Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Off the Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada

Rehab pool party

Arguably even more so than the Palms, Hard Rock is one of the most unapologetically hedonistic hotels in Las Vegas. It's a place where wanna-be rock stars and, well, real rock stars can come to party, gamble, and trash their hotel rooms (of course doing so will cost you, or your record company, a fortune).

The hotel's glam factor is significantly greater here than at the seven other Hard Rock Hotel and Casinos around the country and the hundred or so Hard Rock Cafe franchises the world over (where you can eat an overpriced burger beside one of the many B.B. King-autographed guitars). Instead, this Hard Rock comes with premier restaurants like Nobu and Ago, a chic nightclub called Vanity, nightly live music at The Joint, a famous on-site tattoo parlor, Hart Huntington, and some of the craziest pool parties in Vegas.

That said, the Las Vegas Hard Rock is a fun franchise at heart, not a luxury boutique. This means you don't miss out on the iconic memorabilia like Prince's "Purple Rain" suit, Keith Richards' guitar, or an elaborate tribute to Michael Jackson at the entrance. And with fun also comes stylish, whimsical decor: Guest rooms in each of the three towers are outfitted in bold, sexy, usually monochromatic decor.

In general, the standards of service at Hard Rock are typical of any of the large luxury hotels on the Strip -- plenty of staff members at every corner and fast response to service requests. But the service at the Hard Rock might be a bit more casual than the white-gloved approach you'd find at the Bellagio or the Four Seasons. By "casual" I mean that the staff seems less focused on granting every guests wish or desire and more focused on keeping all the drunk people from completely trashing the hotel. (Picture swarms of bouncers around the beach waiting to pounce on the first guy who seems out of line.)

View on a Larger Map

The Hard Rock occupies 16.7 acres just outside the Strip on the less popular four-lane highway called Paradise Road, which is mostly filled with strip malls, fast food joints, and plenty of traffic. There are popular restaurants within a five- to 15-minute walk of the hotel, such as a P.F. Chang's and a number of steakhouses -- Del Frisco's, Ruth's Chris, Gordon Biersch, and Morton's. In addition, there's a CVS pharmacy across the street (a three-minute walk from the hotel). But if you choose to walk, know that you're probably going to be the only person on the sidewalk.

Every half hour from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., the Hard Rock runs a free shuttle to the MGM Grand, which is on the densely packed three-and-a-half mile long stretch of hotel-casinos known as the Strip. Many visitors like to explore all the hotels and attractions along the Strip and once you're there, it's easy to find a taxi at virtually any time of day or night. A generally less expensive option for getting around the area is also the Deuce, a double-decker bus that runs up and down the strip 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and costs $3 to ride. There's also a monorail system, which stops at MGM Grand, Bally's/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah's/Imperial Palace, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Hilton, and the Sahara. Note, however, that the monorail stations are far from one another so it can be a long walk from the station to where you actually want to go. A single-ride ticket is $5; a one-day pass is $13. If you're traveling along the Strip with at least one other person, a cab is often the least expensive and most convenient option.

Virtually every hotel near the Vegas Strip is a 10- to 15-minute cab ride from McCarran International Airport; the ride typically costs about $15.

Casino Tower guest room

The standard guest rooms are bright, clean, and have fitting design touches like vintage rock 'n' roll photos. The original Casino Tower rooms got an overhaul in the spring of 2010 that left them with stylish walls, carpets, and entertainment units. But it won't take long for wear and tear to start to show (chipped paint, nicked furniture), thanks to the hard-partying clientele (evidenced by the minibar, which includes a big 375-ml. bottle of Jack Daniel's, "Whose Your Daddy Sport Energy Shot," an intimacy kit, Fusion Energy 6-Hour Energy shots, and Rehab drink -- you'll need it in the morning). The look is very modern, and the electronics -- like the 42-inch Philips flat-screen TV (that gets about 30 channels) and the Bose stereo (that doesn't come with an iPod connector) -- are up to date. (In the new Paradise and HRH Towers, the features change slightly: a Sony alarm clock with iPod adapter rather than a Bose stereo and a Sony TV instead of a Philips.) Also, unlike many of the larger hotels on the Strip, the rooms in the original tower (not the Paradise and HRH Towers) come with a set of French doors that open to a protective railing (not a balcony) -- all the better to lean precariously over.

A step up from the standard rooms, the Hard Rock opened the Paradise Tower in July 2009, which has a sleek, sexy (darker) look with red, leather furnishings. Still, even these rooms don't really compare (in both features and style) to the swanky rooms in the Encore, Wynn, Venetian, Palazzo, or even the Bellagio hotels. In December 2009, however, the hotel opened the HRH Tower, where every room is a suite with a large bathroom, and the decor is more tame and traditionally luxurious than in the Casino and Paradise Towers.

The original Casino Tower base-level rooms start at 460 square feet, big for any other city in the world, but pretty typical for a standard room in Las Vegas -- comparatively, the rooms are about the same size as those at the Bellagio, but almost half the size of the base-level rooms at the Palazzo or Encore hotels. Still, the bathrooms in the Casino Tower standard rooms are, by any standard, is small -- just a cramped room with a toilet, a stainless-steel sink, and a deep tub/shower. The bathrooms in the Paradise Tower are slightly bigger, meaning that they'd be considered big for most any other hotel in the world, but small when you compare them to some of the other luxury hotels in Vegas. HRH Tower bathrooms, however, are nice enough and big enough to begin to compete with those of the Strip luxury hotels.

The platform beds here are firm, but well-padded, and comes with a heavy comforter and quality bedding. I slept fine, but the bed didn't quite stand up to the amazing beds at the Encore or Palms hotels.

Poolside cabana

The two grotto pools behind the Casino Tower feature beaches (actual sand -- in the pool itself!), a waterslide, scantily clad waitresses, and plenty of cabanas hooked up with TVs and refrigerators. This area is big, though not quite as large as the pool area at Mandalay Bay. But it's the crowd that bumps the Hard Rock pool into legendary status. On Sundays the hotel hosts the Rehab pool party, one of Las Vegas' most notorious parades of tanned and toned bare skin -- it's so popular, non-hotel guests have been known to line up early in the morning and fork over $100 (for guys) or $50 (for ladies) just to get inside. Fortunately, hotel guests get free access (via wristbands) to the party -- though this doesn't mean you won't have to wait in line. These two grotto pools has generally referred to as "the Rehab pools."

But before you imagine a glamorous red-carpet event, remember this: It's a Hard Rock party. Imagine: oiled abs; neon plastic beer cups with lids and straws to support in-pool drinking in 105-degree heat; thumping, club-banger tunes; ladies who would rather be ranked among Maxim magazine's "hometown hotties" than snag a Chanel runway contract. It's fun, but it's not for the Hamptons crowd. But you don't have to take my word for it -- just watch the Rehab reality TV show, filmed on location.

For a still sexy pool scene that's a little less over-the-top, check out Wet Republic at the MGM Grand (which the Hard Rock runs a free shuttle to throughout the day) or the European pool at the Venetian.

• HRH Beach Club: Behind the HRH Tower (the newest of the three), is the non-Rehab, beautifully-designed HRH Beach Club pool, opened in May 2010. Like at the two Rehab grotto pools, there's a sand beach (which stretches onto the pool bottom) with loungers and rental cabanas and daybeds. A shallow pool-within-a-pool is kept at a cooler temperature, a respite from the warm sand-bottomed portion. Steps away is the Bar & Grill and the adjacent outdoor gaming lounge. Above that is Skybar, a bar area that includes yet another pool.

• The Hard Rock pools close during the winter months.

• Live music at The Joint, a 4,000-seat venue attached to the hotel. Well-known bands play nightly, from Santana to Weezer and beyond.

• Vanity Nightclub, in the HRH Tower, is one of Vegas' hottest nightspots. Be forewarned: It's also one of its hardest doors.

• Rock Spa in Casino Tower: Fitness center has five elliptical machines, recumbent stationary bikes, treadmills, strength training machines, and free weights. No individual TVs on cardio machines. The spa, with separate male and female sections, is pretty small compared to other Las Vegas hotels, and the common features basically consist of a small hot tub and steam room in the locker room and a small relaxation area. Facilites are free for guests; $30 otherwise.

• Reliquary Spa in HRH Tower: Opened in spring of 2009, it features a co-ed Roman bathhouse, separate stylish men's and women's relaxation rooms (TV, magazines, fruit, tea), steam rooms, saunas, hot tubs, lockers, and showers. There's also a fitness center, 21 treatment rooms, and a pole-dancing studio (yep, pole dancing). A juice bar is just outside of the spa. Facilities cost $25 per day for guests; non-guests must buy a treatment to have access.

• BrannonHair Salon, open 7 days a week.

As for games, the casino has the typical assortment of slots, table games, race and sports book, a high-limit room, and a separate poker room. The main casino is in the original Casino Tower), and an additional casino in the HRH Tower (opened December 2009) added another 40,000 square feet of gaming space. Cantor Race & Sports Book opened at the hotel in late 2010.

The waterslide

Sure, families come to the Hard Rock. Its museum's worth of rock 'n' roll memorabilia is a great place to teach the young ones about the world of music that pre-dates the Jonas Brothers. And though the pool certainly satisfies the party crowd, kids will no doubt get a kick out of the waterslide or beaches. But make no mistake, the Hard Rock is very much an adult hotel -- nightclubs, fine dining, and "tied up" do not disturb signs on the doors. Everyone in the pools seems to have a drink in hand, always.

If you do bring the kids, know that double rooms are available, cribs are complimentary, and rollaway beds are an extra $40 per night.

The Hard Rock is kept clean, but after a pool party you can expect to see some debris on the beach that might not get cleaned up until the following day.

Cuisine

There's no buffet at the Hard Rock -- unlike many of the hotels on the Strip, like the Bellagio or Planet Hollywood -- but there are a variety of options (both inexpensive and expensive) that would suit just about any guest on a multi-day stay. Mr. Lucky's is a good 24-hour diner with an extensive menu and loud Hard Rock-style music piped in -- a fine place to ignore drunken friends or down a 4 a.m. hangover preventer. It's also about the only place in the hotel to get breakfast at 7 a.m.

Nobu -- a pan-Asian hot spot with locations in New York, L.A., Tokyo, and Malibu -- has an outpost right off the casino floor. Beside it is another upscale big city favorite, Ago, which serves Tuscan-style Italian cuisine for dinner. 35 Steaks + Martinis, a stylish steakhouse, comes with a large lounge area. The menu is heavy on the turf, but it has surf as well.

Pink Taco, an upscale Mexican restaurant, isn't amazing -- at least not compared to some of the celebrity-chef-led restaurants at some of the hotels on the Strip, like the Venetian or Wynn -- but the guacamole is good and there's outdoor seating that overlooks the sexy pool crowd. (Just note, these seats go fast and you might have to wait a long while for them.) Food is prepared quickly and if you're in search of greasy food to pull you out of a hangover -- this is the place. There's also a weekday happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m.