Hard Rock Los Cabos Hotel Review

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Hard Rock Los Cabos Review

The all-inclusive Hard Rock Los Cabos opened in 2019 with about 640 rooms. The property has breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and a pristine sandy beachfront. As a family-friendly property with adult-only spaces, this resort caters to the needs of everyone.

After a stay here in January 2020 with other adults and children, I am thoroughly impressed with the resort and staff. I would recommend this property to anyone looking for a more secluded resort on a great stretch of beach with plenty of pools, restaurants, bars, and entertainment. Enjoy my overview of the resort below and feel free to message me with any inquiries.

Location

Located on the Southern tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, Hard Rock Los Cabos is about 1-hour drive from the Los Cabos Airport. Driving along the coast to/from the hotel, you will experience beautiful scenery of the Ocean and even see "El Arco" which is a distinctive rock formation off the coast. Before you get in the transfer vehicle from the airport to the resort, be sure to use the restroom because of the long drive and I encourage guests to grab a beverage from one of the many airport bars right outside the transfer waiting area. Some transfer vehicles even have extra drinks available onboard (our party used Amstar and the experience was very smooth).

After you arrive and enjoy the resort for a few days, you may want to consider heading into town for shopping and to experience the local life. A taxi averages $35 one-way and Hard Rock offers a shuttle for a fee on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at specific departure and return times.

Beach

Hard Rock Los Cabos sits on the shores of the famed hotspot – Cabo San Lucas. The wide, clean beach is great for walking and there are no outside vendors trying to push items for sale. Currently, the beach is only shared with the next-door property called Nobu, with no other resorts nearby. There are no lounge chairs on the beach, which is disappointing, but it could be because they don’t allow guests to swim in the ocean here. The water has a strong rip tide and is not swimmable. Sadly, people have lost their lives getting too close to the ocean so they actually make guests sign a waiver at check-in to note they understand that they cannot go in the water. Lifeguards will steer people farther back, if needed. Even though guests cannot swim here, the beach is still a great experience. To watch and listen to the waves crash, it is so spectacular. Plus, during whale season (December to April), it is likely to see multiple whales right off the beach, sometimes within 100 yards of shore.

Room – Junior Suite King Bed Swim-Out Suite

The room I stayed in was a Junior Suite King Bed Swim Out in the Chord building. This room has a very large bathroom with double vanities and sinks. There is a separate toilet room, but it is not very private because it's just a glass door with no true door seal. The shower is spacious and wide open so if you are sharing this room with more than your significant other, there is no privacy for the person showering if someone wants to use the sinks or toilet. A large soaking tub sits near the shower. Our experience was that the soaking tub could get very hot water, but the shower only got moderately warm and others staying at the property had the same comment.

There is a mini bar setup with soda, bottled water, juice, and domestic beer. An Espresso machine is in the room, but not a regular coffee maker (perhaps it can be requested).

In the closets, there were multiple bathrobes and slippers, along with a clothes steamer and in-room safe. The entrance closet also had a great shoe rack. Beware that there were no regular clothes drawers in the whole suite. There was plenty of storage spaces with two closets and other cabinets, but no pull-out drawers, other than small ones by the nightstands.

There was a separate master bedroom which had its own door to the bathroom (the other door was accessible by the front entrance to the room, off the living room. In the living room was a full-size pull out sofa bed. A request can be made to have this laid out; however, the maid did not automatically put it back in the morning which was inconvenient. With the sofa bed laid out, you cannot get to the other side of the sofa bed without climbing over it or going all the way through the Master Bedroom. A good-sized desk was located next to the sofa bed and there was a sliding door out to the patio from the living room.

The Master Bedroom had ample space and a large King-sized bed with reading lamps attached to the headboard. There are full floor-to-ceiling sliding doors in the Master Bedroom that opened completely to transform that wall into a full walk-out room as shown in the image below.

Walking out of either the Master Bedroom or the living room brings you to a large patio furnished with a couch, table with 4 chairs, 2 lounge chairs, and a soaking tub. The pool right off the room is only connected to 4 other rooms, making it quite private. You can view the Eden Pools from the patio, and you can also see the beach and ocean (see image below). Being within earshot of the Eden Pool can be great for enjoying music but can also be a disappointment as the music can be loud and if you wanted some peace and quiet, you can't escape to your room for it. The big downside to the swim-up room was that the tiles on the patio are very slippery when wet and we almost fell multiple times. 

Pools

With 5 pools, including an adult-only pool and VIP pool, there are many options for enjoying your stay at Hard Rock Los Cabos. Each pool has its own swim-up bar and various whirlpools are spread throughout – the whirlpools were not very hot though. The Lyric Pool has a volleyball net, the Eden pool has a separate smaller pool with a DJ booth in the middle of it and a red floor for a unique look. The whirlpool at the Eden pool was the largest and seemed to be the warmest. Also at the Eden Pool is a Juice bar where they will make fruit smoothies (have to go to the regular bar for alcohol if you want to mix that in). An almost daily foam party can be enjoyed at one of the pools and don’t forget to try out the three waterslides for ages 8 and older.

Many pools have an infinity edge. There are shallow ledges in some of the pools for younger kids to have easy access. Various pools will have activities throughout the day, but there is always at least one quiet pool for relaxation. Waitstaff around the pools is plentiful and they are quick to get drink and food orders. Cooking lessons are given throughout the stay near the Lyric pool.

Cabanas and Bali beds are available to rent, but you can use the resort credits so you would only need to pay the service fee which is roughly $100/bali bed and $150 for cabana.

Dining

The food quality and taste was excellent. Service was exceptional in the restaurants and throughout our stay, it was never too crowded. Guests can make reservations once on site, but it is not required except for the Zen Teppanyaki table. They typically block off prime times so that you can’t pre-reserve those, but we had no problem walking in to restaurants without a reservation.

The Cafetto is open 24/7 outside the lobby with gelato, deli sandwiches, and coffees.

The Zen Teppanyaki (pictured below) was our favorite during our stay. It is a great experience and the show performed while they cook is one of the best we’ve seen from other Teppanyaki restaurants. They even allowed guests to partake in the cooking.

The breakfast buffet is average with not a huge selection of options, but they have the usual foods.

For a quick bite to eat while at the pool, they have a small buffet available by the Lyric Pool, including a made-to-order taco cart with fixings.

Drinks

Premium, name brand liquors are included. For wine, only 4 complimentary options with 2 red and 2 white. The wine was not the greatest, but drinkable. Various beers, both on tap and in cans are available including Corona Light (no regular Corona though). The best shot they make is called a Mini-Beer, absolutely delicious (and no actual beer in it, just looks like a beer in a shot glass).

Service at the bars for the most part was fast, though when they get busy, there may be somewhat of a wait. They do tend to serve a bit faster if you give extra tips.

Rock Spa and Posh Beauty Salon

The great aspect of the spa and beauty salon is that guests can use their resort credits and simply pay the service fee for treatments which include massages, facials, body wraps, and more. There are numerous treatment rooms, an outdoor relaxation area, and a bridal suite.

Fitness Center

The fitness center is located in the Echo building and has a decent sized workout space with complimentary classes offered. There are two tennis courts and a full-size basketball court outside the fitness center.

Meeting/Rental Space

With over 56,000 square feet of meeting space, the Hard Rock Los Cabos is equipped to handle large groups. They offer 3 ballrooms and multiple terraces that are available for groups. An entertainment/wedding gazebo with its own garden is set up right off the beach which offers an excellent wedding venue option.

Hard Rock Roxity Kid’s Club

Having two 8-year olds with our group, we were able to see first-hand how the Kid’s Club worked and it was a great experience. There were a few days where the kids wanted to spend several hours with the Kid’s Club because of the planned activities. This program is for children ages 4-12. Children under 4 are allowed to go but must be accompanied by an adult. The staff was very friendly and developed personal connections with the kids. At times, they even take the group out by the beach or to the pool for activities.

The Cavern Teen Club

The area for teens is near the arcade and has space for teens to connect and hang out together. Their club includes an air hockey table, space for watching movies, and more.

Entertainment

There’s a full schedule of daily and nightly activities that is available on a week-by-week basis. They have different pool activities, beach activities, and indoor activities. Fun contests by the pools include bingo, bean bag toss, and volleyball. They do give away prizes, so participate!

We found the nightly entertainment to be so-so, nothing spectacular. They have a different show each night in the theater which is more like a convention hall. Shows include the following:

• Legends of Rock Show
• Latin Show
• Queen Tribute
• Celebrities Show
• Mexican Show
• Michael Jackson Show
• Rock Circus Show

A bowling alley is on site, but they charge a service fee of $13/person to play. If you want to focus on the included activities, there is unlimited, arcade games, pool tables, Foosball tables, beach volleyball, beach soccer, karaoke, live music, and more.

For something even more unique, they have a Music lab with various musical equipment that you can plan on and have a jam session.

Wrap Up

Experiencing Hard Rock Los Cabos was a fantastic time and I plan to head back to this resort in the future. We made great connections with staff and had an easy time finding our way around the resort. The swim-out room was the perfect choice with an 8-year old, though rooms that are higher up and have a full ocean view would be a great option as well. This property receives a 5-star review from me with the only change I would like to see being better nightly entertainment. Everything else was spot on.