Our daughter just got married at Honey Creek last weekend. It was awesome to have everything right there. ( rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, wedding party getting ready there, guest being able to stay on site. Probably 95% of the guest had never been to Rathbun Lake and was so impressed on how beautiful it was. Our guest stayed at hotel, cabins, & campground and everyone was happy. The staff couldn't have done a better job! Very knowledgeable on how everything should be run and I asked them lots of questions! They were right there to transport guest that needed help getting around. I could go on more about how happy and impressed we were but the bottom line for me, was how happy the bride & groom were. I definitely recommend a destination wedding at Honey Creek Resort. read more

I want to start out by saying this so-called "resort" is in a beautiful location--but unfortunately, it's run under poor management. Our group stayed two nights in two of their cabins. The cabins themselves were nice, but we had an issue with the AC in one of them. When we called for help, they sent out two high school kids who clearly had no idea how to fix an AC unit. They were friendly, but totally unqualified and ultimately not helpful. When you pay a resort fee, you expect more than what's offered here. The only included amenities were a small waterpark (which is only open from 3-7pm on weekdays) and beach access with paddle boards and a couple of canoes. Even those were poorly maintained--paddles floating in the water, and canoes with holes that were filled with water. No staff in sight to help. They also charge extra for things like a small train ride and paddle boats--$45 an hour for a paddle boat, which is outrageous on top of the resort fees. What was especially telling: for a summer weekend (and even into the weekday), the place was nearly empty. Aside from our group, the only people around were locals who live nearby and can pay to enter the small waterpark. It certainly didn't feel like a resort atmosphere--more like a quiet, neglected park with a few cabins sprinkled around. There are so many missed opportunities here. It would be great if they had a posted schedule of kids' activities at the main lodge, maybe played some music to liven the place up, and actually maintained things like the broken volleyball net. It felt like no one was really paying attention to the guest experience. Overall, the setting is beautiful, but the lack of management, poor maintenance, and underwhelming amenities made this stay frustrating and disappointing. I would not return or recommend this place unless major changes are made. read more

Stayed in March of 2025 we had a great experience. Restaurant onsite had good food. We stayed in a cabin, and it was very nice.

Bad service and bad staff attitude. We questioned the desk clerk about misinformation we got about one of the resort's facilities. We were not difficult. The desk clerk was apathetic and could have cared less about our questions. This treatmenr falls way short of what you'd expect in a nice resort. It was the second time this kind of treatment occurred. We hope you have a great time at Honey Creek but we don't think it'l be because of the service. read more

NOT a Resort; 1 Star Hotel near a Lake. These Owners / GM clearly do not understand hospitality. Much is broken; physical items and customer service wise The Good... 1. beds are supportive, comfortable, clean 2. near lake (with not much to do on or around it) 3. near nice golf course that was well kept 4. You can rent a pontoon boat there, but no wave runners(!) 5. shower water pressure and hot water was excellent (might have been the best thing here) 6. Pool area: Large and actually hot hot tub. Not large area, mainly for little kids (7 and under I'd say) but cute. 100% NOT a "water park" like some reviews say. The BAD... 1. Staff is not trained, and I'm 100% sure NOT INFORMED -- many are nice, well meaning with no experience, ages varied greatly so it was from inexperienced teens to mature adults... management (lack of) is the problem, not staff! 2. Items are in disrepair (at least spend the $10 to add handles to the foosball table in the lobby!!! -- wow, bad first impression) 3. Rooms Were small and not good a. dated and in minor disrepair (see photos) b. no light blocking shades or drapes on window!? c. phone in room didnt work, some didnt have phones at all d. small TV -- didnt bother me but oddly smaller than $118/night room at Country Inn Suites if that says anything 4. Poor to no Guest communication: breakfast was served, no one told any of the 3 families in our party. 5. Breakfast should be free. In Kearney we stayed at an 'old' Country Suites Inn for $118/night with much larger, nicer rooms than Honeycreek and it has free breakfast too! 6. indoor floors and fabric covered benches are very dirty/stained... need serious cleaning or replacing 7. Outdoor and Lake activities lacking great... a. no bike or walking path, so you cant walk around any section of it other than the frontage the hotel has... which is about 10-15 mins tops. the rest is on a hilly road no where near trees or water b. Paddle boards available at no charge but no where to go, so you are just floating in the lake being bounced around by wake from passing boats c. No wave runners d. small beach so its full of people/chairs with no place to play no volleyball, football, frisbee, etc e. Fire pit far away from main area, over by volleyball "field" that got no use. 10. Restaurant.... NEEDS SERIOUS HELP! a. service was VERY SLOW (45min & 1 hr). July 4th when all places anywhere were closed the GM was chic-chatting with a guest, holding a garbage bag in the middle of the restaurant for 15 mins... wow, talk about lack of awareness.. he should have been busting his azz to help b. servers lied or didnt care enough to ask about what was available or not... we ordered 2 rib dinners (plus 7 other items) and were told... "we are out of ribs", only to see 2 people get served ribs who got food as we were paying the check. We ordered pie for 9 people, as we ordered all our food, up front... "no problem got you all covered" only to be told mid meal "we only have 1 slice remaining" c. food prices are reasonable BUT they only had Lunch items, not started the 'dinner' items yet. I saw the dinner menu d. food was hit/miss... pork items are way overcooked (some were not edible at all, unless you had the jaws of a wolf to chew it. read more

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First, the good: Beautiful, the grounds were well maintained, lots of wildlife. The staff was courteous and the golf course was great. Next, the not so good: We took our 12 year old granddaughter with us, and her favorite thing is swimming. One of the reasons we chose this resort is the water park they advertise, along with a swimming beach at the lake. The water park was closed for the entire 5 days we were there, and there were snakes at the beach, both on the beach and in the water. The resort is quite a ways from any decent restaurants, but they have one on sight. Only, it wasn't open either. We weren't made aware of this before we arrived. Also, while the grounds were in good shape, there was a coffee cup and a bright pink sock on the ground in front of the outside door to our room when we arrived, and they were still there when we left 5 days later. Apparently they didn't feel the need to police their grounds. My recommendation is that you get guarantees in writing stating what you get for your money, and that you'll get money back if they're not provided. read more

Where to begin, we arrived on a Tuesday and they asked if we still wanted 1st floor, I told here when i booked all that was left was double queens so she changed it to a King on 2nd floor. First room we checked into had rust water coming out of the exhaust vent in the bathroom, they sent 3 I'm guessing high school guys to check it out. They also noticed the rod for the shower curtain was broke so moved to the room next door. We noticed that the restaurant wasn't open until Thursday so I went there for lunch and no one showed up to seat me so I left. We did have supper there that night (our anniversary) and what a disappointment. I ordered the walleye fish and chips and salad bar. The salad bars vegetables must have been from Sundays left overs, even the lettuce was brown. There was to much breading on fish and no flavor. The fries were soggy. If there are conferences here beware the WiFi id horrible. Definitely not worth the price you pay And the resort fee is a joke. read more

This awesome resort is a hidden GEM! Shocked that people don't know about this beautiful escape! We drove down from the twin cities and LOVED our cabin! We checked out the lodge when we checked in and it's beautiful as well! Can't believe I have not heard of this place before! read more

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We decided to take a "mini vacation" over Thanksgiving and selected Honey Creek Resort. We decided on it for a few reasons: 1. short drive from Des Moines, 2. indoor water park for the kids, 3. outdoor activities, 4. reasonably priced 5. Thanksgiving buffet (see my separate review for the restaurant). I'll go through each... 1. The drive was nice and easy from Des Moines. Just know, there won't be lots of options to eat on the way there. 2. The indoor water park was by far the highlight of the trip for the kids! They are 4 and 1 and LOVED it! We went down at least once a day, if not twice. It was perfect for their ages. There's a zero entry pool with a pirate ship, slides, and a waterfall tree. A lazy river. A basketball and lily pad pool. Finally, the pool the big slide goes into. All of them were fun and never overcrowded. Towels were provided at the pool and there were locker/bathrooms with showers. A changing table is only in the women's restroom. Also important to note is the water was warm! 3. We knew there were less activities in the fall/winter than when the weather is warmer but we crossed our fingers it'd be nice enough to go outside. Luckily, we had one fall day in the 50s. We chose to hike a bit and wandered to the playground. The playground was really nice with two sand areas, rock structures, swings, and playground structure. Great for the kids! We saw only a few people on bikes and a few on the golf course during our stay. But, it turned cold and rainy after that nice day. 4. The price was really great for the room. The room was still in great shape for the price. We had a room on the first floor with a door to the hallway and to a patio. I wasn't a huge fan of having a patio door for security reasons but it was nice to not have to lug everything through the lobby at check-in/check-out. There was a small fridge in the room (microwave in the lobby) and all the amenities I've come to expect in a hotel room. The thermostat was a bit annoying. We had to constantly adjust it up as it kept going back to their default temperature which was a bit too chilly for us. 5. Not good...check out my review on their restaurant. I already know our daughter is going to be begging to come back again and I don't think we'll have a hard time telling her we will again sometime. Maybe when it's warmer! read more

Honey Creek Resort - Bathroom - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Moravia, Iowa

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We did not stay here, but are staying locally. With cooler than normal weather, we took the kids to the indoor water park. I went to take a pic of my kid in the water and was told I couldn't use my phone, followed by my phone cannot be out at all in the area. Shortly after, my mother was sitting out in a chair away from the water checking her emails and my phone was sitting on my lap (not being used!) and the worker proceeds to come over again and tell us to put away our phones. Multiple times I caught them looking over at us probably hoping to catch us on our phones. Your job as a lifeguard is to not babysit the parents, but to watch the children in the water. We were treated like children! Do not plan on getting cute pics of your kids, you will be reprimanded. Pool rules did not mention 'No Phones.' Lastly, they are open 11a-4p today and have a pool check for 30 mins. That way, they can all go sit on their phones while we watch them without ours. It's unfortunate that staff can really take away from your whole experience and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. read more

We had 10 people staying at a cabin. The cabin is capable of holding 12-14 people and there were only 6 towels. half the light bulbs were missing. Doors to bathrooms didn't lock. lampshades were cracked, smoke alarms missing, poison Ivy everywhere along the yard, the floor was so sticky that socks would stick to it as you walked. $750 a night is not worth it, I wouldn't pay $250 to stay here. The restaurant was also terrible along with rude staff. I don't normally complain or write reviews but this was a truly disappointing experience and I would not recommend. read more

Their website is at best misleading. The advertise train rides and carriage rides. The website says to ask at the desk. We were under the impression that it was included at the resort and available multiple times a day. It costs $10 an adult and $5 a kid. Moreover, it was only available mid afternoon when the waterpark was open The waterpark is small, but a fun place to splash around. It was open from 11 to 4 when we were there. EXCEPT, there was a pool check right after we got in. It took a half hour. When I asked what the status was, they barked at me. How could I have the audacity to ask if we could use the water park? (I get a 5-10 minute break, so they can use the restroom etc). Once we got back in the lifeguards were not actively watching the kids, but chatting with other staff. They also we VERY insistent we shower and did not want my wife to have her phone in one of those pool cases. It seems like they are more concerned the adults are following rules, than kids being safe. I only saw about 6-8 tubes for the lazy river. The website talks about carriage rides, which we were looking forward to. Apparently the local Amish do that and only come out occasionally. The website talks about a 'general store', but that no longer exists. It is a very limited coffee bar. Also the bourbon/whiskey room has limited days open. I walked down to the lake to ask about taking kayaks, I saw lots of boats, and life jackets but half a paddle. (There were several boats out, but still they seemed to be short paddles.) There was no staff member there to help us into the water of fit life jackets. I wonder how they do the boats you have to rent. A couple positives, the grounds are beautiful, the room was nice. The rooms each are an Iowa county, and the decor talks about the county. The food is good. I think they are really short staffed. Their website needs to be explicit that the rides cost extra (and give the cost) and that the are limited availability. It is unfair to kids that are told all the things they can do and then they can't do them. There is no food option that we saw in the afternoon. We arrived about 1 and didn't eat figuring we could get a snack at the waterpark. The lunch stand there was closed. We had to wait until 5 to eat. There is really nothing to do after 4pm. It is really sad because it is a beautiful spot. But as another review said, it is really just a hotel by a lake. read more

June 8, 2024 seven of us went to the resort for dinner and drinks. Over $200.00 later, I decided I'd like to return for dinner the follSaturday night. The food was good; especially the walleye filet dinner, and I was so looking forward to ordering it again; however, we were refused service until after 7 p.m. because the reservations were full. we arrived at 5:30, 6 or 7 customers at the bar, 3 waitresses standing around, all tables inside and outside were empty, and we were told no go. good luck honey creek-you need to try harder if you can't serve 3 people. read more

Drove down from Des Moines for an overnight stay. We had a blast! I may have given this a 4.5 star if that was an option though for a couple small things. Overall: The indoor water park was the reason we came. It was a nice small size where you could see your child from pretty much anywhere but there was still lots for them to do. None of the pools were very deep, only about 3 feet max so a great pool for the younger kids. There were 5 zones-toddler area with little slides and zero entry, obstacle course/basketball area, small sized lazy river, medium sized water slide, big hot tub. Plenty of chairs and bathrooms conveniently located. There was an area with tables for a party as well. We came off season so we didn't do much outside but there would be plenty to do with the right weather. They have bikes you can borrow for free but a good percentage of them needed repair. If I was staying longer I would have packed our own bikes and scooters. There are short paved trails for biking and much longer ones for hiking. The playground is within one mile of the lodge where we stayed. There is a small friendly nature lodge with an enthusiastic staff person to help kids do crafts. Tons more to keep busy in the summer. The staff were super welcoming, what I would call Iowa nice. Three different people offered to go out of there way to do something special for us. Our room was good, nothing too special but convenient to the indoor water park and they had a small fridge. That's important because the restaurant is the only place to eat without driving. It's kind of overpriced for not too special of food. The cottages have kitchens. Two small annoyances- the thermostat in the room was programmable, but so many people have fiddled with it the buttons aren't labeled anymore and I didn't really want to spend my vacation time learning how to set it. It would be easy for them to just post the directions on the wall. The other thing that bothered me was the smell in the hotel. Other people may not have even noticed but as soon as I entered it smelled like old, stale cologne. I am not sure if it's there cleaning supplies they use or it's from the scented lotions they provide but it was just too much. read more

The resort overall was very clean and I routinely saw cleaners around the hotel. Food was decent however the water in the hotel was bad. When I turned the shower on, dirt, sand, and other sediments came out of the faucet along with the 10 seconds of brown water. The customer service made up for it with kindness. Especially a worker named Logan who opened doors, made polite and enjoyable small talk and took the trolly back into the lobby. We were appreciative of Logan's service and the young red-headed man should be given a raise for his hospitality. read more

A resort it is not in my book. Overly priced for the accommodations. What hotel does not have blackout curtains in the rooms, this one. They do have a lot of amenities for those traveling with kids and golf for us without. But you pay for that in the resort fee on top of your room rate. Time for some upgrade's, rooms and common areas are starting to look worn and dated. read more

Went over Memorial Day weekend to fish with my 11 year old son and father. Fishing was pretty good off of the break waters. They had just opened up the outdoor aqua park; my son owned me, but it was a lot of fun. The indoor park was just okay. Rooms were starting to look a little dated, but met our needs. They put some effort into the outside activities (soccer, frisbee golf, corn hole, etc). This isn't Okoboji Lake, but loved seeing what they've done with this place since being there growing up 30 years ago. read more

All things considered maybe this place deserves 2.5 stars. I liked the cleanliness and the many activities available to guests. They rent kayaks, canoes and bikes and have trails, an indoor and outdoor water park, a private beach, an 18 hole golf course, activities, a fire pit and restaurant. I only sat out in the beach and used the indoor water park. It is very small but has a lazy river and hot tub, which I enjoyed. I imagine it can get pretty crowded if you stay during peak summer dates but we went after Labor Day and practically had the resort to ourselves. That said, you would think that a place that charges over $200/night and attracts lots of kids and families would have thicker walls, or at least that they would put guests in rooms that were a little farther from each other because those walls are practically paper thin. We heard conversations in other rooms, every flush and best of all, the kids upstairs shrieking and running back and forth before 8am. Seriously, that alone prevented me from giving them 3 stars because I have stayed in resorts before that were more full than this one and didn't hear every little noise in the rooms around mine. It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend away and I had hoped to sleep in beyond 7:30AM and had they planned for the noisiness of children and insulated accordingly or spaced their guests this review would be much more positive. read more

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DON'T BOOK AN EVENT OR WEDDING AT HONEY CREEK RESORTS! ZERO 's!! Just another point of view after seeing the news segment on Honey Creek Resorts change in management. My son WAS to be marrying on October 7th. After multiple and continual issues with the new mgmt they have now had to postpone their wedding. They booked their October wedding with Honey Creek prior to the change in mgmt. They have had the worst experience with the new mgmt from the get go. They have gone thru 3 different event planners, as 2 of them quit/left/retired for one reason or another. They were promised a menu by mid to late April and as of June the resort still did not have a complete menu nor a full time chef. Items that were discussed at the original booking with the previous mgmt event planner were not honored. They up charged the ballroom as a backup venue (in case of inclement weather) as my son and daughter in law want an outdoor ceremony. That was set with the original planner but new mgmt said it would be an additional $500 to reserve it or they would book a second wedding that day. They were told they could have a plated meal at the pavilion, but then new mgmt said, no it would have to be buffet. Finally had a tasting for the meal and 3 of the chosen options were either not made, changed to a totally different item or replaced with an up charged option. When we went for the tasting we were told that the chef was a temporary and a full time had not been chosen. How were they to make decisions for their dinner if they are not even tasting food prepared by the person working their wedding? Decorating items that were decided on with previous mgmt were no longer options. It just goes on and on. This new management had little to no interest in making any meaningful or monetary compensation to the couple for Honey Creeks inabilities, changes and staffing issues. ( The couple was told that 3 wedding guest hotel rooms would be comped, but that isn't saving the couple anything!} The end result is when the resort was contacted about these concerns via phone calls and or emails, responses took days up to a week and usually took a follow-up email to get only half an answer to the concerns brought up. Lots of ignoring and no concern by Honey Creek in making their approaching wedding day anything but unnecessarily and excessively stressful. When the bride to be reached out to the CFO- which she was only given an email, not a phone number- a response was only provided after a second email was sent out after 3 days of hearing nothing. And that response was to say that they could not provide any additional compensation to the couple as the resort would be losing money if they did and they would let them out of their contract, less than 90 days before their wedding! The CFO's said they would need to talk to the planner who retired!! I can't even say I could give them any stars in a review. So very and highly disappointed! read more

Was given a room last week and the resort called today and took it away - claims there must have been a glitch / that glitch doesn't help me with needing a room and staff wasn't even very sympathetic - not the first time we have been unimpressed with this location and their work ethic :( read more

The most god awful food and service I've ever had in my entire life the place is very beautiful but it takes a sh#t on the service and people who run this place I waited 2 in half hours for my food and it was a party of 5 my wings were ice cold and that's the only thing I ordered the fish and chips were way over breaded and the fact that my family had to wait forever is terrible I will never be coming here again for anything even as far as service ! read more

The new lake aqua park is really fun! Our kids really enjoyed it! The staff was very kind as well! Offers many amenities to keep the family busy. Will definitely go back! read more

Let's be honest - there isn't much in Iowa. But if you ever need a place to rest and get away from it all in Iowa - Honey Creek Resort has you covered. Our party came around Christmas time and we were delighted by the holiday decor and incredibly friendly staff. Although I didn't get cell service out here, they offer complimentary WiFi. There is also a really cool indoor water park which is great for the kids. There were huge slides and little wading rivers. You can buy a bathing suit in the gift shop if you forgot to pack one. They also have a golf course, which we didn't go to but it was free to play. If you're not into golfing, I recommend renting a bike (high quality Trek bikes free to rent here) and pedaling around the resort. There are tons of areas to explore around the creek (both paved and I paved trails). You can also go to the small beach and swim in the lake (at your own risk). We enjoyed seeing all the wild deer, seagulls and quail around the resort. There's a great nature conservancy where you can see box turtles, check out animal pelts and learn more about the conservancy efforts at Honey Creek. We got to sample the honey harvested from the bees on the resort when we visited! There is an activity center as well where you can craft items with kids. Don't forget to eat at the restaurant inside! Our breakfast here was complimentary. It wasn't buffet style but the food tasted soooo much better than other breakfast buffets I have had. I loved the crispy waffle and chicken fried steak. The portions are generous and the wait staff are really nice. Although the rooms aren't super pretty, they maintain it well and it's clean. Don't expect Four Seasons kind of fancy when you enter and you'll leave feeling well rested and recharged. read more

Attending a wedding in this resort and heard nothing but good things from the wedding party. Unfortunately three weeks before the wedding they visited and instead of looking like a manicured golf course it was an absolute overgrown mess. They said that because of the covid 19 they could not get anybody to work? The first night we arrived, a glitch in their fire alarm system resulted in a fire alarm at 4 a.m. and all the guests stood outside for 45 minutes. We woke to find garbage that was in the common area that had either been mowed over or mowed around and never picked up for who knows how long. Weeds were growing in the flower beds knee and even shoulder high. Guests were pulling weeds before they took family and wedding pictures, it was rediculous. While I understand how covid has affected some businesses what I don't understand is how they can charge full price for something knowing that they cannot deliver the quality that they promised. read more

Honey Creek Resort - Weeds growing in the flower beds knee high and up the shoulder high in some. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Moravia, Iowa

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The restaurant in this hotel does not belong in southern Iowa. The menu is bare and prices are outrageous. Something has got to change. It's a beautiful resort just wish it was used to it's potential. read more

Rented a cottage for two nights but only stayed one. It was not clean and smelled terrible.

We have a great time --- they accommodated our request for a king-size bed after reserving two queens. The room was very clean and we appreciate the recycling basket in addition to a fan in the bathroom and dispensers for shampoo, conditioner and body wash. More hotels need to offer dispensers instead of individual bottles that end up in our landfills. The grounds were well kept and we enjoyed the patio, gazebo and walking trails. The website needs to be clear on resort fees (it includes green fees and water park). The staff was so nice and I loved the ice cream bar on Saturday afternoon. The highlight is the building itself - love the ambience with limestone fireplace, tile floors and lots of natural lighting in the lobby. read more

Pretty nice place. The rooms are not too dated. Beds are comfy. When you first enter hotel the huge fireplace in the middle of the room is very inviting especially at the of December. The staff is very friendly and actually seems to care. The water park is good for an indoor water park in Iowa. Enough things for kids to do and enjoy. If I lived closer, it might be worth getting a year pass and come every few months. The trails are nicely laid out. A good activity to do while waiting for the water park to open. read more

Our daughter was recently married at Honey Creek Resort. We utilized the wedding planner/banquet services. We were very pleased with how the week-end went. The rehearsal dinner was held in one of the resort's meeting rooms. We had plated meals (rib eye steaks and salmon) that were both done to "absolute perfection." The meals were topped off with choices of decadent desserts (chocolate mousse and cheesecake.) The banquet staff were very attentive. The wedding was originally to be an outdoor event but had to be changed to indoors. The banquet staff quickly pivoted so the rehearsal could be held indoors in preparation for the big event. The cocktail hour food included cold appetizers and hot passed appetizers - all were excellent and plentiful. The buffet meal consisted of 2 meats that are notorious for becoming dry if not done correctly. However, at Honey Creek, the beef and pork dishes were both excellent. The beef had a tasty mushroom gravy and the pork had a nice teriyaki-type sauce. The salad was a wonderful assortment of fresh vegetables that were NOT tossed so each person could "build a salad," also a pasta salad and potato salad. There was also tasty roasted asparagus. Our experience at Honey Creek with the wedding planner/banquet staff indicate services indicate attention to detail and a true commitment to customer service. We give them 5 stars. read more

Prices are reasonable. Staff is great especially front desk and at the water sports station. Arcade is a great deal. Food at the water park is affordable but closed at 5pm on Sunday of memorial day. Rooms are nice. Bathrooms clean and didn't run out of hot water. Good number of tv channel choices. Definitely will be back. read more

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Full disclosure -- I did NOT stay here or even step in the door. However, I did have a reservation for the holiday weekend. Unfortunately, the roads in Iowa did not cooperate and were icy and snowed in, so I had to cancel due to weather. Honey Creek still charged me the no-show fee. Also, full disclosure, they do make their 14-day cancellation policy clear at the time of reservation. I just thought that, perhaps given the situation, they would waive the fee. Nonetheless, if the airlines, who are well-known as terrible at customer service, are willing to issue travel waivers during major weather situations, Honey Creek is scraping the bottom of the customer service barrel if they won't waive the no-show fee due to weather preventing customers from reaching their front door. I figure for nearly $100, I'm at least entitled to review them. **UPDATE** The manager saw my review and refunded my no-show fee and sent me an apology message within days of this review posting. He said the correct process wasn't followed, so my negative experience was an exception to their normal process. Gotta say, that's some pretty excellent customer service! Looking forward to actually staying at Honey Creek on a future trip to Iowa. read more

We took our young kids to Honey Creek for Spring Break and got a great deal on the room. The lodge is very inviting with a large cozy fireplace that greets you immediately in the lobby. Those warm fuzzy feelings were gone instantly when we were "welcomed" by rude and untrained front desk staff. We waited ten minutes although there were two available staff members just standing behind the front desk looking confused. The one staff member that was actually assisting guests acted like our arrival was an inconvenience. Hey buddy - guests arriving are the reason you have a job so slap a smile on it! The hotel is nicely constructed with natural materials that fits very well into it's surroundings. The doors and furniture are actual hard wood which helps keep the sound of tiny pitter-pattering feet outside to a minimum! All areas of the lodge were very clean and well-kept. It's a good thing we packed a cooler with lot's of food because there is only one restaurant on-location and nothing else around for miles. We did venture off-site to eat dinner each night but nothing worth mentioning. I don't think you'll be finding any local "hole-in-the-wall" gems around here folks, so stick to the resort. The food was descent, portion sizes were large, and pricing as-expected. We visited in the Spring time so we couldn't enjoy any water-related activities on the lake so there was actually very little to do. The indoor waterpark is a nice ammenity but our kids got bored eventually because they couldn't use the big fun-looking slide showcased on the website. My son is tall for a 5 year old so I'm guessing this is a 7yo+ slide. Nothing against the resort here - but parents be sure to fully disclose the height requirement to your young kids so they aren't disappointed. The lifeguards were very attentive and didn't hesitate to keep the kids in line. Aside from the waterpark, there are trails to walk/ride but not around the lake which is kind of the whole point of the resort. With few options, we did rent bikes and rode the one trail we could find which was just along the main entrance road so it wasn't very scenic. I was impressed that there were a lot of bikes to chose from, all kinds and sizes, including carriers to haul a baby. The layout of the resort isn't ideal. The playground is over a mile away from the lodge and there wasn't even a walking path to get there if you wanted to try. You either walk in the street 2+ miles round trip or you drive there which is what everyone did. We were hoping to use their fire pit in the common area to make s'mores but they didn't provide wood or anything else to start a fire. So BYO wood, I guess. : / I appreciate that this resort is un-commercialized so it's naturally beautiful unlike the other lake communities in Iowa. However, they need to come up with more activities to continue to draw new and existing guests to the area. By the end of day 2 we had done all the same activities multiple times and were ready to check-out. Waterpark, bike, drive to playground. Repeat. read more

I was here for a wedding and it was a lot of fun. The resort itself is great. The food was good and the staff was friendly. We also played some golf at the golf course had a good time. The biggest problem with this place was the location. If you don't get food by the time the bar/restaurant closes good luck. There are a few crappy places around but all a hike from the resort. Come prepared with snakes and drinks! read more

Honey Creek Resort - World famous tenderloin - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Moravia, Iowa

The property is amazing, of course it's in a beautiful location. Unfortunately service all around was less than desirable. From the restaurant service that refilled coffee and water only when asked and then still a wait, to bike rentals unridable, no staff at marina to rent canoes (front desk said to go to marina, sign indicated back shortly, only to find out, on last day, rentals were by reservation only because out of season) and finally to staff who were untrained, unfriendly and appeared put out for having to deal with customers. Never saw any management to pass on constructive criticism. Of course this was not all of the staff, the (new) clerk at gift shop was very apologetic for not having laundry detergent and one of the cleaning staff went out of her way to check if there was any detergent left from former customers. These two were, unfortunately, the minority but hats off to them! So, I'll give them another opportunity and hopefully will be able to improve their rating... maybe it was just bad timing. Good luck honey creek resort, think it's a great concept, need to incorporate customer service to ensure success, IMHO. read more

Honey Creek Resort is a very nice, upscale resort located sort of in the middle of nowhere Iowa. The building is impressive in both style and scale. The rooms are clean/functional. The food at first left a lot to be desired...but has improved dramatically. The waterpark is ok, but I'm not into indoor waterparks much. The hot tub, sadly, is an alcohol free zone. Booo. If you can get a discounted rate (which are common), I'd say go for it! I don't think it's worth the full price room charges, however. read more

Nice hotel, nice big lake caters to any lake-ey type activities you could ever want, very nice cabins. A fun place to have a family vacation. Towns with restaurants and shopping are close by. Not as much nature stuff (trails, variety of landscapes) as I'd expect from a large state park. All the amenities, the beach, the playground, the waterpark, the entire lake surface, are always crowded; except for the restaurant. The restaurant is going to be a bad experience for about 1/2 of your party. Interesting menu items will come out not as described (the breakfast burrito with poblano chiles inside and green chile sour cream on the side will be nothing but egg and sausage). It will take an hour for you to get scrambled eggs and toast when they're not busy. One of my fried green tomato slices came out still frozen, in a time when green tomatoes are in season and there's really no reason to freeze them in the first place. Go when you're not in a hurry, be prepared to go to the bar to get your own drinks, order something simple from the menu, and you'll have a good experience. I'd recommend this place for a family vacation once or twice if it's not too far for you to travel. In the survey I'm mentioning that wifi is free, but it's pretty slow. it was too slow for google maps to work on my laptop, for example. read more

Honey Creek Resort has a nice lake and plenty of outdoor activities to participate in (water trampoline, kayaks, boating, ping pong, bags, biking, etc.). The room was OK, and clean but dated. You'd find nicer accommodations in a regular hotel for half the price. The restaurant had good food but was also overpriced for what we got. What really put a downer on our trip was that we arrived after a few hours of travel to find out that someone had defecated in the pool and so the entire indoor waterpark portion would be closed for the entirety of our stay. This was not communicated to us beforehand although they had our contact information on our reservation. When we asked for a discounted rate the staff acted like they were offended and explained that "it wasn't there fault". That is entirely understandable and I don't blame the staff at all. However, it would be a small consolation since I had to explain to my two small children that they wouldn't be able to swim in the hotel waterpark after they had been so excited to go there. They charge for daily rates to come and use the waterpark so that amount could have been reduced off our rate. The rest of the hotel was not worth the price that was paid. Everything was nice but could have been enjoyed for a small fraction of the price by staying at a normal hotel, eating out a decent restaurant, and going to any state park. read more

Great place for family getaway and the golf course is very nice. A lot of little extras included. Great lake and preservation park.

This place is great!!! I stay there many times a year. Family friendly retreat with great views, and natural settings. Lodge is quite nice with a heated indoor waterpark and the lake is a stone's throw away with boat and jetski rentals. For larger groups that like more privacy there are fully furnished cabins that are more like a surbuban home on the inside. All the luxury, with a campfire and lake out the backdoor. Top notch golf course, and the "Honeycreek" club sandwich (not on the menu) is to die for. This place is awesome, staff very professional and polite. Also some excellent "hole in the wall" restaurant's within a 10 mile radius. Ole Red Barn is actually a rustic old barn converted to a restaurant and their homemade pizza is top shelf. The landing is a bar/grill right off the lake and its a cool place for some "adult entertainment" Or check out the Whistle Stop in Melrose for some good times. Lake not nearly as congested as Saylorville and way bigger too. This place has it all and is a real gem in Southern Iowa. You can even rent canoes and bicycles! My young boys sleep well down there because this place wears them out!!! read more

The food was cold , Blah, definitely not worth the price. Once upon a time they had a professional chef, they need to find another one.