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Hotel overview
Enjoy the beauty, charm and romance of an escape inspired by the famed seaside village of Portofino, Italy. Here, perfectly appointed rooms and suites welcome you home each day. Tasty outdoor cafes and a serene harbor invite you to explore the colorful piazza. A short stroll from the harbor, three amazing pools offer every level of relaxation. Every day and night, stylish lounges let you unwind and incredible restaurants treat you with deliciously delightful culinary tours of Italy. This is truly la dolce vita—the sweet life. Plus, hotel guests receive exclusive theme park benefits including:
EXCLUSIVE THEME PARK BENEFITS:
SKIP THE REGULAR LINES with FREE† Universal Express Unlimited™ ride access for most popular attractions in Universal Studios Florida™ and Universal’s Islands of Adventure™, including your favorites in both lands of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™. That’s a value of $129.99 per person, per day!** (Valid theme park admission required. Not valid at Universal’s Volcano Bay™).
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EARLY PARK ADMISSION* to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ or Universal’s Volcano Bay™ (valid theme park admission required).
FREE WATER TAXIS & SHUTTLES so it’s always a quick hop between your hotel and the parks.
OTHER EXCITING BENEFITS:
- RESORT-WIDE CHARGING PRIVILEGES with your room key.
- COMPLIMENTARY MERCHANDISE DELIVERY to your hotel from shops across Universal.
- COMPLIMENTARY CITYWALK™ ACCESS^ to select venues for the length of your stay.
- PRIORITY SEATING at many restaurants throughout Universal.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ Legal: HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR. (s18)
Early Park Admission Legal: *Early Park Admission begins one (1) hour prior to regularly scheduled park opening to either Universal Studios Florida™ or Universal’s Islands of Adventure™ as determined by Universal Orlando and Universal’s Volcano Bay™. Valid at select attractions at each park. Additional restrictions may apply.
Universal Express Unlimited™ Legal: †Based on average price of a 2-Park Universal Express Unlimited™ pass ranging between $99.99 and $169.99. **Not valid for guests staying at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, and Universal’s Aventura Hotel or for Universal’s Volcano Bay. Valid for the number of guests staying in the room for the length of hotel stay. Additional restrictions may apply.
Hotel & Universal Orlando Resort™ Legal: Portofino Bay Hotel TM & © 2018 UCF Hotel Venture. All rights reserved. Universal elements and all related indicia TM & © 2018 Universal Studios. All rights reserved.
Location
Universal Orlando; Resort On-SiteProperty information
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Hotel details
Hotel advisories
General policies & fine print
Check-in Policy -Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy -Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
General Information -Room taxes are included in vacation price. Minimum night stay restrictions may apply. Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
- No Show Penalty: 1 Night Applies: Sunday - Saturday 20Feb15 - 31Dec50
Ratings & reviews
TripAdvisor traveler rating
8641 reviews
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Apr 14, 2025Well Worth it!!!
Beautiful hotel, well worth the rates. My husband and I are in our 30s originally from florida and it was the perfect get away. The rooms are spacious and the batherroms are HUGE. Romantic feel for sure. Honestly the website pictures dont do it justice. The pools are great we went on a Saturday at 8pm it wasnt crazy busy but was lively. Drink and foods allowed and served. Pools closed at 11pm every night we were there. If I were to suggest one thing if you are smoker like my hubby ask for a bottom floor with a sliding patio door and outside table. its not listed on the site and its not extra but we noticed them the second night we were there after deciding to extend our stay and when our current room wasnt available we asked to move there and it was perfect and MUCH better. Room service was decent but prices with the 22% upcahrge was a bit much. A pasta, small pizza and a kids cheese burger, no extra drinks or sides was over $100 but again if you have the extra to spurge its worth it. Service was amazing, everyone was very nice and friendly. Very clean and comfy. Also its sooo close to universal the convience of the boat was amazing, it runs all night until 2am , every 10 minutes, it was a less then 10 minute boat ride right onto city walk. Also if youre a smoker they sell cigs at thirsty fish!
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Apr 08, 2025Find a Better Hotel
Pros-Rooms and bathrooms are spacious and main pool area is beautiful. Hotel lobby gives an “old work/hotel” vibe with marble floors and columns. Cons- As you exit the lobby, the hotel corridors are dated and the “Portofino Bay” copycat outdoor space is really lacking in greenery and vegetation. It is just “blah” concrete everywhere. The exterior facade of the hotel is “painted” on with no real architectural details. It is a farce for the cost of this place. There are no comfortable seating areas except by the main pool and there is zero shade around the “bay”. The adult semi-private pool area our room was supposed to be open until 10pm. After getting changed to use that pool, we found it hard locked at 8:15. The three pools are very spread out across the resort so it would have been a long walk to enjoy the other pools, therefore, we missed swimming our first night. There was also a reception in the “bay/plaza” area that went on until 11pm. So that noise was unexpected. Room-spacious but NOT CLEAN!!! My husband found fingernail/toenail clippings in the bathroom as well as a used contact lense stuck to the bath counter. Bathroom door was sticky as well. Food and more nail clippings near the bed. Sink or toilet randomly letting off loud gurgling noises throughout the night. I called to have room cleaned and came back to find dirty black rubber gloves left on the nightstand on top of my phone charger, the nail clippings still on the bathroom floor and the pieces of food still in the corner. Just really disturbing and disgusting! Ended up sick two days later-can’t help but to wonder if they even clean these rooms? Or if they are low on staff. We have stayed at several other Universal hotels and this one does even compare to the newer value hotels as they are far nicer. If you’re looking to receive “express passes” from the top tier Universal hotels then choose Hard Rock or Royal Pacific as they are much nicer and have better atmosphere. I was extremely disappointed in this stay and we left a day early.
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Apr 05, 2025
Great People, Great Vacation
The hotel and facilities were beautiful and well kept. I can honestly say, after eating at their restaurants, that the food was fantastic. What set this above other places we visited was the employees. Every request was filled with alacrity and speed. It is a great place to vacation.
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Apr 01, 2025Resort Going Downhill, But Not The Prices
We've stayed here many times, but it's been a while. We would now only stay here for the express pass, but not if others are similar priced. We used to stay here frequently, but the upkeep has declined, the service has declined and the prices have all increased. The property states it has been under refurbishment for years now yet needs it in all areas. No reason to charge these prices for this hotel anymore, as it's just not justified, with the exception of the Unlimited Express. We will look to the other two for that when prices are similar.
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Mar 25, 2025
Great stay!
I was concerned after reading so many bad reviews. I must say, our stay was great.. Room was clean, I asked for a room close to shuttle boat and received it, and the front desk was extremely friendly and helpful. Our room service was timely and very good. Universal resort was was clean and the Express Pass we received as a perk for being at a Signature hotel was absolutely worth having. We did everything in 2 parks in 2 days, some rides 3 or 4 time. The very large bathroom desperately needs some shelving for toiletries. We had to drag the ottoman in there to set things on.