Portions of our stay were gifted/hosted but all thoughts and reviews are my own.
We had the amazing opportunity to stay at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach and all i have to say is LOCATION LOCATION =)!! You are right on Atlantic Ave., so you get unblocked views of the Atlantic Ocean + premium access to some of the most amazing attractions that Daytona has to offer. We love going to Daytona because it's still super close to us being that its only about an hour and half away from Orlando but it still gives you the feels of going away on vacation.
Check-in begins at 4:00 PM and you get that ALL-STAR service from the staff by them unloading and taking your luggage. You have the option of doing self parking which is FREE-99 or valet parking for a charge of $17 per night. *additionally please note that there is a resort fee of $39, plus taxes, but this allows you access to several exclusive privileges including:
Kid’s eat FREE breakfast daily (with purchase of an adult entrée for up to 3 kids under 9 years old, choices from the Kids Menu only)
Kid’s eat FREE dinner (with purchase of an adult entrée for up to 3 kids under 9 years old. Available Sun-Thurs only, choices from the Kids Menu)
24-hour access to Body Rock© fitness center
Access to Rock Spa & Salon© steam room
Access to Roxity Youth Club©
Access to traffic free beach
& much more
After you check in a receive your room keys as well as your rock star wristband that shows you are a guest of the hotel, you can head up to your room to get settled in.
We had the City View Deluxe Room with the two queen beds. The room was both beautiful and spacious. We had LeMel's pack and play and it fit perfectly in the space without making the room feel cramped. There was a desk and chair if you needed to do work while you were vacationing. Additionally, they provided us with complimentary bottles of water and toiletries from the Rock Spa© Line (which smell amazing might I add). The thing that did it for me was the floor to ceiling windows that allowed you to see the beautiful panoramic views of the city of Daytona Beach and additionally the fact that the rooms received the Safe + Sound stamp of approval. SAFE + SOUND is focused on enhanced cleaning practices, social interactions and workplace protocols. As part of the program, every Hard Rock Hotel & Casino around the world is required to pass the Safe + Sound 262 point inspection independently assessed by NSF International. Here is some more information about the Safe + Sound Program.
We definitely saw all of this in practice everywhere we went by the staff and many of the guests and it made us feel rest assured while traveling in a pandemic. There was a lot of sanitizing stations around the hotel so you could make sure that you could sanitize your hands on the go.
What to do around the resort
Hard Rock Daytona sure doesn't lack with things to do around the resort, from the relaxing vibes you can get by going to the spa or relaxing on the beach or you can get the party vibes by attending one of the hosted summer parties or the brunch remix that Hard Rock puts on.
We enjoyed all of these experiences, but i really wanted to point out the hidden gem that not many people know about, the KIDDIE POOL. Now hear me out, you are probably like Melissa really the kiddie pool... but let me just tell you there are so many amazing things about this area. First off there are cabanas that you can rent around this area that the pool staff will service similarly to the main pool area, so it's a big win for the parents. On top of that the kiddies get all the fun activities with the splash pad and kid friendly pool depths.
Another super chill experience that you can indulge in is the Rock Spa® and Salon. Now this one is for all my tired mommas out there (and daddies - we see you too). The spa has all the things you need to give you those good chill vibes and the opportunity to rest relax and rejuvenate your tired self. With several different packages available, you can treat your self
like rock star royalty from Massages, Facials, wrap treatments, manicure and pedicure services and so much more. I had the opportunity to visit the Spa to see some of their signature features that the Rock Spa® and Salon has to offer. One of their most unique experiences is the Rhythm and Sound massage experiences which incorporates the vibrations of music into your carefully crafted massage experience. They have three specific experiences that fall under the Rhythm & Sound massages and a fourth one that incorporates one of the massages, a facial and a wrap. That one is the ultimate massage experience. You can't go wrong with getting one of these careful crafted massages.
Now this wouldn't be a HOUSE of MELS blog if i didn't talk about the food... and BABY the Hard Rock sure didn't disappoint. There were a few places that you could get some delicious eats/drinks depending on your mood.
First stop in the morning for me was Constant Grind. This bistro style quick stop cafe was the perfect stop for quick bites, ice cream and delicious hot and cold drinks. I definitely indulged in quite a few of their crafted cold coffees including their S'mores Latte and the White Mocha Cold brew. You could pick up some quick sandwiches or pastries if you were in a rush to get to the action.
Now our go to place the whole trip was Sessions. You have the opportunity to sit inside or outside on the terrace which is right on the beach so you get views for days!!! We ate here for a breakfast, brunch and dinner. The food at Sessions far exceeded our expectations. Not only was the food good and flavorful, it was crafted to how we liked it when we needed to make changes. They had everything to satisfy your taste buds from seafood to chicken to steaks and of course they had loads of kid-friendly food options like chicken tenders and fries, grilled cheese & a kids favorite - mac & cheese. I can tell you that LeMel throughly enjoyed all that he ate while we were there. One night we had ordered him a bowl of mac & cheese and all he could say as he was eating it was mmmmmm.
You can see a little photo recap of all the delicious things we had at the Brunch Remix which is held on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 AM to 3 PM. You get the best of breakfast and the best of lunch in this fun music filled brunch experience!!
Our whole experience at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona beach was AMAZING and i highly recommend traveling here if you have a toddler because there are so many amazing activities and things that you can do as a family at the resort! If you end up booking your stay here please let me know how much. you loved it and what your thoughts are =)
xoxo, Melissa
