Pere Marquette Lodge & Conference Center Review

Beautiful accommodations and very nice restaurant winery

My family and I stayed last weekend. Very disappointed in the cabin. Dust behind the bed, cob webs, weird smell and early morning numerous knocking. But the restaurant was good and friendly service. I would go to eat at the lodge. But I won't ever stay again. Big disappointment!

Incredible weekend retreat ! Great food and and incredible place to bring children. Cabins are very spacious and they are well built. If you love hiking , this is an incredible place to hike and exercise. Photography of the river and surrounding areas is a photographers paradise. Overall ha an incredible time and would highly recommend booking a weekend retreat! About an hour from
St. Louis, scenic drive is awesome!
Hope this review helps..

Kindest Regards,
Jason Hofstein

The food was really good and the atmosphere was very relaxing.

Such a peaceful and beautiful place! Joe waited on us at the restaurant and both his service and the food were exceptional! I pray we'll be able to return often.

Wow the $59 special was great. It's a lovely place, an absolute dream. I love the pool, sauna, hot tub and view.

Cabin was nice although it didn't have a fridge. Guaranteed not to have cell phone service from any provider. Wifi was pretty slow and spotty but at least they had wifi. An Ethernet port would have been nice to have. Our cabin was connected to another through a door which would have been cool if we were all part of a group but we didn't know our neighbors, and we can hear everything in the adjacent room. Everything. I left my ear plugs and charger cable on my bed when I left for the day and came back with a note that said they didn't make my bed because they didn't want to disturb my stuff. It's a policy I understand, but would have been nice to know before hand. In a cabin for 4 people (5 with pullout) there were 2 regular coffee servings and 1 decaf.. a big hotel sin in my book. Interactions with staff were pleasant.

The lodge restaurant provided excellent COVID protection for their guests, such all the staff wore masks and they served guests with metal dinnerware utensils in sterilized clear sealed packages and only provided prepackaged condiments. They also used many other strategies to protect their guests at their restaurant and in the Lodge rooms.

In comparison, the food servers did not wear masks when serving us meals at 3 of the popular river view restaurants in downtown Grafton.

We stayed at the campsite in a tent near the lodge but went to the lodge for dinner one night and it was amazing! Great food, service and wine!

I ve been coming to this lodge and state park with my family for 35 years and it is my favorite place in the world! I love the outdoors, and PML hits the spot like no place else. It s also been upgraded considerably in the last 20 years.

Here are some of the things you can do at PML and Park: hike many bluff trails, walk along the river, cook outdoors, rent a room or log cabin or tent/RV camp, visit gift shop, visit the wildlife center, eat at the lodge restaurant (they have the best fried chicken I ve ever had in my life not kidding!), eagle watching in the winter, in-lodge winery, indoor pool, ping pong/arcade room, the great hall with jumbo size chess board, volleyball net outside, horseback riding stables, lots of vista points on top of the bluff trails, seasonal festivals, craft activities, and more.

The drive there is half of the beauty, especially in late October/early November when all the leaves are changing colors on the bluffs along the Illinois River.

If you like rustic lodges, home-cooked family style meals, endless hiking trails and seasonal fun, you must come visit this most gorgeous retreat.

Went here for our senior prom. It was an amazing night.

Very good rooms. Easy to find with road signs. I would stay here again.

The lodge is a good place to stay. The food and service is great, and there are many things to do around the lodge to keep yourself busy.

I had a phenomenal birthday lunch with family at Pere Marquette Lodge. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The environment was breath taking both inside the facility and outside. We were seated next to a window with a regular bird feeder and also a humming bird feeder that was attached to our window. At this time of year hummingbirds are eating more frequently to prepare for migration before winter hits and the beautiful little birds gave us a wonderful show throughout our meal. :D

My family and I attended the lodge to eat dinner. While we waited we enjoyed the fall wine festival that was going on at the same time. The wine was great and the music was nice, and the food very tasty! The lodge, overall, I would definately return-possibly to stay overnight. It was truly a beautiful place and great family experience. We will return.

One of our family's all-time favorites for tradition, view, and atmosphere.

We were camping, but went to the lodge for a very pleasant dinner

My family dined at the restaurant for Easter brunch and enjoyed our experience very much! The buffet was well organized, clean, refilled promptly, and had a wide variety of items that pleased all parties. We will definitely come again for Easter brunch.

Incredible place to get away. Nice spacious rustic rooms and beautiful common areas with extraordinary views. I works suggest vegetarian options for the restaurant.

What a cool place.
The grounds are well maintained and the staff are welcoming and accommodating...
I ll be visiting this place for years to come!
They give military a huge percent discount...
Show them Military or retired Military ID to receive this discount...
Breakfast was great as I watched humming birds out the window.
Definitely will return...

I felt like I was in heaven for 4 days.. thank you so much...

I love this place. It's a nice drive and a great atmosphere. The menu in the restaurant has changed and isn't great anymore. I used to drive out here just for dinner. I'll probably look somewhere else for food. It is still a very pleasant place to visit if you're near or need lodging.

Gorgeous, historic location. Friendly atmosphere - used their main indoor area for family photos.

Service was excellent, but the food is average at best. Three for lunch had: Post roast, chicken salad, fried shrimp, and onion soup.

We had a great stay. We did not explore the lodge at all but the room was clean and cool when we arrived and everything worked perfectly.

My Girlfriend and I (both in our mid 20s) decided to get out of town for a night and booked a cabin at Pere Marquette with the Eagle Watching Package . This package includes two drinks, dinner, breakfast, and your room. When we arrived at Pere Marquette we checked in and decided to go check out the bar and have a drink before dinner. We order two drinks that were pretty poorly made, and consisted mostly of cheap booze. If you go to the bar I would recommend wine or beer, however when we were there they had no beer on draft because they were having issues with the taps.
Next we went to dinner. You have a select menu to order from, and maybe the normal menu has better food. I got pot roast and my girlfriend got pork medallions. The pot roast was decent. The pork medallions however were not medallions at all, and were really more like pieces of ham? Both meals came with vegetable that were canned pea and carrots. None of it was very good. We ordered two beers (we learned from our cocktail attempt) and got two warm bottles of beer.
After Dinner we decide to go check out the pool area. We got in the pool, which was actually pretty decent, then later got in the hot tub which was not nearly as nice. The hot tub has a liner in it, which is peeling up from the bottom. It obviously needs some work to be up to code
We headed back to the room and start looking around, and it left a lot to be desired as well. The smoke detector was literally hanging from the ceiling by some wires, the comforter on the bed has stains on it, the bath room looked overall gross and out dated, one wall had water stains on it, it has a really cheesy electric fire in the fire place that made noise when it ran, and it has a air freshener that blasted out stuff every 15-20 minutes. Not only did the bath room look overall gross, the shower shot out a pretty small amount of water with extreme pressure and no adjustment. They asked if I wanted a room with a king size bed, which it did have, along with a set of bunk beds. The King sized bed was really not comfortable at all. Maybe the bunk beds would be better?
For breakfast we got pancakes, and they were actually pretty OK. Everything was technically as advertised, but left a lot to be desired in all categories. I knew that we were staying in a lodge and not a fancy hotel, but I expected quite a lot better. It seemed like Pere Marquette might have been nice 10 years ago, but is now in major need of renovation.

First, the cabins are tiny but our Lodge rooms were much better. An extra plug in between beds would be more convenient for those who have sleep apnea machines . Walls are relative thin, noise from hall and adjoining rooms were noticable. The breakfast buffet leaves a lot to be desired so I would suggest eating off the menu. We felt the room fees were a little steep but not familiar with prices in the surrounding area. Would we stay there again? Most likely we would. It was a pleasant stay with a lot to do in the area.

My kids love the giant chess board and table games and we love the beautiful tapestries spectacular views and old world charm of the lodge. It's the perfect end to a day exploring Grafton.

Beautiful scenery, great rustic rooms, and excellent banquet hall

Wonderful place and staff!!! We were just disappointed to drive 45 minutes to get there and find out they had at least a 2 1/2 hour wait for lunch at their restaurant. Next time we'll call ahead!

When you go you absolutely have to try the fried chicken served family style! The hiking trails are gorgeous they give unparalleled views of the river and the bluffs. Wow I've never stayed at their accommodations I've heard they are very clean and cozy.

The service wasn't great at the restaurant but it wasn't terrible. The food was delicious. The hiking trails are fantastic but I believe the trail map is a bit inaccurate on some trails so keep that in mind. The lodge itself is beautiful.

Restaurant was closed due to covid we spent news years eve inside the lodge and grafton had fireworks everyone was so nice and helpful

Nice place to relax with a giant chess board with humunges pieces that are really high and lots of rainbow colorful colors on ceiling nice to relax or stay a night

Great accommodations restaurant has a great breakfast buffet lunch and dinners are not bad either

The lodge is very spacious and has the amenities of a nice hotel with the coziness and picturesque surroundings of a more hidden retreat. The lodge features deluxe rooms, cabin rooms, wine tasting, a full American style restaurant and a large outdoor seating area with a beautiful view of the river and marina. Easy to locate on Il hwy 100. The staff is friendly and informative. We are looking forward to returning.

Its located off the river road, highway 100, a little past the town of Grafton. The atmosphere is great for a sit down beer along the pub crawl. Has a very west lodge feel.

Pere Marquette is set in a beautiful area near the river. We attended the annual apple festival and had a very nice time. The lodge has a nice restaurant but it's also located near Grafton Illinois where there are several restaurants with great selections.

Had our wedding here 2 years ago in November. It was the perfect setting for us! Gorgeous scenery, great accomodations...wonderful food. The staff took great care of us. We love this place so much we come back multiple times a year for a weekend getaway when we can. =)

Very nice location on the Illinois River, clean rooms and excellent service.

Loved this place. The lodge has an excellent atmosphere and the room was comfortable. Loved the indoor pool! Good food at the restaurant too. Great family destination.

The Pere Marquette was an absolutely beautiful location. The food was ok and service was so-so.

This rating pertains to the restaurant. It was just OK, nothing special. If you are staying/hiking there then it's a close option, but not worth the option coming up from Saint Louis. Probably the worst Gooey Butter Cake I have had. Soup was the best thing. Service was good.

Beautiful lodge in a beautiful park. Great way to spend the day

A perfect place for family gatherings. Very well staffed. Clean and comfortable. We attended a wedding and reception and were very pleased with the vibes and accommodations.We are planning a family reunion for 2017 and I'm voting for this place and the campground nearby.
A couple of things could use improvement.The indoor pool was too warm for June , a little oily and soup-like. But, the bigger complaint would be the fact that there is no cell phone reception unless you have AT&T.

My wife and I really enjoyed our over night stay at the lodge. It was our anniversary and we had a great time. everyone was real helpful. We had a great time and we plan on coming back one day soon.

Old, the hotel needs cleaning.
No microwave. No refrigerator
Needs new paint, new furniture and new carpet.

Beautiful lodge and hotel. Wonderful park. A geeat restaurant and view of the river. There are a lot of things in the area to do including horseback riding.

Very clean, wonderful scenery! Great place for the fall

Food was great, staff was very accommodating me. Apple pie was a bit soggy, but overall the chicken dinner was great.

Great place, beautiful scenery, cozy lodge, restaurant was very disappointing but the rest of the experience was wonderful. Can't wait to come back later in the year

We stopped by on a drive up the Great River Road and had lunch. The food was very good, and the selection was diverse and the service excellent.

Very nice, clean place to eat. Service was very good.

It was a wonderful lodge! The rooms were very clean and comfortable. The staff were very nice and the good was great!

Excellent room, very clean. Very courteous staff. Restaurant is fantastic with large portions and very reasonable prices

We camp at Pere Marquette several times a year. We always have a great time and we try to visit the lodge every time. It is an amazing place and the workers are always very friendly and helpful.

Set in the woods, quiet and beautiful. Indoor pool, dinner was excellent. The staff was welcoming and attentive. Just a nice get away place not too far from anywhere.

I love coming here friendly staff lovely environment. Great place to check out.

Very beautiful location! The hotel staff was awesome.

This was my first time visiting. It was beautiful and the fried chicken was amazing.

Took my little sister for a hike to Pere Marquette and it was the best thing Hiking trip we've had so far!

Atmosphere was nice & relaxing, food for lunch ok...would be better having regular fries or chips instead of sweet potato fries.
Waitress was not on top of her game. Asked for chips instead of the sweet potato fries & she forgot & she forgot a couple of other things as well. Could have been friendlier.

The family had a blast! We had a great cabin w a/c bunk beds and television we really ruffed it! The food at the restaurant was delicious i ate a 1lb T bone steak 3 nights in a row. I really couldnt complain. Had a few cocktails and fell asleep in the hot tub. Kids cought some fish. They made some friends. Cant wait to return!