I’ve found that many people have mixed feelings regarding Punta Cana. Most people say that the beaches are amazing, but the resort was ok, or the food was so-so wherever they went. I decided to try a resort that no one else I knew had gone to. This can often be a very bad idea without a referral, but in this case we were lucky that this resort was exactly what we were looking for.
The Hard Rock Punta Cana is like putting a giant Americanised resort on a tropical island. Some people would love this idea, and some would absolutely hate it. I loved it because it felt like I was staying at a clean and modern hotel, but I still had the island experience.
Our room was bigger than any other resort room we have had before. There was previously a resort where the Hard Rock stands today, but all of the buildings were completed renovated so there was no trace of what was there before it. The rooms very modern and ours included a Jacuzzi tub right in the middle.
The size of the resort was overwhelming. There was a shuttle service to take people from building to building, to the beach, to the restaurants, ect. The resort is all-inclusive with 15 pools and 9 restaurants.
The spa was a cannot miss at this resort. It basically had every amenity you could think of including a hydrotherapy centre, whirlpools, steam rooms, a clay steam room, sauna, hydro-reflexology, a sensory expertise pool and an ice room. It was 60,000 square feet and was so expansive you felt like you were alone the whole time you were there. I was scheduled for a couples massage and couldn’t actually find my partner!
We spent most of our time at the Eden pool which we found to be the most relaxing. There were no children allowed at this pool, and the chairs surrounding it were covered with cushions. Sushi was made on site and delivered to your chair, and staff would periodically come around to spritz you with cool water and to bring you fresh fruit on a skewer.
We did not travel with children on this trip, but one side of the resort seemed to be where they were placing families with children. There was a children’s splash pad and pool, a children’s lazy river, and many different activities on site like an arcade and a babysitting service located in a central location.
If you wanted to travel to a resort without children, and wanted to avoid children as well this resort would be a great choice. The resort is so large it’s easy to choose what you want to do and avoid what you want to avoid. There were plenty of adult activities such as the casino, nightclubs, bars, and an upscale restaurant.
It also seemed like a great place to bring children because it felt like having children at the resort was very much accepted due to all of the family focused amenities located on one side of the resort. Basically they seemed to segregate the families with children on one side of the resort, and they placed couples on the other side of the resort in terms of accommodations, and the resort was so large you could make the trip what you wanted. Overall I thought it was a great place to stay in Punta Cana, and a great all-inclusive resort.
