Big Timber Lodge, Monticello

We knew money was tight, and were just looking for a fun-family vacation over the summer in the budget. Living in Illinois, we weren't looking to go far. After endless hours of searching online and recommendations from others, we finally found this decorative resort. The service was fantastic, even giving us a discount when we arrived, and it was definately affordable. We were able to rent a boat, and go swimming on various sandbars throughout the lake. The fishing is indeed, excellent. My husband and son went fishing the morning following our arrival and came home around noon with three channel catfish, one of which was a little over thirty five pounds! There were numerous boating companies in the local area, and not to mention, Indiana Beach is not but five - ten minutes away. The cottages itself were cute, with colored TV's, two queen sized beds, and a pull-out couch. The refridgerator was indeed stocked with food. Definately worth a vacation. Kids and I had a blast!

The owner took a $100 deposit from my family in May for a specific cabin closest to the lake after we made two trips to the site. When we arrived, we found out that she had given our cabin to another customer because he offered her more money for it. She moved us to another cabin (not lake front) without even telling us. At that point we had driven 9 hours all the way from Virginia and all of the other cabins in the area were booked, so getting a refund wouldn't have helped us. The cabins are dirty with spiders and cobwebs in the bathroom. The "sleeper sofa" is disgusting and so old that we had to place the thin mattress directly on the floor so as not to feel the bars in our backs. Please do not support this business. My family also owns our own business and we would never dream of treating a customer this way.