Recommend January 2011 - (Page 67)

Opposite page: The pool at the 65,000-sq.-ft. Rock Spa. Below: The lobby is just a hint of the resort’s fabulous interior. With sexy amenities in its rooms, a forward-thinking approach to entertainment and a casino that does Vegas proud, this Caribbean resort—the first all-inclusive under the Hard Rock brand—is truly in a category all its own. paradise city With 1,790 rooms spread out across an enormous plot of land, the Hard Rock really does feel like a small metropolis. But unlike your typical urban accommodations, these are both spacious and intimate. Measuring 800 sq. ft., the standard Caribbean suites include private balconies and a 2-person jacuzzi tub set in a sunken living room area just below a king-size bed fitted with 300-count sheets. Bathrooms are also among the most spacious we’ve seen in standard accommodations. The shower area alone—fitted with two showerheads and a bench—is as big as some bathrooms we’ve seen. Clients with mobility issues can upgrade to Islander suites to ensure that they’re closer to the lobby, while families can request rooms near the children’s pool for convenient access to the amenities they’ll use the most. Not that any guest at the Hard Rock is stuck in one place. Its expansive grounds encompass 11 swimming pools, including the Eden pool for European-style bathing, a family pool with waterslides and kid-appropriate music, and pools guests can choose based on their musical tastes: the Isla pool for Latin beats, or the Woodstock pool for classic rock. There’s also a pool with no music called, appropriately, The Library. Restaurants and bars—both on land and swim-up—are also peppered throughout the property, ensuring no one has to go on a trek just to find a frozen drink. Or to get active, for that matter. Guests here also have access to mini-golf, basketball courts, rollerblading and skateboarding—all included. to be the perfect blend of comfortable and upscale. There’s also a Rock Shop, the Hard Rock’s signature store. Even if you’re not a shopper, a stroll through this section is a must, or you’ll miss catching a glimpse of rock memorabilia including cars owned by Madonna and Sammy Hagar, guitars played by Gene Simmons, and clothing worn by everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Gwen Stefani. This is where you’ll find the resort’s most impressive restaurants, including Los Gallos, a Mexican restaurant which (owing to Palace Resorts’ Mexican roots, no doubt) serves up impressively authentic Mexican cuisine. Zen, a teppanyaki-style restaurant, is the only restaurant that requires reservations—and the only place on property that you’ll find those flowing white curtains, decorating a lounge area that looks plucked straight out of South Beach. Ciao, an Italian restaurant, rounds out the dinner offerings. But that’s just dinner. The Market offers ÍÍ a material world Outside the resort, its size and variety are what set it apart from the rest. But head inside, and you’ll find plenty more to pique your interest. The central hub of the Hard Rock is one long hallway, extending from its mammoth convention space at one end, to its equally impressive casino at the other—with an impressive lineup of shops, restaurants, cafes and more along the way. At press time, the shops along this corridor were still being planned, but the few we did see—designer clothing and sunglass shops alongside more traditional souvenir stores—looked january 2011 67

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend January 2011

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk
Tour Talk
A New Look at Ancient Egypt
Celebrity Cruises' Eclipse
Asia Travel Planner
Viking River Cruises' Viking Sky
Discovering Piedmont, Italy
Latin America 2011
The M Resort in Las Vegas Hits its Off-Strip Stride
Gansevoort Miami Beach
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Recommend January 2011