Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya

We have just returned from 2½ wonderful weeks at Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya and honestly had an incredible holiday.

The resort is huge, with so much to do for all ages. There are multiple pools to choose from depending on what sort of day you want. Some are quieter and more relaxed, while others are packed with families, activities, slides and children having the time of their lives.

What really impressed us was how much is included. The water park is free, the trampoline park is free, and the soft play area is free. There's also a fantastic Music Lab where you can create your own music video as a family keepsake. You do need to book it, but it's included in your stay and the finished video is emailed to you afterwards. It's something a little different and a great memory to take home.

For animal lovers, the resort is also a real treat. My son absolutely loves wildlife and was in heaven. Throughout our stay we saw lizards, monkeys, coatis and raccoons wandering around the grounds. It added another layer of excitement to every walk around the hotel and became one of his favourite parts of the trip.

The food was another highlight for us. We have visited a number of all-inclusive resorts over the years and the food and restaurant choices here were superb. There are five or six themed restaurants and, unlike many resorts, you don't need to make reservations. It's first come, first served and you're given a buzzer, so you can relax rather than stand around in a queue. The longest we waited during our entire stay was around 20 minutes.

There are also some excellent additional activities available such as laser tag, bowling and the gaming room. My 13-year-old spent several very happy hours there.

My husband and son also took part in the complimentary memorabilia tour of the hotel, which they both said was fascinating and well worth doing.

The entertainment team deserve a special mention because they were absolutely fantastic. We spent most of our time around the Blue Pool and had the pleasure of getting to know Hector and Grecia. They checked in with us every day, made us laugh, remembered us, and genuinely helped make our holiday feel special. They even made a goodbye souvenir for our 10-year-old daughter, which she absolutely treasures.

Every member of staff we encountered was friendly, welcoming and hardworking. The service throughout the resort really stood out and made a huge difference to our experience.

As for the rooms, I know this is something some people comment on. Were they ultra-modern? No. Were they clean, spacious, comfortable and perfectly functional? Absolutely. The shower was fantastic, there was plenty of room for our family, and we had everything we needed. We don't travel to spend our holiday inspecting bathroom tiles, and we found the rooms more than adequate for a relaxing family stay.

Finally, I'd encourage anyone researching this hotel to look at the overall picture. Before travelling I read every review I could find, and like many people I naturally focused on the negative ones. Having now experienced the resort for ourselves, I can honestly say we had a wonderful time. The facilities are excellent, the food offers huge variety, there's always something to do, and the staff genuinely care about making your holiday special.

Thank you to everyone at Hard Rock Riviera Maya for helping us create some fantastic family memories. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

We have been coming here for 25 years and always love it. The people are always kind, helpful and knowledgable. Some of the people we would like to acknowledge our excellent Butlers Daniel, Emmanuel and Omar. They go above and beyond and are the best! We also would like to mention Diego( bartender), AlBar (memorablia tour), Zazzy (activities), Sigmondo (Eden pool worker), Mauricio(Eden pool worker), Miguel(Eden pool server), Ekam (Eden pool), Bo (Le petite Chocon server), Ostencio (Chef Zen), "Black Cherry band"at Eden pool - excellent, Dan the man (Frida), Greece aqua class (Dive pool), Fabe and Roberto from guest services. We would also like to thank the many people who tryed to help us get out of the broken elevator (between floor 2 and 1, building 2, Sept 7). they were all very kind.

What a great hotel and staff! Alex and Jesus on the red beach side always amazing service at Bali Beds and pool staff on Azul including Otto and Hector make for an amazing fun trip. They all take personal interest and make a good trip amazing!