Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana Review #vwr4

By Adam Orlandella

This is a Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana review by one of my good buddies and travel club members, Adam Orlandella.

IF you are considering visiting the hard rock in punta cana, this review may help you.

My Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana Review

What is it about a vacation that just makes everything in the world correct?

Is it the smell of sunscreen and the sound of the ocean lapping against the shore, or the swish of skis against the powder as folks of zip down the mountain just outside your room?

Or maybe it’s the priceless memory of seeing the smiles on your children’s face as wide as the moon when they see the ocean for the first time or meet some new playmates at the pool.

Whatever it is that makes the memories for you on your trips, they will be just as I mentioned earlier….priceless.

My family and I recently took a trip to the Hard Rock in Punta Cana in the Domincan Republic.

All inclusive, 5 nights and 6 days of much needed fun in the sun at the Hard Rock Hotel with the 3 ladies in my life, my wife and my two young daughters (2 months old and 3 yrs old at the time).

Just thinking of their sun kissed, joy filled faces gets me choked up with happiness as I type.

We booked our travels through our travel club, and not only was the price a dream (30% lower than any competitor I could find), but the service was top notch all the way…from airport transfers to the hotel to Jerry, our travel club host, there to greet us with a smile and help with any and all questions we had about our trip.

The trip through the airport upon arrival wasn’t ideal as a few too many planes arrived at once and we spent hours in a non-air conditioned airport slogging through customs…did I mention we had a newborn and toddler with us!? This was probably the toughest thing in this entire Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana Review.

So, bring some fans and entertainment for the kids if you plan to make the trip (which I can’t recommend enough regardless of the airport).

Thankfully our kids were tremendous so I’m eternally grateful for that. But, upon getting to the hotel, Jerry alone was a ray of sunshine after spending far too long in that airport. He got us situated with any optional plans going on during the trip, such as complimentary cocktail hours and beachside barbecues and was simply amazing with the girls…such a great guy.

If you’re in the client service industry, one recommendation, cater to the kids…parents will love you for it!

Hardrock Punta Cana Rooms

At that point, even tired from a full day of travel to that point, we couldn’t get to the room fast enough to change and run out to the beach!

The hotel had all our bags dropped at the room and the minibar stocked as we were out enjoying the warm early evening beach time with the family.

The room was great, plenty big for our family and well appointed all around. When I say ‘all inclusive’ that’s no joke as far as the Hard Rock is concerned. This IS one of the hard rock all inclusive locations.

Everything is included, from room service to wifi throughout the resort. I literally left my wallet in the room the entire trip, which was great because who wants to lug their wallet around when you’re surrounded by beaches and pools and can jump in at any moment!

The hotel itself is something like 120 acres which is a bit hard to describe if you aren’t an engineer or land baron (which I am neither), but it’s immense.

We didn’t even hit all corners of the resort during the trip.

[BIG TIP] Throughout the trip, days were spent enjoying the immaculately kept beach along with some of the 13 pools. Thankfully we were with the kids and up fairly early because the good chairs do get taken quickly at the beach and sometimes all of the chairs at the kid’s pools were gone which wasn’t always fun if you arrived a bit late to then have nowhere to sit.

We got lucky most days, but it’s just something to note. It’s hard to accommodate every little issue at a resort that size, but the hotel worked its hardest to do so anyway!

The kids’ pools were awesome; water slides, wading pools and all the non-alcoholic fruity drinks you could carry! My older daughter met a friend while there and they hung out for a few days straight and as a result, we now have some new friends in New York (we’re from just a bit more north in Boston).

It’s so refreshing to meet wonderful people while you’re all out and about in the world; makes you realize that there are so many amazing people to meet and unless you get out there and travel your life will never be blessed by those people.

The food at the resort was very good I have to admit. This was our first all inclusive trip before and we’re avid travelers. There are more than a dozen restaurants on the property and we hit a number of them.

We enjoyed some traditional casual brick oven pizza at Pizzeto for lunch one day, had some incredible Brazilian BBQ dinner fare at Ipanema, along with some outdoor oceanside dining at Isla, which primarily has a seafood based menu.

The wait staff at all the eateries were so friendly and again amazing with the kids. They’d show us pictures of their own children and share stories with us about the culture.

Dominicans by nature seem to be incredibly hospitable folks and they treasure their families which is such a plus in my eyes. It was so much fun. You won’t find a lot of ‘fine dining’ at the resort, but for all inclusive level fare it was very good.

It can be a pain sometimes because many of the bigger places are a buffet setup and that can be cumbersome to drag a couple little ones along while carrying multiple dinner plates, but the overall experience was wonderful.

The Market was a great breakfast buffet spot and had something for everyone, from simple coffee and fruit to made to order omelettes and home fries potatoes. It was a great way to kick off the day with full bellies and sunshine on your face.

The hit of the trip for food for us was probably going to the Teppanyaki style restaurant, Zen. The food was very tasty and the chef’s put on a great show for everyone. I simply had to include this in this Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana Review.

Again, we met some wonderful new people at our table and the girls had smiles the entire meal. What more can you ask for…good food and smiles!? You will most certainly get those at the Hard Rock in Punta Cana.

Two Thumbs up for the Hard Rock in Punta Cana

Overall, even with the minor hiccups here and there that happen everywhere, I can’t speak highly enough about our trip which makes my Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana Review a glowing two thumbs up.

I wouldn’t have thought of this as a destination for us if our travel club hadn’t offered it up to us (and at such a great price).

We had so much fun that my older daughter asks us almost weekly when we are going back!

Anyway, I could go on and on and explain every waking moment of our trip and all the hard rock hotel Punta Cana excursions in which we took part.

But, you’ll never truly fathom the size of the smiles on your children’s faces, the smell of the ocean coming in through your balcony door, or the warmth of the Caribbean sun on your face until you go there.

Vacations are much more than simply taking time off from your day job. A vacation is about experiencing life and more importantly experiencing joy and sharing in that joy with those important to you.

It is just that…an experience. I can buy all the material things I want in life and can lose everything I have, but nobody can ever take away or replace the memories we made and joy we experienced on this trip…I will remember it for the rest of my life. I hope you will give yourself the chance to say that very same thing.

Additional Resources for Hard Rock Hotel in Punta Cana

Resort Map of Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana

Tripadvisor Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana Reviews

Got Questions for Adam?

You can find Adam on Facebook here or simply shoot him an email here: [email protected]

IF you enjoyed Adam’s Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana Review, please leave us a comment below and feel free to share on Social Media!

IF you dug this blog post, share the love! Share on social media and drop me a comment below =)

Here’s to YOU Having More Peak Life Experiences!

Travel Blog and Peak Life Experiences
Skype: ray.higdon
Email: [email protected]

“Showing You How to Save Money on LUXURY Destinations and Have More Awesome Peak Life Experiences”

PS: Like to Travel? Me too, but I was Sick of Paying Retail Prices, Click Here to Check out Our Price Guaranteed Travel Portal and Vacation Club

If you enjoyed this post on Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana Review #vwr4, retweet and comment please