Rocking in Riviera Maya!
Myself, husband and son (18) flew from Manchester to Cancun on TUI’s direct service (the only one from the north) and I upgraded us to Premium on the Dreamliner. The cabin was spacious, food and drink plentiful and service fabulous.
After the 11-hour flight, our private transfer whisked us down the coast to Riviera Maya (about 90 minutes) and onto the 5* Hard Rock Hotel which is located between Playa del Carmen and Tulum and built around impeccably kept gardens and grounds. The all-inclusive resort is almost two hotels in one…..a family side ‘Hacienda’ and an adult only side ‘Heaven’. As this was a work connected trip, we were allocated a Deluxe Gold Room in Hacienda with 2 double beds and plenty of space for the 3 of us. The room had a spa tub, balcony with hammock, mini bar, bathrobes & slippers and a lovely garden view. There are many different room categories to choose from, like special ones for families equipped with games and even a special mini-bar for kids. For instance, the Rock Royalty Deluxe offers a personal assistant (butler), and the room price includes complimentary services like couples’ massage, shoeshine, and more…
This vast resort has a restaurant for every day. The main buffet restaurant on each side has plenty of choice but for an a la carte dinner or breakfast option, you just need to pre-book once you arrive and all are included. There is literally a restaurant from every country…. Brazilian, French, Italian, Japanese, Argentinian, Thai and of course Mexican. Everything we tried was super fresh and tasty, the service was great and we felt like we had so much choice!
We spent most of our days over at the adult section, preferring the quieter, calmer pools, swim up bars, lagoon and man-made beach – but you had a choice on both sides of live music throughout the day (of course – it’s a Hard Rock Hotel!) and live DJ. Plus, there was the added advantage of the on-site Rockaway Bay Water Park where a family could literally spend the full day with plenty of slides ranging from small slides in the water splash park to high speed adult/teen slides. There is a poolside snack bar also available and entry of course is free. If the kids still want entertaining, there is the Hard Rock Roxity Kids Club – all sorts of exciting and fun games to keep 4-12 year olds happy. Not to be forgotten, there is a Teen Lounge with Xbox, Arcade Games, pool table etc. There is also the fabulously cool Rock Shop, Rock Spa and local golf course for the adults too! Both lobbies of each resort are of course amazingly decorated with musical instruments and personal belongings of famous rock, pop and rap artists.
The evenings had entertainment in either Heaven Lobby or Club Heaven – a fantastic adult only area where the nightclub bar is designed around the pool itself, which is anchored by a DJ booth, flanked by two hot tubs and surrounded by cabana style seating pods. Lots of young adults from all nationalities loved this (including our son!) and are encouraged to wear their swimmers in the club! Over on the family side, there was always some live evening entertainment going on in the Hacienda Lobby and the Sports Bar. At certain times of the year they have huge outdoor concerts, you can also get married in the cute chapel by the beach and dance the night away in the event centre. Did I mention that you can also get an electric guitar delivered to your room?
During our week, we booked an evening at Coco Bongo’s in Playa del Carmen – an adult only non-stop Vegas style show and not to be missed! Definitely recommend upgrading to the Gold VIP ticket which gives you priority entry, served drinks all night and seating as well as a snack meal!
We also booked a day trip to Tulum where we explored the history of the ancient Mayan civilization with a visit to the archaeological site of Tulum and learnt more about the former city and its landmark monuments from our guide. Followed by a local lunch and a refresh at a beautiful outdoor and indoor cenote where you can swim in the natural sinkholes and caves.
Another interesting day trip you can pre-book is the Xcaret ecological park and Xplore Adventure site with its zip lines, buggy trails and underground rivers. It’s apparently an adrenalin filled day! There is wi-fi access everywhere around the resort, the service is superb (tip well and the waiter will remember you and as soon as you glass is empty it has been refilled!). I would say the Hard Rock Hotel is a great branded hotel with an extra touch involving music, but music in general, not just one genre. Although the music theme and music itself is present everywhere, I never felt that it was disturbing or overwhelming and there was always a quiet place to retreat to in the hotel grounds. The best weather is between December and March and the temperature was around 25 degrees for us in January. May to October is generally regarded as the rainy season but temperatures can be in the thirties.
If you would like any more information or want to Rock out on your next holiday – please get in touch!