Hard Rock Hotel Cancun

Me and my boyfriend have recently returned from the hard rock hotel in cancun, it was everything we could of hoped for and more! The food, drinks, entertainment and especially the staff, going above and beyond for you to make sure you had the perfect stay! I am writing the review mainly to say a BIG THANK YOU to Reynaldo @ the main bar in the lobby, he made us feel so welcome every night & kept our glasses topped up throughout too, he really did make our stay! We can’t wait to visit again!

This was the first all inclusive vacation for my boyfriend, his 13 year old daughter and myself. We booked through Cosco travel which included the hotel, flights and transfers. After much research, we felt it was a good value and after the vacation we are satisfied with the what we paid for the package. We found the service at the Hard Rock customer focused and friendly. On several occasions staff happily went out of their way to help us out and make our stay memorable. The food was very good, with Ipenema being our favorite and Frida a close second. I enjoyed all of the breakfast buffets. You do have to go down to Ipenema early, they open at 7, and make dinner reservations for the next day if you plan to eat during prime hours otherwise it is 5:30pm or 9:30pm. My boyfriend’s daughter has an egg allergy and Hard Rock took it very seriously. They have a card for the person with the allergy to carry and they asked about allergies as we checked in at each hostess stand. They also made sure she did not accidentally get anything with egg and prepared her special versions of calamari at Ciao and of Chow Mein at Zen. Ipenema created a desert of icing she then requested all week! The beach was nice, we went in almost every day, but there were red flags up and down the beach as far as we walked almost all week with the exception of one spot where the water was shallow at the Hard Rock, it was a yellow flag there. The seaweed was present but not bad at Hard Rock but I understand that is just chance. The hotels nearby had so much seaweed you couldn’t get in the water. We did three excursions. Jungle Tour Adventures Jungle Tour and Snorkel. They’re almost directly across the street so we walked over and the tour was less expensive then other similar tours but lots of fun! The snorkel was my boyfriends favorite part of the trip. We swam with whale sharks with Eco Tours Adventures and it was an amazing experience! The package included transportation from our hotel and lunch. It was the most expensive thing we did but worth it. Chichen Itza and Cenote we scheduled through the Hard Rock using resort credits. We would have taken this tour with or without the credits but the credits did make it more affordable. It was a long day and we wish we’d had more time at Chichen Itza but all three of us enjoyed the excursion. Both my boyfriend and I had massages at the Rock Spa using resort credits and we both were happy with the experience. We saw the Michael Jackson, the circus, the fire and light and the Mexican shows. All were great but we enjoyed the circus the most with fire and light a close second. The entertainment staff was friendly and engaging and got our 13 year old to do karaoke where she had a fantastic time! I was looking forward to the Foam Party and it did not disappoint! My boyfriend enjoyed the Picks program where he got to keep a guitar for the week. I enjoyed the Wax program where I got to keep a record player and records for the week. My boyfriend and his daughter participated in the Jam Band and had a good time. There is a small convince store in the hotel. There are also two malls about 5 min via taxi ($10 US each way) from the hotel and the doorman out front will call the cab for you. It is as easy to catch one back. Shopping is similar to a US mall. I read hundreds of reviews prior to our trip. To answer some problems people have had, our room keys worked every time. The elevators worked except for one elevator on one morning and yes, even when they were all working they did get crowded and we just took the stairs at times. Our room phones worked but in case they didn’t I had the front desk number programmed into my cell phone. We did have to diligently request that our room was cleaned a couple days. We did not think the noise from the hallway was any worse then any other hotel. During the day there is loud music playing at the Hard Rock. It’s hard to find a chair at the pool after 9am but the staff will help. It’s easier to get a chair at the beach. We tipped in US dollars, the waiters, bartenders, bellmen, drivers, tour guides, masseuses, housekeeping and minibar stocking staff. It says tips are included but part of what I learned in reading all the reviews is that tipping is appreciated. Our experience at the Hard Rock was everything I’d hoped. I read hundreds of reviews and I told my boyfriend I wanted to have the experience I was reading about. We did and we all three thank everyone at Hard Rock Cancun for making our vacation fantastic!