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
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Traveller rating

  • Excellent (5210)
  • Very good (1666)
  • Average (818)
  • Poor (463)
  • Terrible (518)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Portofino Bay - Great place to stay!!

Aug 22, 2025 Jacqueline B

Amazing hotel!! We were given a free upgrade to a villa room, which was great after our 4hr flight delay from Gatwick! Yes, issues with the key card upgrade ( this was all guests) but the staff sorted this out within the day, they even had security accompanying the maintenance person when checking our room key issue, all fixed within the hr of… Read more
Amazing hotel!! We were given a free upgrade to a villa room, which was great after our 4hr flight delay from Gatwick! Yes, issues with the key card upgrade ( this was all guests) but the staff sorted this out within the day, they even had security accompanying the maintenance person when checking our room key issue, all fixed within the hr of reporting it. Staff are amazing and helpful, beautiful hotel; baby ducks, storks, and even turtles on the lake! Unlimited express pass for the duration of our stay, we got as much use as possible, especially Hagrid and the Velocicoaster rides, (although I imagine during peak seasons, the queues would be much bigger, but still great to have). Great walking route or you can take the boat to the parks. We were asked how often we wanted rooms cleaned, we requested every day and they did; even if we saw the maids and said to leave (they still came later and made our beds and replaced towels)! Safe (no issues using) iron, hairdryer, tea/coffee machine in our room, hotel was extremely clean and smelt fantastic; forgot to ask what it was they used! The only issue we had was with the wi-fi. We accessed what we thought was the complimentary Internet, but when we got home, we received a charge of $70. Emailed customer service, because when we used the Internet, all that was asked for was our room # and days of use, there was no option to select the premium upgrade, which then gives you the price and you can sign up. They kindly refunded the fee, but I did point out we were not told of an the option for premium Internet at check-in, and were told no charges to be applied at check out. This issue/misunderstanding could have been avoided if we had been told about the option at check-in. However, we would 200% come back; yes it can be expensive, but we absolutely loved our stay here, some people's experiences differ but reading reviews before we went, the hotels eems to have taken some guests suggestions into consideration - best hotel we have stayed in, thank you PORTOFINO BAY 😀 Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Finally splurged for PBR, and it wasn't worth it

Aug 19, 2025 princessebird Fort Worth, Texas

I’ve been visiting Universal Orlando Resort for 11 years. We’ve always stayed at Royal Pacific (probably 10 times), but we’ve never stayed anywhere else. I had heard such amazing things about Portofino Bay, and I always wanted to give it a try. We decided to splurge this trip and we got not only PBR, but a CLUB room! Some things about the resort… Read more
I’ve been visiting Universal Orlando Resort for 11 years. We’ve always stayed at Royal Pacific (probably 10 times), but we’ve never stayed anywhere else. I had heard such amazing things about Portofino Bay, and I always wanted to give it a try. We decided to splurge this trip and we got not only PBR, but a CLUB room! Some things about the resort were very nice. The theming is perfect. The room we were in was very quiet. The beds were comfortable. The bathroom set up with a separate toilet room was well done. The villa pool was a quiet place to get away with a nice hot tub (and theoretically a cold plunge, but it was as hot as the hot tub). Our housekeeping attendant was phenomenally kind. But, I was expecting more. Our room was 320 steps one way to the Club Room (and I get the feeling it was one of the closer ones). The Club Room itself was okay. The breakfast was disappointing…no breakfast meats, no waffles, no pancakes, no donuts. The snacks were nice, but it would have been nice to have the bags of snacks out all day. The drink fridge was small for the number of people grabbing drinks, so they were rarely cold. The night cap choices were mediocre. If you have ever stayed at a Drury, the Drury offerings are way better for every category. And the main door desperately needs some WD-40. A few days before the trip, a Club Concierge sent an email asking a couple of questions about our stay, including if we’d be celebrating anything. I said we were celebrating my kid’s birthday. So I kinda expected a birthday pin at the very least (which has happened at Royal Pacific), but there was nothing in the room. Not a big deal, but why ask if you aren’t going to do anything? We routinely had to wait for a boat to take us to the parks. On several occasions, there was just one boat running. One evening, we had to walk back from the parks one evening when the boats were closed due to lightning, and that informed us that we didn’t want to start a day with a 20 minute walk in the heat. So we waited for the boat. Sometimes it took 2-3 round trips before we got on. We checked in at around 1pm, and our room wasn’t ready, which wasn’t a surprise. We were told it would be ready by 4pm and we’d receive a text with the room number. At 2pm, I received a “Welcome to PBR” text that said I could text that number to ask them anything. At 5pm I texted for an update. I got a message back quickly that said “thank you for your text. Let me find the answer to that for you and I will be right back with you.” Then crickets. So 20 minutes later, I asked again and I got the same response. Then crickets. So then 20 minutes later I texted again. Same thing. So we just went to the hotel and went to the front desk to get our room assignment. I asked if the people responding to the texts were real people or an AI bot. I was told that they are real people. I don’t know what’s worse: getting ghosted by a bot or a real person. And again, this isn’t a big deal, but if you are going to encourage people to communicate via text, it’s polite to respond. The night before we left, I got a message that our flight was move to later in the day. I told the Club Concierge the issue and asked if we might be able to sit in the Club Room from about 2pm-3pm. I was told that my privileges ended at 11 and there was nothing to be done about it. Okay. I asked if we could go to the pool, and I was told my hotel privileges also ended at 11am. So we went to Disney Springs. Was it a bad stay? No. But at that price point, I was expecting something better. More memorable. A reason to go back. And this stay didn’t give me any reason to go back. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Lovely hotel

Aug 15, 2025 Departure51626748410 Kingston-upon-Hull, United Kingdom

Great base for universal and free express passes with room key. Fab little ‘bay’ lovely little boat over to the parks. Lovely lobby. Super customer service. The room had jack and Jill sinks and lathe bathroom. Two large beds. Great tv . Pool lovely. With free towels water and sun cream. Would love to return.
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Poor management and systemic decline in guest experience and service

Aug 14, 2025 williamfJ1553VP

Every key in the hotel was invalidated at once due to a system upgrade with the locks. There was no advance notification. (A notification eventually came by text hours after I’d encountered the problem). Fine, I got it replaced. Except I had to get it replaced after it stopped working two more times after that, along with giant lines at the front… Read more
Every key in the hotel was invalidated at once due to a system upgrade with the locks. There was no advance notification. (A notification eventually came by text hours after I’d encountered the problem). Fine, I got it replaced. Except I had to get it replaced after it stopped working two more times after that, along with giant lines at the front desk. Additionally, when I got to the desk on the second occasion, I went up to the desk expressing nothing but apologetic empathy (having worked customer service before, I know that it’s not the fault of front-line staff, and that they take a ton of abuse). My attempt at friendly compassion was met with brusque dismissiveness. Additionally, none of the replaced keys ever worked in the parking gates. The unannounced repeated key invalidations represent a failure of planning on management’s part; the brusque response represents a chronic failure of management to support their staff and develop a positive environment with high morale. (Happy staff make happy guests). These issues indicate systemic problems leading to neglect of the guest experience. This would be unacceptable anywhere, much less at a place billed as a luxury experience that charges such high rates. I’ve been coming to this hotel for years and I am now very reluctant to return. This pains me greatly as in the past I’d always found Portofino a remarkably restful place to get away from the world and its troubles. Read less
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