)).

Great Stay at Grand Bear Resort

Overall, I found the pricing to be quite reasonable, especially considering the unique decor and theme of the resort compared to a typical hotel.

The water park exceeded my expectations, and the same goes for the hotel restaurant and the arcade. The staff members were really friendly.

The mini golf area and the villas appear really nice. Additionally, the proximity of a trail leading to Starved Rock, specifically St. Louis Canyon, right across the street, was nice.

I also appreciated the diversity of the guests; there was a mix of thirty-something parents and a variety of others. Overall, everyone seemed friendly, although most guests preferred to keep to themselves, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Would visit again. 

An Enjoyable Stay 

This resort has great value and the kids had fun. There are some things that can be improved. 

Quick summary of comments from guests in my party:
1. The women lockeroom for the pool was filthy and definitely needs improvement.

2. The restaurant "churros" do not have churros. Please take this item off of the menu because it is misleading. 

3. The resort internet was only available close to the lobby. Please expand the internet to reach all the rooms in the resort. This is important because my cell phone service was very spotty in the room. That along with spotty cell phone coverage meant communication was difficult. 

4. 4g or 5g cell signal repeaters in the building would be helpful but I understand if that is not practicable

5. I pressed 0 on the room phone for the front desk and got a voicemail  multiple times. I let the staff know about this problem.

6. The bathtub was slow to drain throughout our stay

Great value but a few things could be improved.

We spent a week at Grand Bear, room was very nice and spacious.  Enjoyed the area and there’s plenty of things around to do.  Starved Rock State Park is beautiful to hike in.  Only concern and a small one is you play a  40 dollar resort fee and the nice water park they have was not operating for3-4 days, the pool was available but none of the rides.  We will return as they is plenty to do in the area.

Journey to Utica Illinois

Not a very clean room. Lots of mold on the bottom half of shower curtain. Coffee maker in room had mold and residue in the water compartment.
Stoppers for drains were rusty and hard to use. Internet was horrible. Couldn't even watch a movie it buffered then turned off and said no wifi available. The waterpark had tape over the middle of the kids slide . No food place was open to eat at. We even called ahead of time to make sure restaurants at the lodge were open but none open our entire stay.

Not a good experience

It was fine for a family weekend with small kids.  We did the family suite with a balcony.  It was adequate.  No furniture on the balcony to use it, but it let in extra light which was nice.  Service is nonexistent.  Waterpark was great.  Kids loved it.  I attached a map of the resort that is provided when you check-in but not available online.  I think it's helpful to understand where the villas are located - if you plan to go that route.  We planned to booked a villa, but waited too long and had to just do a room becuase the villas sold out.  In hindsight, I'm glad we were in a room which was physically located in the lodge with the waterpark.  I would have disliked having to load into the car or walk 5 to 15 minutes to go to the waterpark.

Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock

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