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Looking for a fun family holiday resort where the family can enjoy environmentally-friendly activities, as well as outstanding and safe service and facilities? We found all this and more when we enjoyed three days at the stylish and sustainable Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast (“HRH Desaru Coast”) – a music-themed resort with doorstep access to a waterpark, and only minutes from the beach!


Rock star treatment

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The moment we spied the iconic giant guitar at the hotel entrance, the kids perked up after their road trip, and bounced out of the car when it came to a stop. We were warmly greeted by friendly concierge staff (or ‘band members’,) who whisked our luggage away. The resort has a tropical chic vibe, with lush greenery, and airy, bright open spaces. We loved the contrasting candy-coloured glass accents, which reminded us of a kaleidoscope. 

Living the high life

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Kids loved the splurge of staying in a luxurious suite

The rock star service continued when we discovered we would be living the high life in a spacious Rock Suite, with an adjoining twin room for the kids. The rooms were decorated in a modern luxe style, surrounded by music-inspired murals and artwork featuring popular artists (we had Bob Marley wailing in ours). The spacious accommodation includes balcony seating to enjoy the sunrise and a fully equipped bathroom. Thoughtful touches we loved included step-stools in the bathrooms for our littles to easily use the sink, full-sized hairdryers and drying racks for our swimwear, delicious welcome treats, plushies for the kids, and a turndown service, with Hard Rock Hotel souvenirs and bookmarks. The resort certainly lived up to its “Love All, Serve All” motto.

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Refreshing breakfast buffet spread at the Rock Royalty Lounge

Guests staying at the Rock Royalty Rooms and Suites can also enjoy perks such as Rock Royalty Lounge access, where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the water park, a cosy breakfast buffet, and afternoon refreshments (my 10 and 7-year-olds were thrilled to enjoy their first mocktails!).

Pour some sugar on me

Originating from the renowned Hard Rock Cafe, we had high expectations for the food in the hotel – and we weren’t disappointed. The Rentak Selera buffet in the Sessions eatery had an amazing spread of fresh seafood and sashimi on ice, as well as local favourites, such as chilli crab, asam pedas ekor, and lamb briyani. My foodie son enjoyed the roast chicken, while my picky eater daughter inhaled the seafood aglio olio from the pasta station. The Johore lamb kacang pol dish, served on toast and topped with a sunny-side-up egg, was my favourite. We also loved the kids’ corner, with ice cream, cendol and a four-tier chocolate fountain keeping kids (and adults alike) coming back for more. 


Connecting people with nature 

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The garden-to-table experiential lunch and contemporary Mexican dinner at the chill poolside Elephant & The Butterfly also blew us away, especially knowing that the delicious ingredients were sustainably sourced. To celebrate Earth Hour, the meals featured fresh produce from local community gardens, which use compost made by HRH Desaru Coast’s food scraps.

We started with small steps – such as providing reusable baskets instead of plastic bags, and cooler boxes instead of styrofoam boxes, and the suppliers gradually embraced these sustainable practices,”

said HRH Desaru Coast General Manager Murray Aitken, in explaining the hotel’s approach towards saving the planet.  

Taking time to be kind

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Re-filling the metal water bottle provided in each room with filtered water.

This spirit of caring for the environment was visible throughout the resort. There was no plastic wrapping for the toiletries, drinkable filtered water was on tap in the bathrooms, and reusable metal water bottles were provided for easy and environmentally-friendly refilling at water fountains available on every corridor. We also appreciated the fact that all dry amenities were biodegradable – even toothbrushes.

Key cards were made from fast-growing bamboo instead of plastic, and tissue rolls and soap bars are recycled. The hotel also upcycles bed sheets featuring their signature guitar patterns into tote bags, while bath towels are repurposed for use in the kitchen. What is most amazing is that a lot of these efforts are voluntarily carried out by hotel staff in their spare time. 

Celebrating Earth’s biggest hour 

In support of WWF- World Wide Fund For Nature’s global environmental movement, HRH Desaru Coast showcased Malaysian initiatives towards becoming nature positive. ADA Biotech’s edible drinking straws, Precious Plastic Malaysia’s upcycled plastic coasters, and the Breast Cancer Support Group Johor Bahru’s fresh produce have all been used by the hotel.

Resort guests also had a chance to grow their own vegetables, and discover how flowers and coffee beans can be used as natural spa ingredients. The National Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) Malaysia were also on hand to report on environmental protection, as parents and children learned tips on how to better support nature

Exploring the Roxity Kids Club

Priding itself as a fun family holiday resort, Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast offers a range of facilities and activities fine-tuned for young guests. Their Roxity Kids Club has large play areas with a variety of blocks, toys, and books. Kids aged 4 to 14 can choose to read in a cosy nook, lounge on a bean bag – or rock out on the drum kit or keyboard. The drop-off service (with chargeable fees) will occupy the kids with crafts, food decoration, circle games, movies, e-games or outdoor activities. Our two made a bird shelter from recycled bottles, raced around for a treasure hunt, and had a dance-off. 

A splashing good time 

Having the Desaru Coast Adventure Waterpark  directly accessible from the first floor of the resort was so convenient! We were in the huge Tidal Wave Beach five minutes after leaving our room. My thrill-seeking child loved the 24-foot drop of the tempest and the pendulum swings of The Tempest raft rides, while his sister preferred drifting on a float down the lazy Penawar River loop. The Kids Ahoy water playground was fun for all ages, featuring pint-sized water slides and splashing fun. We will definitely have to come back for the Kraken’s Revenge water roller coaster, which was not operational then. Remember to enquire upon reserving your room, if they are having any waterpark ticket promotions.

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When the waterpark closed at 6pm, we headed to the outdoor music pool at the hotel. My 10-year-old was delighted when he discovered that music was playing in the swimming pool. “Put your head in the water, Mum! It’s playing About That Time!” he declared, which led us to bust some fun underwater dance moves. The beach club is also a 10-minute walk (or 5-minute buggy ride) away. We easily spent half the day floating in the sea, making sandcastles and lounging around. You can also book guided fruit farm tours,  ATV rides, or watersport activities for the whole family.

Play that funky music

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Eva Maria and friends performing an acoustic set during Earth Hour.

It wouldn’t be Hard Rock Hotel without the music, naturally! There are tunes playing everywhere, starting with the rocking beats you hear the moment you enter your room, to the almost daily live performances at the resort. You can customise the playlist on your television, or even go ‘old skool’ with iconic vinyl records and a Crosley turntable brought to your room, if you’d like to play DJ. Fancy your own in-room jam session? Call the Star Service to borrow a Fender guitar!

We were also delighted to discover Spotify playlists curated by Hard Rock tastemakers. These include city specific tunes (I’m currently listening to the Mad Men- Manhattan in the 50’s) and songs to suit your mood (busy parents will appreciate It’s Time to Unwind). Even the kids club has their own playlist of youthful anthems.

We also gawked at the apparel and musical instruments from both international and local artists such as No Doubt, Madonna, and Yuna. Carefully curated and preserved, these were just a fraction of Hard Rock Hotel’s extensive collection, which we viewed during the Memorabilia Tour.


Our takeaways

What we liked: Music is definitely at the heart of the resort – from the guitar pick-shaped name tags which include the names of that hotel staff’s favourite musician, to the tunes heard everywhere, even underwater. We also loved the hotel staffs’ efforts to sustainably protect the environment.   

What could be improved? A bigger swimming pool for us to practice our dance moves, if the waterpark or beach are not accessible.

All in all, I highly recommend HRH Desaru Coast as a fun family holiday resort for music-lovers of all ages to have a rocking good time. Adults can chill to the soundtrack of their choice, while children can play to their own beat in the kids club!

Love all, serve all

Thank you, Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, for inviting us to be part of your annual Earth Hour initiatives. We loved being rock stars – while also learning a thing or two about sustainability through your nature-positive activities. 

By Seah Lu-Sean

Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast | Address: Jalan Pantai 3, Desaru Coast, Johor Darul Ta’zim, 81930 Johor | Contact: +607-838-8888 | Email: reservations@hrhdesaru.com


makchic’s stay was sponsored by Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast. The opinions of the writer (and those of her children), however, are most definitely their own. 

Heart-pounding, soul-touching, and passionately unpredictable, Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast is a music-infused, memorabilia-bedecked experience. For more information on Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, please visit their website or check out their Instagram and Facebook pages.

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