Music therapy? The Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta Delivers

It started as an American-styled diner in London in 1971 and, quite possibly, that first Hard Rock Café garnered its success thanks to a couple of notable guitar donations. The first was a gift from Eric Clapton, only the Café’s owner didn’t play guitar so he displayed the Fender on one of the restaurant walls. Shortly afterwards another guitar arrived, this time from Peter Townshend of The Who. Supposedly, it included a note that read: “Mine’s just as good as his!”

That kicked off a massive collection of over 80,000 music-related memorabilia displayed across hundreds of restaurants and hotels worldwide—including the best Hard Rock Hotel of 2017: a beachside, all-inclusive resort off the azure waters of Bahia de Banderas in the heart of Riviera Nayarit, Mexico.

The Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta is host to over 180 of those star pieces, which currently includes items from the likes of Elvis, Madonna, Shakira, Guns N’ Roses, Prince, Buddy Holly, and local artists such as Spanish singer-songwriter, Alejandro Sanz. The memorabilia is only one part of this resort’s music-inspired offerings, however. From Mexican fiestas and in-room, televised guitar lessons to a sound-infused spa menu, the Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta melds the power of music and wellness into an unforgettable experience.

Here are a few Hotel highlights:

The Sound of Your Stay is the Hard Rock’s signature amenity program that provides guests with hands-on music experience and three choices: Picks, Wax, or Tracks. Picks includes free delivery of Fender guitars (which come with headphones and a Fender Mustang floor amplifier) for impromptu in-room jam sessions. Cool, right? Wax is a choice of vinyls with a Crosley turntable for in-suite listening. Tracks is a complimentary download of the Hard Rock’s curated playlists to keep and take home.

The Rock Spa is the place to rejuvenate. Themed Rhythm & Motion, the spa’s menu is designed to connect the healing power of sound and songs with the artistry of massage therapy. According to the Hard Rock, it is “The world’s first fully immersive music-centric spa menu that uses amplified vibrations, pressures and patterns, as the foundation of its treatments.” And it’s effective.

Guests lay on a massage table with amplified speakers that send sound pulses and vibrations from a song’s beat and tremble bass throughout the body. For example, Synchronicity is a treatment that uses the greatest hits from today and yesterday in sync with rhythmic massage techniques and organic essential oils to ease tension and detoxify. The Rock Spa also offers a hydrotherapy area and a number of body treatments, wraps and facials (consider the Wrap Remix or Face the Music) aimed at leaving guests feeling renewed and refreshed.

Rock Om lets resort guests choose from a variety of yoga options, in room or on site. The Sun Salutation morning yoga—which overlooks the beach and offers the powerful sound of ocean waves as background ambiance—is tough to beat but there are options. Guests can also request an in-suite yoga kit complete with a Manduka PROlite mat and Go Play carrier, or access a yoga channel on their TV at leisure.

If yoga is not your thing, there are other ways to work in wellness and earn those poolside piña coladas. Bike tours through the boulevard of Vallarta are available daily at 10am and 4pm. Aquaerobics is at noon and water volleyball at 3pm every day. There are also volleyball and soccer sessions on the beach, as well as bocce ball and Ping-Pong tournaments. Guests can even take cooking lessons. Check out the weekly activities and nightly concert schedule here.

Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta was recently awarded multiple RCI awards, including the Gold Crown Resort for exceptional service standards and a Travelers Choice Award from TripAdvisor.