Debs Hill said:
I would love to hear from anyone who has stayed at Hard Rock Hotel. How did you rate your stay and why?
Debsx
I rated it "A". I would have given it an A+, but there are always going to be little things that can be faulted at any resort, no matter where you stay.
The main plus points for me at the HRH (in order of importance) are:
* FOTL - An excellent perk. Your time is valuable on holiday. Who wants to wait in a 100 minute line for a 90 second ride?
* Atmosphere - The HRH has a great holiday atmosphere. What I liked was the fact that this is a hotel is not set up for huge corporate things i.e. conferences. Although you do see the occasional small group walking around in suits, they really dont bother you. The hotel staff are very upbeat too. In the 50+ nights that we have stayed at the HRH, we have never come across one bad employee.
* Pool - Has to be the coolest pool in Orlando. It is also one of the largest. Underwater sound system, cabanas, water slide, dive in movies etc etc
* Rooms - I would have put this before the pool, but we probably spend more time around the pool than what we do in the room. We have stayed in a variety of different rooms at the HRH and they have all been great. Some great little touches in the rooms like the CD players, really comfortable beds and pillows etc.
* Parks - Excellent rides. The rolls-royce of roller coasters. The best water rides, the best 3-D ride you will ever ride and the best themed park. We have been as a couple and with our 2 year old daughter and she loved every minute of it.
* Restaurants - access to 15+ themed restaurants within a 5 minute walk. we like the Hard Rock cafe, Margartiville, Mythos. We also like the kitchen (in the HRH), Emack and bolios (for ice cream in the HRH), Finnegans (USF) and the Confisco Grill (IOA).
* Proximity to parks - 5 minute walk through gate at the pool or the 10 minute water taxi. What more can I say?
I often read complaints about the HRH. They usually start, "Having come from Disney........................." then go on to complain about a terrifying experience (usually the carpets in the hallway were stained (which have now been replaced)), or the noise. The noise complaints always make me laugh, although it is a "family" resort. Did the name of the hotel not give them a clue before they booked?! Other good ones are the people that complain about the room not being ready, despite checking in before the 4.00pm check-in time.
That's not to say I have never had a complaint about the HRH. There are always going to be things that can be improved at any hotel. But I would trade a few minor niggles for the plus points listed above, any day.
Overall, I think the HRH has to be one of Orlando's best "holiday" hotels. We have stayed at a few Disney deluxes and although they are good , they simply cannot compete with Universal resorts, especially were FOTL perks are concerned. We just feel we are more suited to Universal, we get a lot more for our money and generally feel more Universal spoiled!