Universal Aventura Hotel

After three years without a vacation (since our last Disney trip), my partner and I decided to try something new—Universal Studios and Epic Universe in Orlando. Our expectations were high, especially with the hotel, but unfortunately, our stay at Aventura Hotel fell far short. First Impressions:
The lobby was clean, spacious, and refreshing, and the front desk staff were professional. However, our room wasn’t ready upon arrival. There was no mobile check in. Everything was card based. The staff member we had doodled over our whole resort map and we were still more confused. We were offered luggage services but expected our bags to be delivered directly to our room. Instead, we had to pick them up ourselves with a ticket—definitely not what we hoped for. The Room:
The rooms were surprisingly small. The bathroom had a tub with a shower curtain, which felt outdated and unpleasant. There was a black spot on the curtain, mold starting to form around the tub rim, and a pink discoloration on the hanging rod that looked like mold or dye—definitely concerning. We tried cleaning it ourselves with wipes just to feel comfortable. Adding to this, the toilet was in the bathroom without any ventilation, so the only way to air it out was by keeping the bathroom door open. Not ideal at all. The TV was tiny—more suited for kids—and the desk was too small for one person to eat comfortably, forcing one of us to eat on the bed or stand. There really was no movie channels - you had to literally log into your own Hulu but not Netflix no other services just plain tv and … Hulu We had a double queen bed room which wasn’t needed for two guest (I wish they would’ve accommodated us to a single king room instead) The hair dryer was old and you can tell a lot of guest may have dropped it. Bars of soap … no thank you. I wish they had pump bottles, but they don’t. For a resort that’s nomore than 5 years or 6 years old - I expected better. Rooftop Bar:
We tried to enjoy the rooftop bar on our first night, but getting a check for three drinks took 54 minutes. We ordered three beers and a Shirley Temple-esque drink. On top of that, there seemed to be roach-like bugs coming through the rooftop drains, especially when it rained. Also, the pool and rooftop close with even slight rain or thunder within a 10mile radius, which was frustrating. But I understand safety is important but I mean come on now even when it wasn’t thundering they closed the roof top over just rain …. “ROOFTOP” Food & Beverage:
Food was a major letdown. I’d recommend doing a Walmart or Target run instead because the hotel food was overpriced and underwhelming. For instance, coffee was $5 a cup, despite free unlimited coffee available at stations (though creamer wasn’t readily available). The souvenir refillable mugs were outrageously priced—Disney does it better. The pizza we ordered (15 inches) had slices so small they looked like they were made for a kids’ classroom, making Domino’s pizza seem gourmet by comparison. Transportation & Amenities:
The walk to Volcano Bay was long, as no shuttle buses came our way. We took the boat from the neighboring resort instead, to citywalk and to get to the parks which was much faster than waiting for our resort bus. Beers at the hotel cost about $11 each, while we paid $20 for two cases of 12 cans of blue moon and 12 cans of fat tire at Target. The microwave in the food area was filthy, and the gym was more impressive than the arcade, which had only three machines and a ping pong table. Overall:
Epic Universe was fun, but CityWalk felt run-down, and many rides were more motion simulation than thrilling experiences. I regret not sticking with Disney for this vacation, and I definitely won’t be staying here again anytime soon. If you’re thinking of booking Aventura Hotel, temper your expectations and prepare accordingly. Good luck and happy vacation hunting! Read less

Spent a week. Had two rooms. One was decent size, the other was pretty small. Room cleaning every two days, not a problem for us. Small cafeteria type eatery. Food was ok. Pool was pretty nice and well life guarded. Staff was very nice. Only drawback was that the elevators were pretty bad. Usually had to wait several minutes for one to arrive. Bigger problem when we were in the lobby with a crowd trying to get back to their rooms, too. No complaints about bus service to parks. Would definitely stay here again. Read less

Would recommended this place for a chilled out escape to the theme parks. Our Deluxe Resort View room had a stunning view of Volcano Bay and you could see Epic Universe in the background. Room is a little odd layout, the bathroom and toliet is a bit awkward but we traded that for a little more space in the main room. Great tablet to change temp and order things for the room. Great views from the roof top bar. The lobby pantry is a little underwhelming but plenty of food options elsewhere. Starbucks ok for a quick coffee. Was super easy to walk to Sapphire Falls and get the boat to Citywalk, or a bus that took 15 mins from outside. Swimming Pool was refreshingly cold and not always that busy. Would return. Read less

Stayed in April 2024 prior to a cruise. Hotel was clean, lots of facilities to enjoy including pool, food, shop. Really neat to universal could walk there or use river boat from sapphire falls. Rooms were spacious and modern with IPad to control your room. One issue was we were locked out twice due to locking mechanism on the door latch. Was dealt with quickly by maintenance staff to gain entry. Otherwise fantastic stay! Read less

Rooftop restaurant was closed for two nights. One for a private party. The urban pantry has a limited selection of basic food. Wound up eating elsewhere. Front desk was little help with getting information about going somewhere besides the theme parks. This hotel just lacks amenities. Good place to sleep but the bar is tiny and without the rooftop there is nowhere nice to eat. Will not stay here again. Read less