Universal's Loews Portofino Bay Hotel

Loews Portofino Bay recreates an Italian Riviera fishing village around a man-made harbour, with ochre façades, cobbled lanes and boats moored in front of the piazza. It opened in 1999 and remains the most ambitious address at Universal Orlando Resort, as well as the one with the largest rooms. It holds 750 guest rooms including 45 suites, about twenty-four kilometres from Orlando International Airport.

Universal Express Unlimited, and what it actually covers

Your room key works as a skip-the-line pass for the whole stay, for every guest in the room, at no extra charge and with no daily limit. You present it at the dedicated entrance of participating attractions.

The scope of the benefit deserves a careful read. It applies at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure. Loews and Universal explicitly exclude Epic Universe and Volcano Bay from it in their official terms. A trip built around Epic Universe, open since 22 May 2025, means buying express access separately for that park. Only three hotels carry the free Express Unlimited benefit: Portofino Bay, Hard Rock and Royal Pacific. Loews Sapphire Falls belongs to the same Signature Collection without qualifying, which catches many travellers by surprise at check-in.

The rooms

A standard room runs about 42 m², the largest format among Universal's original hotels, and that is a concrete argument for a family spending six nights in one space. Categories split between garden view and bay view, the latter looking out over the piazza and the boats.

Around fifteen kids' suites draw on the Despicable Me films and put the children's beds behind a door. Above them, the Portofino, Villa, Governatore and Presidente suites climb in size and service. The Club Level has a private lounge of roughly 325 m², the largest at the resort, with food and drink offerings through the day.

Eating and drinking on site

The hotel carries its theme into its kitchens. Bice Ristorante works northern Italy in a fine-dining setting. Mama Della's Ristorante plays the opposite card, a southern Italian family home with musicians moving between the tables. Trattoria del Porto serves all three meals and runs themed buffets on selected evenings. Sal's Market Deli handles pizza and calzone, the Gelateria ice cream and coffee, The Thirsty Fish cocktails at the water's edge, and Splendido Bar & Grill those who would rather not leave the pool. Room service runs around the clock.

In the evening the piazza hosts Musica della Notte, an open-air recital offered to hotel guests, with operatic voices from the balconies. The schedule varies by season, so ask at check-in.

Three pools, and a real spa

The Beach Pool is the family pool, with its sand beach, a slide built into a Roman aqueduct set, a bar, cabanas, a bocce court and outdoor movie nights. The Villa Pool is a quieter, more private basin, and the Hillside Pool a small retreat in the east wing. Campo Portofino runs supervised activities for children.

Mandara Spa covers roughly 1,140 m² with massage, facials, hydrotherapy and sauna. It is the only full spa at Universal Orlando Resort, which makes Portofino Bay the obvious pick when someone in the group wants a day away from the parks.

Getting to the parks

The water taxi leaves the harbour dock for CityWalk in about seven minutes, from an hour before early entry until the middle of the night. A walking path exists as well, though it takes fifteen to twenty minutes, the longest of the connected hotels. Shuttle buses serve Volcano Bay and Epic Universe.

Like every on-site hotel guest, you get Early Park Admission, up to one hour before opening. Universal designates which park applies on a given date, one park at a time.

Who this hotel suits

It suits travellers who want space in the room, a genuine spa, a serious dinner table and a setting that makes you forget a theme park sits ten minutes away. The included express access settles the queue question at the two original parks.

It suits you less if Epic Universe is the main draw, since the benefit stops there. The walk to the parks is the longest at the resort, which matters with small children at the end of a day. Portofino's rooms have not had a recent refresh, unlike Hard Rock's, rebuilt in 2025. Parking is charged and pets are welcome for a fee. Your Voyages AquaTerra advisor can help you decide at 1-866-628-6241.