Hubby and I were very fortunate to have spent some time in Portofino Italy a few years ago…as a matter of fact I wrote about a strange experience that happened to us while we were there, in an article about portofino.
When we planned on going to Universal Studios a short time ago we decided to stay at a hotel nearby so we wouldn’t have to deal with parking issues which can be quite annoying up there, so I looked into the hotels on their properties..One place, The Portofino Bay Hotel, stood out from the other two when I was looking at the website of Universal studios and their hotels…the main reasons were the way the grounds and the hotel were created to look like the real Portofino on the Italian Rivera.
I called the hotel booking service and found a great rate for the days we wanted to be there, $209 a night…for a luxury hotel that isn’t too bad during the busy season and besides, we really were in the mood for some European ambiance.
There are three hotels to choose from and I must say now, that there really was nothing wrong with the Royal Pacific or the Hard Rock, all three situated on a man-made lake which are easily accessible by water taxis…the same transportation that takes you to Universal and Adventure Island. It couldn’t be easier to get around that very lovely and vast piece of land Universal has made very convenient for us, the lucky guests of the hotels.
Upon arriving at the hotel we were warmly greeted and only had a short wait until we were checked in…the lobby was decorated in inviting earth tones with fresh flowers everywhere with plenty of comfortable seating as well…there was one very long desk which was the check in area and a door leading outside toward the back of the hotel…we took a peek to see a little piece of Italy awaiting us.
The powers that be at Universal designed a hotel that appears to be a small Italian fishing village, situated on the sea, only instead of the sea, it’s that lake and instead of an old port village, the hotel is the village which appears to hug the sea like an old fishing port, with small fishing boats in the water against the backdrop of pastel colored buildings….truly picturesque and charming….I thought for a moment I was back in Portofino as I remembered it…But time to explore later..
Accommodations
Our room was large and very Italiano in décor …entering into a hallway there was a closet on one side and the bathroom on the other, the bed was the centerpiece of the room situated on one side, with a hand painted wooden, tall, antique looking head board which matched the rest of the light wood furnishings in the room…The bed was very high off the floor so I practically had to jump in, so very much like the bed we had in our hotel in Portofino. On the other side of the room was a beautiful armoire with that same hand painted look…here we found the TV, stereo and mini bar…of course a few drawers for storage as well…next to the Armoire was a desk, with internet access and another lamp….they had a bottle of water in the desk that said it was yours for $9.00!! No thanks..we, as always, brought our own in a small cooler with water and a few snacks…I refuse to be charged through the nose for water!…There was a very comfortable chair with ottoman on the other side of the room beside the bed. The mini bar was also in the Armoire but we didn’t take the key to begin with when we checked in, an option they offered for a fee…
The bed featured a very comfortable mattress and was fitted with down pillows, extremely soft sheets and a down comforter. Extremely comfortable, once I was able to get on the thing since it was such a high bed…if you were allergic to feathers the hotel offered an alternative. Very accommodating I thought. On each side of the bed was a table with a lamp above it on the wall, which offered good light for reading since it had flexible positions, this is something that is important to me.
We had a super view of the lake and could even see when the water taxis were approaching, this was a terrific convenience ….The thick drapes on the windows kept out the light in the morning…another thumbs up.
The bathroom was just gorgeous…if a bathroom can be described as gorgeous, then this was it… First of all, it was one of the biggest bathrooms we have had in any hotel we’ve stayed in….all done in a peach tone marble, from the floor to the double sink and tub/shower combo…there were hand painted tiles on the walls which added a bright decorative touch. All the lotions and shampoos were of a fine quality and there was plenty of room for all the essential toiletries we brought with us….large plush towels rounded out the bathroom ambiance.Wait, there was one more thing, a scale!..needless to say it went unused during our stay….Housekeeping was very good and everything was kept spotless during our entire stay.
The grounds
As much as I liked the room, I loved the ambiance of the hotel and the grounds…the lake is the main form of transportation to and from the other hotels and of course the theme parks, but not only that, it is the most important part of the hotel since it replicates the old fishing port of Portofino Italy….Details, details, they certainly didn’t skip on details, with old fishing boats in the water, fish nets and even an old car and motor scooter, haphazardly parked by the edge of the piazza…the peeling walls and flower pots in the windows of the façade leant another look of realism. just behind the façade were the guest rooms in three buildings that were built around the lake in a semi circle, reality vs. imagination…a winning combo….old looking cobblestone walkways led to the restaurants and shops featured along the pathways to your rooms or the pools.
Pool and spa
Speaking of pools, the Portofino Bay has 3 of them…each different in their own way and each one a pleasure to use…there was a beachfront pool which was a favorite of those who had kiddies with them since there was a sandy beach that led right into the water and a waterslide that seemed very popular and fun..you could hear the children laughing as they plunged into the water….another pool, which we preferred, since it was a bit quieter. was called the Villa pool, it was designed with elegance in mind featuring cabanas along with fantastic landscaping which featured tall cypress trees that lent a European air to the place…the Jacuzzi was my favorite spot and it was right near a small cold pool so you could go from hot to cold and back again…I loved that…the lounge chairs were plentiful as were the big plush towels…as you swam or relaxed, the whole ambiance of Italy was surrounding the entire place since each building had that old world look from every angle…they thought of everything!
There was another pool over on the east side of the hotel that I didn’t see until we were leaving.
To the right of the Villa pool was the luxurious Mandera Spa it offered full service and a fitness center…some folks come to this hotel just for that spa…I’m sorry to say I didn’t take advantage of the services offered but I did peek in and it was a lovely as everything else on the property
Dining
All in all there were 8 restaurants, we only tried one for dinner and we a bit disappointed with our meal at Mama Dellas, though the idea in principal was fun..family style dining with a Mama that comes out of the kitchen to greet you…if only the food had been as good as the atmosphere. We had been joined by some good friends so we enjoyed ourselves anyway
There was a pizza place called Splendido Pizzeria, which was pretty good, located pool side, it was convenient for burgers and sandwiches also…the prices were very high though, even for cold drinks.
Another place for a quick meal turned out to be my favorite…Sal’s Market Deli…here we found salads where you choose the ingredients like at any salad bar only they served you when you pointed at what you wanted, they also had very unique kinds of sandwiches, wraps and pizza…the prices here were a bit better.
When we were in the mood for something cold and sweet the Gelateria/caffe Espresso café was the perfect place to go to find soft frozen ice cream and Gelato… they also served espresso and other coffee drinks in the adjoining room along with freshly baked pastries and cold drinks.
Another very fine but expensive restaurant was just about to open called Bice…alas, we didn’t get a chance to spend any of our money on a meal there.
Great Perks
When you stay at any of the Universal properties, the Portofino Bay or the other two hotels, you are given a key which entitles you to a Universal express pass which allows you to get on any of the rides without waiting in lines at Adventure Island or Universal..it also entities you to free delivery of any purchases in the parks or at CityWalk….and another great perk is if you want to eat at any restaurant in CityWalk you bypass any waiting list….usually there can be a ½ hour to an hour wait…it worked for us at Emerils and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville…
We also really enjoyed using the water taxies, little boats that cruise around the lake picking up and dropping off guests of the hotels or at the parks…we didn’t use our car once during our entire stay….though we did have to pay to park our car, even in the self park area…I believe it was $12 dollars a day..
At night there was a fireworks extravaganza in CityWalk and we could view them from the hotel grounds…once we were in one of the water taxis and it was quite a sight to see from the water…
We really loved our little vacation at the Portofino Bay Hotel, for many reasons, the hospitality was superb, the room we had was quite nicer that I had expected, the ambiance fantastic….I felt like I had returned to that wonderful little village on the Italian Riviera, yet I only drove 4 hours to get to Orlando instead of flying over the big blue ocean…well, not that I wouldn’t take that trip back to Italy in a heartbeat….
As for the price of the rooms, well they change often depending on the season…our rate was a Florida resident rate, and very reasonable but the best thing to do is go on-line to check the dates you might want to visit…also, calling the hotel itself is a good idea, sometimes when you speak to a person you can find rates that aren’t listed on the websites…with 750 rooms and 45 suites, they do like to fill them up…
