A Heavily Biased Ranking of the Hotels at Universal Orlando Resort

Ranking the hotels at Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Orlando Resort has been launching hotel after hotel in recent years as their property has expanded. Another hotel is going to be built at some point in the future a little bit further from Epic Universe. Universal has expanded quite a bit since it was a one park-one hotel from the 90’s. It now has 11 hotels ranging between different levels of price points and proximity to parks. I have been to all of these hotels multiple times, ate at most of their food options, but have not stayed in two of the new Epic Universe hotels and Hard Rock.

Dockside/Surfside—Both are very similar in theme, Dockside is the larger one and is technically still a walkable hotel, but the bus system is usually what most people will take. They do have some great one-bedroom hotel rooms with a price point that is extremely reasonable. It hovers around $100-$150 per night. These hotels are packed. A HUGE pool is also a highlight of these resorts but with how many people are at the hotel, sometimes it can get pretty busy.

Stella Nova/Terra Luna—These hotels are similar to Dockside/Surfside with them being on the cheaper side, but having some fun theming in the room. Dockside/Surfside are tropical beach themed getaways while these two hotels are more space themed. They have some touches in the room that supports this. I love the proximity to Epic, it is a short bus ride, or a walk to the newest park in Universal’s lineup. A bus to the other parks isn’t nearly as fun.

Aventura—This hotel has always been on the lower end of my favorite list. It just isn’t really the aesthetic for me. I don’t care to have a remote control every feature in my room. There is a robot that travels throughout the lobby that is fun. The pool is just okay, nothing incredible. The park transportation is busses, but you can also use Sapphire Falls’ walkway and water taxis. The food court is okay, it has plenty of offerings for the family, a Starbucks of course, and the rooftop bar which is easily the best part of this hotel. It is the place where I went to on July 4^th to watch the fireworks at Universal and all around Orlando. This place has a great view of the property. I don’t remember the food being amazing, but the view is why you came there.

Hard Rock—One of the few hotels I haven’t stayed at. I have had friends and family stay there. I ate at “The Kitchen”, the restaurant at the hotel. It has the best lobby smell, and it is the closest walk to Universal. The pool was a great pool to spend time in, and the way the hotel looks is great. I just haven’t stayed here YET. The food I ate here was okay. Being the closest to Universal makes this a great hotel to experience Horror Nights at.

Cabana Bay—I was this hotel’s biggest hater a few years ago. I don’t really love outdoor entrance hotels. I didn’t like the blankets in the room, trying to make it look old school. It came off to me as a cheap motel room. They have family suites in this hotel as well. With a small kitchenette, table, pull-out sofa, then you go through a doorway and you are in the bedroom with two beds. The bathroom is spacious, and the food is once again okay. I don’t know when I turned around on it, maybe when my brain finally developed, but I love this hotel now. I love the variety of rooms, there are two indoor entrance towers with one overlooking Volcano Bay. The Volcano Bay view rooms are incredible, I love being able to see the slides and the volcano from my room. Another great attribute for this hotel is the private entrance to Volcano Bay. It is possibly my favorite feature of this hotel because the Volcano Bay bus ride is such a hassle. This walkway is incredibly convenient and we have done many Volcano Bay Cabana Bay staycations. My fiancée said the pizza was magical there, but I wasn’t quite as impressed. There are two huge pools, one has a lazy river and a nice little quick service and bar attached. The pool area with loungers and sand stretch out all the way to the lobby. Universal is also walkable from here by using a bridge over traffic, and a covered walkway with plenty of trees until you join the Royal Pacific walkway.

Sapphire Falls—This was my favorite hotel when Cabana Bay was my least favorite. Since then, I have had a few trips and the rankings have changed. I love this lobby, it has a huge window in the back where you can see some of the theme park attractions. There is a decent restaurant on the bottom floor of the resort right by the water taxi. There is a water taxi that isn’t at a deluxe property, which is nice. You can also walk to the parks as well, Sapphire Falls and Royal Pacific are very close together, you start out on the Sapphire Falls path, and you immediately hit the end of the Royal Pacific. The rooms are nice, the pool is great, and the exterior just looks beautiful. I’m a big fan of Sapphire Falls.

Royal Pacific—This was one of the original three that have been around the longest. It has gone through a few changes, it used to have an Emeril’s restaurant but now has Jake’s American Bar.

 I bring up this restaurant specifically because of how bad it is. We went one time, they have a huge section on their menu for brisket….

This was the worst brisket I have ever eaten. It was dry, it was cold. Almost inedible dry. We actually had to send it back for how bad it was. The next portion was slightly better but was still bad. One of the only meals I have ever sent back to the kitchen.

 I know that was a harsh review, but it earned it. Some of the slowest service I have received, and surprise. We were one of two tables in there. And the other table also got the brisket, which was also inedible and got sent back.

I haven’t  tried the sushi bar in the lobby, or the other restaurant by Jake’s.

The lobby is beautiful, the walk into the lobby is also fun, the theming of a pacific island really sells.

This hotel also includes express passes for the Universal attractions, the rooms are dark and a little on the older side the last time I stayed there, but this hotel is one of the best at Universal.

The pool is very cool, with different water elements attached to a huge pool. I remember playing pool volleyball here quite often.

It definitely has a soft spot in my heart as when my parents felt extra bougee some trips, we would upgrade from the cheapest credit card point hotel into the Royal Pacific for a couple of nights.

Helios—Another hotel attached to Epic. I haven’t fully stayed here yet, my name was on a reservation, but I didn’t stay the night in the room. Just used the early park admission and the individual entrance to Epic Universe.

The theme park view rooms are insane, Epic looks especially good at night, and there is just so much kinetic energy from the coasters, and the different lights flashing around, it is awesome to look at from the room. We were able to walk right into the park, walk right out of the park, have lunch at the restaurant downstairs, which was good. Expensive but good is the best way to categorize the food and beverage at Epic.

The bar at the top of the Helios hotel also has great, but expensive snacks. The views from the top floor are EPIC.

The pool area is lovely and the rooms are nice. The best part of the hotel is still the easy access to Epic Universe.

Can’t beat the convenience of walking straight into the park from the hotel’s backdoor. Might be number one when it includes express to Epic Universe.

Portofino—The oldest hotel in the lineup and my favorite. This had such an important part of my life. I was lucky enough for my parents to take me to Universal every other year, and sometimes when they wanted to splurge even more than Royal Pacific, they chose the Portofino. The outside bay portion is awesome.

When you walk or sail on the boat under the bridge and first see the lights of Portofino and the boats in the bay, it just elevates the experience and is tremendous theming. It is a great reveal.

When you drive to the hotel, you turn at the hotel and the reveal hits you again, it looks just like the photos of the Portofino. You take a winding road to the lobby where it is even a themed valet area with vespas sitting next to you.

The lobby is nice enough, but the surrounding hallways and the smaller courtyard next to the lobby are great. Plenty of space to sit.

Going downstairs is where the magic really hits. There are so many dining options, the water taxi, the pool.

I have to start with the food. This hotel is loaded with good options. The pizza at Sal’s Deli was a staple on all of our vacations, even if we didn’t stay at Portofino, we would take the boat, just to eat this pizza. I took my lovely Universal nerd fiancée to the pizza here on our second date, the pizza was good enough for her to agree to a third date. A few years ago, they made the pizzas smaller, and also added more oil to the recipe that it hurts my older stomach. Mama Della’s is another restaurant that is themed to a cute small house with a fireplace, and has a guitar, violin, and singers coming around table to table. Outdoor seating is also available where the first time I went, the singers went to the balcony and sang to the whole plaza. It was a terrific experience. I met my future in-laws right at the bar across from Mama Dellas. This hotel is wrapped up in my personal history; I had to put it at one.

The two pools are both great individual experiences. One is for fun, it has a water slide, and much bigger of the two pools. The other one is a quieter experience. My fiancée and I spent a lot of time at these pools during our HHN staycations.

The proximity to the parks is also great. It is further out than Hard Rock, but it is only a 13-minute walk to Universal, we counted. Making it the perfect hotel to walk to after HHN. The included express passes is just a huge bonus.

I couldn’t get my personal history out of this. I love this hotel for all of the amenities it provides, and the personal history I have experienced with this.