Universal's Loews Portofino Bay Hotel

Beautiful hotel!

Our room was very far away from everything, they were doing some building work and had scaffolding up outside the window and they could do with some additional charge points in the rooms for usb/usb-c connectors

Walking distance to universal parks and unlimited express passes. Excellent concierge service and everything was as expected.

A little on the expensive side but the benefits do justify this

Starbucks, Sals pizza, and Trattoria del Porto (twice for breakfast and three times for dinner). Awesome service. Everyone was super kind. The hospitality was bar none. We loved the outdoor dining, particularly with COVID, and the setting was beautiful. The nightly 6:30 PM opera singers were fabulous! I really liked the text messages we received about our room and if towels were needed. The walking paths were beautiful and we enjoyed the boats to City Walk. This was our first time in Universal. We typically go to Disney but Universal was exceptional! We found our new favorite place!

We didn't know about the $1000 ($200 pending charge per night). I've never experienced that before. We charged breakfast and dinners to the room but it would have been nice to know about this beforehand.

Very picturesque, large room, nice pools, good boat service to the 2 universal parks and express passes included in stay.

Very pricey, room not vacuumed, bed valances we’re filthy - full of dust so clearly not changed in some time. Couldn’t have the buffet breakfast as it wasn’t being served although not told this before arrival (son was really looking forward to this more than anything else in the hotel).

It's expensive to go to Universal studios and stay at the portofino Bay hotel, but at least the hotel covers the price of the express pass at the park which makes it the same cost as one of the lesser priced Universal hotels. Staying at the hotel is like a visit to Paradise. It's beautiful and the boat ride to the Universal Park entrance is phenomenal. The staff here is fantastic and being from a big city it was an unexpected pleasure to find good Italian food right on the grounds of the hotel. Special note to the gentleman who organizes the valet and parking in front of the hotel. This man takes pride in his work and he is extremely friendly and efficient.

There was nothing not to like. Sure the price is exorbitant for a hotel stay in Florida, but it does cover those Express passes for your entire visit and for each member of your family.

Check-in was great and we had early access to our room which was really appreciated. We were issued with the room key/express pass and hopped on the boat to the theme parks. Such a nice way to travel and we didn't have to wait long in the 4 days we used the boat service. The beds were very comfortable and the room was a good size. When we were informed there was a 45min wait for a table at a restaurant on City Walk, we showed our room key and were escorted directly to a table. The food from room service and also at the pool bar was tasty.

There were 3 instances when we tried to shower or use the hot water and there was only cold. A maintenance person came once but I believe it was just because it ran out. Not something that should happen at a hotel of this standard. Also, the last morning we were woken up by some sort of construction work being carried out at 8:15am.

I liked the esthetic of the resort and the harbour area. The pool was large and lots of chairs available. We only visited one pool but there’s three. The rooms are very large and the beds are very comfortable. The express pass is a major plus and the smell in the lobby is amazing.

The property is quite vast so our room was a good 10 min walk from the club level lounge which makes it inconvenient.

Beautiful property and grounds. Felt like Italy. Loved the boat ride to Universal, which reminded us a bit like Lake Como. Front desk was very helpful and Mamma Della’s staff and food was excellent.

Very expensive ($1500 CAD per night per room x 2 rooms) and yet rooms were a bit dated. we have stayed at Loews in the past in other locations, and the bathrooms had new tubs, and the rooms were updated. Robes would have been nice also. Universal counter (ticket area) could have been more helpful, as we had a hard time getting a map, and we would have appreciated the information that there were actually 2 Universal parks, and the 1 day pass did not apply to all the Harry Potter experiences. The $1500 per room also did not cover the park entrance fee, only express pass. That fee was another $1000k CAD for 6 people. Just a heads up to any budget conscientious families.

The staff were very friendly and helpful. I appreciated the feature where you could text them with questions, and they responded politely right away. I had questions about check out times and luggage storage, and they were very helpful. I liked that you were able to store your luggage for free and enjoy the day at Universal after check out and then retrieve your bags in the evening. The bathroom was also huge, and the beds were comfy. The water taxi service was the best! If you got there around 7-7:15, the taxi would get you to Universal for early park admission. And also take you home at night. It was a short 6 min boat trip. Super convenient. The express passes were so worth it. Also unlimited so you could repeat a ride right away if you'd like. There is a Universal gift shop which sells the same merch as the parks with the same prices. If you wanted to buy a wand, you could do it here instead of the crowded shops. Would definitely stay here again and recommend

The internet was a bit on the slow side but glad it was free

Liked the room but was aware I had to pay extra for this room to get the access to the club food. Breakfast and dinner most days was just fine. Lunch just a snack really. Facilities were all good but lots of the hotel’s restaurants were closed and the atmosphere was therefore lacking, all staff members across the board very friendly and helpful.

What’s the point of booking to stay in the resort to get into the park an hour earlier, only to be at the popular rides like Hagrids to find a queue time of two to three hours every morning before 8.30? What is the point and where do all the people come from to beat us into the queue in 15 minutes! Absolute joke. No advantage whatsoever. Also tried Universal early one morning to be told early access was only via IOA which meant we could only access Universal Studios after 9 as the only way in was wait at the gate with the regular crowd or queue for Hogwarts express!