A visit to Hard Rock Riviera Maya was the final resort stay during my extended spring 2024 vacation.  I was previously at Riu Palace Riviera Maya and Ocean Riviera Paradise (see separate resort reviews by clicking on the above resort names), and wanted to end up at an all-inclusive that I thought would be a thoroughly enjoyable and rock-worthy ending to my vacation.

Let me start out by saying that Hard Rock Riviera Maya is an extremely popular all-inclusive in the Riviera Maya.  Because I was curious I looked at Dec. 2024 travel dates to this property just last week and found that the entire resort was almost sold out for the beginning of Dec., and that’s not even during Christmas and New Years when many all-inclusives in this part of Mexico are pretty much booked up way in advance.  When I initially booked my spring 2024 stay, there were only three rooms left in the entire complex, and this resort has 1,264 guest rooms available.  If interested in staying at this property, you need to book at least six months in advance or risk missing out.

This resort is divided into two sections–the family-friendly Hacienda section, and the adults-only Heaven section.  There is a frequent shuttle service that leaves from both lobby areas and goes to the other resort section; while you could walk from one lobby to another it would take about 15-20 min. walking at a slow pace.  While children generally cannot access or stay in the Heaven section, adults staying in the Hacienda section can use many amenities at the Heaven section, and all Heaven guests can use Hacienda amenities (I will talk more about that subject later on in this review). When booking your shuttle transportation, some companies will list the Hacienda section as “Roja”, and the Heaven section as “Azul”.  When I booked my shuttle transportation, I did not know the distinction and therefore had a slight mix-up upon arrival at the resort–I kept saying Hacienda to my driver and he didn’t know what I meant, so he just decided to go the “Roja” section lobby and voilà, it was the correct choice.  So keep that in mind when booking your transportation to and from this resort.

Check-in was quick for a party of three with two rooms.  While I had booked entry level accommodations (I didn’t have much of a choice with only three rooms left in their inventory for my travel dates), I was greatly surprised when I was told that I had received a complimentary upgrade to a Deluxe Sky Terrace suite!  Since this was the room category I had originally wanted to book, I had no problem in accepting my upgrade.  The other room category stayed the same–a basic Diamond room for guests with allergies.  FYI:  The resort no longer offers this room category; probably no surprise since the allergen filter machine in that room was obviously in need of a new filter, and that was the only noticeable difference between a regular Diamond room and the slightly upgraded Diamond room for allergy-prone guests.

Since it was early afternoon when we arrived at the resort we didn’t expect the rooms to be ready, so we wound up going to lunch at the Hacienda buffet.  For a resort this size I was disappointed in how small the buffet was and what limited choices were available.  I did come back here for breakfast on other days, but let me just say that if you can skip the buffet for meals other than breakfast then do so.  There were multiple dining opportunities in the Hacienda section (pizza and burger stations as well as taco and paella offerings for a poolside lunch and very good a la carte restaurants for dinner) so skipping the buffet was no hardship.

As long as I’m mentioning food, let me continue with this same theme.  Since this is a large resort with two separate sections, the food situation can get complicated.  It would probably work out best to list food choices and who gets to go where for what:

• Breakfast:  As I mentioned, Hacienda section buffet, The Market, is open for everyone at the resort.  The Faro Gastro Market in the Heaven section is a buffet offering breakfast and lunch, but that one is for Heaven guests only.  Ciao, the Italian restaurant on the Heaven side, has a buffet breakfast but it is adults-only.  Toro restaurant in the Hacienda section also serves breakfast for everyone at the resort, but I think this one offers a la carte breakfast items.  Cafetto coffee shop offers continental breakfast from 7-10 a.m.
• Lunch:  As I mentioned, Hacienda poolside has lots of opportunities to eat.  I would skip the pizza, but the burgers were good and the tacos were excellent.  The paella, when offered, was very good as well.  Poolside at the Heaven section wasn’t quite as extensive for lunch opportunities, which was surprising, but there were some choices.  Upgraded Royalty Rock guests have their own poolside tacos which were delicious by the way, but that separate pool and adjacent food offerings are only for upgraded guests staying in Rock Royalty guest rooms.  (As an aside, myself and my travel party got thrown out of the Rock Royalty pool area because we were not staying in an upgraded room, but I did sneak in some tacos for myself before leaving).
• Dinner:  There are several restaurants requiring reservations, but we were able to have some excellent dinners without booking any restaurants during out stay.  Restaurants needing reservations include Toro (Hacienda section steakhouse), Wai (Heaven section Thai food–Heaven section guests have priority over adult Hacienda guests when making reservations), UMO (Heaven section Mexican Yucatan cuisine, Heaven section guests have priority over adult Hacienda guests when making reservations), and Zen Teppanyaki show tables (this is the Asian restaurant in the Hacienda section, if you don’t want a Teppanyaki show table you can dine without a reservation).  Restaurants which did not require reservations were Frida (Hacienda section Mexican cuisine), Le Petit Cochon (Heaven section French cuisine), and Ciao (Heaven section Italian cuisine).
• Room Service:  Available for all guests and open 24/7.
• Snacks:  There were two coffee shops at this resort, one at Hacienda and the other at the Heaven section.  Cafetto was open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and can serve you anything you want when it comes to coffee drinks, tea, snacks, sandwiches, desserts, or ice cream.  These were the largest coffee shops I’ve seen at any resort and there was always a line day or night when open.

We ate dinner at Frida, Ciao, and Zen (not the Teppanyaki show tables), and all were very good.  Sushi was fresh and delicious at Zen, but it was a very noisy restaurant and difficult to hold a conversation with fellow diners.  Ciao was very good as well (they had a very loose clothing policy and I got in wearing shorts and a tank top–I don’t usually dress slovenly for dinner but we were out and about the resort late and just took a chance getting in “underdressed”); Frida had outstanding Mexican food.  I typically hate dining at Mexican restaurants at all-inclusive resorts in Mexico because I feel the food is “Americanized”, but Frida surprised me with their excellent dishes and service.  FYI:  Don’t be surprised if you see children dining at Heaven section restaurants.  I have a feeling owners (re. timeshare members) are allowed to dine together in the adults-only section restaurants.

Let’s talk pools.  As I previously mentioned, if you are poolside at any of the major pools at the resort as a whole there will be food options and you can eat lunch or snack at your lounger if you wish.  There were several private pools:  Eden Pool in the Heaven section at the very northern end of the resort (this one had a nice vibe with more of the rock ‘n roll music I had anticipated at this resort but was only for upgraded Rock Royalty rooms and other upgraded suite guests).  If you want to try and sneak in and stay to enjoy the vibe and great tacos wear long sleeves of some sort so that staff cannot immediately identify your wristband as not belonging in this area.  Eden Pool area also had a large oceanfront Jacuzzi which I thought was a very cool feature but I didn’t get to enjoy it because of our untimely eviction, lol.  Another private pool was the Legendary Pool in the Heaven section–that one is only for owners; it was small and looked totally dead with only a handful of elderly vacationers that were present at the time, no swim-up bar and no music there.  Behind the main Heaven section pool was another private pool for owners which had its own bar and bathroom area.  The only private pool in the Hacienda section was the small scuba pool and that one was completely separate from the Hacienda main pool area.

Main pools at both resort sections offered a large swim-up bar with step-up bar service on the other side, that along with pool wait service made drinks easy to come by.  Plenty of loungers and shade umbrellas at all pools made early morning chair “saving” unnecessary. Guests looking for a small water slide for younger children will want to check out the southern end of the main pool in the Hacienda section.  During my stay I attended the pool party at the Heaven section main pool, it was a fun atmosphere and had Coco Bongo dancers so that livened up the party.  If you want to know more about what kind of music occurs in each pool area, think non-rock in the Hacienda section and some rock ‘n roll in the Heaven section.  Both resort sections had daily DJ’s and there was some live music as well as prerecorded playlists.  On the very first day that I stayed at this resort there was an older DJ in the Hacienda pool area and he played ACDC, Kiss, and older rock ‘n roll hits, but on the other days younger DJ’s played more modern hip hop and music in general that I wasn’t familiar with.  That was probably the biggest disappointment in staying at this resort; I had the expectation that a Hard Rock property displaying numerous memorabilia from rock ‘n roll stars would feature such music, but that was a misperception on my part.  Bring your ear buds and device with your own playlists unless you don’t particularly care about the music part of your stay.

Let’s talk the beach.  There was no natural beach at this entire resort.  Beach areas are man-made because the surf is rather wild–beautiful to watch but with all the ironshore rock would be tough to get into the water in the first place much less battle the large waves.  Instead, the resort offered man-made beach areas for both resort sections.  Parts of the barrier between the ocean and the man-made beaches allow water to enter and exit along with fish and other marine wildlife which made swimming and snorkeling possible.  There were scheduled times when non-motorized water sports equipment could be taken out, so guests can enjoy the area in a way that would be very similar to a natural beach.  There was a private Legendary beach area (for timeshare owners) in each resort section, but the rest of the beach was for regular guests.  There were loungers, Bali beds ($), shade umbrellas, and wait service available.

I have to make special mention of the oceanfront Martini Bar in the Heaven section.  Don’t miss it, it is a great place to just zone out and watch the wild surf, or you can play a game of pool and have a drink or two from the bar while you enjoy your time there.  I could have literally spent a couple of hours there on each occasion I visited, but then I recharge while watching the ocean so I guess it’s no surprise why I wanted to stay awhile.  (As an aside, if you want to know more about the science behind why so many people are drawn to water locations read The Blue Mind by Wallace J. Nichols).

Is anyone still into Escape Rooms?  Check out the Escape Room upstairs in the Hacienda section, it offered a couple of options to enjoy.  For those of you who don’t know what an Escape Room is, it’s typically a 60 min. adventure game where groups find clues and solve riddles and mysteries to get out of the room you are in before time runs out.  It can be fun if you are into activities like this, and also seems to be more popular with younger to middle age adults.

Looking for a water park experience?  Rockaway Bay Water Park is great for family fun!  The Hacienda section offered water slides (including six higher speed slides for teens and adults), a splash pad, water slides, and water buckets for younger children, and an adjacent bar and snack area. The easiest way to get there is to exit the Hacienda lobby, go left past the outdoor luggage storage area, and continue down the hill.  You cannot miss it.  FYI:  After my stay at the resort I read that the water park was under some renovations, so check to see if it is open before you book if this is an integral part of your resort experience.

Wanting more things to do for fun while on vacation?  Conveniently located next to Rockaway Bay Water Park is Vibe City, a separate building filled with activities for children, teens, and adults.  Bowling, laser tag, and Hyper X for gamers were just a few things available; some interior construction was underway when I stayed here so there will be more activities to come.  I believe the Kid’s Club was also located here as well.  FYI:  The Woodward Skate Park no longer exists at this resort.

If you are looking for good live music during the evening then you will have to head over to the Heaven section; go past the lobby area and you will find lots of drum set memorabilia–right underneath the billowing blue and white cloud-like ceiling features.  You can’t miss it.  There were some good live performances–Beatles music, Elvis music, and more recent rock music hits from local bands.  Too bad kids weren’t allowed since it’s in the Heaven section.

Still looking for more to do?  Late nighters will appreciate the disco/nightclub over at the Heaven section.  This nightclub used to have a pool that guests could use, but alas, that no longer exists.  Also, be aware that being seated on those comfortable couches will cost you–it’s akin to bottle service in Vegas nightclubs.  If you still want to check it out, just look for the Heaven Club and Lounge on the main level, or you can also enter via the exterior but that is a bit trickier, just watch where guests may be entering the main building.

And now some thoughts on the rooms.  The Deluxe Sky Terrace overall was an awesome room category–large main bathroom, a rooftop area with its own bathroom, full loungers and Jacuzzi, comfortable bed, separate balcony area off the bedroom, but no more in-room liquor.  I did have several experiences in the room over the course of my stay which were brand new in all my resort stays and more than anything–annoying.  I was awakened in the middle of the night on several occasions by sounds of wild animals fighting above my ceiling.  Since I’d never heard raccoons fighting before, I didn’t know what the sounds were about at first, but I eventually narrowed it down to either raccoons, feral cats, or jaguars, lol, it was that ferocious.  It’s difficult to describe the sound, but unmistakable to assume territorial animal fights when you hear them.  To give an example of the hullabaloo, one of the ceiling pot lights was recessed when I checked in, but hanging and askew after all the fighting.  Ughh.  Like I said, annoying.  Based on this experience, I would be reluctant to book another Deluxe Sky Terrace suite.  The other basic room category, as I mentioned before, had an air filter machine that desperately needed a filter change, plus the in-room Jacuzzi made the room seem claustrophobic.  My advice on Hacienda rooms is to book Rock Royalty or Rock Suite rooms for added space if you can swing it financially.  If your travel party consists of adults then just book the Heaven section and only visit the Hacienda section.

Yes, I can see why this resort is popular.  Yes, this resort has a lot to offer its guests. But would I return to this resort?  No.  Major disappointment with the resort’s overall music choices has turned me off of Hard Rock resorts in general.  I wanted to have a rockin’ good time wherever I went on the property, and instead I wound up spending a lot of time searching for venues where they were playing the kind of music I anticipated when I booked.  I also question a property’s level of upkeep when vermin problems are obviously left unattended.  I cannot be the first guest to complain about ferocious animal fights in ceiling areas.

The comments in this review are those of the author/reviewer.  The trip to this particular resort was paid for in its entirety by the author; at no time were monies or services exchanged for this review.

Location:  One hr. 20 min. south of the Cancun airport.  Check and see whether flights exist from your departure city to the brand new Tulum airport; it would be a quicker transportation time to and from that airport.

Telephone:  52-984-875-1100

Email:  customer_care@hardrock.com.  You can also leave a message via the resort website’s Contact section.