The Hard Rock Hotel Orlando is not only for younger kids but for bigger kids as well. I have been back to this hotel three times in my life so far. Once at nine, then again at ten and then at seventeen. I am the youngest in the family, my brother is three years older, then my parents were in their fifties when we went back at in our teenage years. Can you take a guess as to who’s idea it was to go back? My brother and I certainly weren’t producing this idea, as we weren’t able to pay for a Florida holiday at these ages. The Hard Rock Hotel Orlando never failed to disappoint every single time; I even remembered the hotel from when I was younger which comes as a surprise. I think it was the smell, you know some hotels just have the certain smell, and as soon as you take a wiff it sends you straight back.
The Hard Rock Hotel Orlando is everything you could have wanted and more. Just the entrance alone made you feel like you had just stepped straight into the music video for ‘Hotel California’ by the Eagles. A huge grand driveway that had one ring road circling round to the entrance of the hotel. You pass the giant guitar fountain as though you are heading up into a lavish movies stars house, for a formal evening as you would see in the Great Gatsby or something. When you arrive at the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando entrance you are then greeted by one of the doormen, dressed head to toe in their formal red bellboy outfits. You feel like a celebrity – which of course is the point.
The staff at the Hard Rock Hotel always had big smiles on their faces, they were attentive with your bags or questions and so polite. Something about the Brits and Americans, we just get on so well. I think it’s the accent – I always want to hear them speak, but then they want to hear us also! The concierge and the check in reception were a breeze, they knew exactly who you were, everything was seamless and smooth to get to your room.
I was about to talk about the rooms next, but I must tell you about this reception area. As you walk in through the glass panel doors the rooms spread left and right as far as you can see. Straight ahead are floor to ceiling windows which take you out onto a balcony which overlooks the pool and garden area. They have a lower deck within in the room with sofas and tables for anyone waiting to get picked up for their next adventure within their holiday. The family and I made sure we flew out in December, before the school holidays had finished; it’s the best time to visit Orlando (for the queues and best prices). The Hard Rock Hotel spared no expense with the Christmas decorations, they were magic.
But they don’t call in the Hard Rock for no reason. The decorations continue all year round. Whichever room you are in you are bound to find a new golden record, signed guitar or possibly a full costume suit worn by Elvis Presley himself. They are amazing to ogle at for hours and you will always find something new in each room you are in. The subtle music in the background plays Rock music through the ages. It’s a homely feeling as you walk around the hotel, and who doesn’t like a little jig in the morning on the way to breakfast to get their spirits up. I think this is one of the reasons I have so many happy memories here, you can’t not be smiling!
The Hard Rock Hotel Orlando rooms are very spacious and they have some perfect rooms for families. For smaller children I would imagine that one of the twin rooms would be large enough. However, if you are travelling with children who want their own space, select one of the interconnecting rooms (one double and one twin). These are guaranteed; so no waiting around until check in to find out if you have been able to nab one. They also offer these on different levels so you can opt for a Garden, Pool or Park view room, depending on your preference and budget of course. All beds are Queen beds for a Twin and a King bed for a Double so plenty big enough. The rooms and bathrooms are modern, contemporary, always clean (the staff do an amazing job to get round so many rooms in the day) and of course they all have a Rock music feature to them.
The Hard Rock Hotel has five different options for food and drinks. The ‘Velvet Bar’, which is not adults only, but the low lighting and live jazz music suggests it’s more suitable for adults when it comes round to the evening. A perfect place to enjoy an evening beverage before you head off to sleep and start the same day again. They have a small marketplace which serves their famous Boston’s ice cream, fruit juices and snacky items. The ‘BeachClub’ is situated outside so while you are relaxing around the pool in the afternoon or evening you can enjoy a lighter meal or a cocktail if you fancied.
The Hard Rock Hotel Orlando has two different restaurants ‘The Palm’ which is a fine dining dinner restaurant if you are wanting a bit more of an up market sit-down meal. They have turned this into a very nice steakhouse. Just bear in mind hotel restaurants like this in Universal do come with a large price tag.
‘The Kitchen’ is their second restaurant and much more casual, they have all the memorabilia on the walls making you feel like you are still at the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando. They use this for breakfast and for dinner. Universal hotels don’t generally include breakfast when you book, sometimes you can add them as an additional prepayment. However, we couldn’t at the Hard Rock when we booked, so we ended up paying for it when we got there locally. I have to tell you, it was pricey for a breakfast: $25 per adult and $15 per child, but oh my goodness was it worth it. The breakfast alone filled us up so much we didn’t have to then get lunch later on in the day, so it was basically like paying two meals in one. What parent wouldn’t want to do this? The buffet had anything you can think of, an omelette station, a griddle station for fresh waffles, French toast and pancakes. They had bagels, pastries, fruits, yoghurts, cereals, cooked breakfast such as bacon, eggs (fresh to order), sausages, potatoes, syrups, museli, cheese, meats, literally everything! I have to say the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando is probably without a doubt the best breakfast I have ever seen and eaten. Worth every single dollar.
Since we filled up on breakfast, we may have needed to only have a light snack in the afternoon before planning the evening meal. Our days took place with a full day in the parks before coming back to the hotel to relax around the pool in the sun. They have created a man-made beach with sand and loungers. They have waterslides, perfect for younger children. They had cabanas, perfect for adults wanting a bit more privacy and if they wanted to feel like they were on the beach in Marbella or somewhere. Service from the ‘Beachclub’ was all the way around the pool no matter where you were relaxing. Afternoon drinks and lots of choices of lighter meals were available here. The surrounding area of the pool was encompassed with a large amount of garden greenery with multiple palms trees which made you feel like you were in the Caribbean, rather than just down the road from three of the busiest theme parks in the world.
The location of the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando was a prime spot within the Universal complex, walking distance to all of the Universal parks, as well as ‘The Walk’ area, which has all your merchandise shops or extra restaurants. If you didn’t fancy the walk from the hotel to the Universal parks you can always take the shuttle boat which is complimentary to take you between the other Universal hotels, the Walk and both Theme Parks. This was nicer when we were younger when we felt like our feet couldn’t walk any further after a full day at one of the Parks.
The Hard Rock Hotel Orlando gives you complimentary magical hours, which means you have VIP access into the parks two hours before the rest of the world (apart from the other linked Universal hotels of course). It’s great for the families that have to start early due to child excitement, you can get your full breakfast in, have six full hours at the parks, come back, relax around the pool and then head out for your evening activity/entertainment.
The concierge can easily help you out with the best shuttles to take to get you to any of the Disney World parks which are about twenty minutes away from the Universal parks.
The Hard Rock Hotel Orlando is a perfect stay, every single time.
LEAH HANCOX 