Loews Portofino Bay Hotel is one of Universal Orlando’s “Signature Collection” hotels. It’s meant to be among the best of the best of what they have to offer. We saw a great rate on a room as part of an annual passholder discount, and we just could pass up the chance to stay at this high-end option. Read on to see how our time at Portofino Bay Hotel went!
About This Post and Related Posts
This is a review of Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, a hotel at Universal Orlando Resort. If you’re planning a trip, we have a Universal Orlando Resort Trip Planning Guide. For more on hotels specifically, consult our Guide to the Hotels of Universal Orlando Resort.
Portofino Bay is one of the more expensive hotels at Universal Orlando Resort. If you’re trying to put together a budget for your trip, we’ve got a post on How Much it Costs to Go to Universal Orlando Resort.
Booking and Price
We booked two nights at Portofino Bay (room only) through our travel advisor, Lauren Quirk of Travel with Character. We paid $260.07 per night (including taxes) on a Universal Annual Passholder rate.
Unfortunately I didn’t note the rack rate of the room, but if the passholder rate was the maximum 30% discount then the rack rate would have been around $371 per night.
The thing about price I want to highlight is that AP discount. Universal annual passes cost less than Disney ones, and they have hotel discounts with good frequency. Both times I’ve purchased a new annual pass at Universal, the cost of the pass vs. the cost of a ticket for a trip has been covered by hotel savings. If you’re considering a Universal trip with a stay at a Universal hotel, open a spreadsheet and run the math.
Portofino Bay - Universal Orlando Perks
Universal hotels get a variety of perks, and they vary based on what tier hotel you’re at.
Like all Universal hotels, Portofino Bay comes with access to Early Park Admission. I’ve written about Early Park Admission separately. I like the perk, I try to use the perk, but it doesn’t fall into “game changer” category for me when it comes to booking my hotel.
Unlike most Universal hotels, this high-end option also comes with Universal Express Pass Unlimited for the duration of your stay. We have a separate Guide to Universal Express Pass if you aren’t familiar with how that works.
We didn’t have much occasion to make use of the Universal Express Pass Unlimited, but I do have some thoughts on it. First, it’s undeniably a good excuse for a night or two at the premier hotels, particularly if you can get a discounted rate.
Second, since Express Pass isn’t available at Hagrid’s, you need to plan a rope drop at Islands of Adventure in any case. And if you’re going to do that, you’ll probably knock off at least a few other rides in the process. Even so, you’ll be left with plenty of work for the Express Pass to do (including all of Universal Studios Florida park).
Third, if you want to get the most use out of Express Pass Unlimited, you’re probably going to want to plan your days around the idea of using it. That means—except for a rope drop or two at Islands of Adventure—sleeping in or having breakfast at the hotel. It means lots of resort time poolside with shorter spurts at the parks where you just use your express pass to get through the rides.
If you’re like us (or at least, pre-baby us, or me when I solo travel) and waking up early and spending full days at the park, Express Pass will be a convenience but not a necessity. But if you plan some more resort time—since you’re paying to stay at a nice resort—then you’ll get lots of use out of the Express Pass.
Arrival and Check-In
We were coming from Cabana Bay Beach Resort as part of a split stay (low price + high price = ideal split stay). I asked the Bell Services desk if they transfer luggage between hotels (something you can do at Disney as part of a split stay), and the Team Member took it as a bit of an unusual request but he and his supervisor quickly agreed they could do it today, no problem.
As a result, we just walked over from the parks to get to the hotel (more on the walk and transportation in a bit). The Universal hotels haven’t mastered online check-in yet, but I was able to handle everything at the desk pretty quickly. At check-in you’ll get your room key, which grants you access to Early Park Admission and functions as your Express Pass Unlimited.
We retrieved our bags from Bell Services with no difficulty and headed to the room.
Our Room at Portofino Bay
Overall I was happy with this room. It was much more spacious than the room we’d just spent four nights in over at Cabana Bay.
I’m not a fan of carpet in hotels, and Portofino Bay doesn’t compete with the newest round of Disney rooms, which feature hardwood floors and overall sleek aesthetic.
There’s a good number of outlets in the room (maybe too many if you have a toddler, though), but not enough with built in USB ports.
The bathroom in particular was gigantic—too gigantic, in fact. There’s no reason with this much space that the toilet can’t have its own separate area.
That point aside, this is one of the largest bathrooms I’ve ever been in, so at least we can say it would be convenient for everyone getting ready together. (But again, you’ve got four of you in here and you have to rally everyone to evacuate the huge space so you can use the toilet. Just a missed opportunity here.)
Onto some details…
Emily remarked that the bed was very comfortable, something I’ve never once noticed in a hotel room but I’m given to understand people reading hotel review might care about.
Two disappointing notes. First, Zoe was able to quickly pull the handle off a drawer.
I posted this picture on Instagram and commented that they felt overall the hotel was pretty shoddily thrown together. That wasn’t my experience, but I suppose my kid pulling the handle off a drawer isn’t a good sign.
Second, the Pack ‘n’ Play was given to us in relatively gross condition. I was able to wipe this substance off with a bit of effort and thoroughly sanitize it, but…ew. (It’s natural to ask why I didn’t just get a new pack ‘n’ play. Writing this review now I can’t remember my state of mind, but given the number of times I have waited over an hour for a hotel to bring me a pack ‘n’ play, I’m not surprised I went this route.)
Zoe’s slept in over a dozen hotel Pack ‘n’ Plays by the time I write this. This was definitely the grossest one so far, but there’s also a sense when you get these things that you’re rolling the dice a little bit.
Dining at Portofino Bay
Portofino Bay has seven dining options, of varying sizes and styles. We’ve only had some small quick service meals, so I won’t have any commentary about the quality of food or table service.
Bice Ristorante, Trattoria del Porto, and Mama Della’s Ristorante are the table service restaurants, with Bice being the most refined of the three.
Sal’s Market Deli is a quick service restaurant serving pizza, sandwiches, and salads.
The Gelateria sells gelato and other treats. Splendido Bar & Grill is the pool bar / restaurant. And The Thirsty Fish is the casual bar.
When I originally drafted this review it included one of my typical rants about insufficient quick service options, which I’ll truncate a bit.
In short, because I’m usually traveling with family and because I’m always on something of a time crunch, trying to fit as much theme park time into my days as possible, I much prefer the large cafeteria setup over at value hotels like Cabana Bay to the small, limited option outposts at Portofino Bay. The wait for pizza one afternoon at Sal’s was 40 minutes, so we had to order burgers from the pool bar (and of course wait for those).
There is always the “this is a fAnCy hotel” defense, but almost every hotel reviewed on this site is built to be part of a theme park vacation. That means early mornings, late nights, and busy days in between—good, reliable quick service options should always be a part of that calculus.
Portofino Bay Hotel Grounds
Portofino is incredibly picturesque and a delight to walk around. When we were there it was particularly quiet, which isn’t my choice ambiance but did make for good photos and easy naps for Zoe in the carrier as we walked around (Zoe was refusing hotel room crib naps by this time in the trip).
The pool was a lot of fun. There’s a nice splash pad and playground for smaller kids, along with a decent-size pool bar.
I continue to be impressed with the service at all Universal establishments, particularly the hotels. I only had one mediocre interaction—at Sal’s—but the service was otherwise impeccable, with staff always using my name (which I reflexively cringe at, but it’s still a key thing at nice hotels) and always being very friendly.
We spent one afternoon hanging out poolside, and the service was excellent. It’s probably the first time in 5+ years that I sat poolside with service, and it was the sort of experience that makes me want to do it more often.
Transportation
The walk to the parks wasn’t so bad, and we could get to the Universal Studios Florida entrance in about 15 minutes. I’d say it’s a slightly more pleasant walk than the walk between Cabana Bay or Aventura and the parks, but in both cases Universal has done a great job of maintaining these paths.
Emily took the boat to the parks and it was a seven minute trip to the docks at the CityWalk (and just a short, 2-3 minute walk from there to the park gates).
When Epic Universe opens on May 22, 2025, guests will have to take a bus to that park.
Conclusions
Let’s approach this two ways. First, I want to quickly talk about the price you’re paying for this hotel as a hotel. Then, I’ll talk about how the chief perk—the Universal Express Pass Unlimited—factors into things. Here are some prices for May 2 in the area:
Portofino Bay — $480
Beach Club (Disney) — $660
Personally I think Gran Destino Tower is a better hotel than any other hotel on this list with pool access / quality being the only factor really tilting against it. But I think Portofino Bay does a good job competing with JW Marriott and Beach Club, so for $100-$200 less than these hotels, I think the hotel is appropriately priced (a separate but important question is whether all luxury hotels in the area are overpriced).
Now let’s switch gears, how does Portofino Bay fit into a Universal vacation? It took a day or two of thinking after our trip, but I realized that Universal’s three premier hotels—which offer Express Pass Unlimited—really call for a different sort of vacation.
Universal Orlando Resort, including Volcano Bay water park, can pretty easily be seen in three days without Express Pass. With Express Pass Unlimited, you’d probably have little trouble seeing most everything in three mornings. This leaves your afternoons wide open for time at your resort.
This is distinct from how we think about Disney vacations. Guests at Disney’s deluxe hotels get the additional Extended Evening Hours at those parks, but that perk is not so powerful as to change how most guests vacation. Of course you always can do a more leisurely stay at a deluxe Disney hotel—you’re paying for that great hotel, right?—but it will usually come at the cost of some in-park experiences.
Alternatively, you could use one night (which gets you two days of Express Pass Unlimited) to squeeze the most value out of a stay. Unequivocally, if the logistics of changing hotels are okay for you, Portofino Bay will make sense for one or two nights as part of a split stay at Universal Orlando Resort.
Let’s look at some room rates (with tax) at a few Universal hotels on May 2:
Cabana Bay $208
Royal Pacific $417
Portofino Bay $480
Guests at Royal Pacific also get Universal Express Pass Unlimited. We haven’t stay at that resort yet, so I can’t compare it, but I mention it so you know to look into it as a slightly less expensive alternative to Portofino Bay.
Let’s instead look at the premium you’d be paying over Cabana Bay. Cabana Bay is a fun hotel in the “prime value” tier, adjacent to Volcano Bay and walkable to the two theme parks. This isn’t the resort experience at Portofino Bay, but it’s good for a visit to Universal Orlando Resort.
For $272 more per night, you’re getting Express Pass Unlimited and a nicer hotel. My immediate first thought is can you shorten your trip since you have Express Pass Unlimited:
4 Nights Portofino Bay — $1920
3 Nights Portofino Bay — $1440
4 Nights Cabana Bay — $832
The awkward thing here is that the Express Pass Unlimited really reduces your need for park time. If people in your party will ride and re-ride and re-ride things all day long, then you might justify a longer stay at Portofino Bay. If you’re really looking to relax with the additional perk of having a theme park nearby, you might justify a longer stay at Portofino Bay.
But if the goal is to experience Universal Orlando Resort and you have, say, four nights, it becomes tougher to justify a full stay at Portofino Bay (again, split stay definitely makes sense). It’s not that it isn’t a good experience—and we already handled the comparison to other luxury resorts in the area. It’s that for a Universal theme park focused trip by day three at a $480 / night hotel, you’ll perhaps be out of things to do—in the parks or relaxing at the hotel.
All Your Other Universal Orlando Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Universal Orlando planning! Take a second to check out our most important content!
Just starting out? Start with our Universal Orlando Resort planning guide! If you’re considering a Universal hotel, read our Review of Universal’s Aventura Hotel!
You’ll want to know what rides the parks offer, so we’ve got a Universal Studios Florida Rides Guide and a Universal’s Islands of Adventure Rides Guide. And to know how to get on them without the long waits, read all about Express Pass at Universal Orlando Resort.
If you’d like an idea of how to plan a day at these parks, we can help there, too. Our One Day Universal Studios Florida Itinerary covers a full day at the original park, and our Universal’s Islands of Adventure One Day Plan covers that park.
Early risers always have the best theme parks days (well, we think so). Read about Early Park Admission at Universal Orlando to learn how to get an extra hour in the parks. And read about rope drop at Islands of Adventure, including getting on the brand new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.