Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood has got South Florida rocking out every night

For what feels like an eternity, we Miami-Dade and Broward County residents have watched with anticipation as the all-glass Guitar Hotel, poised to be an icon of South Florida, slowly became a reality on the side of the Florida’s Turnpike. If you were a diehard fan of the old Seminole Hard Rock Resort & Casino, like me, get excited! After a $1.5-billion expansion and renovation (unveiled a few months back), the decades-old resort and hangout we all knew and loved has come back bigger and better than ever.

SLEEP LIKE A CELEBRITY

Instead of replacing the resort’s existing hotel, the Guitar Hotel just made the party even bigger. Adding a dazzling 638 new rooms and suites to the already 465 in the original Hard Rock Hotel and 168 in the Oasis Tower (which unveiled in fall 2019), this 450-foot- tall glass guitar sits right on top of the main building, meaning I could literally roll out of bed and into the casino, bars, restaurants and pools the surrounding resort offers below. During my four days there, I lived like a celebrity. Every night, I drifted off to sleep in a king bed draped in Hard Rock’s custom “Sleep Like a Rock” Egyptian cotton bedding, and every morning, I put on my plush robe and indulged in the upscale bath products and in-room spa shower.

When I really wanted to feel like a rock star, I had Hard Rock’s signature “Sound of Your Stay” program — which lets guests borrow actual Fender guitars and amplifiers and jam out to their Nixon headphones or watch video guides to learn how to play. For a real show, step out of your room and look up. Every night, at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., the glass guitar comes alive with an electrifying light and music show, where 20,000- foot light beams, mash-ups of greatest hits and colorful LED lights mimic guitar strings and make the Guitar Hotel look like it’s actually being played.

DEAL ME IN

It’s almost impossible to go to a Hard Rock property and not gamble, and the casino at this resort is hard to beat. As I wandered through the 140,000-square-foot casino, I passed 200+ gaming tables (from roulette to mini-baccarat), 3,000+ slot machines (from wheel-spin games to those with a Sex and the City theme), video poker and roulette and a new High Limit Slots room for high rollers only. There’s a new poker room with 45 poker tables, including those for Texas Hold’em tournaments and high stakes poker.

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

When you’re not in your room or trying to win a jackpot, the options to entertain yourself are endless. Book a massage at Rock Spa and spend the morning sipping Champagne in its sunlit atrium or dipping in and out of cold pools, Jacuzzis, steam rooms and saunas. Get a tan by the beach-style pool area, which has beach chairs in real Florida sand, or relax by the tropical, lagoon-style pool with waterfalls and swaying palms. For something really special, book the appropriately named Bora Bora experience. Here, over-the-water bungalow cabanas, private bathrooms and showers, personal plunge pools and butler service are the cherry on top of a sunny day in paradise.

If you are like me and like to be a little active, sneak in a workout at the 24-hour Body Rock fitness center. See who’s playing at The Comedy Club, or dance the day or night away with Tiësto and The Chainsmokers at DAER South Florida — a day-to-night club modeled after the Las Vegas party scene. If that’s not your style, browse the boutiques and signature Rock Shop® along the marble shopping promenade, or take your kids paddle-boarding or canoeing on the resort’s manmade lake, near the pool lagoon. It spans the length of three football fields.

I’LL HAVE ANOTHER

At Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, guests can choose from 19 restaurants and 20 bars and lounges. For a real treat, start your day with a latte from Constant Grind or challah French toast with whipped cream at Rise Kitchen & Deli, a new 24-hour American diner at the base of the Guitar Hotel. Grab a quick lunch at the food court or get the Legendary® steak burger with cheddar cheese and smoked bacon at everyone’s favorite classic, the Hard Rock Cafe. Order Hawaiian pizza flatbreads and pitchers of El Diablos from Pool Bar & Grill right to your cabana. If you can’t decide, hit the all-day buffet at Fresh Harvest. I promise it has something for everyone.

At this resort, dinner is when the real show begins. Kuro promises new-style Japanese plates and sushi, while Cipresso offers handmade pizzas and pastas. Council Oak Steaks & Seafood serves up tableside raw bar towers and USDA Prime steaks cut and dried in the in-house butcher shop and Himalayan salt dry-aging room. Unveiled with the Guitar Hotel, my personal favorite is Abiaka, an American woodfire grill concept that serves live-fire seafood and meats family-style. Think: 3 lb. lobster with a housemade chimichurri and lime-mustard butter, bone-in beef rib with guava jam and braise-jus or ratatouille with Manchego cheese and a fried egg.

Settle in a Oculus Bar for after- dinner handcrafted cocktails, like “The Austen” (with earl grey tea- infused gin), made in the spirit of classic literary authors. Just nearby, the expanded and intimate L Bar has a menu of craft beers, curated wines, aperitifs and signature vermouths. If you don’t want to go far from the restaurant, just move over to the bar. Both Kuro and Council Oak have their own cocktail lounges.

THE MUSIC LIVES ON

Staying true to the Hard Rock brand, the property is truly an ode to music’s greats. Go on a self-guided “Rock Memorabilia” resort tour and you’ll find iconic outfits worn and props used by everyone from Michael Jackson, Prince and Steven Tyler to Lenny Kravitz, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. To catch the stars in action, see who’s playing at the new-and-improved Hard Rock Live. Attached to the casino, this 7,000- seat concert venue has already welcomed A-listers like Maroon 5, Billy Joel, Andrea Bocelli, Tony Bennett and Alicia Keys since it reopened in October 2019. During my visit, I even got to see Sting — a major music moment in a property that is all about that rock star life.

1 Seminole Way, Hollywood; 1-800-937-0010; seminolehardrockhollywood.com.

This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 12:00 AM.