Romantic Escape at the Hard Rock Hotel in Biloxi, Mississippi

A Summer to Remember 2010
by Tracey Dillard

For my family, the summer of 2010 has not been like any other. Traveling is truly one of my passions, but as a full time student and stay at home mom, I don’t get to do it near as often as I’d like, at least not yet. I was anticipating two major trips this summer, one of those being a trip to Washington, D.C. with my mom for an entire week. My mom is lucky enough to have one of those great careers where she has the opportunity to travel to some pretty amazing destinations. Even more amazing was that she was going to take me along! This was going to be a real treat, as neither of us have ever been to D.C. Well, what happened next was something that none of us would have ever imagined.

We found out in early May that my husband had testicular cancer. He underwent an operation to remove the tumor and soon after we began to prepare ourselves for the two rounds of Chemotherapy he would undergo over the next couple of months. It all happened so fast; we barely had time to process everything. We knew we had to cancel the trip. Disappointing indeed, but there is nothing more important than family.

The second trip I was looking forward to was a relaxing beach vacation with my entire family. This would be the first time my daughter got to see the beach and I couldn’t wait to share this experience with her! We were planning to take a trip to Orange Beach but because of the oil spill and all the uncertainty with that, combined with the uncertainty of the remaining Chemo treatments, we cancelled this, too.

Just a few weeks ago, on a spur of the moment decision, my husband and I decided to take a little three night getaway to Biloxi, MS, just the two of us. I had been eyeing the Hard Rock Hotel and noticed the rates for that particular week significantly drop. This was just what the two of us needed. We booked immediately. Being the Type A personality that I am, I scoped out all the places I wanted to eat at, made the reservations, and booked our spa appointment. This was going to be amazing. We drove the three hours from Jackson to Biloxi and as soon as we pulled into the hotel, my whole state of mind changed to relaxation mode. No kids, no stress, no worries… just me and my hubby.

We spent the days poolside of course, just soaking up the beautiful sunshine. The second night we ate at the Hard Rock Café where we were pleasantly surprised with live entertainment via a local rock band that was great! Good food, good music, great times. The third and final night we enjoyed a fabulous meal at Vibe restaurant. I highly recommend this place! It was superb. My dessert recommendation? A decadent little brownie covered in vanilla ice-cream, surrounded with fresh fruit, and covered in -get this- chocolate pop rocks! What’s better than that? On our stay at the Hard Rock, we also enjoyed an hour long couple’s massage at the Hard Rock Spa, which was AH-mazing. Also on our last night, we ventured up to The Ledge to enjoy music and dancing. Let me tell you, we cut loose like we were teenagers again! Overall, we had a wonderful time at the Hard Rock Hotel in Biloxi. The service was excellent and the staff was friendly. Although it was only a few days, we will surely remember it for a lifetime.

Author Bio: I’m married and we have a smart, beautiful two year old daughter and she is fabulous! I’m a currently a stay at home mom and a full time student at Mississippi College. I feel so blessed to be able to spend this time at home with my daughter and am so thankful to my husband who works so hard to allow me to do so. We live right outside Jackson, MS in a small town.

This post was submitted as part of the TravelingMamas.com Tripapalooza Trip Giveaway to the Gulf Coast.