Recommend January 2011 - (Page 68)

HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO punta cana Sumptuous guestrooms are both spacious and intimate. buffet-style cuisine all day, and cafes and delis like Cafetto offer snacks and sandwiches. There’s even an ice cream parlor serving locally made frozen desserts. The edgy, laid-back style that permeates the resort also extends to its casino which, at 45,000 sq. ft., ranks among the Caribbean’s largest. It’s ﬁlled with a wide variety of slots, and also offers table games including roulette, blackjack and a dedicated poker room. Plus, its Sport Book is lined with 86 screens, letting players sit back and watch nearly any game they have a stake in. The Hard Rock casino is expected to become a hub of activity, not just for the resort, but for Punta Cana as a whole, when Oro nightclub and a restaurant conceived by “rock and roll chef” Kerry Simon open to the public this month. Neither the Miami-style club nor the celebrity restaurant will be part of the all-inclusive packages for guests, but by bringing more people into the facility, they should help to cultivate a hip party atmosphere—an essential part of the experience in this resort shaped by rock. Clients who’d rather not pay to party can head to Moon Lounge, a low-lit, clubby space, or to the Sun Bar, styled after a British pub. room throughout the impressive, 65,000-sq.-ft. space, including separate men’s and women’s steam, sauna and ice rooms, two communal swimming and plunge pool areas, and several places designed solely for sitting back and relaxing. With 48 treatment rooms in total, including couples’ and VIP suites, this is the largest spa in the Caribbean. Back upstairs, the Moon Beauty salon is a large, open area with dozens of stations for manicures, pedicures, hairstyling and more. the kids are alright Many of the amenities and attractions at the Hard Rock—the double jacuzzis and showers in the rooms, for example—don’t exactly seem like they were designed with kids in mind. But the Hard Rock has made space for the rock stars of tomorrow, too. At the space-themed kids’ club, children ages 4 to 12 can do arts and crafts and play games on the Wii. Just a few doors down, an all-inclusive arcade lets kids (and grownups) try to beat the high score on auto racing, arcade basketball, Dance Dance Revolution and other video games. In addition, many suites have the option to interconnect, including plenty near the kids’ pool by the beach. And babysitting services are available, letting parents go out like rock stars whenever they want. Rates start at $400 pp per night. ■ contact information Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Punta Cana: (888) 762-5002; hardrockhotelpuntacana.com recommend.com feelin’ good Descending from the music, colors and lights of the casino into the Rock Spa one ﬂoor below, feels almost like going under water—there’s still a hint of the style above the surface, but it feels muted and soothing. Scents of lemon, cinnamon and chai follow clients from room to 68 january 2011 http://www.hardrockhotelpuntacana.com http://www.recommend.com

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