It has great transportation to the Parks through a water Taxi and it feels just like you're in Italy, its very incredible and we always stay here! The hotel is always very clean, the staff is extremely friendly, and its always worth it to go here.

This is our 2nd stay at the Portofino Bay hotel. We have also stayed at Universal’s Hard Rock hotel & the Royal Pacific hotel.
I booked this time with American express’ fine hotels & resorts program which includes breakfast for 2, spa credit & a dinner.
— The Italian setting, particularly the bay, is pretty. I am irrationally bothered by Universal’s choice to faux paint much of the outside architectural features - feels a little cheap to me. Depending
upon where you go in the hotel there can be lots of stairs.
— the common areas have a noticeably nice smell.
— I enjoyed the ability to get info about the hotel, such as in room
Dining menus, or general questions, through texting.
— The rooms are comfortable enough - nothing special. Decor is pretty basic. I would prefer that the toilet be separated somehow From rest of bathroom. Water pressure & temperature is good in showers & sinks.
— Pools - we hung out at the beach pool because that’s where the bar was. There are 2 other quieter pools, villa pool & a small “hillside” pool.
— getting to the parks - a boat service is available. Most of the time, We choose to walk through the pretty garden walk that passes by the Hard rock Hotel.
— Parking - There are parking fees. I think it’s $28/day.

You can’t go wrong with any of Universal’s hotels that include the Express Pass. I like that the Hard Rock is
Closer to the parks than the Portofino, but I liked the package I got for the Portofino this time.

We checked in early to get our EP and hit the parks. Left bags with bell services. We were pleased to receive an upgrade to a deluxe room which was closer to the boat dock. The ONLY thing I didn't like about the room was that it didn't have a tub. (I was under the impression the deluxe rooms had a tub and separate shower, but I could have been mistaken.) The tile shower was large and spacious, and the room itself was HUGE. More than enough room for me and my three almost grown kids. We enjoyed relaxing in the pool area on this trip. The boat ride to the parks is quick and relaxing. Captains Rob and Bonnie are excellent at their jobs and always make the trips entertaining. Plus, I love not having to wait around for busses. My son did have an incident at Citiwalk that we had to file a report for. Mr. Imperioli came to our room and handled it quickly and with great kindness. This is by far my favorite resort to stay at in the Orlando area.