Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock

lthy! Upon pulling up to the main entrance, you could see garbage strewn about the grounds. Once I got into the lobby, it was loaded with people waiting for rooms. Mind you, this was 3pm on a Friday. But the worst part was our dirty room. It was located downstairs by the arcade. Walls had marks all over. Old television set with no remote. Toilet with fecal matter in it. Because the petting zoo was apparently closed, all the kids were in the arcade. Very loud and extremely difficult to sleep. The restaurant experience was less than acceptable. Silverware was dirty. There were no spoons. Uncomfortable wooden chairs with no padding. Flies hovering around. Smelled really bad like a skunk sprayed nearby? Reviews on Yelp and Trip Advisor contain extremely disturbing pictures that are in line with things I observed. There is NO WAY I would have my wedding here. Not today - not ever.

This Place is NOT as advertised. We arrived at the hotel in the late afternoon. The woman at the front desk told us to come back at 4:00. Very rude! The front desk suggested we go down to the water park to pass the time. The floor of the pool area was so dirty, that I wouldn’t even let a dog swim in it. The water park looked nasty, so we opted not to go swimming. It was really hot out so we just sat in the lobby and let our baby crawl on the floor for 2 hours. The Rooms Finally, at 4:00 were given a key to our Villa. Please be advised that the Villas cost a whopping $400 a night. There was No housekeeping. That’s right! They did not come one time to clean our room or change towels. Can you imagine that we paid over $800 to stay at a weekend resort and they don’t even clean the rooms? We attempted to call the front desk to complain but the phones were not connected. Amazing! The walls were dingy nasty, with dirt marks as far as the eye could see. There was a coffee maker, but no coffee, no filters, and no paper towels. The front desk told us to buy what we needed and that they do not provide extras. Since when did a paper towel become an extra at a resort? The entire villa comes with one garbage can under the kitchen sink. They give you no extra garbage bags either. I felt like an animal because the can filled up after a night. Bugs At around 9:00 pm at night, my nine-month year old started crying violently while grabbing her foot. Behold, upon inspecting her foot, there was a visible bite mark. I looked for the culprit. Sure enough…fire ants were everywhere. This includes the living room, bedrooms and bathrooms. Just nasty. There were six of us in our party. Every single person was bitten by a bug while in the rooms. Also, they have old school tube televisions. You would think a resort that charges almost a thousand dollars for a weekend would have modern TVs. Not here. The living room couch was broken down. You could not lay on it. Underneath the couch was a piece of wood with a nail sticking out. I guess this was to keep it upright. The couch was dangerous. There is absolutely no way I would recommend anyone having a wedding or bachelorette party at this business. Please make sure you read the reviews on Yelp, and other places before you spend your hard earned money. Jipped by Grizzly!

d by two little creeks. The reception was in the Grand Ballroom, under elegant chandeliers. Food and drinks are provided by the resort. We chose a seated, three course dinner and an open bar. The food, drinks and service were outstanding! Our guests and us were staying at the beautifully rustic cabins, villas and rooms. The biggest holds up to 20 people, which was great. Many families who normally live far apart in different states, were able to spent time together. There is an indoor water- and amusement park, as well as mini-golf and arcade games on the property. A little trolley takes you to every building. It was wonderful to have everyone stay close together and the celebrations in the same place. The morning after the wedding we even had breakfast catered to one of the cabins for all overnight guests. The staff was absolutely amazing and helped so much to make our day perfect. And it truly was perfect :)

rfect!!