We chose the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal for two very specific reasons, but were wowed by the service!
Our family vacations don’t always work out perfectly. This year, my husband was only able to take a few days off during February, the month we normally “fly south.” Because his time was going to be limited, we wanted to make the most of it. We chose the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando to maximize our time.
Reason #1: Our stay included Universal Express Passes.
Reason #2: The resort was within walking distance to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.
Cabana Bay Beach Resort | Endless Summer: Dockside | Endless Summer: Surfside
The Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando
None of us had ever stayed at a Hard Rock Hotel. We knew they were known for their posh Americana theme and were excited to experience it!
The resort is a single building shaped like a large “C” with a few spokes off its back. The exterior has a Spanish Colonial theme, bright white with clay tiles on rooves and eaves. We walked right into the main lobby for check-in.
The check-in process went smoothly. The team member had us checked in quickly and was extremely courteous. We were immediately impressed by his friendliness and professionalism.
We were early, about 6 hours before check-in time, and they (understandably) didn’t have a room ready. He gave us keys that would work when our room was ready and they doubled as our Express Passes, so we made our way over to the parks! We received the text about our room around 2:00PM and wandered back over to check out the room.
The Room
We chose a room with two queen beds and a garden view upgrade from the standard room. Our room was decorated in bold colors and clean, modern lines. It overlooked a courtyard, sort of. (More on that later!)
There was sleeping room for four on two queen beds, but a rollaway bed can be included if you have a party of five. With our little ones, we don’t need it… yet!
The bathroom included a sink and vanity space that were separate from the main bathroom (shower/bath, toilet, and second sink). This was helpful for our large family.
We found the bathroom was stocked with Rock Spa skin and hair care products. I’m sensitive to many smells, but this one is pleasant and didn’t trigger a migraine for me. It was a bit too musky for me, so I let my husband use them.
The room also included a Keurig coffee maker and a few pods.
The Amenities
The pool was massive! It included a giant water slide, two hot tubs, a sand volleyball court, sandy “beach” shores, a small spray-and-play area, and a kiddie pool with zero-entry edges. The pool’s underwater sound system fit with the theme and really surprised — and impressed — our kids.
The Rock Shop (in-house gift shop) was fun to explore. The prices weren’t as exorbitant as I’d expected and there were several cute items there with Hard Rock Hotel branding.
The Dining
Hard Rock Hotel has two table-service restaurants: The Kitchen and The Palm Restaurant. We had dinner at The Kitchen and, again, the service was excellent! We were wowed by our server, who was attentive and engaging.
I was excited to see that The Kitchen served brewed iced tea. It’s tough to find around here!
I also had wings made with root beer sauce. I’m not a huge fan of root beer, but they sounded interesting. Well, they were excellent! The sauce was sweeter than I’d normally choose, but not overly so. There was only the faintest hint of root beer.
Emack and Bolio’s Marketplace is the closest thing to quick-service that they offer, but it’s quite small and is more of a convenience shop than a restaurant. There are pizzas, salads, doughnuts, coffee, snacks, and ice cream. We stopped here for ice cream one night. The waffle cones were great and the ice cream was good.
The pool bar, BeachClub, is supposed to have excellent food, too. We didn’t get a chance to try it! We ate some meals in the parks and others at Universal’s CityWalk, both of which are within walking distance of the Hard Rock Hotel. We even walked down to the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel to explore and grab dinner one night.
Transportation
While we had access to the water taxi to the parks, we found that walking was the quickest way both to and from the Hard Rock Hotel. We did take the water taxi when we wanted a more scenic entry or were headed to Islands of Adventure, which is a bit farther away.
The Construction
Unfortunately the Hard Rock Hotel was under construction during our visit. We weren’t prepared for this and it had a few negative effects on our visit.
Our room’s “garden view” was obscured by scaffolding and our access to walking paths closest to Universal Studios. The construction also provided a few unusual daytime experiences, from the whirring of nearby drills to a worker walking by our third-story room at eye level. (Yikes!)
Overall Impression
As I mentioned, our stay at the Hard Rock Hotel came with perks: early park admission and an Express Pass (Unlimited!) for each member of our family. These are valued at $129 per person per day, a total value of over $1,900 for our family’s two-night (three-day) stay! We wouldn’t need these passes every time we visited, but they saved hours in line each day and were perfect for my husband’s first-time trip.
I’m not sure that we’d choose to stay here again as a family. . We missed many of the family-oriented perks we had enjoyed at Cabana Bay Beach Resort earlier in the week. I did love the resort, though, and would prefer to return here again with my husband, sisters, or friends!
Plan Your Visit
Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando
5800 Universal Boulevard
Orlando, Florida 32819
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