Staying at the Hard Rock for the first time - what do you love about the resort?

[kniquy]

We are staying at Hard Rock for the first time in April. We know there is express pass (at least I think that is still going on, correct me if I am wrong) but what else is there that sets this resort apart from the other? My in-laws booked it so we literally know nothing about the resort.

I'd love to know about what places are good to eat? Breakfast or dinner options
Any cool, quiet places of the resort to explore?
What makes you want to stay there over the other UO resorts?

 

[JAMIESMITH]

We were at Hard Rock last January. We loved the short walking path to City Walk. It was really cold so we only went down to the pool once, but would have enjoyed it more during a warmer month. The standard room was spacious and the beds were comfortable. Our favorite meals were at Bubba Gump Shrimp and Toothsome Chocolate Emporium in City Walk and Jake's All American at Royal Pacific Resort. Don't limit yourself to dining at the Hard Rock, the other deluxe resorts are only a short walk or boat ride away. City Walk has some great options as long as you don't try to go to one of those restaurants right when the parks close. You will have Early Entry into one park each day as well as Unlimited Express Passes. Those Express Passes will spoil you for life!

 

[cfoxga]

Walking to CityWalks/Parks is definitely is a great perk. If you are really tired, you can take a "shortcut" through the parking lot. However, the main walkway is not too much further.

We ate at The Kitchen for breakfast and the food was good. But as JAMIESMIT said, don't limit yourself to just HRH. We liked Bice at PBH, though it is a bit pricey.

We've tried almost all of the resorts (HRH, PBH, RPR, CB, ESS) and our favorite was PBH. We're heading back there in 3 weeks, so that will be the first place we stay at twice. But if PBH had been closed, we would have been happy to go to HRH or RPR again.

We are big Harry Potter fans, so going to Diagon Alley at night is probably our favorite thing to do. The reduced crowds and the dark sky really adds to the ambiance.

 

[Artygal90]

Yes, you will still have Express Pass. It's the closest hotel to any park - about 5 minutes walk from our room to the front gates of Universal Studios (maybe 5 minutes more to Islands of Adventure). It makes rope-drop really easy! If anyone in your party plays guitar, you can check one out from the front desk for free - you just put down a refundable deposit. There is lots of music memorabilia all over the hotel that you could spend some time checking out. The water slide at the pool is fun, and they show movies at night. My favorite quiet corner of the resort was probably the butterfly garden along the walking path from the hotel to the parks.

We enjoyed dinner at The Kitchen. Quick-service options are more limited than I would like, but there is a small shop off the pool that has some grocery and grab-and-go items. Also, there used to be live music at the bar in the lobby and a popular brunch on Sundays (? I think) that might be back by the time you are there in April. Finally, any of the restaurants at City Walk are a very short walk away.

Overall, Hard Rock made us feel like we were in the middle of the action, with a very go-go-go kind of vibe. I personally preferred a more relaxed feeling at my hotel after full days in the parks, but my musician husband had a blast. Tim Tracker has a good walkthrough video on Youtube that gives you a good idea of what the hotel is like.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

We liked it. Short walk to the parks and city walk. Staff were friendly. Went last dec and feb. they had a live singer in the evenings which was nice.

 

[Dawn Peterson]

The short walk to the parks and city walk is ideal for us. We love pool breaks during the day. We loved the pool. It was wonderful to grab lounge chairs with views of the water slide and enjoy food and drinks being brought to us while watching the kids have a blast. Food was good too.

 

[Minnie1222]

I'd love to know about what places are good to eat? We usually eat at The Kitchen (in the resort) or Toothsome (between the entrances to IOA and Universal Studios).

Any cool, quiet places of the resort to explore?
Maybe the butterfly garden on the walkway from HR to the parks.
We like to walk over to Portofino to explore.

What makes you want to stay there over the other UO resorts?
The very short walk from the resort to the parks.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I love the breakfast served at the resort The Kitchen and love sitting at the pool bar .
A new breakfastfavorite in the Universal Studios is called TODAY Cafe.. really really good and fresh ... It is close to the new Bourne Stunt Show that is incredible . Do not miss this technologically brilliant show...

The Hollywood Drive In Miniature Golf (located in CityWalk by the theatre & Bubba Gumps) , has a 2 sided theme and it is fun to play both sides.
I also like to take the boat to Portofino to eat at Sals Deli for great pizza!
If the Aventura has re- opened they have rooftop view w/outdoor bar dining with incredible view and sunsets.
I was just at HR Resort for Xmas and going back for Mardi Gras.
You will have a lot of fun!

 

[macraven]

I have always loved staying at HTH

My first onsite hotel where I stayed which happened to be the year they opened.
It always seemed like home to me.

 

[rosiegmendez]

Location location location. cool ambience. The express pass is amazing. Had breakfast at The Kitchen and dinner at Citywalk just a 5 minute walk away. We LOVED Cowfish, our teens still talk about how it was the best sushi they’ve ever had. We are doing a Disney only trip for spring break and they’ve requested we go back to cowfish!

 

[DL1WDW2]

Wow We discovered CowFish also this recent trip. Really good hamburgers and sushi and service!

 

[nkereina]

I'd love to know about what places are good to eat? Breakfast or dinner options

The Kitchen is one of our favorite places to eat on Universal property. I can't speak to what its like in the current environment, but they used to have the best breakfast buffer we've ever had. They also had tableside magicians during dinner on Fridays. If those things aren't offered now, hopefully they will resume some day.

Any cool, quiet places of the resort to explore?

The butterfly garden! Catch it on the pathway to City Walk. Also, in the pool area near the fence to the pathyway kind of by the hot tub, we have found it to be very quiet and usually empty over there so that's where we like to sit when visiting the pool.

What makes you want to stay there over the other UO resorts?

As PP's have mentioned, the location is the best part. Its close enough to walk that it actually would take longer to use the water taxi. Its hard to beat that convenience. I also love the laidback vibe of the resort. Employees say "Hey" when you walk by, they have visible tattoos, and it just feels like a buddy rather than someone that's trained to provide exceptional service. They somehow find a balance between casual and excellent service that works. We like that it lacks the formality of a fancier resort.

 

[v3rs3]

The pool is really nice and I love the underwater music.

 

[rastuso]

Walking to CityWalks/Parks is definitely is a great perk. If you are really tired, you can take a "shortcut" through the parking lot. However, the main walkway is not too much further.

We ate at The Kitchen for breakfast and the food was good. But as JAMIESMIT said, don't limit yourself to just HRH. We liked Bice at PBH, though it is a bit pricey.

We've tried almost all of the resorts (HRH, PBH, RPR, CB, ESS) and our favorite was PBH. We're heading back there in 3 weeks, so that will be the first place we stay at twice. But if PBH had been closed, we would have been happy to go to HRH or RPR again.

We are big Harry Potter fans, so going to Diagon Alley at night is probably our favorite thing to do. The reduced crowds and the dark sky really adds to the ambiance.

So, the shortcut still exists? Do you have to just walk down some road between the parking and little sidewalk? Is there security there because of Uber drop iffs?

 

[cfoxga]

It is just a sidewalk at the back of the parking lot that connects to a side road that leads to the normal security gate.

 

[mvansear]

We decided to go back to HRH after a couple of stays at RPR (both during covid)... We like club level a lot and RPR didn't have club rates w the aph discount for memorial day so we are going back to HRH. I personally like the atmosphere of RPR better but the HRH walk to parks is for sure quicker!!! Also, the pool bar is bigger at HRH and the waterslide is a bonus that RPR doesn't have. We went twice during covid and that for sure changed things everywhere. One time we went to HRH and stayed 7 nights only ate out dinner 2 times, the rest of the time the club food was all we needed, so club is now a MUST for us. It is worth the extra money for our family of 5 (the club food more than offsets the room increase) Wine and beer every evening is super too!!! Husband and kids (some grown now) say their favorite hotel is Hard Rock so I gave in and said okay you all have good points so we switched back to HRH
I don't know if anyone mentioned this to you but we found that a 5 day park pass more expensive than the annual pass...Worth checking out...plus means you get to go back I think right now they have the buy 12 months get 3 free months promo going on. We also got 1 premier pass to get discounts everywhere..parks, restaurants, shops

 

[LSUmiss]

Walking to CityWalks/Parks is definitely is a great perk. If you are really tired, you can take a "shortcut" through the parking lot. However, the main walkway is not too much further.

We ate at The Kitchen for breakfast and the food was good. But as JAMIESMIT said, don't limit yourself to just HRH. We liked Bice at PBH, though it is a bit pricey.

We've tried almost all of the resorts (HRH, PBH, RPR, CB, ESS) and our favorite was PBH. We're heading back there in 3 weeks, so that will be the first place we stay at twice. But if PBH had been closed, we would have been happy to go to HRH or RPR again.

We are big Harry Potter fans, so going to Diagon Alley at night is probably our favorite thing to do. The reduced crowds and the dark sky really adds to the ambiance.

Can you walk to the parks & city walk? We are considering a trip here & we usually stay at wdw so I have no idea the proximity.

 

[schumigirl]

Can you walk to the parks & city walk? We are considering a trip here & we usually stay at wdw so I have no idea the proximity.

Yes, it`s an easy walk from HRH, PBH, RPR and Sapphire Falls. Cabana Bay is a little longer to walk, but still easy.

Have a check of the layout of the hotels to the park. You can see how close everything is there.

HRH is closest to The Studios and a few moments walk away, and RPR is closer to IOA, a 7 minute walk from hotel to park gates. PBH is around 15 minutes or less to walk.

 

[LSUmiss]

Yes, it`s an easy walk from HRH, PBH, RPR and Sapphire Falls. Cabana Bay is a little longer to walk, but still easy.

Have a check of the layout of the hotels to the park. You can see how close everything is there.

HRH is closest to The Studios and a few moments walk away, and RPR is closer to IOA, a 7 minute walk from hotel to park gates. PBH is around 15 minutes or less to walk.

How is cabana bay as far as noise? I read some complaints about dockside being loud. I have never stayed at Universal. We always stay at wdw.

 

[schumigirl]

How is cabana bay as far as noise? I read some complaints about dockside being loud. I have never stayed at Universal. We always stay at wdw.

I`ve never stayed at Cabana Bay, we always stay at RP or Sapphire. But, have heard as many complain about noise as those that haven`t.

I think you can get noise anywhere. Thin walls have been mentioned a few times in regard to Cabana Bay, but you`ll hear from people who haven`t been disturbed too.