Loews Portofino Bay Hotel

Loews Portofino Bay opened in 1999 as the first hotel at Universal Orlando, a copy of the Italian fishing village of Portofino built around its own harbour: sun-baked facades, cypress trees and cobbles, with Vespas and vintage Italian cars parked by the fountain at the entrance. Loews Hotels runs it as one of Universal's on-site hotels, with 750 rooms, 45 of them suites, and three pools. Every evening at sunset, weather permitting, singers perform opera and popera over the piazza for Musica della Notte, and The Thirsty Fish serves cicchetti and Peroni at the water's edge.

The rooms were refurbished in 2020. Garden View and Bay View rooms are both 450 sq ft (42 m²), with one king bed or two queens, sleeping up to three or five with a paid rollaway; the Bay View rooms overlook the harbour and the piazza, the Garden View rooms the grounds. Deluxe rooms are 490 sq ft (46 m²), and Club rooms add the Club Lounge, with continental breakfast and evening hors d'oeuvres. The Despicable Me Kids' Suites, 650 sq ft (60 m²), give children a room of their own with missile-shaped twin beds and Minion bedding, opening only into the parents' room, and the Portofino Suites start at 900 sq ft (84 m²) with a sofa bed and a second bathroom.

The hotel is chosen for the room key. Every guest registered in the room gets Universal Express Unlimited, a separate, shorter queue at participating rides in Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, from the moment the key is issued until the parks close on the day you leave. Pre-register at the front desk on the morning you arrive and the key works in the parks all day, so even one night covers two park days; park tickets are still needed. Guests also get Early Park Admission, up to an hour before opening at select attractions. A free water taxi crosses from the piazza to CityWalk in under 10 minutes on average, and the gates of Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure are 3 and 5 minutes' walk from the landing.

The trade is cost. The entry Garden View King costs about $795 a night before tax on a February weeknight and about $1,330 between Christmas and New Year, parking is $36 a night plus tax, and the hotel's spa closed in 2024. Express Unlimited does not work at Epic Universe, a 16-minute drive with the roads clear or a shuttle bus that leaves every 30 minutes, nor at Volcano Bay. Book it for two or three days at Universal's original parks, when the rides matter more than the rate; for a trip built around Disney, stay closer to Disney.