Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock offers a compelling blend of indoor waterpark fun for younger children and direct access to outdoor adventures at Starved Rock and Matthieson State Parks. Its unique value proposition lies in providing both aquatic entertainment and nature exploration. While the deluxe villas can be spacious and well-equipped for family groups, the overall accommodation quality, dining services, and general upkeep often fall short, presenting a stark contrast to its potential.
Key Highlights
- ✓Staff are consistently reported as nice, helpful, friendly, and welcoming across different experiences.
- ✓Excellent proximity to Starved Rock and Matthieson state parks, offering opportunities for waterfalls, canyons, and scenic walks.
- ✓The water park is warm and well-suited for younger kids (specifically ages 3-7 mentioned), featuring flumes, waves, and dedicated 'lazy waters sessions' for younger children to get used to the water.
- ✓Deluxe villas are spacious, allowing plenty of room for groups, and include large kitchens, wooden furniture, and bunk beds.
- ✓Reliable WiFi is available, suitable for work or staying connected.
- ✓Lobby areas are well-kept and presentable.
- ✓An outdoor playground offers a convenient and enjoyable feature for children.
- ✓The arcade is surprisingly spacious, providing ample activities for kids.
Standout Features
- ⭐Warm indoor water park with flumes, waves, and lazy river sessions for diverse age groups.
- ⭐Excellent location for exploring Starved Rock and Matthieson state parks (waterfalls, canyons, walks).
- ⭐Spacious deluxe villas with huge kitchens and bunk beds, ideal for families or groups.
- ⭐Consistently friendly, helpful, and welcoming staff.
- ⭐Good WiFi connectivity throughout the resort.
- ⭐Convenient outdoor playground for children.
- ⭐Spacious arcade providing entertainment options.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →**Book a Deluxe Villa**: For guaranteed space, a full kitchen for self-catering, and bunk beds, opt for a deluxe villa over standard lodge rooms.
- →**Plan Your Meals**: Be prepared for limited on-site dining options that close early (8 pm); bring your own snacks, drinks, and potentially entire meals. Expect to order outside food, which can be expensive (e.g., $45 for a medium pizza).
- →**Inspect Accommodations**: If staying in a villa, inspect for cleanliness, bugs, and condition of dishes immediately upon arrival. Consider bringing your own cleaning wipes or requesting service.
- →**Bring Essentials**: Pack your own coffee/tea supplies, phone charging cords (especially for bedside), extra cups, and a bag for wet clothes/laundry as these amenities are often missing or substandard.
- →**Explore the Outdoors**: Allocate time to visit nearby Starved Rock and Matthieson state parks for hiking, waterfalls, and canyons.
- →**Verify Operating Hours**: Confirm the café's operating hours upon arrival, as they may not match posted schedules.
- →**Consider Accessibility**: If traveling with individuals who have mobility issues, be aware of potentially low toilets and only one elevator.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Rooms (both lodge and villas) are frequently described as outdated, dark, dusty, and needing significant upgrades (e.g., better lighting, taller toilets, more spacious bathrooms).
- ⚠Mattresses in villas can be caved in and uncomfortable.
- ⚠Cleanliness issues reported in villas, including bugs around windows/doors and dirty or worn dishes.
- ⚠Limited on-site food options, with dining closing as early as 8 pm, forcing guests to seek outside food.
- ⚠Breakfast is typically a buffet, lacking a quality dining experience and perceived as poor value for the price.
- ⚠Misleading food menus with out-of-stock items and live videos displaying meals that are not actually available.
- ⚠The café may not adhere to its posted operating hours.
- ⚠Lack of basic in-room amenities such as coffee service, a clock, phone charging outlets by the bed, and easily accessible cups (only two hidden plastic cups reported).
- ⚠Linens are described as worn and scratchy; no bags provided for wet clothes or laundry, despite being a water park resort.
- ⚠Luggage carts are old, banged up, and falling apart.
- ⚠Toilets are very low, posing a challenge for aged or infirm guests.
- ⚠Only one elevator serves the property, without clear labeling for the main floor.
- ⚠Shower heads are small with poor spray, prioritizing water saving over guest comfort.
Price & Value
Mixed. Frequently described as 'overpriced' and 'not worth the money' by guests primarily due to outdated rooms, poor amenities, limited services, and cleanliness issues. The cost of outside food (e.g., $45 for a medium pizza) adds to the overall expense. However, for families prioritizing the warm water park experience and direct access to state parks, particularly if staying in a spacious deluxe villa and self-catering, the value proposition might be acceptable, but it's important to manage expectations for room quality and service.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •Toilets are reported as very low, which can be a significant concern for aged or infirm guests.
- •Only one elevator is available, potentially leading to bottlenecks and inconvenience, especially for guests with mobility challenges.
- •No other specific accessibility accommodations (e.g., sensory-friendly hours, staff training for specific needs) were mentioned in the reviews.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •Limited on-site food options, with dining areas closing early (as early as 8 pm).
- •Breakfast is typically a buffet, perceived as lacking value and quality, rather than a dining experience.
- •Reports of out-of-stock food items and misleading digital menus showing unavailable 'extravagant' meals.
- •Guests often resorted to ordering expensive outside food delivery (e.g., $45 for a medium pizza).
- •Deluxe villas are equipped with a 'huge kitchen,' strongly suggesting and enabling self-catering as a primary option for meals.
- •The café's posted hours may not be reliable.
- •No coffee service is provided in rooms, and public coffee stations are scarce, often un-stocked, and lack condiments.
👥Crowd Levels
- •The mention of 'lazy waters session allowed younger kids to get used to the water in a calmer environment' suggests some level of crowd management or dedicated times for different age groups in the water park.
- •No specific details regarding peak crowd times or days were provided in the reviews.
🛡️Safety Features
- •No specific safety features for the water park or resort in general (e.g., lifeguards, first aid stations, security measures) were explicitly mentioned in the provided reviews.
⏰When to Avoid
- • If you prioritize modern, impeccably clean, and well-maintained room accommodations with up-to-date amenities.
- • If you require diverse, high-quality, or late-night on-site dining options and comprehensive room service.
- • If you expect high-level hospitality services, comprehensive in-room amenities, or good value for money on the room itself.
- • If accessibility features like easily usable toilets or multiple elevators are critical for your party.
- • If you dislike self-catering or relying on outside food due to limited resort options.
Photos
What People Say
What's Great
- Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 9 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 10 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 3 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Easy Lab Tech, LLC
in the last weekWe did a little getaway with the kids and found that this place has so much potential. On the upside, the staff were so nice and helpful and I liked how large the rooms at the lodge were. On the other hand, we would have liked more food options and to be served later than 8pm. We ended up having to order pizza from an outside place and paid $45 bucks for a medium😞I would have appreciated a dining experience for breakfast rather than the buffet and better options for the price. And there were signs posted of several food items they were out of along with live videos streaming of these extravagant looking meals that weren’t actually available. The room for sure could have used some upgrades such as better lighting, taller toilets and more spacious bathrooms. And the room was a bit dusty. Overall, it was ok to experience. The location was nice a secluded.
Andrea McDermott
a week agoGreat family long weekend here in April. Loved how close this resort is to Starved Rock and Matthieson state park, enjoyed the waterfalls, canyons and St Louis canyon walks. We stayed in a deluxe villa and the cabin was very spacious allowing our whole group to have plenty of room to relax. Also great WIFI for anyone needing to work or stay connected too. We loved the huge kitchen and wooden furniture and bunk beds! The kids loved the waterpark, the flumes and the waves, they were aged 3 and 7. The lazy waters session allowed younger kids to get used to the water in a calmer environment too which was nice. The 7 year old once used to the flumes absolutely loved them! A fabulous getaway and would recommend to other families wanting an adventure and to make new memories.
Anita Kapinski
2 weeks agoMy son had his wedding reception at Grand Bear Lodge. It was truly amazing. It was one of the best receptions that I have attended. The room was absolutely gorgeous. The servers were polite and very professional. The food was superb! Tyson was always available to keep us updated. A would highly recommend having your wedding there.
Lyndsey Williamson
a month agoWe had a decent stay at Grand Bear Water Park Resort, but there were some drawbacks. The villa we stayed in needed a deep cleaning and some updates—especially the mattresses, which were very caved in and uncomfortable. We also noticed bugs around the windows and doors, and the dishes in the villa could use a thorough cleaning or replacement. On the positive side, the staff was very friendly and welcoming. The water park was warm and perfect for younger kids, which was a big plus. The lobby areas were well-kept, and the outdoor playground was a nice and a convenient feature. The arcade was also surprisingly spacious, giving the kids plenty to do. Overall, it's a good spot for families, but the accommodations could use some improvements.
John A Richards
2 months agoOut of date, overpriced, no services. Sorely missing in so many details. Worn carpets, dark rooms (poor dated lighting). Cafè not open it’s posted hours. No coffee service in rooms. In the WHOLE place on a weekend - two coffee urns and go cups - no condiments, nothing. No place to charge phones by bed. No clock in room. No cups, well, hidden in ice bin were 2 plastic cups. Luggage carts are banged up falling apart. Bed was nice. Pillows okay. Linens were worn, scratchy. No bag for wet clothes or laundry. Odd for having a water park. Toilet very low for aged or infirm guests. Only one elevator, no label which floor is main (2nd). Shower head small with poor spray. Owners care more about saving water than guest comfort. The price does not translate to high level of service. Not worth the money. Better to stay at a hotel that is actually in the hospitality business.