Adults Only Heaven at Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya — Hotel in Quintana Roo

DANGEROUS for families! DO NOT STAY HERE - stayed on family side of hotel, STAFF BURGLARIZED OUR ROOM TWO DAYS IN A ROW, STOLE $1,400+ FROM US, WON'T REFUND STAY AFTER WE LEFT EARLY DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS.

Our room was broken into and robbed by hotel staff TWO DAYS IN A ROW, on Nov. 22 & 23, 2024! We are a family of 5 with 3 small children. The criminals stole $1,400+ of items from us including 4 tablets, our CAR/HOUSE KEYS (?!), all our chargers. They rifled through our suitcases and took things from deep inside pockets, backpacks,etc. The first day when housekeeping came they stole 2 of my childrens' tablets, TOOK THE TABLETS and left the tablet cases empty under the bed?! We only use them for the flights and were hardly in our room, so we only noticed we'd been robbed because we found empty tablet cases under the beds while looking for my daughter's stuffed animal. The next day despite having the "do not disturb" sign up, our room was ROBBED AGAIN and they stole 2 more tablets, our car and house keys, all of our chargers...

When security came, they searched our room as if WE were the criminals, going through all our suitcases, underwear, drawers, making my 3 small children cry with fear as they were terrified with strangers rifling through our things after they already knew strangers had stolen from us. I fear this experience has scarred them.

Of COURSE after BEING ROBBED TWICE , we didn't feel safe in our hotel room. The "concierge" was absolutely no help, they just kept telling me to "calm down" when I was crying in the lobby about feeling unsafe. Not a single apology, no kindness or empathy or understanding, or acknowledging how violated we felt. Notably, we are a family of 5 and had splurged on a 2 bedroom suite with a large rooftop deck as it was our one big vacation this year, and concierge offered to move us to a SMALLER room that was a SIGNIFICANT downgrade and also could not accommodate our family of 5?! They literally wanted to move us from a 2br oceanview suite to a single room with 2 double beds, for a family of 5?! And don't even get me STARTED that there was NO WAY we felt safe staying there even one more minute, because OF COURSE whoever robbed us worked for the hotel and would be able to access our new room as well! What if they came in to target us because we'd reported the robberies to security?! What if they entered while we were asleep?! Absolutely terrifying!

So, with concerns that we would be robbed a THIRD TIME, we chose to leave the hotel for OBVIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS. I went to the room to pack, then back to the lobby and calmly requested that we check out early and be refunded for the nights we did not stay there - we were willing to pay for the 2 nights we'd been there even though we were robbed! We just wanted refunds for 11/23-11/26 because we were not willing to stay there and be ROBBED AGAIN or targeted! But front desk and concierge told us they were "unable to provide a refund." Unbelievable.

We were more concerned for our safety than money at that point so we still left the hotel urgently on Saturday 11/23 as we deemed it too dangerous to stay in a room that people were entering and stealing from multiple days in a row. We were told it would take 72+ hours to "investigate" and that they couldn't discuss a refund until that investigation was done, but we felt so unsafe we packed quickly and took a private cab to another hotel in Cancun.

Hard Rock has refused to refund us for the days we had booked the hotel but didn't stay there. So not only did they steal $1,400+ of items but also about $4,000 in hotel fees! They tell us we are liable for the charges even though WE WERE ROBBED BY STAFF.

To our immense shock, about a week after leaving, security contacted us that they'd gotten our tablets and car keys back. Attached is the picture from security when they located some of our items.

I've attached the BS email stating they won't refund us because we checked out early due to SAFETY CONCERNS, plus the picture of our items they located.

DON'T STAY HERE, THEY...

Overall, this ended up being a five-star experience but it didn’t start that way. We stayed on the Heaven side in one of the Sky Terrace rooms, which is two stories and comes with an ocean view, a downstairs hammock and outdoor bubble baths. The food overall was great. The staff in the restaurants and housekeeping were incredible.

That said, our arrival wasn’t the warmest. After an 8-hour flight, we waited nearly an hour to check in, and the front desk staff felt more like airport security than a luxury resort. It definitely threw us off, especially after paying extra for one of the nicer rooms and calling ahead multiple times to let them know it was our honeymoon. No welcome drinks, no greeting, just “wait over there until your name is called.” Not the most relaxing start.

Once we got settled, things improved a lot. Marco and Itzel, our room helpers, were wonderful. Daniel from guest services was also super kind and helpful. And a little later, the resort surprised us with honeymoon t-shirts, a banner on our door, and a bottle of wine in our room—such a thoughtful touch that helped turn things around.

The views were amazing all over. We felt extremely safe on and off the resort. It was not crowded at all which we loved. Many times we had entire beaches or pools to ourselves. They had free shows and games. They had a huge kids center with bowling(extra charge), trampoline park, arcade, slides, rock climbing wall, etc. The lobby’s were beautiful. Honestly everything was beautiful.

We also got a free massage for sitting through a timeshare pitch. Just a heads up—it’s very high pressure, and while the free massage for going was nice (comparable to Massage Envy), I wouldn’t recommend hearing the pitch unless you’re very comfortable saying no. VERY COMFORTABLE SAYING NO 15 TIMES. They will act like your best friend until you tell them you don’t want to sign up for an 80,000-200,000$ timeshare over 30 years at like 10% interest. lol they start you out by saying it’s just 100/month. Then it’s 160+100/month, and so on. Okay moving on.

Marco and Itzel were our concierge team, and they really enhanced our experience. They checked in often via text, made us feel seen. They arranged for a rose petal bed and champagne one evening. We had chocolate strawberry’s and champagne one day. A massage ON the beach from the “Eden pool concierge team.” (William rubbed my shoulders and misted me with water lol, thanks William)

The food was a highlight—especially at the restaurants. The buffet was just okay (about a 5/10), but there were so many options, it was easy to find something. Umo on the Heaven side had the best meal of the trip—a slow-roasted beef and amazing “fish of the day”. Miguel was our server who was fantastic! The chefs even came out to say hello and made sure we were enjoying everything.

We did a snorkel and cenote excursion that was really cool (the cenotes were magical), though snorkeling was underwhelming that day due to seaweed. Still found shrimp, a flounder, an eel and starfish at the resort beach, which was fun. We also did a half-day trip to Tulum—mostly history-based, so depends what you’re into.

And the wildlife on the property was such a fun bonus! We saw spider monkeys, a free range cat, a couti, a cute giant mouse thing? And even some cute raccoons. The staff cleaned seaweed from the beach daily, and we really appreciated the little touches like amazing coffee and fast service at meals.

In the end, despite the rocky check-in, the trip was full of special moments. If you’re thinking of booking, I’d say go for it—but skip the timeshare pitch. Also bring lots of sunscreen, it’s very expensive at the store($35 for a regular can/bottle)

FOOD 7/10 CUSTOMER SERVICE 9/10 VIEWS 10/10 NOT TOO BUSY 10/10 WILDLIFE 10/10 CLEANLINESS 10/10 ROOMS...

An honest take on the Hard Rock Resort- Riviera Maya. At first glance, it’s a collection of small annoyances; but they add up to a disappointing stay.

Check in. We are staying in “Heaven” the adults only section, and were told we get “VIP checkin.” We are greeted by someone and led through the main lobby, through the “Heaven” portal. It’s dark, dingy and very un-inviting. It’s Christmas, but this room is the only public space left un-decorated. Just very cold and gloomy. We are told to wait here. After a few minutes, 3 staff members arrive- do not acknowledge us- and it looks like they are all trying to figure out the computer system. We take the initiative and approach the desk. They say hi, and return to their computers. After a bit, we finally were told that our rooms aren’t ready yet (which is understandable) and it should be ready in about 45 minutes- and someone will text or email me when ready. Almost 2 hours later with no text, we return to checkin where the woman said she was waiting for us! Just seemed very un-organized, and for the “high end” area of the resort, very NOT “high end” feeling, not the VIP checkin as promised on the website.

The room. Smaller than expected (we’re in the “Rock Royalty” section) but OK. First impression: on the balcony is a hammock- which we can see other guests are using it to hang dry their swimsuits. Not a good look; it feels like a cheap motel at the Jersey shore. Also on the balcony: 2 small straight back chairs- not very conducive to relaxation. Who designed the lighting in the rooms? The lights above the bathtub are also on the same circuit as the bedside lights but the tub lights negate any ambiance in the room. There are also ceiling lights above the bed- so bright that it’s blinding if you are in bed. Not sure, but it seems that the television has a “burnt out” screen. So dim that you can barely see anything on the screen, and no way to adjust that. (they did replace the television)

The resort: Did I mention that we never got a proper introduction to the resort? No real explanation of where things are, and how to get there. (i.e. we were never told to take a golf cart to distant areas instead of walking.) We did get a short explanation later when we thought we were getting a “welcome package”- that turned out to be the “pitch” to sign up for a time share. It seems that the welcome package is only for those who stay for the pitch- so, no welcome package and not very welcoming…

Our room package came with a complementary 25 minute massage. We made the reservation, but when we arrived at the spa the next day, they had no record of the reservation. “Heaven” (the adults only section) was nice, but only had 2 restaurant options for dinner – which were very nice. We tried other restaurants at the resort, and found the food just “OK”. The Italian restaurant (“Ciao”) was just one step up from the Olive Garden. One day we had lunch at “Isla” and ordered a burger. I was shocked to see the cook put a pre-cooked burger on the grill to re-heat it!

We are frequent visitors to the Riviera Maya, and stayed at many adult only resorts. Price -wise, “Heaven” was comparable to other adult only places, but the experience (and value) was certainly not as good...