Loved the Portofino Bay
by A TripAdvisor Member
We loved our stay at the Portofino Bay hotel. I was a little nervous after reading some unfavorable reviews. But I found nothing unfavorable about this place, the service was great, everyone was friendly, the maid came twice everyday to empty garbage, restock towels, etc. And the front of the line access-express-was terrific. We went during spring break with kids 9 and 11, but with the express line, there was no waiting. The water taxi was always around, and added a nice touch of atmosphere. I can't wait to go back.
we stayed in the portofino...
by tripster
we stayed in the portofino hotel which is in orlando. very nice hotel. make sure you have a room that looks in towards the portofino bay (rather than the parking lot). they had a fantastic pool (although in january it was 35 degrees)
Great for kids and adults alike!!!!
by A TripAdvisor Member
I took my 9 year old for a mother/son bonding trip to universal orlando and we stayed at the portofino bay hotel. i cannot even begin to tell you how wonderful it was. you must eat at mamma della's restaurant as well as sal's deli market. but by all means, stay away from the trattoria. it is too high priced and impersonal. not enjoyable at all. when we arrived we received a room upgrade to a beach pool view with a balcony. the entire staff LOVED my son and treated him like royalty. please don't let anybody tell you this is not a good hotel for children. it is one of the best. they all seemed to LOVE kids from the security staff (we were fortunate enough to meet a bunch of them on one of the ferries between citywalk and the portofino) to the wait staff at the restaurants.
Huge Benefits at Onsite Hotels
by A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed this past week at the Portofino Bay Hotel onsite at the Universal Studios complex in Orlando, Florida. It was our Second Honeymoon to celebrate ten years of marriage, and we made the right choice by booking a package online, and staying at an onsite hotel. The package included four nights at the hotel, three day passes to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and CityWalk, plus two movie passes. The hotel is very romantic and quiet, with beautiful scenery and numerous places to explore (it's huge). It's absolutely perfect for a nice wedding. The hotel's restaurants were excellent but pricey. I've never had better Chianti, New York strip steak, and salmon. The servers were so friendly and eager to please. There are three pools, one called the Beach Pool with its own sandy "beach" and larger than expected water slide for the kids. There are plenty of hot tubs and other more quiet pools for the grownups too. They allow you to bring your pets too! How nice. There are so many restaurants, bars, and cafes... and an arcade room by the beach pool, plus a workout room with the best equipment I've seen in any hotel or even in apartment buildings. The only dissapointments were that they charge you $12 per day to use the hotel's workout room, and they don't exactly tell you all of the costs at the front desk, you'll have to ask or read about it in the brochure they hand you upon checkin. Self-parking will cost you $6 per day and valet parking is $12 per day. If you read nothing else, read this paragraph: The most appreciated benefit was that we used our room key card as an Express Pass on ALL the rides at Universal Studios and at Islands of Adventure! You have no idea how much you'll appreciate this until you and your family are sweltering in the hot summer sun waiting an hour to get on the water rides and incredible coasters. We did all the rides so many times each day, I can't even count. We just walked right on most rides! The second best benefit of staying at the onsite hotels is th a five minute ride on a special boat just for hotel guests! We didn't even think about our car for four days, with trips every 20 minutes from 8:30 a.m. through the day and evening to 2:30 a.m.! Also, you may use your onsite hotel room key card to charge all of your park purchases to your hotel bill! And they'll deliver your purchases to your hotel room, or to the front gate of the parks when you are ready to leave. There are lockers you can rent near the water rides in Toon Lagoon at Islands of Adventure - take advantage of these, you won't wish to lug your things around or get them wet. The first two (2) hours of locker rental are free. Grab a complete breakfast at the MarketPlace cafe in CityWalk on your way into the Islands Of Adventure or Universal Studios entrance near your boat dock - it's next to Starbucks by the water. For about $7 you get eggs, bacon or sausage, breakfast potatoes, and a big croissant. Two more great breakfast options are Croissant Moon Cafe just inside Islands of Adventure on the right where you can get an egg-ham-cheese croissant sandwich for $4.50; and a bacon-egg-cheese or ham-egg-cheese croissant with fruit at the Boulangerie Cafe just inside Universal Studios on the right. If you get in the mood for a nip, then settle into either the Enchanted Oak restaurant bar which is dark and medieval styled in The Lost Continent (across from Dueling Dragons rollercoaster); grab a beer in Jurassic Park; or relax in the casual Confisco Grill bar at the end of the entry-street of Islands of Adventure, on your way towards Seussland. The Enchanted Oak serves "comfort food" style full meals such as smoked chicken platters for $9 including fries, a quarter of a chicken, corn on the cob (husk), etc. La Bamba in Universal Studios has platters such as Barbecue Pork, pork and barbecue ribs combination, barbecue chicken, etc for $7.49 each. One thing you cannot go without - get a poncho or raincoat because the summers in Florida include spotty rain that passes rather quickly but can drench youing for Islands of Adventure! Bring a hotel towel or two wrapped inside a dry plastic bag which you can get for free from any shop. Enjoy!
Very nice stay... with kids
by A TripAdvisor Member
My family just returned from a trip to Florida which included 5 nights in Orlando. We stayed at the Portofino Bay with our 9 and 6 year old children. I had some concerns from the other reviews that kids wouldn't like it here - but it was great! The good: + Express pass at Universal to jump lines was a huge benefit! + Staff was very friendly + Peaceful atmosphere of the hotel was nice after the craziness of the parks + Kids loved the beach pool and water slide The not so good: - Food was overpriced and not so great I booked through Expedia and got a $175 rate; for that price the Portofino Bay was well worth it!
Photos
Portofino Bay Resort - "Music of the Night"
Forum Posts
Limited Time to shop
by cookie37
Hello All,
I am coming to Orlando from Australia for a conference next week and have been checking out the factory outlets. I am staying at the Portofino Bay Hotel and looking at the map the factory outlet store is only 3 miles away. While the distance doesnt worry me to walk, I was wondering if it is advisable from a safety point of view.
Thanks in advance
Re: Limited Time to shop
by springbreak105
Hey!
I just got back from living in Gold Coast, QLD for 2 years. About safety it's very safe. There's sidewalks the whole way and you don't have to worry about crime. The one you’re thinking of is called Belz Factory Outlets, the best one would be Premium Outlet Mall. They have a better variety of stores and bigger discounts. Also they have more high end designer shops. : )
Hope this answers your questions - Bye