If you never visit Heritage Harbor you will never experience the beauty, the peace and serenity…read morealong with the fun all in one place just an hour from the suburbs!! The Cottages and Houses are right on the river just a stones throw away!

We just got home this evening from Heritage Harbor. when we arrived we discovered that none of the…read morebeds were made. when a staff member came to remedy the situation, she found no clean sheets that she said she placed in the laundry earlier. She had to leave and come back. I do not like the new portal system for checking in!! First it was not explained to me how to use It! I don't like sending personal information over the net, and it wasn't explained to me until I was able to speak to a person at the harbor office that I could have completed some of it on my arrival. The portal eliminates much of the personal contact which I feel helps to make the experience better!! Then, after about 8-9 different stays at the harbor, after NOT breaking anything and maybe leaving the home cleaner than we found it, we had to pay an insurance fee!! NOT given a choice!! Another factor we found out on the day before arriving on the non helpful portal! Just another way for more money to be made with less personal contact. We generally lovery spending time at the harbor, but things are definitely changing and I'm not sure all for the better!

The staff are friendly but this place needs an upgrade…read more Please be aware that there are no elevators. This is a rustic experience without a tent. The bathroom and kitchen fixtures are all mismatched brands. The fridge and stove/oven are top tier but the dishwasher in bldg 1 room 205 doesn't work. Be sure to bring your preferred bug spray. The property is massive so you can get in lots of walking or running. When you go out get EVERYTHING you need because the closest options are 20 miles or better away. Mostly everything closes super early so if you're arriving after 4 depending on how long it takes you to settle in you may need to pay- Unfortunately it's closing October 2025. Locals say it will become a Hilton property. If that happens I foresee the water park being closed.

Don't even get me started. First of all, they give you a…read morepaper warning you of their bug infestation. When people go on vacation they want peace, they don't want to crush bugs all fucking day. And I thought maybe it wouldn't affect my family and I, but I was wrong. It's true there are ladybugs and stink bugs all over the place. Especially after you use the bathroom and it gets all humid. Showers are a damn mess. The shower head has the worst pressure I've ever experienced in any hotel. This disgrace of a place tried to cut cost everywhere. Everything is outdated it's outrageous. By the way, there are no gyms (which is a stable for all holiday inns/vacation hotels) and no breakfast. You cheap motherfuckers. Barely any soap in the bathrooms and had to ask multiple times for shampoo (which took 3 hours to arrive). And all the buildings are split apart meaning you have to drive everywhere.. This is not even the worst. No where in the website does it inform you of the waterpark being inaccessible on the weekdays. You're also charged to use the waterpark. The TV is small and glitchy. Can't even use Netflix on it cause it's so goddamn old. They offer room service only after 10 DAYS. And then they wonder why people complain about the filth. Every room needs cleaning often to maintain its cleanliness. I mean the hallways smelled like cheese and people left out their towels after swimming in the hallways for the custodians to pick up. So imagine that smell of used towels and the clutter. All of this because the hotel refuses to clean people's rooms. In the middle of nowhere so we can't get nothing but pizza. All the few five star reviews are phony cause nothing is good about this place. The internet connection is so bad that my phone went off SOS. In the middle of nowhere so hard to get to any good food because they don't serve breakfast at all. Don't come unless you like: -Stink bugs, lady bugs, and box elders -Overpriced waterpark -crappy showers -no gym -slow customer service (because of lack of workers) -smelly hallways -no food around/trashy food -Terrible TV -Horrible internet

We stayed on a beautiful time in July when the weather was mid 70's and literally nothing outside…read morewas open past 4 (and you can't check in until 4 lol) No mini golf No outside bar Nothing The bar inside the resort (JH Higby's) closed at 7:30 The pizza place (Jacks Place) closed Wow, what a shame. Absolute trash "resort" Heck, even the TV is ridiculously bad! The "water park" is so so at best with enough chlorine in the water to cure every disease known to mankind!! I absolutely will never stay here again and I promise you, if you do, you will regret it.

**THERE'S A REASON THEIR FACEBOOK REVIEWS ARE DISABLED!**…read more Thank goodness I booked through Expedia and not directly with the resort. We were in town for my son's soccer tournament and decided to stay an extra night to break up the drive home. Grand Bear Resort looked like a perfect, affordable "mini water park" getaway for our two young boys. Before booking and knowing that it was this areas off season, I checked the resort's website and even called their reservation desk to confirm the water park was open during the entirety of our stay. I was assured it was. After FOUR hours of driving, we arrived around 7pm only to be told the water park was closed. Not only that, but the mini-golf and arcade were also shut down. Staff admitted their website wasn't updated because they "can't get a hold of the guy," and said their reservation team (based out of Chicago) didn't know about the closures. How are the people responsible for booking rooms com pletely unaware that all the amenities are closed? We weren't alone...multiple families in the lobby had the exact same story. The scene was full of frustrated parents and disappointed, crying kids. What really made this unacceptable was the resort's response. They refused to refund the stay and even pushed back when Expedia stepped in, despite clearly advertising amenities that weren't available. Thankfully, Expedia stood behind their customer and issued us a full refund, even offering to help us find another place to stay since while we were still six hours from home. I've never seen such an obvious bait-and-switch marketing scheme. We ended up staying at a Fairfield Inn & Suites with a tiny pool--but excellent customer service. Shame on you, Grand Bear Resort. This is not how you fill rooms.

We had a great server, Mark, who was very attentive and kind. Food and ambiance were great! - Jillread more

Great atmosphere, great food and drink. Jojo, our waitress, jokes were so bad they were good. A…read morevery pleasant wait-staff.

Stay here over the Lodge! A wedding was at Starved Rock and we opted to not stay on site and stay…read morehere and so glad that we did! It was spacious and updated and close to everything! I saw a room at the lodge and it was very old and not nearly as nice as this! Parking was easy and we walked to breakfast the next morning.

We stayed one day last week. Very clean and so close to everything in Utica. We will definitely…read morecome back!

Beautiful and peaceful retreat. The cabin we rented was dog friendly ($25 additional fee per dog),…read morewhich is perfect because the point of our getaway was to spend time with our corgi and to take her hiking. Check-in was at 4. It was self check-in and super easy. The cabin was clean, and everything was in order. The office was closed by the time we got unloaded so we didn't go. It is open for guests to borrow movies or puzzles or purchase firewood. We met one of the owners the following day. Very friendly and lovely lady! I forgot my hair dryer and she lent me one. There were trees surrounding the cabin area, a swing on the front porch, a grill and picnic table in the backyard, and there is a 2-person jetted tub along with a shower stall inside. It had such a comfortable feel to it. Full kitchen and a table for 4, a small TV and a blu-ray player, and a comfortable full sized bed. The couch was a futon, so if you need another bed, it's ready to go! There was enough space to set up our large crate for our dog. We stayed at the Zonta cabin. Overall, I had such an enjoyable time. Nothing beats waking up early in the morning to some fresh, cool air, the trees swaying gently and a nice stroll with the doggo away from traffic and car horns honking and people hurrying to get to places. I got a lot of peaceful reading time done, about 4 hours' worth of hiking in 2 days, and worked on some puzzles we borrowed from the office. I absolutely recommend this cabin resort for a relaxing getaway!

My friend and I spent two nights recently in one of the smaller cabins, looking for a peaceful,…read morecountry-oriented break from the big city. I'm very happy to report that Kishauwau's cabin fit the bill nicely. Kishauwau is what I've been describing as a cabin development. There are about 15-16 cabins in an area that backs up to the Vermillion River. In fact, the ravines behind some of the cabins are very steep. Anyone with small children will have to keep a close eye on the kids every minute they're out back. The scenery is spectacular, but oh boy, you don't want anyone sliding down that ravine. Our cabin had all the basics we needed -- a double bed, a fold-out futon couch, a big bathtub with a separate shower, and a kitchen stocked with plates, silverware, pots and pans, dishwashing liquid, and more. Every cabin has a outdoor fire ring, a grill, a porch swing, chairs, and a picnic table. The larger cabins had several chairs and tables. We had a TV with a DVD player -- you can borrow DVDs from the plentiful supply in the office building. NO INTERNET! If you can't live without access to instragram, you will be out of luck. So, be sure to plan ahead for ways to entertain yourself. I should also mention that the cabin was spotlessly clean when we arrived. The grounds are neat and well-maintained. The office has simple supplies for sale such as toothpaste, shampoo, etc., along with some snacks and drinks. There is also a small gift shop. I've already recommended Kishauwau to two friends here in Chicago. I'm very happy to recommend it to you, too.

We had a good stay at this HIE. Staff were all very pleasant. Lobby, hallways, elevator and room…read morewere all very clean. Lots of seating areas and a business center in the lobby. Three luggage carts in the vestibule. Free parking around building with handicap and Diamond elite spots by the door. We reserved our spots thru their app where we are able to add room preference details and we got just what we like. Bed was comfortably firm with four pillows and soft sheets. Bathroom products are multi-use mounted on wall near sink and in shower. As with our last HIE, I'm not convinced the bottle label reflects the contents there in. JMHO. Two sets of towels for a room that sleeps four. Tissues, plenty of toilet tissue. Plenty of hot water. Water pressure is fine, not powerful, not wimpy. Showerhead has spray pattern options. Tub-shower combo. A fridge, microwave, coffee service and ice bucket with cups is just inside the room. Coat hooks are over the built in luggage rack. There is space under the luggage rack to store any bags not in use or shoes. Heat (in October) worked well and was quiet. Room includes a closet with doors, three draw dresser and work space. One bedside table between two queen beds have 2 plugs. Besides desk chair one sytlish seat and a side table are near the window. Big flat screen TV. Breakfast starts at 5am and the spread was very good. Oatmeal, scrambled eggs, omlette, sausages, potatoes, cinnamon rolls, toaster items, cold cereal, yogurts, small bottles of milk, coffee, tea, cocoa, juice and a pancake maker. The hostess was very cheerful and chatty and kept the area very clean.

Upon checking into our room, the beds appeared clean but there was dirt in the corners of the room…read more Checking the bathroom, the toilet bowl needed cleaning and the seat was loose. There was only one towel holder near the shower, making it impossible to hang a towel near the sink to dry our hands. We brought a small nightlight and my Water Pik but were unable to use either in the bathroom because they would not fit into the only wall outlet. I had never seen one like it. I was shocked at how high the soap dispenser and lotion were on the wall. You had to put one hand under it and use the other hand to pump it. I have no idea how a child would have ever used it. There was one hook on the wall behind the door that had a hair dryer on it but no place to hang a robe or clothes. The lighting wasn't great. There wasn't enough light to put on makeup and I had to open the door and turn on the entry light. The shower was OK and shampoo, conditioner and body wash were provided but not enough body wash for our stay and they didn't refill it. These were locked to the wall and I was glad I had brought some of my own. We did not use the coffee maker or microwave. The coffee maker appeared to need cleaning. We did use the mini fridge for our ice packs but since there was no freezer we were unable to freeze them or make ice for our water bottles. The closet was OK but it would have been nice to have a light nearby. There was none on that side of the room. There was a lamp at the other end of the room and a light near the beds. The room was OK. It was quiet most nights. We turned on the TV and noticed it had the wrong time, no guide and no information when you clicked on a channel. The only thing for the TV was a paper list of channels showing the network. To find what was on, you had to go through and stop at each channel to know what it was.We tried to set the time but were unable to and when we found something to watch the TV would go out. The first night I was able to get Wifi for a few hours but had none the rest of our stay and it was mostly the same with the TV. On the third day of our stay, there was a man knocking on doors and loudly saying "Management" I had the door locked and the door guard in place to block entry. There was no "Do Not Disturb" sign available. I went to the door and asked what he needed. There was no answer. A few minutes later he came back and tried to get into the room with a key. I again said "What do you need?" They again did not answer but left. Awhile later after telling my concerns to the housekeeping staff a male employee approached me as I came out of the laundry area alone and said it was him and he was checking rooms. I asked why he had not answered me and he said he didn't hear me-either time!! The whole situation felt very uncomfortable since no one else was around. This hotel is less than 10 years old but seems run down in the elevators, hallways and other areas. Before booking, I looked at the pictures online. Everything clean, food looked delicious. When going to breakfast, there is a coffee dispenser machine where you do your own coffee. On the website, it showed scrambled eggs, fresh donuts, bacon. The first morning we arrived at breakfast 45 minutes before it shut down. There were no eggs, bacon or fresh donuts. The turkey sausage was cold as was the gravy and they had an empty pan where the French toast sticks should have been. I mentioned to the breakfast employee that the heat seemed to be off. The man did turn it on but by then we were done. So cold sausage and a cinnamon roll which was good. There were no fresh donuts or bacon during our stay. Another day, I did see a person with scrambled eggs but there were none left when we made our plates. There were slightly warm veggie omelets and cheese omelets. There was also fruit, yogurt, bread, cereals and a make your own pancake machine. We did not use the pool but did go on the patio which was dirty and had cigarette butts all over. I doubt I would stay here again and will probably stay at another hotel in the area. There were a lot of "little issues" and with the price we paid I expected a lot better. I had also booked under a promotion and had to contact customer service multiple times and prove I had registered for the promotion before booking. It took awhile to get the points I earned.

GGRRRRRR THIS PLACE HAS GONE FROM BAD TO HORRIBLE IN ABOUT A…read moreYEAR!! we stayed here in April of 2025. The hot tub Jets were not working then, and they still aren't! The smell of musty and mold is nauseating! Breakfast was ok. Cookie cutter omlettes like they had from Market Day. Sausage patties were greasy. Coffee was horrible! BE CAREFUL IF YOU USE YOUR SHOWER!! DANGEROUSLY SLIPPERY!! Water pressure was low and not very hot...Luke warm. There a few w reports of BED BUGS just a few weeks ago! We didn't see any... Will never stay here again!! An absolute rip off in price! Anything more than $79 is theft!

It was a nice room and served it's purpose. We were greeted when we arrived and explained…read moreeverything we needed to know about our short stay. The beds were comfortable and the pillows were really soft. The shower curtain was on the rod backwards. The tub didn't have grips so it was slippery. If passing through and needed to stop for the night I would stay again.

This is a budget hotel. Very basic amenities. If you want fancy, this is not for you…read more For those of you still here, this is our experience. Check-in was friendly and effecient. Show ID and credit card, fill in a form (car type, color, tag), sign, keys. Breakfast is 6am-9am. Our room, on the ground floor, was at the end of the hall. I passed a set of stairs but not an elevator. Doesn't mean there isn't one - it just wasn't on my route. The hall carpet could use a shampoo, but otherwise everything was clean and tidy. The lobby has a seat and a couple of desks, one with a computer and printer. There is also drinking water and an atm. The breakfast room right off the lobby is closed outside of breakfast hours. We had a double queen room. Electronic key cards are tapped to open the door. Inside is a bolt lock and a latch. The door has a peep hole. The sink is right inside the door with a toilet/shower directly across, behind a door. There is no place to hang toiletry bags and limited counter space. A bar of soap was at the sink and in the shower. Next to the sink is a space to hang clothes w/an iron, board and luggage rack, open to the room. The beds were comfortable as were the pillows. The bed included one soft blanket which was enough as the room was plenty warm. Some of the furniture was a bit worse for wear, but it seems clean. The metal lamps have plug ports in the base and are very light, so hold on to the lamp when you plug anything in! There are not many plugs around the room and only one night stand between the two beds. Good sized desk area. Plenty of hot water and good shower pressure. Towels are a good weight for the price point, soft and clean TV is on a dresser with two drawers at the bottom, a small fridge, microwave and coffee maker. An ice bucket is by the sink. An ice machine is down the hall just past the lobby. Our first impression, arriving very tired, was less than enthusiastic. But in the end everything was fine. Warm. Comfortable bed. Good shower. That's what I'm here for. At breakfast they offer coffee from a machine: press what type you want (dark, medium, light, decaf, water) and hold the button until your cup is about 3/4 full. After you let go, the coffee keeps coming. Tea bags are available next to the cups. The coffee was good. There is a fridge with milk, small yoplait yogurts in two flavors and cream cheese. A waffle making set up is next to the fridge. Bagels, english muffins, some other type of muffin and one danish were available at 7am. A 4 slot toaster did a good job toasting the bagel. Butter and jam are near the waffles. Two types of cold cereal and packets of instant oatmeal were also available. Plenty of parking on 3 sides of the building. Close to the highway, a gas station, and plenty of restaurants and two grocery stores. Guest laundry available. Staff were friendly and I got some rest and caffiene before getting back on the road while saving some money.

Horribly dirty place. Holes in both blankets, black spots all over the bottom of the bathtub,…read moreplaster gone in places on the wall. The sink was barely tiny stream. The carpet was filthy and stained. No pool, no breakfast. I paid $119 which was definitely high for the quality. Don't bother!