Fox River Resort

My fiancé has a blue week here. (Week 8 or 10 don’t remember) If anyone’s interested well sell it to you for $ 1 plus transfer fees. ($ 250 was the fee last year don’t know if that has changed)
Resort is decent. However there is a $ 80 maintenance fee every month.
I am serious about selling this blue week.
Send me your contact info on a comment.

Atrociously bad doesn’t begin to describe this den of thieves. Constant high-​pressure sales tactics, 4 hour tours to get you to purchase a ridiculous time share agreement with 18% interest! People are trying to get out of their contract by selling a «$ 35,000» unit for $ 1 on eBay just because the maintenance fees are so egregious. They are also really deceptive showing a brand new demo room, but the actual room you get is much older!
The rooms are alright, but the pushy sales people and unresponsive management when we complained means I’ll never visit this place again. Don’t fall for their scam and high-​pressure sales tactics. They should be investigated by the IL attorney general for anti-​consumer behavior. They prey on people that don’t understand contract law, then get them to sign on to a huge anchor around their necks.
Say no!

THIS PLACE HAS BEEN REMODELED & IS NOW AWESOME!!!
I almost didn’t come here because of the low Unilocal review but I must point out to all Unilocalers that the 2 star review is probably based off the old grungy resort. The only reason I stayed here was because it was the closest resort to Chicago (although it’s still an hour away). I’m so glad I gave this resort a try! This place now has Presidential Suites which are roomy, clean & absolutely beautiful!!! If you do go, INSIST ON A PRESIDENTIAL SUITE. I was very happy with this resort and would recommend it to anyone visiting the Chicago area!
My family & I got a 2 bedroom Presidential Suite. It was complete with 2 full kitchens (2 stoves, microwaves, ovens, refrigerators, dishwasher, pots/​pans/​plates/​etc), a living room with fireplace, 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, closets, washer/​dryer, and dining area. The décor is absolutely gorgeous with tan and white walls decorated with beautiful art work. The resort also offers a rec center with pool tables, karaōke machines, ping pong tables, and a diner. They also have hundreds of DVD movies & games for you to rent. The resort also offers golfing, fishing, & a water park.
This place is amazing & is truly an underrated gem. The only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is because most of the staff members were unfriendly. Otherwise, this place is heaven! :)

Actually wanted to sell my property off, but they have no easy option to do it. I’ve asked for refund immediately after 15days of purchase because of my job loss but they asked me in return what are the changes in circumstances within 15days of your purchase? Even after telling them my situation. Worst service and I wouldn’t refer anyone.

I love this place! I’m staying here for one week from Massachusetts and I have been having fun there is definitely a lot of activities for kids which is good and the rooms are beautiful! There is 2 pools one indoor and another outdoor a little water park, a lake for fishing and going on the canoe, golf, etc! Lots to do and I like it! I would definitely come back.

Worst day EVER! Our 12:00 PM «tour» did not start until 2:30 PM. By the time we got our «prizes» it was almost 6 PM. Our poor kids were there for 6 hours without anything to do, eat or drink! We wanted to leave halfway through to go feed them and were told if we left, we would forfeit our «gift». Utter ridiculousness! Completely ghetto.
They primarily target low and working class families. Unfortunately, many people are taken advantage of and lied to. Think about it, you are entering into a contract but you MUST do it THAT same day or else the offer is off the table. You cannot have an attorney review any documents prior to signing and giving them thousands of dollars. Oh. and if you don’t have thousands, they will somehow keep reducing the deposit– their last offer to me was $ 100. A far cry from the near $ 6K they initially requested.
P. S. For shits and giggles, I asked what the interest charge was for the «condo» — a whopping 15%. Total insanity! 15%!!! That’s more than triple the average mortgage interest rate.
Do yourselves a favor and do your children a favor — don’t buy into this crap. Your time is not worth the bullshit, stress and aggravation. Take your kids to the beach or fishing instead. They would have a better time playing in the yard with a garden hose. I’m disgusted that this kind of crap is even legal.
THIS PLACE SUCKED!!!

:Rant alert: Why are people posting reviews about the timeshare presentations? This is for the *resort* reviews, not complaints for people who think that timeshare presentations are supposed to be the best part of your year! Jeesh!!!
Okay, done with rant and on to the review:
I would have liked to have given this place a 3.5. Had I discovered it when our kids were little, I would have ranked it a 4.5.
This is a wonderful place for people with children (jump to note at bottom if you aren’t packing schoolkids and a stroller). There are two pools (indoor and outdoor), an on-​site movie theater with family-​friendly flicks running throughout the day, as well as free video rentals and board games from an ample stock. In the activities area, there is a ping pong table, two pool tables and a C-​grade video room. Reasonably-​priced food is served in this area; high five for the ample waffle cones!
Outside there’s mini golf and basketball. There’s also a «real» golf course and a few walking trails. As we strolled through one at dusk, two deer met us and we had a staredown before they lost interest and wandered off. Canoeing is available as well, and fishing at one of the many small lakes. Right off the property is an indoor water park, at additional cost.
The rustic area is where we stayed. The extra bedroom is a decent size and the master has the bathing area adjoining makes it seem larger – we loved the roomy, oval whirlpool tub. Our kitchen was fully stocked and big enough for two of us to work in. Off of the living room area is a fenced-​in patio that seats four; grills are out back (oddly, there is no exit to the patio – you have to go around to the front of the unit and then walk around to get to the grills). The unit was clean and comfortable. It’s supposed to sleep 6 adults, but two would have to sleep on the sofabed.
Staff is courteous, hardworking and helpful.
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***IMPORTANT****: We did like this place but if your group is adults, be aware that there were kids EVERYWHERE, so if you are trying to escape the family scene, do NOT go here.
CONNECTIVITY: Do you need to use wi-​fi during your stay? This is not the place for you (at least in the rustic area). There is NO access from the older cabins. Although the connection is strong at the Welcome/​activities center, the speed is not good at all. If you’re assuming that you could use your phone as a Hotspot, forget it since reception was spotty, at best. One guy working adjacent to me at the Welcome Center finally gave up and headed to his car, saying that he was going to drive around until he got a decent signal. I use T-​Mobile and ended up at the mercy of the land line; my fiancé is with AT&T and fared well enough to at least maintain a connection, with couple bars, but only if he stepped outside of our unit.

My family recently joined silver leaf on a sample package. We walked into the presentation knowing full well that they were going to try to sell us on a package. Our tour started a little late as everyone else’s but there was a large group that Sunday. The rep that took us around was great. We loved the facility. Was everything perfect no but we got that they weren’t selling a five star resort. This is a resort you go to to get away from it all and enjoy quality time together. They have 18 resorts in total and once you buy in you can choose to spend your vacation at whatever resort fits your current vacation needs. We got the hard sell attempt at the end like everyone else. In our opinion that was there job. The whole purpose of the tour is to get you to buy in. We knew we could walk away at anytime and claim our free gifts. In the end they found a package that worked for us for now. As far as the free gifts went we have no complaints. Can we use our three free trips on the weekend of course not. Do we care no the trips are free. We walked in agreeing to be open minded and courteous to the reps. In the end we walked away with a lot of free stuff and a package we feel good about. For my family this was a good experience.

This is a water park for families… with children… under 10. It’s very cute. They have a another indoor pool that goes up to 7 ft but it’s just a pool. No slides. but any way I don’t have children so this is not my type of resort.

I went to an RV show and paid $ 40 to go to the fox river resort to get free water park tickets and my $ 40 back. We got there on time and were told to wait for an hour watching AFV which seemed like an eternity. Then we were brought into a loud room with dozens upon dozens of people all talking to representatives then we had to speak to our a for 4 hours then do the tour and were pressured into buying a timeshare. Even though me and my girlfriend aren’t married and I only make $ 17,000 a year. They kept telling us they were giving us a deal and helping us when actually they were helping us dig our own grave. This place and its employees are not to be trusted PERIOD, these people feel no remorse what so ever regardless of the lives they are ruining.

Did this a few years back. I wouldn’t go back if they were promising helicopter rides and yacht cruses! The presentation was the longest most high pressure pitch that I ever experienced. It took hours… several HOURS! We started at 2pm and we’re worried after spending all this time the place would be closed before we could enjoy it… anyhow there was so little to do despite having almost no time to enjoy it… we still left early… by choice. The kids had more fun at the motel than at the «resort». I will never NEVER do anything sponsored by these people or anybody like them.

I’d I could give this place a 0 I could — time share SCAM! I was told I had an «appointment» at 2 pm — after paying 40 dollars I was told all we had to do was go on a 90 minute tour and I was get key lime cove passes and a gift card. After almost 3HOURs of waiting they finally gave us our tour– worst customer service ever. I kept asking how long it would take and they kept telling me just a few more minutes — this is the worst place ever — they don’t deserve to be in business

ive been comin here for years i like the area cuz its so quiet but it does kinda suck sometimes that everything is so far away, i.e. grocery store, restaurant. the people here are really nice but the sales people really need to work on their listening skills. i had a meeting with them that was suppose to take 90 min long but ended up being a little bit over 2 hours! i was so ready to leave & even when i told them i cant afford anything more they kept insisting on showing me better financial packages! if i dont have any extra money then i dont have an extra money! what is so hard to understand about that!!! they acted like i wasnt speakin in english! i was gettin so frustrated that i just eventually walked out. i respect other peoples time and i wish they would respect mine.

I have had the opportunity to deal with Fox silver leaf for a few years… i had went there with friends and as my free stay for participating in the meetings and purchased the sampler… Unfortunately I do not like fox and here are my reasons why. they say they have canoeing… they do not… they have canoes in a small shallow pond… which has a terrible odor… the wifi is only at the activity center… when they present the so called condos… they show one specific and they have it looking great. then when u get into the rooms… it is basic and not as decorated like the one for show. u also have to pay for the microsize waterpark… if u choose not to go in the water and want to sit at the table and watch ur kids play u have to pay a fee that is $ 10. They have a golf course and no golf carts for the golfers… and behind the condos is dried creek beds… not small either. And would be nice for people that like to be adventurous but there is all types of metals there… old beds, tires, and some type of old machine, wires and much more… i have plenty of pictures to show this. I brought it to their attention as well… it seems in the midst of things whom ever renovated decided to throw it in the creek bed… so my view is after paying almost thousand for the sampler… no way… 450 a month until u pay it off and u have to pay a monthly fee after that for the rest of your life for upkeep. No Way… I won’t pay for it… that is not clean upkeep…

Ok I purchased a timeshare and kinda know what I was getting into. I know this was not for me but I wanted it because of the RCI and I know for sure there are great places to visit if u roll ur vacation time to RCI to use elsewhere…
Now the sharidan location. The ground is beautiful walking trails, golf. The rooms need updating, I understand it should be rustic but need new stove, laminate counter tops. Paint striping, ugly green carpet, dirty base board, bathroom in master has a open jacuzzi tub in room I don’t like that but it’s romantic if that’s what u there for. I truly think they have a spotless room that they show off then the rest of rooms r run down. Waiting for water park, I think I will visit since I can go for free, but they need more entertainment, it’s far out so nowhere to get food if u don’t want to cook. The little restaurant game room other little entertainment stuff need updated. The no phone service and no WiFi they say they will have soon after the water park is ready. OK and they tell u in the presentation that they have spices in kitchen but only thing was 2 pinch size salt and pepper that wasn’t enough for one meal. I will go because it’s close and I like to entertain at hotels and this is cool to invite a few couples and we can BBQ and have drinks. And my son will enjoy the open space to run around.
As for the people that went for the free gift yes u going to find as a scam but this is a business and their aim is to sell u something. And If U Fallow All The Steps For The Gifts U Will Get Ur Free Get away. I have been to presentation many times for gift. If u r a traveler it is ok. But make sure u like quiet, country peaceful turn down time

My review is only of the facility and I have no opinion or info on the sales tactics.
1. Décor and accommodations are really out of date. I hear the presidential rooms are much better but as for the condo I was in, the cabinets are yellow and look to be from the mid to late 70’s. The furniture and carpet are old. The appliances are old and not in great condition. The master bedroom has NO stand alone shower. Is has a tub out in the open with a hand held shower nozzle that did not even work.
2. Wi-​Fi would appear to be limited resource here. The only place with Wi-​Fi is the activity center. Step 10 feet outside its tiny walls and good luck on getting a stable connection. Its 2014 why is Wi-​Fi not spread out over more of the resort.
3. This place was dropped smack in the middle of nowhere. It’s like somebody took a map of the river and threw a dart at it for a spot to build. All around is corn field in front of more corn fields. Ottawa is your closest and best bet for some things to do. Phone reception is beyond slow. So between the lack of Wi-​Fi, poor phone reception, and lack of surrounding places you are pretty much living off the grid during your stay.
4. NO fitness center! This drove me nuts. How expensive are a couple of treadmills and some weights. Just something! So instead I took to running outside which I like, only problem is that all the roads in this resort are horribly maintained. In some places the road is so far gone they filled in asphalt road holes with gravel. Between the holes, uneven cracks, and asphalt-​gravel hybrid i was just asking for a injury.
5. On site entertainment is nothing to call home about. The pools are nice but the other stuff is below par. Walking into the activity center I felt like I was walking into a old folks home. Between the décor, the size, and the activities it was a cheap and depressing mess.
The impression I got of this place is that It was out-​of-​date, boring, and depressing. It feels like this place was build and runs with extremely oversized profit margins. The staff were nice and helpful but all of my problem were way above their heads. If you are looking for a good time with a family I say avoid this place like the plague.

My sister arranged this 4^th of july getaway for the entire family. They told her that they had all new updates etc. These are my issues with this place.
1. The rooms are so OUTDATED and freaking small. The master suite had the tub/​shower in the room with no enclosure attached it it. If you wanted to take a shower other people could not sit and watch TV in the room because the shower/​tub is out in the open. The TV’s were from back in the 90’s & not like the flat screens you see on their website or tour of the facility.
2. If you have toddlers there is NOTHING for them to do. The pools are 3ft + deep and there is no area for lil ones to swim or play. They have playground around the resort but nothing for toddlers. They told us that the water park would be opened and it will not be completed until maybe September of 2014. When that is open, toddlers can enjoy it!
3. The entertainment building is small and cannot accommodate a lot of people. They have pool tables and a café a very small arcade room and a tiny spot (1 set of blocks) kid area.
4. Resort has no gym, no running path either. It should not be called a RESORT in my opinion. Hotels have these things but a so called «resort» does not have it. WTH
5. There is NO WIFI/​RECEPTION in the entire area. Cell phones do not work which I can understand its family time. But if you are trying to get a hold of another family member in the resort, to let them know the 411 of where you are going or going to do, you CANNOT. Its frustrating. You can barely get reception or WIFI in the entertainment center
6. We had to tell the cleaning people to clean our rooms and get us some extra towels. They stated they do not clean the rooms until after people check out, WTF. EEEEWWWW.
This place needs an entire remodel. The rooms, the facility the WIFI/​Cell Phone issues. It is very outdated and non toddler friendly. Its a «RESORT» but HOTELS have better accommodations and Amenities than this place.

Everyone has their standards and this resort is below average for my taste. The activity center could use a face lift at the very least to keep the children entertained. I didn’t like that if u do buy a timeshare w them u still have to pay to use the water park. Maybe it’s just me, but think that should b free to owners. No resort I would want to bring my family back to time and time again. They can Better!!!
I signed up for the tour for Sliverleaf to sell u on a timeshare. Their sales tactic is to WEAR YOU DOWN, which is especially worst when u bring your children along for the tour. It last hours longer then 90 minutes. When they try their sales pitch they send a sales manager back and forth to your table to convince u to buy and will even offer u a cheaper price.

Decent facility, clean and lots to do. Unfortunately the customer service is pretty bad. Reserving a room took several phone calls, the Internet was down. We arrived at 12 but had to wait til 5 to check in which was fine, but when we came to check in we had problems with the reservation. The manager was rude and unfriendly and didn’t apologize, despite it being their mistake.
The room was nice, standard, clean and well equipped, comfy bed and spa tub.
Overall an ok stay. Personally I wouldn’t buy a timeshare here based on the customer service and the little extra charges here and there.

I see quite a mix of reviews for this place… and they seem to be more with the «business» side of this place, rather than the actual amenities of the facility. I will be addressing the latter. Before I begin, in the interest of full disclosure, our stay was an award/​prize from another company. We are not time share owners, nor did we have to listen to any sales pitch to claim our prize.
The Fox River Resort is the type of place that you go to, to get away from the hustle and bustle of busy life… of emails and meetings… of schedules and gotta be here, gotta go there… everything that makes things complicated, stressful and just plain crazy.
The location is approx 1.5 hours outside of Chicago, in the little village of Sheridan/​Norway.
Our first dealing with the staff at check-​in was very pleasant, and even though we were checking in late (approx 9:50pm) we were still greeted with a smile and given the details of our stay, from the need to display a ticket on the dash of our car while there, to the list of places to eat, things to see and amenities on site.
The rooms themselves reminded me more of nice apartments, rather than stately condos or hotel rooms. We stayed in Building 2, a three story tenement with two bedrooms, a full kitchen, two baths and a patio facing the trees. The rooms were very clean with fresh linens, towels, dishes and more. Furniture in the rooms… it’s probably time for an update from the early 2000’s rustic style. Televisions (1 in master bdrm/​1 in living room) were non HDTV, but there was a full cable line up… but come on… who’s going out to the woods to watch TV. My only complaint about the rooms is similar to that of apartments… when someone upstairs is walking or flushes a toilet on an adjoining wall, you can hear them a bit… but its not a deal breaker.
The grounds themselves are beautiful… and well maintained. Grass appeared to be cut regularly, the streets were well paved… no pot holes. Signs clearly marked where everything was and local employees drove around regularly in marked work vehicles. I was VERY impressed with the level of safety/​security that is maintained on site. Visitors are greeted by a guard in a gate station upon entering the facility and several times we saw vehicles marked «Security» driving around the facility making sure that all was well. I never felt like I was in any danger, but knowing that security was close by gave us an extra feeling of comfort while there. There was no fear about going for a walk by ourselves or worrying about strangers wondering into the facility.
There were PLENTY of different activities for all members of the family including golf courses, indoor/​outdoor swimming pools, horseback riding, basketball/​tennis courts, running tracks, picnic tables, paddle boats, canoes, fishing… you get the point. If that wasn’t enough, the staff at the visitor’s center can provide you with a list of TONS of other things to do in the area (shopping, restaurants, movies, etc.)
There are so many other things to say about this place but I will underscore the fact that this is a VERY family friendly place and the perfect way to get away and have some fun with everyone. A great place, in the middle of beautiful nature… what more could you ask for. Here are some pros/​cons I noted during our stay
Pros:
— clean and well maintained
— family friendly
— nice amenities (big beds, clean linens, dishes, pots pans. everything you need for time alone)
— out of the way… but not too far from town (approx 15 min)
— lots of security/​staff
— TONS of fun activities for the family
— great parking right in front of your room
— GORGEOUS views of nature and stars at night (bring binoculars or a telescope if you can!)
Cons:
— out of the way from Chicago (approx. 1.5 hrs)
— slightly dated furniture
— 15 min from a town
— NO WiFi in the rooms, only in the activity center. BAD cel phone reception (1 – 2 bars with AT&T)
— You’re going to encounter nature… bugs, spiders, etc. Not a big deal… but some people can’t seem to deal with this.
— some expansion going on as of the date of this review… new water park to be built means there is some construction work going on during the day.
— Checkout time is too early (10am)
— Walls/​ceilings are a little thin… can’t hear voices but can hear steps from above and water flow in adjoining walls.
Overall, this place is great for families who want to get away and have a week or two of adventure. If you’re expecting this place to be the Four Seasons Hotel, nitpick at every little crack, stain or mark or think this place should be made of marble and dreams, or are just looking to waste everyone’s day to get a «gift» for your time… maybe this isn’t the place for you. If you’re considering purchasing, I’d recommend driving there first to have a look around (if you can). If you can’t…you’re still going to have a great time… just leave your pretentiousness at home and come and embrace nature at its best!