I stayed here for 2 nights as a last minute getaway with my 3 daughters. I was looking for some quiet relaxation, and we definitely found it here! The cabin was cleaner and nicer than any hotel room at the same price! Just a few minutes drive from Starved Rock, and several small, quaint towns that we had fun exploring. My daughter fell in love with the soft, fluffy blankets and the gorgeous quilts provided, and I loved the whirlpool bath and deluxe shower. The kitchen was completely stocked with any utensil/amenity we needed. Our stay exceeded our expectations in every way and my daughters are already asking when we can return! read more

My family has stayed at Kishauwau at least a dozen times and we always come back home happy, relaxed and rejuvenated. The cabins are a wonderful retreat away from a usual busy lifestyle; their seclusion, serenity and cleanliness can't be matched anywhere. The cabins are neat, modern and very comfortable and are well stocked with kitchen supplies. Several cabins even allow well behaved dogs!! The staff at Kishauwau have always been very friendly, kind and helpful in all of our dealings with them. E-mails and questions were always answered promptly. Each cabin has a charcoal bar-b-que grill outside along with a firepit and chairs or swings under a covered porch. You can visit nearby Starved Rock or Matthiesen Lake and park within minutes where you will find miles of great hiking trails and waterfalls. It's a wonderful place to visit even in the winter as the cabins have wood burning stoves and wood that can be purchased for $5 a bundle. Nothing can surpass the beauty of frozen waterfalls!! Close to Kishauwau is the small, friendly town of Utica with several specialty shops and restaurants so there is always an abundance of things to see and do If you love nature, listening to owls, coyotes and enjoy the solitude and beauty of the woods along with cozy, clean cabins, Kishauwau is definitely the place to stay; we always look forward to our next visit there!! read more

Nice, quiet, secluded, peaceful, romantic, and beautiful. A retreat, ahideaway, a place to unwind and relax. We always look forward to returning. this a secret place to share. A hidden gem. read more

We came here for our 29th anniversary. I was hoping to squeeze in at the Starved Rock Lodge, but all the cabins there were booked. I found this place completely by accident and my first thought was that it was basically a Starved Rock "overflow" lodge for poor planners like me. Nothing could be farther from the truth. We stayed in the Hunter's cabin which was perfect for two people. It was very clean, well-maintained, and had all the amenities you'd need for a few days away. We didn't use the wood stove which would have made it even cozier. No cable/satellite service (But you can checkout free movies from the office), no internet, and no telephone - very nice. Office is open 24/7, but not manned 24/7. That's okay though because the owners are on call and extremely attentive. They also have some basic items are for sale: ice cream, pizza, some condiments, fire logs, lighter fluid, etc., all on the honor system. This I found quite refreshing. All you really need to bring is your basic toiletries and any groceries you'll need for some home cooking in the fully functional kitchen or on the grill. My only regret is that it was too cold outside to enjoy our morning coffee on the private deck overlooking the expanse of woods behind our cabin. I guess that means we'll be back when it's warmer! This was one of the most memorable weekends away we've ever had. We plan on returning with friends/family the next time they are in town and staying in a larger cabin. Thank you for an enjoyable stay! read more

About 10 years ago we were looking for a cabin getaway near Chicago and found Kishauwau. We've been going back multiple times a year ever since. It's a nice, quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Terisa and Jamie, the owners, are very nice and aim to please. The cabins are clean, comfortable and cozy. It's a short drive to Starved Rock State Park, where we often walk on the trails. The biggest drawback for us (although some would say this is a plus) is that there is no internet access in the cabins. We love to get away from everything, but sometimes we have to take work with us, so we end up going to Starved Rock Lodge to take advantage of the free wi-fi there. Other than that we love Kishauwau and will keep going back. read more

My boyfriend and I just got back from staying from 7/26-28 and overall the cabin itself was nice. The view and privacy we had was excellent, the whirlpool tub is HUGE! Pictures cannot begin to show how massive it is, and the bed is actually quite comfortable. The air conditioning works wonderfully and the cabin feels very homey. The only down sides are that there are a lot of rules, most are common sense but you have to wash, dry, and put away all dishes or you'll be charged $25. You take and dispose of the garbage (a dumpster near the entrance to the cabins) and check out is at 11. For being on vacation, we felt like you do a lot. It is very nice though. But watch out for cobwebs, I haven't seen this mentioned in other reviews so maybe we went on a bad day, but we ran into at least 5 while walking inside the cabin. Also we had to wipe off all chairs outside because they were covered in them, although bugs should be expected.. but since we have to clean basically the whole interior of the cabin, we kind of hoped the cobwebs wouldn't have been a problem. Another thing was the grill looked really rusty, so we didn't use it.. but I mentioned it on the comment card so hopefully that will get taken care of for the next person. :) overall, the cabin is nice and we will most likely return, but just be aware of everything I mentioned. 4 out of 5 stars! read more

We booked a cabin for two couples and couldn't wait to go on our trip but in a couple of days our friends had an emergency and we had to re-schedule the trip. So we called the place and asked to move the reservation to another date and even were willing to take two separate cabins instead of a one. Unfortunately the owners weren't willing to do that (they didn't have anything available) nor did they want to return the money back($440). The only thing they offered was to pay again, half a price and make a new reservation but we already lost $440 on a trip we never went to and didn't really like the way the owners treated thire potential customers...They could have been a little more flexible and understanding. So beware of the 21 days cancellation policy and, another drawback - Sunday check out time 11am!!! (everywhere we went to before we could at least enjoy the whole Sunday out!). read more

Entering the complex of the Kishauwau on the Vermilion (one "l"), we knew this would be a place of solitude and nature. This is exactly what it was. We traveled with a family of 4 (including 2 children, age 15 and 8) along with a family of 3 (one child age 11). We considered it cabin camping...enjoying the outdoor world while retreating to an air-conditioned cabin (very comforting during the hot months of July and August). We LOVED this place. We're quite picky and expect perfection and though nothing is perfect in life, this came close, above and beyond our expectation. If your goal in a vacation is to retreat from the ins and outs of a hectic, hustle-and-bustle, always-on-the go lifestyle, this place is it. It is tranquil, lots of trees, wooded surroundings, and a very peaceful atmosphere with no cable television (though a tv with dvd and vcr) and no internet and very limited mobile service (there is no available phone in the cabin).The cabin, itself, once you enter, feels like home, with GREAT air-conditioning (a PLUS during the hot months of July and August), fully-furnished room, kitchen, bathroom, and a jacuzzi (in the Shadey Oaks cabin we were in, along with the Osage our friends were in). The bed was very comfy, and the recliner was a nice added furniture, to kick your feet up and relax. There was also a sofa sleeper in our cabin. The sheets and throws were baby soft. We loved the color motif of the cabin (earth-tone colors). It was an extremely immaculate place to stay in for 5 days and 4 nights. The privacy was superb with the cabins far enough from one another. It was definitely simple, country-living. We stayed here for almost a week and experience no noise or loudness of any type, including music, screaming children, etc. There was a bonfire pit available but due to the drought in June and July, we were unable to do any wood-burning for safety reasons---that was just fine! The management was so accommodating and so friendly. They had a roomful of videos which were accessible to all visitors on an honor system, and an office that was open 24-7. The nearest mart was approximately 15-20 minutes away but we came well-prepared and barbecued every day except for the last. There was hiking onsite where we were able to view the Vermilion River and do some sight-seeing of the area. During the night, it was pitch black with a porch light available in every cabin. There were two entrances into the cabin and many windows to view the beauitful scenery. The gravel pavement added to the country lifestyle along with opened, grass areas to make use of with outdoor activities, such as rocket-launching, which we had, as well as frisbee-throwing and water-gun fights (which we didn't have time to do). There was quite a bit to do in the area. We toured Starved Rock as well as went horseback riding and swimming in the local pool in Lasalle. We also visited the Grand Bear Enchanted Forest Amusement Park. All in all, our vacation to Kishauwau in Tonica, Illinois, was well worth our time and our money. We hope to come visit the place in October or sometime in the fall when the leaves are changing colors and the waterfalls in the area actually have water flowing over it. read more

My wife, 10 month old and I recently went to kishuawau cabins, we stayed in the shady oaks cabin to be exact. I have to say that the staff was very friendly and that was of no issue. however the cabin was not worth what we paid per night. The carpet was in need of a much needed shampooing and was so dirty that my childs legs and hands where black after a few minutes of crawling around. the large tub with jets looked very inviting and we wanted to use it but never found the time since it only had a standard faucet and took close to an hour to just get 1/5 full. we gave up on that idea and took turns taking showers. though the shower was very small and was hard not to hit a wall or the door with your elbows. the bed was comprised of what looked like one broken bed put on top of another. there was a wooden box base then a sheet of particle board then the mattress . the headboard and legs from another bed was attached but floating off the floor. my wife caught her leg on the particle board getting out of bed the first morning. finally the front screen door and the bathroom door were unable to be shut. next time we will stay at a nice hotel for what we spent on what should have been a very nice cabin read more