A few years ago, I visited Desaru Coast with with a family friend. Wr picked Desaru Coast as our destination because it was the perfect easy short weekend getaway from Singapore for families like ours who have young children.
🏖️ Desaru Travel Guide: If you’re curious about Desaru Coast and what you can do there, please read my complete Desaru Travel Guide!
During that trip, although we stayed at Anantara Resort, we checked out the other resorts for future travel inspirations. We visited Hard Rock Hotel to check out the waterpark and we stayed for a nice dinner by the pool at GMT+8 restaurant. I told myself that I have to come back to Desaru Coast one day and stay at Hard Rock when the kids are older.
And guess what? Fast forward 3 years later, the dream manifested itself. Hard Rock Hotel found my Desaru Travel Guide, reached out with an invite, and I got the opportunity to visit Desaru Coast again!
In this blog post I will share with you my honest review of the stay in Hard Rock Desaru Coast.
- Booking the hotel
- Getting there from Singapore
- Rock Suite room review
- Food Options
- Facilities
- In Conclusion
Booking Hard Rock Desaru Coast
Hard Rock Desaru Coast is available on booking.com. I always recommend booking.com since their prices are usually more competitive for non-refundable bookings, but you can still choose a flexible cancellation where you can cancel within certain time frame.
➡️ Book Hard Rock Desaru Coast on booking.com
However, sometimes booking direct gives you access to certain benefits, such as free ticket to the adventure waterpark with unlimited re-entry and free access to Roxity kids club.
At the moment, adventure waterpark costs around S$35 per child and S$37 for adults (with no re-entry). If you are Malaysian, the ticket is even cheaper. So you just need to compare the costs yourself for your travel dates!
Getting to Hard Rock Desaru Coast from Singapore
The most popular way to get to Desaru from Singapore is via cross-border taxi or ferry. It takes about 2 to 3 hours each way, depending on traffic. Very easy and convenient trip from Singapore.
🚗 How to get to Desaru: I have written extensively about all the ways to get to Desaru in my Desaru travel guide, so please check it out!
We chose to go via cross-border taxi since we were traveling during non-peak season, and it gives us flexibility when we can arrive and leave the hotel. The ferry is our second choice as it offers overall least travel time, however it only runs once a day. It’s also more expensive than taking the taxi for a family of 4 because they charge kids the same fare as adults.
Rock Suite Room Review
The room we stayed in is called the Rock Suite (or Executive suite if you’re booking through booking.com), which is a 1-bedroom suite with living room that sleeps four people. Perfect for our family! The suite very large at 108 sqm (or 1,163 sqft for you Americans), which… let’s be real, it is bigger than most apartments in Singapore 😅
Upon arriving, the main door opens straight to the living area with a small table that already has a welcome note, sweets and fresh fruits on it.
I love the decor of the room. It leans towards (I think?) mid century modern style, open air spaces with elements of medium-warm-toned wood, contrasting textures, and clean simple furniture.
Immediately to the right of the table is the snack and beverages area, with four Cristo coffee capsules and a coffee machine for us to enjoy during our stay.
Aside from coffee, there is also a mini fridge with soft drinks, and some little snacks that are complimentary during the stay but not replenish-able.
In the living room, there is a large 55-inch TV that we didn’t get to use during out stay, because it became the second bedroom for the kids. Yup – the sofa pulls out into a queen bed, and if you call room service, you could ask them to set it up such that it looks like a proper bed with extra pillows and blanket!
I slept on both the king bed and the sofa bed. While of course the king bed is more comfortable, the sofa bed is not a bad option either. It’s just more firm. I didn’t have any issues sleeping on it.
There is a balcony that you can access from the living room. In the balcony, you can hang your wet swimsuits on the clothes hanger that are built-in to the walls of the balcony.
Moving on to the bedroom, you’ll right away be greeted with a large king bed with another 55-inch TV, and smartly placed mirrors that enlarge the space even more.
I love this little embroidered hard rock guitar that’s on every pillow:
There is another small balcony that you can access from the bedroom too, where you can lounge around if you wish.
Right past the bed, there is a wooden sliding door with a full length mirror on it. The housekeeping staff left us a nice welcome note there.
And right past the wooden sliding door, is the toilet and bathing area, which are separate from each other so you don’t have to worry if someone is occupying the bath if you need to use the toilet.
I didn’t take a photo of the toilet (it really is just a toilet bowl), but the bathing area? It’s massive! There is a full-sized bath tub and a separate shower. There are also bath amenities such as shampoo, soap and conditioner, and anti-slip mat for the bath tub.
The vanity area isn’t the most impressive in size, but it’s functional – and I love that lit-up mirror!
The best feature though, is the one you may not notice from the photo – there is a water filter built into the sink, so you can keep yourself hydrated throughout your stay without leaving your room. Brilliant!
Food Options at Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast
In Hard Rock Hotel, there are two options for meals, and one coffeehouse.
1. Sessions (Buffet Restaurant)
Sessions is the main restaurant of Hard Rock Desaru Coast, located at the lowest level of the hotel. This is where you’ll have your breakfast buffet (usually included with most bookings). They are also open for lunch and dinner, which is served a la carte on weekdays and as buffet on weekends (MYR 158 per person).
I think Sessions is a typical hotel restaurant. The buffet is good, but nothing to write home about. However it is a convenient option when staying at Hard Rock Desaru. I do like that the restaurant is kids friendly. They have coloring sheets and utensils for kids, as well as high chairs.
2. GMT+8 by The Pool (Restaurant)
If you ask me, GMT+8 is the better option for meals among the two. Not only does it have better dishes, it’s semi al fresco and by the pool. I think nothing else screams holiday than dining by the pool, do you agree?
You can view GMT+8 menu here with prices at the official website. But if you need inspirations, here is what we ordered!
For myself, I chose the Grilled Salmon (MYR 110), which is described on the menu as “Salmon fillet, herb-roasted baby potatoes, couscous, green asparagus, whipped greek yogurt, crème fraîche, dill, honey and broken nori – fresh flavors that play nice with a little sass.”
And I think it pretty much is true to that description. The salmon skin was perfectly crispy, and the salmon is not cooked just right – I really dislike it when restaurants overcook the salmon, and GMT+8 definitely did well in this area.
My husband, who is pretty much a carnivore, chose the Sirloin Steak (MYR 170): “Grilled steak served with our 24 hour infused Beef Tea, finished with herb butter, accompanied by couscous, herb-roasted potatoes, greens, and chimichurri with fried basil – bold, juicy, and unapologetically center stage.”
I did not expect it to come on a grill like this, but bonus points for the presentation. And it came with a mini show too! Our waiter came over to torch the herb butter right after serving.
For the kids, we ordered Spaghetti Bolognese (MYR 35) and Young adult beef burger (MYR 42), both of which were served in this cute guitar-shaped plates!
Both kids finished their plate. I had a taste of the Spaghetti Bolognese, which was done very well! I personally wouldn’t mind having it myself.
3. Constant Grind (Cafe)
Next to Sessions, is Constant Grind coffeehouse. I went in to check it out, but I didn’t order anything from here throughout our stay since we usually just have our coffee along with the breakfast buffet.
But it looked like a nice place to hang out in the afternoon, and there were a few patrons parked here with their laptops.
Amenities and Facilities at Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast
While staying at Hard Rock Desaru Coast, here are facilities and amenities you can enjoy:
1. Direct entry to Adventure Waterpark
As a parent, I would argue that this is the main benefit of Hard Rock Hotel Desaru. The main entrance is located on the other side of the park, but Hard Rock Hotel guests can utilize the entrance that’s right at the hotel. This saves so much time!
2. Rock Royalty Lounge
Since we were staying at the Rock suite, we were given access to the Rock Royalty Lounge. In fact, our check in was done at the lounge which I really appreciate, because it’s air conditioned and has beverages.
The lounge also doubles as a place to have breakfast in peace if you don’t want to go down to Sessions. However, the options are limited to continental breakfast only.
Aside from that, they also have a business lounge with computer and high speed internet connection, if you need to do some work while you’re here.
3. Roxity Kids Club
I wasn’t able to take photos of the kids club, and rightfully so because as a parent, I wouldn’t want an adult to come in to the kids club and start taking photos! However, you can view a video and some photos from the official website.
There is an entrance fee to the kids club, which is waived if you book directly at the Hard Rock hotel website, or if you book a Studio Suite room.
4. Underwater Music Swimming Pool
On the same level as the lobby, you’ll find a long infinity swimming pool. It might look like an ordinary pool, but what’s special about this pool is that while you’re swimming underwater, you can hear rock music!
5. Free Towel Service
Planning to visit the beach or the adventure water park? You can get your towels from the pool too, for free. You do have to leave your name and room number to make sure you don’t lose the towels. Just return it before 10PM on the same day to avoid any fees.
6. Gym
Yes, there is a gym in Hard Rock Hotel, and it looks really nice. The gym consists of two rooms: one room has all the workout machine and ellipticals, while the other has weight room for resistance training.
Also very quiet during the day since I think most visitors are busy at the beach or at the waterpark, so if you plan to get some workout in and you need privacy, you can come by during the day.
7. Rock Shop and Roxtars Toy Shop
Hard Rock brand is not a stranger to all of us. So, if you want to take home Hard Rock goodies, there are two shops you can visit in the hotel. The first one is on the same level as the lobby, where you can find many varieties of Hard Rock wears.
The other is a toy and sweet shop called Roxtars right by Constant Grind. It’s not open all the time – you need to make an appointment to visit.
8. Sessions Live Music
It’s not Hard Rock without live music, right? At Hard Rock Desaru Coast, there are even two options for live bands! You can enjoy live band at the lawn in front of Sessions restaurant almost daily (except Mondays). They play Tuesday – Thursday & Sunday from 8:00PM – 10:45PM and Friday & Saturday from 8:30PM – 11:15PM.
On Fridays and Saturdays, you can also head out to GMT+8 for another live music option from 6 to 6:45PM.
9. Medicine vending machine
Next to Session restaurant, there is a vending machine containing over-the-counter medicine. You can find Panadol (yes, even Panadol Extra), Salonpas, cough medicine for both adults and kids, eye drops, plasters, just to name a few. Great for emergencies.
PS: If the vending machine doesn’t have what you want, you can try having it delivered by Grab.
In Conclusion
No doubt, Hard Rock Hotel is the best choice in Desaru Coast if you are a family with young children. The direct entry to Adventure Waterpark is unbeatable and the waterpark will keep your child occupied for a whole day.
Most of the rides are great for children around 4 years old and above, but the rides have height restriction of 122cm, so you might want to wait until your child are over that height to fully enjoy the park. However, my children were happy to enjoy the playground, wave pools, and lazy river.
For smaller children, I found the waterpark was still a good option too. There are a few calmer playgrounds and short slides that my 16-month old were able to go on. The wave pool is also a great option for children of all ages.
As another option, the Roxity kids club is a childcare solution for children from 4 to 12 years of age.
🏖️ Desaru Travel Guide: If you’re curious about Desaru Coast and what you can do there, please read my complete Desaru Travel Guide!
Note: I was invited as guest of Hard Rock Hotel for the purposes of writing this review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are honest and remain my own.