Hard Rock Riviera Maya's strong opening act

The Hard Rock Riviera Maya, formerly the Aventura Spa Palace, is undergoing a multimillion-dollar, 14-month renovation to transform the property into a Hard Rock, as well as a high-tech and high-touch, hotel.

I visited the Hard Rock in February, several months shy of its grand opening in May, while it was still under renovation. Beyond escaping the East Coast's coldest winter in memory, I was eager to experience what the Hard Rock brand offered compared to the many other all-inclusive hotels I'd stayed at in Mexico and the Caribbean.

Tuning up

The renovation of the 1,264-room Riviera Maya property started in February 2013 and will bring the iconic Hard Rock spirit to all of its common areas, rooms, restaurants, convention center and beaches. The new interior design embodies a rock music theme, with even the pillow cases decorated with embroidered guitars and rock memorabilia displayed in all corners.

From the minute my husband, 16-month-old son and I entered the lobby, I found that the resort's focus on attention to detail, guest satisfaction and the staff's can-do attitude were all part of the property's leitmotif.

The Hard Rock here is the latest addition to the four-property All Inclusive Collection by Hard Rock Hotels, and its third in Mexico, joining resorts in Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. The family-friendly property has nine restaurants, nine lounges, a 75-cabin spa, five pools and an 88,915-square-foot convention center.

One of the first features that impressed us, being a high-tech family with many gadgets, was the free WiFi and many outlets around the resort where we could plug in, features that we found lacking at many of the all-inclusive properties we'd stayed at.

I was especially impressed with the Hard Rock's WiFi service, which had a strong signal that was available all over the resort, from the restaurants to the pools and even on the beach.

Other bonuses for us were complimentary calls to the U.S. and 24-hour room service, especially useful at night, after our son (finally!) went to sleep. As vegans, there were limited choices on the room service menu, but the kitchen was very flexible and allowed us to place special orders accommodating our diets.

Our diet also meant that many of the themed restaurants were not an option for us; the resort offers Italian, Mexican, Asian, French and Spanish cuisine eateries.

However, we found plenty of good choices at the International cuisine buffets at the Market, for breakfast and dinner, and Ipanema, for lunch.

We were pleased to find they had good food with artistic presentations, especially considering that buffets can be boring when it comes to vegan-friendly choices. Here they were exceptionally good, offering a variety of fresh vegetables created in unique and tasty ways — the cooks literally found five different ways to serve mushrooms.

The Hard Rock is divided into two distinct sections, one for families and the other for adults.

We naturally stayed on the Hacienda of Rock side, the family-friendly area, which has a kids' club and a waterslide. A Teen Lounge and Club opened there in March.

Splish splash

One of the greatest additions to the Hard Rock is its private beach, which spans the property's 940-yard coastline. Because it is built on rocky coastline, Hard Rock incorporated white sand from nearby Isla Mujeres to create a beach, while the pristine waters of the Caribbean Sea form lagoons walled in on the ocean side by natural rock. The resulting calm waters are ideal for children.

However, not every kid likes sand, and my son preferred the pool to the beach. Hard Rock's pools are very kid-friendly, with some areas designed especially for younger kids, while attractions like a thrilling waterslide appeal to older ones. For watersports enthusiasts, the resort offers snorkeling and kayaking as part of its all-inclusive package.

The Little Big Club is a complimentary option for parents looking to take a break from their kids. We visited it a couple of times, as it has plenty of activities for toddlers. We chose to stay with our son and enjoyed playing with him and the staff, while other parents dropped off their kids and went to the beach. There was a check-in list to be filled out at drop-off, which included the area of the hotel parents could be found in case of emergency.

Heaven, the adults-only side of the property, is a resort within a resort, with 577 rooms and its own restaurants.

It's also the location of the resort's three-floor Signature Rock & Spa. The facility features single and couple cabins, steam rooms, hydrotherapy pools and a relaxation area within lavish surroundings. The Heaven Bar & Disco, offering DJ entertainment and a luxury atmosphere, opened last month.