As I mentioned in a recent Facebook post, Your Cancun Man wandered off the trail and somehow ended up in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The attraction was the Grand Opening festivities for the all-inclusive Hard Rock Resort & Casino Punta Cana. This is formally the Moon Palace which was completely redone to bring the Hard Rock vibe to life. And they did accomplish that quite well!
I arrived on a non-stop Funjet Vacations charter flight from Milwaukee. The resort was an easy 30 minute drive from the airport. The resort definitely has the Hard Rock feel with the décor and the rock music throughout setting the mood.
Among the resort's many offerings are luxury accommodations featuring the Hard Rock's branded "Rock Star Suite," the signature Rock Spa®, iconic music memorabilia and a 45,000 sq ft. Vegas-style casino. Also, coming early 2011, the resort will feature the see-and-be-seen Oro nightclub. There are 11 different restaurants and 15 different bars to choose from. There is also an 18 hole championship golf course on property.
The rooms here are extremely large and have all the amenities including Jacuzzi, flat screen TV, iPod docking, and 24 hour room service. Guests also may take advantage of up to $1500 in resort credits. The beach here is huge and the sand is as fine and soft as you will find.
Dinner was at Pizzeto featuring Brick Oven style Pizza, which was excellent. From there, the concert with Blue Oyster Cult rocked until about midnight. The band was really very good given they fact that none of us there could name more than three songs we knew.
For breakfast, there are several good choices with Ciao and The Market serving buffet style and Cafetto featuring ala carte choices. Note again that everything here is all-inclusive.
Saturday night was the big event with the Grand Opening celebration and the Red Carpet walk for the many celebrities who flew in for the event. Among the many celebs were NFLers Terrell Owens and Brandon Marshall, Cheryl Burke from Dancing with the Stars and Joe Manganiello from the HBO show, True Blood. Oh yes, let’s not forget former Bachelor and current ESPN analyst, Jesse Palmer.
Following the Red Carpet arrivals and the “Guitar Smashing” event, the Gipsy Kings performed for a huge crowd in the main ballroom. Check out the Gipsy Kings on Youtube:
Our friends from Palace Resorts were awesome and snuck a few of us into the roped off Celebrity/Vip section at the concert which was very cool. After standing next to Terrell Owens, I can’t imagine the size, speed and athleticism it would take to stop him from catching a pass if he really wanted to. From the concert, we headed over to the Hive Nightclub which was very hot…amazing how tequila makes you think you are a good dancer!
In all, this was a fantastic weekend and I highly recommend this resort. With everything this resort has to offer, it can accommodate couples, families, destination weddings, incentive and corporate groups…all quite easily!
Finally, a note on the people at Palace Resorts and the staff. They could not have been more friendly and more hospitable. I had to the honor to spend some quality time with the Business Development team who were outstanding and also meet two executives and members of the family who own the resorts. They were both extremely cordial and genuinely nice. I want to thank them for the privilege of attending this event.
If you would like more information Hard Rock Punta Cana or a Palace Resort, please visit www.CancunBeachVacations.com or give us a call at 877-404-4228.
