Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya - Heaven Section - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

23499 reviews

• 

  Detailed review ( from someone who works in the travel industry)

  Just returned last night from a 5 night getaway with my sister, daughter and neice and wanted to write a review while it is still fresh. We stayed in the family side of the resort Hacienda Rojo in building 6. The lobby has many different shops, a couple of restaurants, and the second floor has a indoor space where they have nightly entertainment. We came to found out a few days into the trip that Hacienda Azul which is the adult side of the resort lobby also has evening entertainment that you can also bring children to ( I wish someone would have told us that sooner). As we arrived after 11pm, the front desk check in was smooth- however we were told our only option for food at that time was room service. Room service takes on average 45 mins. This was the same everyday. This was incorrect because there is actually a sandwich/ice cream/cookies/pastries coffee shop that is open late just a few steps away from the check in desk. I hope this helps anyone else arriving late!! The sandwiches were great and a convenient stop to get different coffees on the go. We were directed to our room by means of a golf cart and the driver gave a few details about the resort. Once we arrived to our room, I was surprised that basically all the rooms face one another and overlook a big parking lot that is not in use. I was confused as to why it was built in such a way. There are no elevators to the rooms, but only two small flights of stairs so managable, but definitely not great if you have mobility issues. The room was underwhelming which I was expecting from the photos. It is dark and small, but what I was not expecting is the hot tub being filthy directly in the room and a chunk of the wall had fallen off laying on the ground. The bathroom was large and nice, but the pump on the toiltieries was missing and there were not enough robes and towels provided. The balcony is also very small and your view is the other rooms and the parking lot. We went for a walk around the resort and I was surprised to see so many maintenance issues for a 5 star resort- tiles missing, chunks of concrete staircase gone, as well as, chunks of concrete above your head missing- which at some point I imagine will become a safety concern. The resort is becoming dated in the rooms and lobby ( I asked front desk and they said we were in a renovated room- so I am not sure what the unrenovated section is like. If you are picky, I feel like this may out a damper on your trip, so just be aware that it is not a newer resort and arrive with the expectations that some things will be falling apart or dated. Your room key is your wristband which was great so you dont need to dig through your bag, however, we spent the next two days back and fourth with the front desk because it consistantly stopped functioning. We had maintenance change the batteries, replace our wristband twice, change the locking system and then were informed we had to close the door gently as to not jiggle out the batteries, but then housekeeping would come and likely close the door and back to the same issue. This was extremely frustrating! Ultimately they ended up offering to switch rooms, but by then we stopped having issues with the door. The grounds of the resort were pretty and there are plenty of pools to swim in. The pool water is definitely refreshing, which is ok on the hot days. On the colder rainy days, it would have been great to have a hot tub by the pool. The beach area is small, but nicely maintained white sand, it is not wavey being in a cove and you can spot schools of large fish. We loved having the free snorkeling equipment by the beach and there were plenty of chairs and umbrellas available poolside and at the beach at all times. The poolside entertainment staff and service staff were top notch! They worked tirelessly to have plenty of activities for children and adults alike including water balloons, foam parties, aqua fit, crafts, guessing games, trivia, pool games such as axe throwing ( plastic), cooking demonstrations and the djs play great music to keep it upbeat in the afternoon. There are plenty of little snack bars surrounding the pool, so you can always smell something cooking. The wait staff around the pool were attentive and worked tirelessly offering drinks. I could barely get through half a drink before being offered another. Please tip your wait staff! I didnt see very many people giving tips at all, so make sure to bring plenty of 1's and 5's. They deserve it! The entertainment- the Cold Play and Queen show were phenomenal, the Mexican show was good, but a little repetitive, we enjoyed Karaoke in the lobby and the guitarist. Some nights they geared the entertainment more towards the children, I.e video games, but there is a sports bar nearby for the adults. You can check out at which lobby the evening entertainment is by scanning the QR code on the pamphlet. Make sure to take note of which lobby it is located in!! The a la carte restaurants- Zen restaurant was fun! We had the teppanaki experience which we enjoyed, Toro Steakhouse was excellente, Arijulo ( I think it was called which was Mexican made tableside guacamole, and the Italian restaurant on the adults side. There are no reservations, so be prepared to wait, but the food and staff made it worth it! The longest we waited was 1 hour for the Italian restaurant. The breakfast buffet. This was the bane of our existence! No matter what time we showed up, there was a wait which makes no sense for a buffet breakfast. They waste time scanning bracelets, asking room numbers and inquiring about allergies. This creates a hectic environment and a tonne of people waiting to get a seat near the check in desk. They need to come up with a better process for this. We did not get an actual table until the very last day- all of the other days we just gave up waiting and took the bar seating. There is quite a selection of food and drinks. The staff were amazing and quick bringing drinks and checking in on you. The food is buffet food, so often cold or chewy, but there are definitely some highlights including the crepe/waffle station, omelette station and a large assortment of fresh breads and fruit. The drinks- I was hoping there would be a fresh fruit smoothie bar. That would have been a nice addition to the coffee shop. There were no fresh fruit at any of the bars, so any drink such as a daiquiri, margarita or frozen drinks are all made from the simple syrups. Top shelf liquor was available which was nice to request, and I liked the selection of alcohol drinks on the hard rock menu. Bring your stay cold cup because the drink cups they offer are small and would heat up fairly quickly. The wine for a resort was good- I typically find it vinegary, so better at this resort compared to others, and I also enjoyed the prosecco. We did not try out the spa or salon, but the pricing seemed on par with any other resort. You can also take advantage of your room credits, so you only pay 35% of the listed price which would equate to $77USD for a 50 min massage. They have a children's waterpark just outside the lobby which is geared towards younger kids, a splash pad within the resort and an arcade type of building with trampolines, 2 small bowling alleys and a handful of arcade machines. We walked around in the building to check it out, but did not use any of the facilities. They have a music video that you can make with your family free of charge that you can book at the front desk concerige. It sounded pretty cool, but you need to book it pretty much on check in day otherwise it is full. All in all, we had an enjoyable stay. I wouldn't put this resort at 5 stars for some of the earlier reasons stated, but I think it is a great resort for families, especially those with young children.

  Dec 17, 2025
• 

  Hard Rock Riviera Maya Rocks!!!

  Hrrm is always a great place. Great staff and good vibes. Bernardo and Lucio are the best butler's you can ask for. Elmer our waiter at mom's is Awesome!!!!

  Dec 17, 2025
• 

  Hard Rock Riviera Maya , our second home

  As usual our trip to Hard Rock Riviera Maya was wonderful. Traveling as Chairman made our experience even better. Our butler was the best of the best, Vinz, just wow, he had communication with us before we got to the resort, everything was so smooth, he made sure everything was taken care of and he went above and beyond making sure our stay was the best. We had Samantha for 1 day because she was going on vacation, but she was great as well. Elias, head of butlers is always the best! At the Spa, Thalia the manager is always wonderful, she made sure we were assigned our favorite therapists, Alberto and Karla. We sure had the most relaxing time. The best one at the beach, Rene, he took such good care of us the days he was there, going above and beyond as usual for any request he had and all the things he knew we like. Also, at the beach we were very well taken care of by Alex and Jesus. We sure never missed a drink or food. Then we had Elizabeth at Faro, that girl is so special to us, we know her for years and as we walk into the restaurant, she is always running to get our mimosa and coffee the way we like it. She makes us keep coming to Faro for breakfast every day. Her manager Fabiola, always stopped at the table to say hi and always making sure everything was good. Cintia, chef at Faro made our hashbrowns fresh, straight to the table every morning. She also was in charge of a fabulous Chairman lunch at the beach, absolutely delicious. One of our favorite restaurants was WAI, his Manager Raul is super friendly and dedicated to his staff and customers. We had the best server at WAI, Nico, wow, he not only chose for us the dinner with all the incredible dishes but his way to take care of us was simply incredible. We went back again for the food and for him. Sergio the bartender at Arribo took care of us with wonderful drinks. At Ciao, Tacuba was excellent and made the best Alfredo pasta. Karen and Aranzza, both sommeliers were super friendly and ready to help us at any restaurant. Alejandro at Zen was fantastic. Chef Eliazar made us a wonderful lunch at the beach. Thank you to all the above amazing people for making our trip to HRRM one of the best. That's the reason we call HRRM our home away from home.

  Dec 16, 2025
• 

  The boat racing were the kids favorite.

  Otto, danny boinas was the best part of the trip. They made the kids so happy and made sure they were haveing fun. Boat racing, bowling l, dancing and trivia were all so much fun.

  Dec 16, 2025
• 

  amazing pool activities

  otto, danny boinas ovi they were amazing doing games , painting guitars , playing volleyball lots of kids activities , lots of fun playing with kids and make everyone have fun ,, ships racing was amazing and my son had so much fun amazing pool activities and amazing staff highly recommend

  Dec 16, 2025