My husband and I are familiar with Utica and Starved Rock and have always had a great time at Starved Rock park and lodge. We decided to give GJBGL a try since we would be taking our 2 1/2 year old daughter and thought she would enjoy the water park. Left the city Friday May 18, 2012 for a quiet... More

This Place is Bed Bug Central!!!!!!!! My Family and i were awakened by bed bugs @ 3 in the morning. Told front desk about the problem and they only wanted to put us in another wooden room. I have pictures and video of bed bugs and they still had a problem refunding my money. All of us were bitten but... More

I would never go here again. I was there with my son my brothers and 5 nieces and of course the kids had fun but they would have had just as much fun at any other hotel with a pool. The problem started the day after. They claimed that they smelled smoked in the room and took 500.00 dollars off... More

Stayed here as part of a conference. Charged $10.00/night for "Resort Fees". - Water park (Closed) - Restaurant (Closed) - Amusement Park (Closed) - Bar (Closed) Asked for "fees" to be removed from room charges as there was nothing open. I was told, that other people had complained as well and there was nothing that the "resort" could do. What... More

Unless you want to be accused of using drugs and charged $500 per room at the end of your stay and deal with a very rude general manager, I do not recommend this place. It is very fun for the kids (even though the only 2 rides that did not spin around were closed the entire weekend and the kiddie... More

This is not the Ritz Carlton. It's a family waterpark resort near a state park in IL. You aren't visiting for the high thread-count sheets or gourmet cuisine. But if you like waterslides, carnival rides, and feeling like you're a kid again, this place is pretty sweet. I stayed in a townhouse/condo here with a bunch of girlfriends for a... More

I was there for a conference on a Wednesday night. As stated in some of the other reviews, the waterpark, the indoor amusement park, and the restaurants are only open seasonally full time, and Thursday- Sunday afternoon during the off-season. The towels were threadbare, closer to bar-towel quality than hotel room quality. My room did not have an iron or... More

We have contemplated staying at the Grand Bear Resort for a number of years. My contemplation is over; I will not stay there again. We typically stay at the Starved Rock Lodge for convenience to hiking and that WPA feel. This time, our anniversary, we thought a facility with a more upscale restaurant/bar and a water park would be fun.... More

We rented a Villa for one night to spend with our two boys and their wives, and our 3yr old and 1yr old grandkids. The villa was very comfortable and spacious for our 8 people, and was only a short walk to the waterpark and amusement site. The grandkids loved the waterpark! I wouldn't recommend it for kids over 10... More