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As a relatively small hotel on a smallish plot of land, the Hard Rock Hotel boasts fewer amenities than the nearby Portofino Bay, but what’s here is choice.
The Pool
The Hard Rock’s only pool, all 12,000 square feet of it, is like a jewel in a fine setting. The hotel itself almost completely encloses it. The open end looks out past a rocky hill topped by a thirty-foot guitar and a forest of palm trees toward Universal Studios Florida. The far side of the pool is an extensive sandy beach, dotted with lounge chairs and cabanas. The near side is dotted with more palm trees and still more lounge chairs. Two heated jacuzzi spas offer soothing massages. As a screenwriter might put it in a pitch meeting, “It’s Bel Air meets Palm Springs.”
Like the Beach Pool at Portofino, the Hard Rock pool features a water slide, this one a bit longer and a bit zippier. But the feature that will have everyone talking is the underwater sound system, which plays the same toe-tapping rock music you hear at poolside and throughout the hotel. It is possible to float lazily on your back, your ears below the water line, and groove to some of the greatest rock ’n roll ever recorded. And, yes, the sound quality is very good indeed. If you prefer, you can float on top of the water on one of the complimentary floats that have been thoughtfully provided, or sit on underwater benches along the side where heated jets of water caress your back.
Near the pool is a concrete shuffleboard court, which struck me as a bit incongruous. I suppose even rockers grow old, but try as I might, I just couldn’t picture Twisted Sister hanging out here.
A lot more “happening” is the Beach Club bar (reviewed below). Attractive young servers roam the pool area taking orders for exotic drinks with names like Blue Suede Shoes and Hard Rockin’ Lemonade.
Hollywood deal makers can spread out in one of the private tent-like cabanas that can be rented by the day. “Standard” cabanas go for $125 to $145 (depending on time of year), while “Beach Side” cabanas are $150 to $185. Club Level guests get $45 off. There are no half day rentals. All cabanas have a television, refrigerator, fresh water, fruit basket, towels, and a small selection of soft drinks.
On some nights the pool hosts a “Dive-In Movie.” A huge screen is set up on the poolside beach so guests can watch while floating on rented rafts. The films are of fairly recent vintage, often with a tie-in to the theme parks, and never rated higher than PG-13. On other nights there may be a “Dive in Concert” or blacklight volleyball. Some nights a D.J. appears to keep the joint jumpin’.
If there’s a downside to all this, it’s probably that the pool is just too popular. So expect it to be crowded. The pool is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. or midnight during warmer months. Access is through a gate that can be opened with your room key.
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