Universal hotels. How to choose the best for you.

At Universal Studios Resort there are currently eight hotels to choose from. Universal Hotels are broken down by four categories. We’ll be going over each hotel category and the individual amenities you get when staying on property. This guide will help you make the best choice so that you and your family can have the BEST VACATION at Universal Studios Florida!

What do all the Hotels have in common?

All eight Universal Hotels will give you Early Park Admission (EPA) for everyday of your stay including check in and check out. EPA allows you to enjoy the parks for one hour before they open. For Volcano Bay EPA is usually 30 minutes before opening. Most of the time, EPA only happens at Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay. During busier seasons like any Holiday and Summer, Early Park Admission is available at all three parks. For the most up to date info on EPA click here. In order to verify your EPA, you must bring your hotel key with you to the park. EPA is NOT an admission ticket to the park. You are still required to purchase a park ticket separately.

All hotels offer free bus transportation to the parks. Buses start running about an hour before EPA go back and forth every 15 minutes until city walk closes (sometimes as late as 2am). The bus will pick you up from a designated station at your hotel and drop you off one level below the security entrance to city walk. This will also be the same area you catch the bus going back to your hotel. Buses going to Volcano Bay will also pick you up from your hotel and take you directly to Volcano Bay and back to your hotel. There are also buses that go from city walk to Volcano Bay. The bus rides are pleasant, comfortable, and short.

But wait…. There’s more.

Other common and not so common amenities can be enjoyed at every Universal Hotel. Below I’ve listed a few of what I consider the most important….

1. Swimming pools
2. Gym
3. Starbucks
4. A place to buy ready to eat food.
5. A game room.
6. A Universal Merchandise Store (Merch that you buy at the park can also be delivered to your room, so you don’t have to carry it around)
7. Clean Rooms
8. The Friendliest Service
9. Special pricing for FL residents and Annual Pass Holders.

You really can’t go wrong with choosing any of these Awesome hotels. But depending on your needs and budget, I’ll help you choose the best one for you.

Value Hotels.

In this category we have the two newest additions to the Universal Orlando Resort Hotels. Endless Summer Resort – Surfside inn and suites along with it’s sister hotel, Endless Summer Resort – Dockside inn and suites. Both Hotels offer the most budget friendly rates. A standard room with 2 full size beds goes for as low as $96 per night and sometimes even lower.

They both also have 2-bedroom suites that can sleep up to six guests. These rooms have 2 queen beds in the main living area and another bed in a separate private bedroom with a door. It also has a kitchenette area with a small picnic style table, a mini fridge, and a microwave. Starting at around $140 per night, these rooms provide some of the most bang for your buck.

Dockside and Surfside are located side by side just outside of the Universal Orlando Resort property. The ride to the parks is only about 7 minutes on average. Depending on your room location, you can still catch a beautiful view of some of the big coasters at the parks. It is possible to walk from these Hotels to the parks as it’s only 2 miles away. However, I wouldn’t recommend it. The path leads you to cross some busy roads.

Surfside inn.

Surfside first opened in 2019 and is the older of the two. This gorgeous resort is themed like a relaxing beach with plenty of bright colored surf boards. The two towers of this hotel surround a huge surfboard shaped pool. Poolside you can enjoy some drinks at Sand Bar which is the name of the poolside bar. When you are Hungry, the Beach Break Café offers food-court style dining for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. If you don’t feel like leaving your room to eat, they offer pizza delivery to your room. And don’t forget, there is a Starbucks at every Universal Hotel.

Dockside inn

This Hotel opened its doors in December of 2020. Dockside is themed beautifully with lots of art that remind you of sailing the coast. The color scheme is one of a soothing sunset. This hotel has two huge pools and a splash pad for the kids. Each pool has a poolside bar that offers a variety of drinks. Like it’s sister hotel, dockside also has one main dining area called Pier 8 Market with some of the same food court style offerings and a Starbucks. Pizza can also be delivered to your room at dockside. One additional offering that Dockside has is a cozy indoor lounge bar. With comfortable seating, very relaxing ambient lighting, the Sunset Lounge is a great place for guest ages 21 and over to unwind and have a drink or two.

Both Hotels are beautiful and are very clean. The staff there, like every Universal Hotel provide the best service. Priced at a rate where you’d think it’s just a place to sleep but it’s much more than that. Even if you wanted to enjoy a staycation and not go to the parks, Endless Summer Resorts are a fantastic choice.

Prime Value

The two Prime value Hotels couldn’t be more different from each other in style. But like all the hotels at Universal, either one is a great choice. Both of these hotels are on Universal Resort property and have walking paths to Volcano bay and the theme parks. Cabana Bay resort is the closest to Volcano bay.

Aventura

Aventura Hotel is themed like a modern day business style hotel. It’s rooms feature the convenience of technology with a tablet you can use to control your lights, thermostat, and curtains. Aventura offers some of the best views with floor to ceiling windows. Standard rooms at Aventura start at $140 per night and they also have kid suites that start at $244 per night. The pool features a splash pad and a pool side bar. When you get hungry, just head over to the Urban Pantry for a variety of food court style food. Aventura also has a lobby bar called Barventura. But the most impressive areas of this hotel is the roof top Bar. Bar 17 Bistro features a variety of drinks and food that can be enjoyed along with a breath taking view of all three parks.

Cabana Bay

Next on our list is probably the most family friendly hotel, Cabana Bay. If features two pools. At one pool there is a slide and at the other pool, there is a lazy river! Cabana bay is a huge hotel with standard rooms starting at $140 per night and Family suites starting at $180 per night. They even have Volcano view rooms where you can see the giant Volcano from Volcano bay. Cabana Bay also has it’s very own bowling alley you can enjoy by reserving in advanced.

There are a few dining option with both pool bars serving food as well. Inside the Main building you can eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the food court style Bayliner Diner. They also have an indoor lounge called Swizzle. If you have a sweet tooth, Shakes Malt Shop serves a variety of dessert items like milk shakes and ice cream sundaes. At night you can roast Marshmallows and make smores poolside.

Preferred Universal Hotels

Sapphire Falls is the only of the Universal hotels in the preferred category. This hotel is known for its luxurious landscapes, that include waterfalls reminiscent of a secluded island getaway. The amenities for this hotel are more on the high-end spectrum. Standard room rates start at $215 per night. There are also luxury suites starting at a price of $306 per night. They’ll even let you bring up to two pets to stay with you!

Sapphire Falls is home to the largest pool out of all the Universal studios Orlando Hotels at 16,000 square feet and includes a slide. If that wasn’t enough, you can also find some serenity and relaxation in the hot tub. Located poolside is the Drhum Club Kantene, a poolside bar that serves your favorite tropical drinks as well as some delicious bites.

Speaking of delicious bites…

Room service is available 24 hours a day and will even bring you dog or cat food for your furry friends. Other dining options are Amatista cook house, offering a casual yet elegant place to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Try vintage rums from all the world and tapas style appetizers at the Strong Water Tavern. A stylish contemporary Bar with a nautical theme. And finally, there is the Dutch trading company.  A quick service restaurant that offers everything from breakfast sandwiches to dessert and even alcohol. This is also where you can find Starbucks coffee.

One of the best amenities at Sapphire Falls is the water taxi transportation to the parks. On top of having a walking path and bus transportation, you also get the opportunity to ride a boat that drops you off right in the middle of city walk. These water taxis (weather permitting) usually run along the same schedule as the bus transportation.

The beauty and luxurious feel of this Resort is on par with the Three Premiere Hotels. You may be wondering why Sapphire Falls is not in the premier category and why are the rooms less expenive. The answer is …. No Express Passes. I will explain in the next section.

Premiere Universal Hotels

Now we get to the big guns. The Premier Category Hotels. The three Premier Hotels are Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel, and Portofino Bay Hotel. Prices at these Hotels range from as low as $300 for a standard room to upwards of $1000 or more for the luxury suites per night. Prices of all these Hotels vary greatly depending on the dates you choose to stay and how much in advanced you are booking.

All three of these hotels offer a convenient walking path, buses, and water Taxis to the parks. They are also Pet friendly. Unlike all the other hotels, the Premier Hotels include Unlimited Express Passes to the parks for every guest in your room.

Express passes are activated in your room keys, so you’ll need to bring those with you to the parks. They are good for check-in day, every day of your stay, and check out day. For example, if you have a 2-night stay, you’ll be able to use your express passes for three whole days at the park. This is an unbelievable Perk!! Unlimited Express passes can range from $135 to $300 per person, per day. If you have a family of four, the premier resort gives you a minimum of $540 worth in express passes per day just for staying with them.  If you are planning to buy express passes, then I think staying at one of these Hotels is a no brainer.

Royal Pacific

Royal Pacific Resort has the closest walking path to Islands of adventure. It is a beautiful Pacific Island themed Hotel With lots of tropical flower art and frog décor. A Zero entry beach style pool is a perfect place to cool off from the Florida heat. Poolside you can enjoy Drinks and food that can be delivered straight to your lounge chair. Royal Pacific is also home to Five restaurants/grills, all serving alcohol. Room Service is also available 24 hours a day.

Hard Rock Hotel

Hard Rock Hotel has the closest walking path to Universal Studios. This Rock themed Hotel has a cool, exciting, and fun atmosphere. The pool features a slide, two hot tubs, and an underwater sound system. Poolside food and drink service is also available. Aside from having about 7 choices for places to eat or drink, Hard Rock Offers a few special amenities you can’t get anywhere else. You can request a guitar be delivered to your room so you can Rock out during your stay.

Portofino Bay Hotel

Portofino Bay Hotel feels like a romantic Italian Getaway. Themed after the city of Portofino, Italy, this hotel is one of, if not the most beautiful Hotel in universal Studios Resort. All the restaurants and lounges surround a Piazza with a picturesque view of the bay. You can enjoy romantic dinner, a glass of wine, a traditional style pizza, some Gelato, or even a delicious cup of coffee, all while being serenated in the evening by live Opera singers that perform from a balcony. Portofino Bay has three separate pools. The largest of the three features a slide and a beach lounge area. This pool is also home to Splendido Bar and Grille where you can get poolside service. In the middle of the Hotel there is another quieter pool for those who would like more privacy and quiet. And finally, a third small pool for adults only.

So which one will it be?

With so many choices, it can be a daunting task choosing which one is perfect for you and your family. Luckily, you just can’t go wrong with choosing any of these hotels.

Basic rule of thumb that I use when recommending a universal hotel is if you are going to the parks all day and just need a place to sleep and relax for a bit, then the value hotels are probably the best choice for you. If you are going to the parks and are planning to buy express passes, then you really need to compare the cost of just staying at a premier hotel where Express is included in your stay. If you are looking to have a luxury vacation getaway where you will stay for more than three nights and will be able to enjoy the resort, then any of the prime value to the premier hotels can be a great choice depending on your budget.

One thing to also keep in mind is that no matter which hotel you stay at, you can travel to any of the other Hotels to Hangout, eat, or enjoy their pool. As always if you have any questions please comment or send me a message and I’ll be more than happy to help.