We did something you might not expect: We just left Disney World for Universal Studios Florida.

Well, we mean, we didn’t LEAVE Disney World for good, but we did decide to put behind our favorite Disney World hotels to try out a hotel at Universal. But we didn’t stay at just any old hotel: we stayed at the most expensive hotel on Universal property — Loews Portofino Bay. So come with us to see what staying in such a swanky hotel is like!

Atmosphere

So the hotel’s atmosphere is built around Italian theming, but unlike theming at Disney World hotels, it felt like some of the theming elements were painted on: for example, the brick walls were just painted to look like bricks. But after spending some time there, it does feel like you’re walking around Italy, especially with all the winding pathways (which can be hard to navigate at times, but totally worth it).

If we had to compare it to a Disney World hotel, though, we don’t think we’d consider it as grand as a deluxe Disney World hotel, but it did feel a little more grand than some of the Disney Vacation Club resorts (like Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort or Disney’s Old Key West Resort).

However, what blew us away was the live opera on the Piazza, which is the beautiful centerpiece of the hotel — and a place that gets very lively at night.

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Perks, Amenities, and Dining

The best part of staying at Portofino Bay, though, is that you get Unlimited Express for Universal FREE. This pass usually costs at LEAST $120, and it allows you to skip the line at Universal attractions. We love you, Disney World, but you couldn’t even — imagine getting free Genie+ with deluxe hotel stays? That would be a game-changer.

The hotel also has a lot of amenities, including three themed pools, all with a different vibe.

The hotel has nine dining spots, including a Gelateria and Starbucks (like you gotta’ have a Starbucks, right?). The food was, obviously Italian, and everything we tried was good. There’s also a VERY extensive room service menu.

Finally, transportation to and from the parks is provided with both bus and boat options.

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Rooms

Okay, so let’s get to the important stuff: what are the rooms like? Well, this is considered a luxury hotel. We didn’t think the room was exciting, but the rooms were spacious, so we had plenty of room to move around. Our room had two queen beds. 

The beds were comfy, and we had more than enough pillows.

There was also a nice table with chairs where we could do our work, if we needed to. The artwork in the room is, of course, Italian.

There’s a TV and dresser opposite the bed. As you can see, though, there isn’t a TON of theming in the room and it does seem a little plain.

There’s also a table between the beds with a phone, mirror, and places to plug in our devices (VERY important!).

There was a very comfy chair and footstool beside the doors that lead out to the balcony (yep, we had a balcony).

Speaking of the balcony, it has a table and three chairs. We had a view of the water, which was nice.

The room also had a Keurig coffee maker with a variety of coffees and teas, as well as sweetener, sugar, and coffee supplies.

There’s a mini fridge, too, if you need it.

The closet space was ample — AND there were robes. Gotta’ love a fluffy hotel robe, right?

You’ll also find an ironing board and in-room safe in the closet.

Let’s talk about our FAVORITE part of the room: the bathroom. It’s MASSIVE. There’s an area for the toilet…

…an area with a huge mirror and two sinks…

…and a tub with a shower.

The amenities here are Julien Farel branded.

But let’s talk about the important thing here: price.

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Pricing

So this IS the most expensive hotel at Universal, and rooms run around $400 per night. Now we thought the amenities put the hotel on equal footing with a Disney World deluxe hotel like Disney’s Contemporary Resort. However, the price is actually closer to what you might pay at a cheaper Disney World deluxe hotel or even a moderate hotel.

So you’re basically getting the equivalent of a Disney World deluxe hotel for far less than what you might pay for that hotel in Disney World.

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So we would say it was worth it to leave Disney World for a few nights and stay at Portofino Bay. We know a lot of Disney World guests go to Universal, too, so this could be a great option for your family if you want to stay there!

Stay tuned to DFB for more.

Have you ever stayed at Portofino Bay? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Universal for a stay at Portofino Bay Resort. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ