Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando

Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando

Star rating

Standard Two Queen Room
Despicable Me Kid's Suite
Sal's Market Deli
Mama Della's Ristorante
MANDARA Spa®
MANDARA Spa®
A video preview image
Standard Two Queen Room
Despicable Me Kid's Suite
Sal's Market Deli
Mama Della's Ristorante
MANDARA Spa®
MANDARA Spa®

The hotel

Experience la dolce vita — the sweet life — at Loews Portofino Bay at Universal Orlando. Set on a stunning harbour, prepare to be transported to the charming, picturesque Italian seaside and cobblestoned streets. Sit and enjoy the views over the glistening harbour waters while sipping on a coffee. Taste traditional Italian food in one of the many restaurants. And, when the sun’s shining, jump into one of the pools to cool off. The parks are only a water taxi or shuttle bus away, and you’ll benefit from amazing extras such as FREE** Universal Express Unlimited ride access, allowing you to skip the regular lines in Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure all day (Valid theme park admission required) and Early Park Admission† to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ and Universal’s Volcano Bay.

Amenities

  • Kids Club
  • Wheelchair access
  • Families
  • Bar
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Games Room
  • Hot tub
  • Restaurant
  • Room Service
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Swimming Pool
  • Valet parking

Where is it

Within easy walking distance of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure plus Universal CityWalk and a quick shuttle bus ride to Universal's Volcano Bay. A water taxi or shuttle bus is also available to reach all 3 parks and Universal CityWalk. Transfer time from Orlando International Airport: 20 minutes.

Hotel information

750 rooms. All with air-conditioning, 42" flat-screen TV, iPod docking station, coffee maker, safe, iron and board, bathrobes, and hairdryer.

Garden View Rooms are 450 sq ft and have views of the lawns and gardens, with 1 king-size bed or 2 queen-size beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Housekeeping is provided each day, along with an evening turndown service.

Bay View Rooms are 450 sq ft and overlook the piazza and scenic harbour, with 1 king-size bed or 2 queen-size beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. 

Deluxe Rooms are 490 sq ft and have views of the villa pool or the beach pool, with a larger living space and 1 king-size bed or 2 queen-size beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. 

Club Rooms are 490 sq ft and include exclusive club benefits (listed below), with 1 king-size bed or 2 queen-size beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. 

Despicable Me Kids Suites are large family suites, featuring two bedrooms and a separate kids room with a small table and chair set, wardrobe and TV. With 1 king-size bed in the master bedroom, and twin beds or bunk beds in the second bedroom, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. (Please note: the children's bedroom only opens into the adult's bedroom). 


Club Level Rooms include access to the Portofino Club Lounge, offering the following benefits:  

Access to an exclusive Lounge for American buffet breakfast, drinks and afternoon snacks 

Access to the exclusive Compass Club Lounge for private breakfast, drinks and afternoon snacks  

Please note: all rooms can have an additional rollaway bed, sleeping a 3rd child. Rollaway beds are at an additional cost, payable locally

Complimentary water taxis or shuttle buses to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay and CityWalk™. Self-parking $36, Valet parking $45, both plus tax, per day (payable locally, subject to change).Visitors with an Electric Vehicle (EV) or a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) who use valet parking can now take advantage of a complimentary "electric fill-up" at no extra charge.

Bice Ristorante (Italian cuisine, open for dinner). Mama Della's Ristorante (Italian food, open for dinner). Trattoria del Porto (Italian with a modern twist, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner). Sal's Market Deli (pizza, sandwiches and deli items, open for lunch and dinner). Splendido Bar and Grill^ (poolside dining). Gelateria (breakfast items, ice cream and milkshakes). Starbucks®. The Thirsty Fish (harbourside bar with evening entertainment on select nights). 24-hour room service*.

'Musica della Notte' (Music of the Night), an evening musical celebration at the Harbour Piazza.

Beach pool with water-slide, a sandy beach, adjacent children's pool, poolside games, 2 hot tubs and private cabanas*. Villa pool with private cabanas*. Hillside pool (quiet pool). Kids' camp* (reservations required), Fitness centre with hot tub, sauna and steam rooms*. Games room*.

Resort-wide charging privileges with your room key card. Complimentary delivery of merchandise purchased throughout the resort to your hotel. Wake-up call from one of your favourite Universal Orlando characters*. Gift and retail shops. Concierge. Complimentary WiFi. Universal Vacation Planning Centre.

Wheelchair accessible rooms available on request. Please note that these rooms are subject to availability and may be restricted to specific room categories and bedding arrangements. Rooms and facilities vary between hotels so please check at the time of booking. To discover all the special assistance services we offer please see additional information below.

2 nights at all times.

 

Please note: Due to renovation work, this hotel is currenly only on sale for 2025 departures.

WIZARDING WORLD and all related trademarks, characters, names, and indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s23).

Special assistance

Please note: one person must be 21 years or over in each room to check-in

^ Must be 21+ with a valid photo ID to consume alcoholic beverages.

**Requires theme park admission. Valid only at participating rides and attractions in Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Not valid at Universal’s Volcano Bay. Excludes separately ticketed events. Park-to-Park admission required to board the Hogwarts™ Express. Benefit valid only for guests of Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel® and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, for the number of guests staying in the room for the length of hotel stay. Available during normal theme park operating hours only. Additional restrictions may apply and benefits are subject to change without notice.

†Requires theme park admission. Early Park Admission begins up to one (1) hour prior to regular scheduled park opening to either Universal Studios Florida or Universal’s Islands of Adventure as determined by Universal Orlando. Early Park Admission begins up to one (1) hour prior to regular scheduled park opening for Universal’s Volcano Bay. Valid at select attractions at each park. Attractions are subject to substitutions without notice. Additional restrictions may apply.

Portofino Bay Hotel TM & © 2022 UCF Hotel Venture. All rights reserved. Universal elements and all related indicia TM & © 2022 Universal Studios. All rights reserved.

Please note: the hotel will be making repairs to the façade of the hotel from June 2023 – June 2025 to maintain the immersive experience of the Italian village. All work will be done during business hours 9am – 6pm. These repairs are being done one section at a time and may be visible to guests. Guests can expect noise from time to time. ​Thank you for your understanding as the hotel make these repairs to the distinctive environment created for guests. Areas where repairs are in progress may be visible to guests, depending on the location of their room within the hotel. Most common areas of the hotel and food and beverage outlets will remain available for guest use. There may be modifications required in certain areas as work is being completed. 

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (5208)
  • Very good (1666)
  • Average (817)
  • Poor (462)
  • Terrible (518)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Disappointing experience at a once great property

Aug 10, 2025 daytonaeagle Jacksonville, Florida, USA

We went with our daughters for a summer last hurrah. We’ve been going to the Portofino Bay for approximately 20 years. Pre-COVID the experience was nearly always very good and we grew to love this hotel. We’d not been in a couple of years but wanted to give it a try again. What we found was generally apathetic staff who really don’t care if you… Read more
We went with our daughters for a summer last hurrah. We’ve been going to the Portofino Bay for approximately 20 years. Pre-COVID the experience was nearly always very good and we grew to love this hotel. We’d not been in a couple of years but wanted to give it a try again. What we found was generally apathetic staff who really don’t care if you are loyal to the property or not. Our requests before we arrived that the hotel actually took the time to inquire about were ignored, It took hours out of our trip to sort it out. We were told after 24 hours at the property we did have club access after being specifically told the day before we did not. The beach pool which was our favorite place had music and dj record scratching so offensive we had to leave and other families were as well. The villa pool was not attended to at all apparently as there were hardly any fresh towels available at 2PM, no fresh water and piles of used towels on the ground. It was a disappointing experience and had us wistfully thinking for the way things used to be. I spoke to the executive assistant to the hotel GM the following week and while it was nice for her to listen to what I had to say I could tell, I was really wasting my time.. It continued to reinforce the message that they did not care if we returned or not. So, sadly this will probably be our last visit to the property - we don’t want to trample the great memories of the past anymore than we already have. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Rude Staff & Disappointing Stay

Aug 9, 2025 Jet46208397728

My name is Maria, and I am a travel advisor. I sell vacation packages to Universal Orlando, including hotels located within the resort. Today was my first experience staying at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. I paid for the room in full myself — there was no promotion, no travel advisor discount, nothing complimentary. When I checked in, I politely… Read more
My name is Maria, and I am a travel advisor. I sell vacation packages to Universal Orlando, including hotels located within the resort. Today was my first experience staying at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. I paid for the room in full myself — there was no promotion, no travel advisor discount, nothing complimentary. When I checked in, I politely mentioned that I am a travel advisor who brings clients to Universal and would like to sell more stays at this particular hotel. I explained that I had never stayed there before and was hoping to get a room with a nice view so that I could have a positive experience and recommend the hotel to my clients. The front desk agent’s reaction was shockingly rude. As soon as she learned I was a travel advisor, her expression changed to one of annoyance. She confirmed that I was only staying for one night, then pretended to “check with the manager” — but instead stood behind a wall for a couple of minutes without speaking to anyone — before returning to tell me there were “no upgrades available.” She gave me exactly the Garden View room I booked, but it turned out to be on the second floor, at the far corner of the building, with an awful view of the ground and a fence — not a garden, not even a decent outlook. The room itself felt old and worn. Overall, the attitude I received was dismissive and unwelcoming, which left me deeply disappointed. I came intending to bring more business to this hotel, but after this experience, I could never recommend it to my clients. For the price they charge per night, this level of service is unacceptable. I will continue to sell other Universal Orlando on-site hotels, most likely Hard Rock Hotel, but definitely not Loews Portofino Bay. If you don’t want to deal with rudeness and an outdated property, I cannot recommend staying at this hotel. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Lovely looking hotel, handy for park and good size rooms. Staff very friendly

Aug 1, 2025 nikkir509 Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Beautiful hotel, lovely staff and ideal location for the parks. Having stayed in all of the Loews hotel at universal I think how this looks and layout may be my favourite. Big rooms and handy supplies in coffee shop, food market place. Fast passes and transport all worked great. Small glitch with our room and lack of prompt and efficient… Read more
Beautiful hotel, lovely staff and ideal location for the parks. Having stayed in all of the Loews hotel at universal I think how this looks and layout may be my favourite. Big rooms and handy supplies in coffee shop, food market place. Fast passes and transport all worked great. Small glitch with our room and lack of prompt and efficient response from hotel, given what we paid and how anyone would feel with the missed bit of the room clean we experience is what stops it getting 5 star. However wouldn’t stop me considering staying here again. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Beautiful Hotel and Great Staff

Jul 29, 2025 Sandra R Rockford, Illinois

We had an amazing stay at this hotel! The property is absolutely beautiful, with stunning grounds and a relaxing atmosphere. The beds were incredibly comfortable, making it easy to get a great night’s sleep. The pools were wonderful—clean, inviting, and perfect for both relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. I would definitely stay here again and… Read more
We had an amazing stay at this hotel! The property is absolutely beautiful, with stunning grounds and a relaxing atmosphere. The beds were incredibly comfortable, making it easy to get a great night’s sleep. The pools were wonderful—clean, inviting, and perfect for both relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. I would definitely stay here again and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a peaceful and comfortable getaway! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Top Notch

Jul 24, 2025 Amanda G

This is our fourth consecutive year in Orlando and our first stay at The Portofino. The staff are wonderfully friendly (special mention for Kelly on reception), the rooms are large and spotless, the pools are fantastic, with a choice of a more ‘active’ pool or a quieter, Italian themed pool area. Both with lounger service so you barely have to… Read more
This is our fourth consecutive year in Orlando and our first stay at The Portofino. The staff are wonderfully friendly (special mention for Kelly on reception), the rooms are large and spotless, the pools are fantastic, with a choice of a more ‘active’ pool or a quieter, Italian themed pool area. Both with lounger service so you barely have to move! Early park access is great and the regular boat transfers to the Universal parks ran all day until late and were seamless. All in all a brilliant trip. Would highly recommend. Read less