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Old 20 Sep 20, 01:18 PM  
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#1
happytraveller
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Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya

Hi, seriously considering going here next August with DS who will be 13 then. Has anyone been? Thanks
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Old 22 Sep 20, 08:29 AM  
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Evil queen
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We went last summer July/August time and had a really great holiday.
They open up both sides of the hotels to families over the summer so you can visit the heaven side as well if you want but there was plenty going on at the hacienda side.
Food was good, we particularly enjoyed the Zen restaurant which was Asian inspired. You had to book for the a la carte places and could do this a few days before in reception but can just turn up to the buffets- this may be different in the post-Covid era of course. We had no problems getting the restaurants we wanted but you do need to be a little bit flexible.
My kids never bother joining in with kids club etc but the provision seemed great. Woodward looked excellent but is an extra cost.
The water park is good but there is not a lot of shade.
Rooms were really clean, mini bar well stocked- we had a 2 bedroom family room so had loads and loads of space but I couldn’t comment on the normal rooms.
We used our resort credit towards a beach cabana on a couple of occasions which was lovely, some guaranteed shade and everything brought to you. A word on the beach though- it’s not really a beach so if you want huge expanses of sand it’s not for you. It’s built around some lagoons, which you can wade out so far as a rope lies and it is deep enough for swimming and some water sports- the ocean beyond the lagoon wall is pretty feisty. There was a problem with sargassum last year and for a couple of years before at least- not just at hard rock but the whole of the coast pretty much, the staff worked endlessly to clear it though and some days it didn’t appear at all. It didn’t cause us an issue but thought I’d mention it. The beach area at the lagoons did have lovely soft sand though and was well looked after.
The staff were great, really friendly and looked after you well but were not in your face.
We didn’t go to much of the evening entertainment but the ones we did go to were fab.
Any questions feel free to ask!
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Old 22 Sep 20, 06:26 PM  
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happytraveller
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Thank you so much, that's fantastic


Originally Posted by Evil queen View Post
We went last summer July/August time and had a really great holiday.
They open up both sides of the hotels to families over the summer so you can visit the heaven side as well if you want but there was plenty going on at the hacienda side.
Food was good, we particularly enjoyed the Zen restaurant which was Asian inspired. You had to book for the a la carte places and could do this a few days before in reception but can just turn up to the buffets- this may be different in the post-Covid era of course. We had no problems getting the restaurants we wanted but you do need to be a little bit flexible.
My kids never bother joining in with kids club etc but the provision seemed great. Woodward looked excellent but is an extra cost.
The water park is good but there is not a lot of shade.
Rooms were really clean, mini bar well stocked- we had a 2 bedroom family room so had loads and loads of space but I couldn’t comment on the normal rooms.
We used our resort credit towards a beach cabana on a couple of occasions which was lovely, some guaranteed shade and everything brought to you. A word on the beach though- it’s not really a beach so if you want huge expanses of sand it’s not for you. It’s built around some lagoons, which you can wade out so far as a rope lies and it is deep enough for swimming and some water sports- the ocean beyond the lagoon wall is pretty feisty. There was a problem with sargassum last year and for a couple of years before at least- not just at hard rock but the whole of the coast pretty much, the staff worked endlessly to clear it though and some days it didn’t appear at all. It didn’t cause us an issue but thought I’d mention it. The beach area at the lagoons did have lovely soft sand though and was well looked after.
The staff were great, really friendly and looked after you well but were not in your face.
We didn’t go to much of the evening entertainment but the ones we did go to were fab.
Any questions feel free to ask!
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Old 24 Sep 20, 05:47 PM  
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#4
happytraveller
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Originally Posted by Evil queen View Post
We went last summer July/August time and had a really great holiday.
They open up both sides of the hotels to families over the summer so you can visit the heaven side as well if you want but there was plenty going on at the hacienda side.
Food was good, we particularly enjoyed the Zen restaurant which was Asian inspired. You had to book for the a la carte places and could do this a few days before in reception but can just turn up to the buffets- this may be different in the post-Covid era of course. We had no problems getting the restaurants we wanted but you do need to be a little bit flexible.
My kids never bother joining in with kids club etc but the provision seemed great. Woodward looked excellent but is an extra cost.
The water park is good but there is not a lot of shade.
Rooms were really clean, mini bar well stocked- we had a 2 bedroom family room so had loads and loads of space but I couldn’t comment on the normal rooms.
We used our resort credit towards a beach cabana on a couple of occasions which was lovely, some guaranteed shade and everything brought to you. A word on the beach though- it’s not really a beach so if you want huge expanses of sand it’s not for you. It’s built around some lagoons, which you can wade out so far as a rope lies and it is deep enough for swimming and some water sports- the ocean beyond the lagoon wall is pretty feisty. There was a problem with sargassum last year and for a couple of years before at least- not just at hard rock but the whole of the coast pretty much, the staff worked endlessly to clear it though and some days it didn’t appear at all. It didn’t cause us an issue but thought I’d mention it. The beach area at the lagoons did have lovely soft sand though and was well looked after.
The staff were great, really friendly and looked after you well but were not in your face.
We didn’t go to much of the evening entertainment but the ones we did go to were fab.
Any questions feel free to ask!
I just booked this lunchtime with BA Can I ask how you got to the hotel? I have yet to book a transfer. I'm waiting till nearer the time to do it though. Also, what excursions did you do? And did you use room service, was there a long wait on average? Thanks
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Old 24 Sep 20, 08:30 PM  
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Evil queen
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How exciting! Ours came with package this time but we have used lomas travel for a previous Mexico visit. Excursions wise, we didn’t do loads as we just wanted a relaxed break, however we went to xsenses, we had a day out with a tour guide- we booked him privately and he created a day out that suited our needs, for us that was the Mayan temple at Tulum - he arranged a Mayan descendant to take us round and tell us about it all, he took us to yal-ku for snorkelling which was perfect for us as beginners and dh isn’t a strong swimmer and he also took us to Akumel for a couple of hours at the beach were there are also turtles- I’ll try and find his details he was lovely and very knowledgable. We had a couple of trips in playa del carmen for a bit of shopping and a few drinks in the bars.
We did use the room service on a few occasions, the food was good and pretty prompt. I can’t remember exactly but no more than about 30mins.

Tour guide was Santiago Chavez- website is localtoursrivip.com

Edited at 08:33 PM.
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Old 24 Sep 20, 09:37 PM  
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happytraveller
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Thank you that's great and so helpful. We are only going for 9 nights, so only a couple of trips we will be making too. Those trips sound amazing. I'll be utilizing room service to the full
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Old 1 Oct 20, 11:17 PM  
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CaliforniaKid
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Ah, we went to HR Riviera Maya last August and had an amazing holiday! It co-incided with Kidz Bop Experience week and my two kids (9 & 6) loved every minute - so much fun, they were pampered like crazy.

At the time, both Hacienda and Heaven were open to children so we could eat at all restaurants - Toro (steak restaurant), Ciao (French) and Los Gallos (Mexican) were probably our favourites, but can't complain with any. Zen was great experience and is a must. Yes, you need to book a table 48 hours beforehand in the Hacienda lobby which is a pain and some of the more popular restaurants did get booked up early, but we were generally happy with our reservation slots.

Hotel is beautiful, very clean, lively (as you would expect) and pools are huge. We only spent a few hours at the small 'lagoon' beach (hired snorkels, kayaks) as we struggled to get the kids away from the main pools and waterpark which is ace. We had a couple of hours in Woodward, mainly on the scooters, and it is great place for teens though quiet when we visited.

Staff were extremely friendly and fabulous with the kids. We were very lucky to have a personal assistant (David) who checked in with us on Whatsapp, helping reserve pool-side loungers and front row seats for evening shows. We had two-bed room with ocean view and there was lots of space. And yes, do use room service for food!

There's a lot more I can probably add, but if you are interested I filmed a tour of the hotel and uploaded to YouTube, plus a quick room tour.







Similarly, like you, we ALMOST booked for August 2021 with British Airways flying from Gatwick. We had a price at £3850 for 2 ad / 2 ch which was amazing but we let it go. We're unsure in current circumstances whether Mexico this time next year is a possibility and - given how we much we loved it without the Covid restrictions - we felt going back with restrictions probably wouldn't be as fun or the same. We'll probably regret it though, ha!

Hope you have a wonderful time. Gary.
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Old 2 Oct 20, 05:55 PM  
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happytraveller
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Thank you so much for all of that. That is fab and cannot wait to watch the videos. I hope I get out there and yes that’s a fab price. Ours was 2,700 for and DS 13. But since went down slightly in price. So for 4 of you that’s fab. I am planning but fully expect or will not be surprised if it doesn’t happen. Did you do any of the Xcaret parks. I’m starting to know a bit more now lol.


Originally Posted by CaliforniaKid View Post
Ah, we went to HR Riviera Maya last August and had an amazing holiday! It co-incided with Kidz Bop Experience week and my two kids (9 & 6) loved every minute - so much fun, they were pampered like crazy.

At the time, both Hacienda and Heaven were open to children so we could eat at all restaurants - Toro (steak restaurant), Ciao (French) and Los Gallos (Mexican) were probably our favourites, but can't complain with any. Zen was great experience and is a must. Yes, you need to book a table 48 hours beforehand in the Hacienda lobby which is a pain and some of the more popular restaurants did get booked up early, but we were generally happy with our reservation slots.

Hotel is beautiful, very clean, lively (as you would expect) and pools are huge. We only spent a few hours at the small 'lagoon' beach (hired snorkels, kayaks) as we struggled to get the kids away from the main pools and waterpark which is ace. We had a couple of hours in Woodward, mainly on the scooters, and it is great place for teens though quiet when we visited.

Staff were extremely friendly and fabulous with the kids. We were very lucky to have a personal assistant (David) who checked in with us on Whatsapp, helping reserve pool-side loungers and front row seats for evening shows. We had two-bed room with ocean view and there was lots of space. And yes, do use room service for food!

There's a lot more I can probably add, but if you are interested I filmed a tour of the hotel and uploaded to YouTube, plus a quick room tour.







Similarly, like you, we ALMOST booked for August 2021 with British Airways flying from Gatwick. We had a price at £3850 for 2 ad / 2 ch which was amazing but we let it go. We're unsure in current circumstances whether Mexico this time next year is a possibility and - given how we much we loved it without the Covid restrictions - we felt going back with restrictions probably wouldn't be as fun or the same. We'll probably regret it though, ha!

Hope you have a wonderful time. Gary.
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Old 10 Oct 20, 09:30 PM  
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The_Cheadley
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We went last year (May half term) and it was utterly, utterly fantastic. We upgraded to Rock Royalty, and subsequently upgraded again to a 2 bed Grand Sky Terrace when we were there (couldn't help myself). The butler we got with the room was useful for booking restaurants, organising car hire etc. The private beach was great with waiter service. And the best bit was the kids got unlimited use of woodward - my boys were 11 and 14 so perfect.

Also, the food was fantastic and plenty of it. The alcohol was top brands and free flowing (thing grey goose vodka, JD etc).

Loved the place, would have happily gone back in 2021 but we've decided on Thailand instead, just because.
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Old 11 Oct 20, 07:59 AM  
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happytraveller
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Originally Posted by The_Cheadley View Post
We went last year (May half term) and it was utterly, utterly fantastic. We upgraded to Rock Royalty, and subsequently upgraded again to a 2 bed Grand Sky Terrace when we were there (couldn't help myself). The butler we got with the room was useful for booking restaurants, organising car hire etc. The private beach was great with waiter service. And the best bit was the kids got unlimited use of woodward - my boys were 11 and 14 so perfect.

Also, the food was fantastic and plenty of it. The alcohol was top brands and free flowing (thing grey goose vodka, JD etc).

Loved the place, would have happily gone back in 2021 but we've decided on Thailand instead, just because.
OMG - Rock royalty sounds great! We have the 1 bed sky terrace and I'm excited with that, but you have got me thinking now Did you do any day trips? I'm keeping it to a maximum of two as I just want to relax and enjoy the resort. Thinking of Xcaret senses and my son wants to swim with Whale Sharks which I'm not too keen on to be honest!
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