# Hardrock Punta Cana...has anyone stayed here?



## NTHC

Getting ready to book for my daughters spring break for March and I am looking at this property.  It is a bit more expensive than most of the timeshare resorts, but I am wondering if it is worth it.

Any feedback would be great!

Thanks in advance!

Cindy


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## tiel

NTHC said:


> Getting ready to book for my daughters spring break for March and I am looking at this property.  It is a bit more expensive than most of the timeshare resorts, but I am wondering if it is worth it.
> 
> Any feedback would be great!
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> Cindy



We looked into this resort earlier this year, but decided not to go.  If I understand correctly, this resort has a dual affiliation:  it is associated with  Hard Rock and Palace Resorts (in Mexico).  A lot of people who had gone to other Palace Resorts and then to the Hard Rock resort  indicated the resort was NOT on par with other Palace resorts, and they were disappointed, especially with the service and food, given what they had paid.  

We chose to go to Moon Palace (outside Cancun) instead.  When we talked with some Palace Resorts personnel there about the Punta Cana resort and the results of our research, they indicated the company agreed that there was room for improvement at the Hard Rock, and they weren't sure when it would be up to PR standards.

That said, you or your daughter might absolutely love it there.  I would suggest doing some research on your own to see what other people have said about the resort, and whether any of the negatives are things that would bother you.  

As to whether it is worth it...that is a very personal decision.  Strictly in terms of dollars, we don't get our money's worth when we go to an all-inclusive.  We still go to them occasionally, though, because we like the fact everything is taken care of ahead of time, and that has _value_ to US.  This may not make sense to everyone, but, it doesn't have to.

Anyway, best wishes for a wonderful trip, whatever you decide to do!


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## csudell

I emailed Cindy but want to post here also.  I am actually going there in January.  We stayed at the Sun Palace in Cancun and LOVED it.  When we heard about the resort in PC we looked into it.  I called the travel agent that we booked Cancun through because she specializes in Palace Resorts.  

She has not gone to it but people in her office have and she did think we'd be happy there.   Also, a friend of mine was in PC a few weeks ago and someone in her group went over there for awhile and thought it was gorgeous.  Of course, that's not about quality of the food and amenities.

After my stay in Cancun, I wanted to give Palace Resorts another shot... and the incentive/credit they offer makes it a great deal.  

I read a lot of reviews on it and think it will be a great place to stay.  And I'll let everyone know when we get back!


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## WeLovetoTravel

We went to Hard Rock Punta Cana in August 2010. There were 6 adults in our group, ranging in age from 20-55. Everyone enjoyed the vacation including our 20 year old. We are also Palace members. I do have to agree with the previous posts that the Hard Rock is not quite up to Palace standards, however, you have to remember that you are NOT in Mexico. You can not expect Mexican hospitality. This is a large resort. I would say it is comparable in size to Moon Palace. They do have golf carts to shuttle you around if you don't wish to walk.

 Compared to other Dominican resorts, I'd say that this resort is outstanding. The pools are great, the staff is lots of fun. They keep the drinks flowing. The beach is beautiful. There is also waitstaff on the beach for you. The rooms are very nice. Every room has a K or 2D and an in-room jacuzzi. There are also family suites and Concierge suites. Rooms are made up during the day and turn down at night.  If your mini fridge is not stocked with what you want, just ask. (My husband had to ask the steward to remove some of the soda & stock up the beer.)

 The food ranged from good to just OK. You won't go hungry. The Hibachi was excellent, as was the Mexican restaurant. We often just ordered room service for breakfast and sat out on the balcony & ate. Beautiful views of the caribbean. 

The Spa absolutely knocked my socks off! It was even more impressive than Adventura Spa. The on-site golf course is very nice. The casino is open. They have both slots and table games. There are many on-site activities daily, and several excursions. 

I don't think you would go wrong with a vacation here. The $1500 resort credit to spend on extras really makes it a very good value.
-Deb


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## NTHC

Thanks for the input.

We are booked and ready to go!

Cindy

540-560-2987


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## pharmgirl

the real NJ housewives go to Hard Rock resort in Punta Cana in one of this year's episodes
You can see the rooms, beach, golf course etc, very pretty
Just be glad you won't be there when the NJ girls and guys are there!!  2 of them live in my town


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## NTHC

I just caught bits of that episode last night.....

My daughter is a bit disappointed we will be staying in the steerage compartment as opposed to the $20,000 per week suites, but I think it will be a good time.


Thx!

Cindy


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## jstapleton

On Saturday, I booked 5 rooms for a July graduation trip for my dd, my ds and my family.  The reviews are mostly good on tripadvisor and I really couldn't find too many reivews to read.  

We are a family that cruises often but needed to watch were we were spending on vacations this upcoming year since I have Disney, Jersey Shore and had a cruise for the graduation trip but Hard Rock in Punta Cana was half the price even if I include the air for my family of 4.  With private HS and college coming up end of the summer, I had to find a way to save but still have fun.

As a poster above said it is not up to the Mexico Palace standards, would you think it would be a fun and nice place for people (like me) that do not have any other AI to compare it to?  I did price quite a lof of the Mexican t/s but they were coming out more expense than the HR and like I said, we needed to start saving money.  If I wanted to pay more, I would have just kept the cruise.

For those that have been, did you book your own excursions? I do that on the cruises so think I can do that here too.  Is the place clean, do the hotel rooms really look like those on the site and do you think there is ANY possibility that I can call the HR and request our rooms be close together or is that just asking way too much? 

Thank you all so much for any information you can give me about the hotel, good or bad.


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## WeLovetoTravel

Hi-
I've already posted in this thread if you scroll up, so I don't want to repeat what I've already said. When we went, they gave us rooms right across the hall from each other. Our 3rd room was down the hall but in the same buidling. You can request the rooms close to one another. They will try to accomodate you. The rooms really do look like the pics on line. They are very clean. With that being said though, one evening they suprised us with a plate of petit fours and took the plastic wrap off. When we got back to our room that night, the plate was covered with little sweet ants (ugh). We called, the maid came right away, cleaned it up and they brought  us another treat and a bottle of champagne. That was the only time I saw any bugs in the room. The room is cleaned twice a day. The maids will replace your towels if you leave them on the floor. The balcony's are also cleaned every day.

The only "tour" the kids took was snorkeling, we planned to do several things while there, but we ended up just staying on the resort. The golf course is great and the Spa is amazing. The casino was lots of fun too. The kids (who were 18-23)and my husband spent a lot of time on the beach playing both beach volleyball and tequila volleyball, and enjoying the water. There were also lots of pool games to participate in.

 My advice is to figure out how you are going to spend your $1500 in palace dollars. If you wish, that money can go towards excursions. You can use $300 at the Spa. The rest can be used for Golf, excursions, a photographer, private lobster dinner, upgraded wine, casino match play.

I suggest you go on Tripadvisor and check out the Punta Cana forum there, the pics and the reviews. You can also go on Palace Resorts. com and look at more pics and resort info.

I think you and your family will enjoy a vacation at this resort. We had a great time there and plan to go back in June.

Also I am a Palace member, so I have been through the sales presentaion. My advice to you is do not get roped in! They will hold you hostage for 1/2 a day trying to sell you!
-Deb


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## jstapleton

WeLovetoTravel said:


> Hi-
> I've already posted in this thread if you scroll up, so I don't want to repeat what I've already said. When we went, they gave us rooms right across the hall from each other. Our 3rd room was down the hall but in the same buidling. You can request the rooms close to one another. They will try to accomodate you. The rooms really do look like the pics on line. They are very clean. With that being said though, one evening they suprised us with a plate of petit fours and took the plastic wrap off. When we got back to our room that night, the plate was covered with little sweet ants (ugh). We called, the maid came right away, cleaned it up and they brought  us another treat and a bottle of champagne. That was the only time I saw any bugs in the room. The room is cleaned twice a day. The maids will replace your towels if you leave them on the floor. The balcony's are also cleaned every day.
> 
> The only "tour" the kids took was snorkeling, we planned to do several things while there, but we ended up just staying on the resort. The golf course is great and the Spa is amazing. The casino was lots of fun too. The kids (who were 18-23)and my husband spent a lot of time on the beach playing both beach volleyball and tequila volleyball, and enjoying the water. There were also lots of pool games to participate in.
> 
> My advice is to figure out how you are going to spend your $1500 in palace dollars. If you wish, that money can go towards excursions. You can use $300 at the Spa. The rest can be used for Golf, excursions, a photographer, private lobster dinner, upgraded wine, casino match play.
> 
> I suggest you go on Tripadvisor and check out the Punta Cana forum there, the pics and the reviews. You can also go on Palace Resorts. com and look at more pics and resort info.
> 
> I think you and your family will enjoy a vacation at this resort. We had a great time there and plan to go back in June.
> 
> Also I am a Palace member, so I have been through the sales presentaion. My advice to you is do not get roped in! They will hold you hostage for 1/2 a day trying to sell you!
> -Deb



Thank you very much.  I am not planning on any t/s pitches and do not need any more weeks anywhere.  Plus, NEVER from the developer LOL

Anyway, I do not think I will be getting the "extra" palace dollars. When I called RCI before making the exchange, the price for one room was more than half off what I would pay if I booked myself and then got "Palace Dollars".  How do I find out if we also get the dollars, although there is no mention of that on the HRH site when making the exchange.

Did your family, boys, go to the nightclub?  Is it correct you have to pay to get in?  How much and did you also pay for drinks?  Is that the only place to go at night???

My dd is 18 and my ds is 14 so I am worried that they both, well, especially my 14 year old son, won't have too much to do in the evenings.  Did you happen to notice if there were activities for teens in the 13-15 age group?

While my dh and I love to just relax at the beach, other family members coming with us are thinking about doing excursions every other day or so.
I looked some up yesterday and they look very nice, although they are about $90 pp, so that is $360 for my family of 4 a day so not sure I will do more than 2 excurusions.  My dh, dd and I will want to go to the spa and my dh will want to golf.  

Does HRH give a daily planner of activities for each day/night?

Do you pay for any of the "speciality" restaurants?  If so, how much were they.  How did you make reservations at the restaurants for each night.  Can I do this before hand or do I have to do it each day (as an anal planner I would love to do this before we go).

How was the seat saving by the pools. Did crazy people get up each morning and claim their lounger with a book and towel?

Sorry, so many questions but from reading tripadvisor, it doesn't seem my main questions are answered.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!   
I greatly appreciate it!


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## WeLovetoTravel

Anyway, I do not think I will be getting the "extra" palace dollars. When I called RCI before making the exchange, the price for one room was more than half off what I would pay if I booked myself and then got "Palace Dollars". How do I find out if we also get the dollars, although there is no mention of that on the HRH site when making the exchange.
If you booked the PP-AI through RCI, you do not get the Palace dollars to spend. For the PP-AI price, you MUST pay the all-inclusive fee at least 30 days in advance, or they will charge you full price. We have gone to Moon Palace on this deal, and you just can't beat it 
Did your family, boys, go to the nightclub? Is it correct you have to pay to get in? How much and did you also pay for drinks? Is that the only place to go at night???
The night club was just being finished when we were there. I'm sure it is much nicer now. As a resort guest, you get in for free, but it is my understanding that you pay for drinks in the night club. I do not know how the drinks are priced. We did have fun when we were there, but didn't stay too late because we were just too tired from being in the sun all day. The casino is open at night and there is usually a themed show at night in the theatre. (Like a magic show, a kareoke night etc..)
My dd is 18 and my ds is 14 so I am worried that they both, well, especially my 14 year old son, won't have too much to do in the evenings. Did you happen to notice if there were activities for teens in the 13-15 age group?
They did have organized activities for kids, but my kids are really adults, so I can't say anything about them. We did walk by the area where the kids were in the pool on the water slide & it looked like they were having a good time. They also have a game room. My kids easily made friends with the other young people, so there was always a group hanging out together. A note of caution, the bartenders do not really pay attention to the age of your children. If they order a drink, they might get it. Even though my daughter was not 21 at the time, she did have a few drinks.While my dh and I love to just relax at the beach, other family members coming with us are thinking about doing excursions every other day or so.
I looked some up yesterday and they look very nice, although they are about $90 pp, so that is $360 for my family of 4 a day so not sure I will do more than 2 excurusions. My dh, dd and I will want to go to the spa and my dh will want to golf. 
Another note of caution, you are in the Domincan Republic. You are very safe on the resort, but you have to be very careful if you choose to leave the resort.
Does HRH give a daily planner of activities for each day/night?
Yes there is a daily schedule
Do you pay for any of the "speciality" restaurants? If so, how much were they. How did you make reservations at the restaurants for each night. Can I do this before hand or do I have to do it each day (as an anal planner I would love to do this before we go).
You do not pay for any restaurants. We did not have to make reservations anywhere either. The longest we ever waited to eat was 15 minutes. There are plenty of choices of restaurants, so nothing gets overly crowded. We did reserve a time at the Hibachi because we wanted a the Chef just for our party. Also, if you drink liquor, ask for a specific brand, or you will get house brand. 
How was the seat saving by the pools. Did crazy people get up each morning and claim their lounger with a book and towel?
There are 14 pools I believe, plenty of seats. If you are headed to the activity pool for the adult games, you might need to grab a seat before 11.You can still hear the music at the neighboring pool, but that one gets crowded. On the days that I wanted a beach chair with the straw cabana thing, I did have to snag that early.
Sorry, so many questions but from reading tripadvisor, it doesn't seem my main questions are answered.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer them for you.
-Deb


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## jstapleton

Deb, thank you VERY much for taking the time to answer each of my questions so thoroughly.

Was the drinking age 21?  I thought it was 18 and although I didn't want my dd to drink I was a little worried about her getting served if I wasn't right there.  Do you know if it is really 21?  Thanks so much.

Is the food absolutely terrible?  The food and the lack of staff communication seems to get the most negative reviews on tripadvisor.  I can understand we are not in the US but being from NY, we are a bit of food snobs. On the otherhand, we do go on cruises and Disney and can tolerate the food so I am sure HRH may be the same.

As far as the restaurants, if I am going in July, do you think it would be best if I did book the restaurants?  Do I really need to book them in advance?  How about the spa?

I do understand that we must pay 30 days beforehand (and I told my mother, inlaws and sil that they have to pay 45 days) so we will all be safe. We save a lot of money doing it like this and so happy we "save" some money.

Were there motorized water sports on site?  For instance, if my dd wants to do the waverunners? 

Beside my excursions I may do, which includes the waverunners (if they have them) is there a lot of hidden costs?  What about tipping?  Do we tip at the restaurants and bars?  I know we will want to tip good waiters and bartenders but is the "real tipping" already included?

ps, I see you are from NJ, I'm from SI.  Did you fly jetblue or CO.  Right now, I can get a CO flight for about $560 per person round trip non stop with good times but it will almost be $590 once I add the charge per bag.  Do you think if I wait until Jetblue comes out with their July air that it would be much cheaper?

Also, the HRH PP-AI had two listings on RCI.  One had a trade power of 5 and one had a trade power of 6. They were listed seperately but same resort.  I chose the one that was listed as a 6 power only because I thought it would maybe get me a better buidling than 5 but REALLY NOT SURE. Would you know why it is listed this way?

Thanks so much, again for ALL your help!


Thank you VERY much and I am sorry to be such a pain but I just wanted to get the basic questions answered.
Thanks!


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## WeLovetoTravel

Legal drinking age in the Dominican is 18. We did notice a few of the teens drinking. 

I do not believe they have jet skis. The surf is rough with a dangerous undertow. You have to stay behind the barriers. It's not like the Bahamas where you can take off into the ocean on the jet skis. They do have non-motorized stuff though. Also snorkel & scuba.

The food is not terrible. It's not top notch gourmet either. We never went hungry. If you don't like something, don't eat it. Order something else, or go to a different restaurant. There are so many places to choose from, I'm sure you'l be ok. We are not buffet fans. We always do ala carte dinner. The Italian & Mexican restaurant was pretty good. The Hibachi at Zen was our favorite. The steak house was pretty good too (Toro). Breakfast was room service, or ala carte, also, there is an omelette station at the buffet. They will cook eggs or egg-whites/ pancakes as requested while you wait. We usually just ate lunch at the pool. Toro and Zen are the only 2 restaurants that take reservations. On the Palace web-site, it said all restaurants are included in the all-inclusive plan except one. (That was news to me! They must have opened a new one that I wasn't aware of.) Keep in mind, if all else fails, there is always pizza!

We booked our Spa appts. when we got there and had no problem getting them. Allow yourself plenty of time to enjoy the whole Spa experience. They have a mud room, scented steam room,sauna, ice room, various jaccuzzi's etc. It was awesome. 

Tipping is included with the all-inclusive fees. Some people do not tip at all. We do tip our bartenders, wait staff and maids. It's not expected, but appreciated.

I would check out Jet Blue fares when they open, but your prices really aren't all that bad. Did you check Virgin? We flew non-stop USAir out of Philadelphia. It was cheaper than Newark.


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## jstapleton

WeLovetoTravel said:


> Legal drinking age in the Dominican is 18. We did notice a few of the teens drinking.
> 
> I do not believe they have jet skis. The surf is rough with a dangerous undertow. You have to stay behind the barriers. It's not like the Bahamas where you can take off into the ocean on the jet skis. They do have non-motorized stuff though. Also snorkel & scuba.
> 
> The food is not terrible. It's not top notch gourmet either. We never went hungry. If you don't like something, don't eat it. Order something else, or go to a different restaurant. There are so many places to choose from, I'm sure you'l be ok. We are not buffet fans. We always do ala carte dinner. The Italian & Mexican restaurant was pretty good. The Hibachi at Zen was our favorite. The steak house was pretty good too (Toro). Breakfast was room service, or ala carte, also, there is an omelette station at the buffet. They will cook eggs or egg-whites/ pancakes as requested while you wait. We usually just ate lunch at the pool. Toro and Zen are the only 2 restaurants that take reservations. On the Palace web-site, it said all restaurants are included in the all-inclusive plan except one. (That was news to me! They must have opened a new one that I wasn't aware of.) Keep in mind, if all else fails, there is always pizza!
> 
> We booked our Spa appts. when we got there and had no problem getting them. Allow yourself plenty of time to enjoy the whole Spa experience. They have a mud room, scented steam room,sauna, ice room, various jaccuzzi's etc. It was awesome.
> 
> Tipping is included with the all-inclusive fees. Some people do not tip at all. We do tip our bartenders, wait staff and maids. It's not expected, but appreciated.
> 
> I would check out Jet Blue fares when they open, but your prices really aren't all that bad. Did you check Virgin? We flew non-stop USAir out of Philadelphia. It was cheaper than Newark.



Thank you very much!  You have been most helpful!!!
If you think of anything else, please let me know.
It's disappointing about the surf since my family enjoys going in the ocean water and I need to keep my teens busy. I know I could have found many more places in Mexico that would have been even better but money was a factor for this trip.  Thanks so much!


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## jstapleton

Just bumping to see if anyone has anything to add to this thread?
I wish I could find something such as a message board like this to ask all my HRH questions.  Sometimes I ask someone that has posted on TA but they don't always get back to me and sometimes I have lots of questions.
Please add any good/bad/ugly you may have regarding the resort and excursions.


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## abbekit

DH stayed there last month on a business trip so it was not a timeshare trade.  His company is holding a convention there this year.  Keep in mind that it is a big convention hotel as well as a timeshare.

He liked the room very much, nice bathroom, balcony, big jacuzzi in the room itself.  In room minibar stocked to the hilt.

He liked the grounds and didn't mind that it was spread out.  He didn't use the pools or beach but did tour the entire property with a hotel rep.

Service was just okay, they don't have the training or service level of a five star resort.  He had a really bad service incident at dinner one night (and he was dining with one of the hotel managers so that was really bad that they couldn't even get good service then!).  

He thought the food was mediocre to poor.  

Hopefully I'll go with him on the convention so I can take lots of photos and give my review!  I'll upload a few of his photos in my album link below.

http://picasaweb.google.com/vinolover78


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## abbekit

*Here now*

  Hip, modern rooms with the rock theme.  We are here for a convention, not a timeshare trade so not sure if that makes a difference in whcih room we got, we are in building 3 closest to the lobby, restuarants and convention center.

I recommend this building because of the location near the front of the resort unless you really want to be closer to the beach.  Very few rooms have ocean views Mainly the suites).  Our building has a great view of a tropical lagoon.  Rooms are larger in this building, big in-floor tub is off to the side so less chance of falling in  it in the middle of the night   Plus bigger balcony, the size of a small sitting room, makes the room feel even larger.  Has room enough for two loungers, two chairs with ottomans and a side table.

Any questions let me know.  Since we are here for work we aren't taking full advantage of the resort amenities.  But the beach is great!

I'll write a full review when I get home but I've added more photos both from this trip and from DH's December trip here with his client.


https://picasaweb.google.com/vinolover78/PuntaCanaDRHardRockResort


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## ksiu

*Hard Rock Punta Cana Member*

anyone interested... I have the Legendary membership with the Hard Rock Punta Cana and all Palace Resorts in Cancun- I willing to sell my weeks.  I have access to jacuzzi std rooms and Presidential suites all year long, including NYE!!!  Please contact me ksrobertson@me.com


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