Premier & Preferred Resorts
Among the 8 on-site hotels are 3 Premier and 1 Preferred Resorts. The Premier Resorts are Loews Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and Loews Royal Pacific Resort. The Preferred Resort is Loews Sapphire Falls Resort.
Starting at the top, the premier resorts are more high end and can cost a considerable amount of money. While these resorts are stunning, by far their best feature is including the Express Pass Unlimited for each guest in your party for each night of your stay. Express Pass allows you to bypass the regular standby lines for most attractions at both Universal and Islands of Adventure which will cut a considerable amount of time off of your wait. Prices of Express Pass Unlimited vary by day but the starting value of this inclusion is $119.99 per person per day.
Premier hotels are located closest to the parks. While walking is always an option, you can also take advantage of their complimentary water taxi service. Water taxi’s have a security check right on the dock at your resort and will drop you off in the heart of CityWalk which avoids the security check at the transportation hub and a pretty long walk to the parks afterwards. Let’s take a deeper look at these fabulous hotels.
Hard Rock Hotel
The Hard Rock Hotel is the closest hotel to the parks with just a 5 minute walk. This resort wants you to live like a rock star! Their pool has a 260 foot long slide which will plunge you into 12,000 square feet of water featuring an underwater sound system. Want to play guitar? You can rent a Fender and have it delivered to you room! This resort offers a variety of rooms from standard, to club level and suites. Hard Rock has 5 bars and restaurants and is just steps away from CityWalk which has restaurants to tempt anyone’s taste buds.
Portofino Bay Hotel
Portofino Bay is an Italian inspired resort complete with its own piazza. If its Italian food you’re craving be sure to check one of their 8 eateries including the Gelateria for Italy’s infamous gelato.
This resort is also home to the one of a kind Despicable Me Suite! Walk into this room and upon first glance it is a beautifully appointed king room but if you look closer you will see a door that says “Authorized Minions Only” and when you open that door prepare to be blown away by the adorable decor! Prefer to unwind for the night without mischievous Minions…don’t worry, Portofino Bay has plenty of other accommodations for you to choose from.
Unlike the other premier resorts, Portofino Bay has three pools on property for you to play in. There is a beach pool perfect for families with a slide and children’s wading pool. A more relaxing villa pool where you can rent a cabana or upgrade your lounge chairs for the day. And finally the hillside pool offering a more quiet and private setting.
Royal Pacific Resort
Rounding out the premier resorts, enjoy the sights and sounds of the Polynesian at Royal Pacific Resort. All rooms here feature a beautiful accent wall depicting boldly colorful florals adding to the tranquility of the resort. However, stay in a kids suite and on the other side of the door lies quite the opposite. With its larger than life Jurassic World decor, your dinosaur fan will love staying in this room!
With its gorgeous courtyard, lagoon styled pool with cabana rentals, torch lighting ceremony (temporarily suspended) and delectable food with tropical and Asian flair you’ll immediately feel transported to the South Seas and fall in love with this resort.
Sapphire Falls Resort
The only preferred resort is Sapphire Falls. This property is a lovely Caribbean inspired resort with a moderate cost but still feels luxurious. It features the largest pool on property and offers guests water taxi service to the parks.
The standard rooms, offering various views, are very comfortable at 321 square feet. This resort also has suites such as a king bedroom to offer just a bit more space up to a presidential suite complete with its own workout equipment.
Lush vegetation and waterfalls are abound at Sapphire Falls lending itself to the laid back feel of the Caribbean. Grab a drink from Strong Water Tavern and head out to the patio overlooking the lagoon or wind you way down the stone turret to find Amista Cookhouse for Caribbean inspired dishes. While this resort does not offer guests an Express Pass it is certainly a resort worth staying at for its many amenities and gorgeous decor.