The Best Hotels Near Universal Orlando

Fitness center, pet friendly, park transportation, room service, guest perks for theme parks

With a tropical island feel, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort has true vacation vibes, and the kind of pool you’ll be dreaming about long after your trip is over. The largest on property, Sapphire Falls’ pool has a sand beach, a waterslide, cabanas, and kids’ activities. The resort has a poolside restaurant, a coffee shop, a full-service restaurant and a tapas bar specializing in rum cocktails that has a “rum specialist” to guide you. This property offers water taxi service to the theme parks, as well as bus service and an easy walking trail, and early entry into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with park admission.

Pizza delivery to rooms until midnight, fitness center, park transportation, guest perks for theme parks

Rooms that sleep four at Endless Summer’s two hotels, Endless Summer Dockside and Endless Summer Surfside, average less than $100 per night, and two-bedroom family suites that sleep six and have a kitchenette average about $150—but these hotels still have premium amenities like sand beach pools and early park admission. 

Surfside is the smaller of the two, with a view of the lake and one surfboard-shaped pool with a pool bar. Across the street, the larger Dockside has two large pools and a lobby lounge in addition to the pool bars at each pool, with cocktails that have some really cool park history: Order the Disco H2O in homage to a ride at Wet n’ Wild, the Universal water park that used to occupy the property. Both hotels have Starbucks in the lobby and a commissary-style self-serve restaurant.

Fitness center, game room, bowling alley, guest perks for theme parks

If you’ve ever wished you could go on a mid-century Florida vacation, Cabana Bay is for you. The retro-theming in this hotel is so strong that there are even vintage commercials playing on the televisions in the dining area. This large, fan-favorite resort has two pools: one with a lazy river and one with a waterslide. Family suites with kitchenettes and accommodations for six are available. In addition to the often-busy commissary-style restaurant, there’s a Starbucks, a lobby bar, two pool bars, a bowling alley, and pizza delivery to rooms. 

Fitness center, babysitting, room service, pet friendly, guest perks for theme parks, spa

A stay at Portofino Bay is the best of both worlds: a relaxing, European-inspired setting that truly feels like a vacation, which is just a short boat ride away from the excitement of Universal’s theme parks. The hotel buildings are built around a harbor that recreates—in 1:1 scale—the one in Portofino, Italy. During the evenings there’s live music in the piazza and restaurants and shopping to stroll around. The largest pool has a zero entry, a sand beach, and a waterslide, but there are two quieter pools also.

Fitness center, room service, technologically advanced room controls and service requests, guest perks for theme parks

When there are robots that deliver front-desk items to your room, you know you’re not in your average hotel. Aventura has high-tech solutions for just about everything, like an iPad in your room that controls the lights, functions as communication with the hotel’s services, and is your tv’s remote control. While the theming isn’t as exciting as other Universal hotels, there’s a lot to experience, like a ground-level pool that shows movies over its drop-down screen and the rooftop lounge serving delicious, affordable food and cocktails.

Bicycle rental, game room, fitness center, tennis court, shuttle bus

The JW Marriott may not be on theme park property, but with its own fireworks show over the resort’s 500-acre property, you won’t feel like you’re missing out on anything. This resort has extensive on-site offerings, from its range of fine dining to casual restaurants, a golf course and spa, and its programming for kids and adults like nature excursions, canoeing and mountain biking, and culinary immersion weekends.

Electric vehicle charging, room service, fitness center, babysitting, guest perks for theme parks

The Hard Rock Hotel isn’t just a hotel, it’s a rock and roll experience. Everything about the place is centered on music, from the music memorabilia decorating the lobby (like one of Lady Gaga’s gowns and Jon Bon Jovi’s guitars) to the speakers installed in the pool so you can hear music underwater. There’s live entertainment in the lobby in the evenings and five cafes and restaurants, including New York’s famous Palm Steakhouse. Best of all, this hotel is so close to the parks that it has its own dedicated gate connecting the properties.