Loews Portofino Bay Resort is a luxurious hotel inside strolling or boat distance of Common Studios Florida & Islands of Journey, with limitless Categorical Go line-skipping at rides. This overview options room pictures, facilities information, professionals & cons, and the way those luxurious lodging examine to Walt Disney Global Deluxe Lodges.
Themed to the beach the town of Portofino entire with its personal harbor, cobblestone streets, quiet courtyards, intimate walkways, and extra, this hotel is actually transportive. Loews Portofino Bay Resort feels love it’s instantly out of outdated international Europe, and the large advanced may move for a real Mediterranean harbor from a distance.
Loews Portofino Bay Resort has numerous promoting issues, however this grand and beautifully-executed theme is its largest energy. Its structure is exclusive and sundry, and there are heaps of inviting spaces to discover. Theme is one thing on which we fixate in our Walt Disney Global hotel opinions, so it best is sensible to do the similar with Portofino Bay…
The most obvious Disney counterpart is Resort MiraCosta, which is within Tokyo DisneySea and themed to that park’s Mediterranean Harbor, and specifically the ports of Venice and Portofino.
Those two resorts are strikingly identical in plenty of ways in which make the comparability unavoidable. In fact, they’re situated hundreds of miles aside on other continents, thus giving no sensible price to how the 2 stack up.
Towards Resort MiraCosta, Loews Portofino Bay Resort holds its personal in numerous regards however nonetheless falls quick. The extent of element, high quality of finishings, opulence, and total luxuriousness are all considerably upper at Resort MiraCosta. Then again, so too are costs.
In equity to Portofino Bay, that is par for the route with Tokyo DisneySea, which is head and shoulders above the opposite Disney parks with regards to element and high quality. Evaluating any Walt Disney Global park to DisneySea would likewise yield detrimental effects.
That Portofino Bay even approaches Resort MiraCosta is spectacular, however the extra precious comparability this is how Portofino Bay compares to Walt Disney Global resorts.
At Walt Disney Global, probably the most logical counterpart to Loews Portofino Bay Resort is Disney’s Riviera Hotel, which is themed to the Italian or French Riviera. Right here, the comparability is some distance much less favorable to Disney, as Loews Portofino Bay Resort completely trounces Disney’s Riviera Hotel.
That DVC assets is basically a large field resort with uninspired and dull structure, little selection or element, and reasonably small grounds. It feels extra like suburbia than a resort themed to Europe, and considered in opposition to Loews Portofino Bay Resort makes that the entire extra transparent.
Not directly, the easier comparisons to Loews Portofino Bay Resort are Disney’s BoardWalk Inn or Yacht and Seaside Membership. Those in a similar fashion have a central physique of water, some architectural selection, character, appeal, and personality. They’re all themed motels, albeit to other puts.
This can be a debatable take amongst Walt Disney Global lovers, however Loews Portofino Bay Resort is true on par with the Crescent Lake motels for us. It’s a shockingly shut name, however we truly respect the original spaces to discover at Portofino Bay, and simply how other and distinct it’s from anything in the United States.
In this level, we’ll direct your consideration to the reader opinions within the feedback. Since first publishing this overview, we’ve heard numerous hate for Portofino Bay, and many of us disagree–reasonably vehemently–with our review. A lot of feedback about Portofino Bay having a look affordable, cheesy, and so on.
To every their very own, however Portofino Bay is a peak 10 resort in Central Florida for us, and probably the most few Common houses that’s Disney-caliber relating to themed design. There’s a reason it’s #1 on our checklist of Common Orlando Resort Ratings & Critiques.
Loews Portofino Bay Resort has a very good location that’s come what may concurrently remoted, far off, and inside a brief stroll of the parks. It’s immediately around the boulevard from Laborious Rock Resort, which itself is immediately in the back of Common Studios Florida and feels love it’s within the middle of the motion.
Against this, Portofino Bay feels love it’s a global clear of the remainder of Common Orlando. That is achieved by means of the structure, winding means, and a few in moderation positioned berms. Atmosphere apart theme, it rings a bell in my memory a little bit of the relative feeling of isolation at Disney’s Wasteland Hotel, regardless of Cinderella Fortress being visual within the distance.
Portofino Bay is a large and sprawling hotel advanced, so there’s no constant approach to measure the stroll out of your room to the park gates in mins. On moderate, you’re having a look a few 20 minute stroll from the hotel’s harbor to USF.
The trail could also be lush and lovely–with mature bushes, bamboo and arms–all alongside the waterfront. You pass below the street between Laborious Rock Resort and Portofino Bay, so that you’re successfully immersed within the “bubble” of Common Orlando Hotel alongside all the course.
If you happen to’d want to not stroll, Common Orlando additionally supplies complimentary water taxis to CityWalk. The boats are ample–we spent numerous time within the Harbor Piazza and it used to be uncommon for the dock to be empty for greater than 10 mins. We’d estimate that 9 instances out of 10, the water taxis will likely be quicker than strolling to the parks.
There’s additionally unfastened bus transportation that services and products Epic Universe and Volcano Bay water park. Basically, we’ve discovered the bus and boat carrier much better at Common Orlando than Walt Disney Global. Whether or not it’s by means of foot, boat, or bus, transportation is most often a breeze at Common.
(Notice: Portofino Bay is at the primary campus of Common Orlando Hotel. Epic Universe is on a satellite tv for pc campus, which is a tight distance from the opposite parks and motels. If you happen to’re that specialize in Epic Universe, you will have to keep on that satellite tv for pc campus. The one strolling distance resorts to Epic Universe are Stella Nova, Terra Luna, and Helios Grand Resort.)
The important thing perk of Portofino Bay is hooked up for your room key: Limitless Categorical Go in Islands of Journey and Common Studios Florida (with legitimate theme park admission). For many who are unfamiliar with it, Categorical Go is Common’s front-of-line move, and the limitless model is precisely what the title suggests–countless line skipping!
Limitless Categorical Go is incorporated at make a choice Signature Assortment resorts, which might be Common’s highest-tier motels. Visitors who keep at Royal Pacific, Laborious Rock Resort, and Portofino Bay all obtain Limitless Categorical Go incorporated with their keep at no further price.
In case your finances permits for it, we’d counsel one in every of Common’s Signature Assortment resorts if you wish to have the Limitless Categorical Go perk or a excellent location close to the parks or a fab luxury-caliber themed hotel. If you happen to’d be staying at a pleasant resort anyway, those resorts are certainly worthy of your attention.
Apart from the aforementioned trio, there are two different resorts within the Signature Assortment: Loews Sapphire Falls Hotel and Helios Grand Resort. Sapphire Falls wasn’t up to now within the top-tier; it’s a pleasant resort we truly like, however doesn’t come with Limitless Categorical Go and is priced accordingly.
Helios Grand Resort is the brand-new hotel that’s within Epic Universe. It’s dear and in addition doesn’t come with Limitless Categorical Go, however there’s certain one thing to be mentioned for overlooking Epic Universe and having a non-public front into the brand new park. That may be high-quality for Early Access there, or taking a noon smash when the crowds get too loopy.
Not one of the Signature Assortment resorts be offering Limitless Categorical Go at Epic Universe. Some lovers are maintaining out hope that this adjustments in 2027 or someday additional down the street. We extremely doubt that can occur.
Common made a sweetheart take care of Loews again within the past due Nineties to get the hotelier on board. Common is in a miles more potent place now, and no such association used to be essential with Helios Grand or Epic Universe–or any of the more moderen resorts, for that subject.
It’s additionally why neither Sapphire Falls nor Helios Grand Resort, each constructed within the remaining decade, be offering Limitless Categorical Go at Common Studios Florida or Islands of Journey. There’s no reason they shouldn’t, rather than Common now not in need of to make that take care of Loews. Limitless Categorical Go is just “too excellent” of an on-site perk; experience it the place and whilst you’ll be able to get it!
Limitless Categorical Go has a price of more or less $150 in line with particular person every day, which means the advantage of Categorical Go may exceed the nightly value of your resort keep. That used to be true for us—the worth of Categorical Go used to be nearly double what we paid for our Portofino Bay keep. It additionally is helping that this on-site perk is to be had on a daily basis of your keep, together with on check-in and check-out days.
See our different opinions for pictures, video, and complete ideas concerning the different two resorts that provide Limitless Categorical Go: Laborious Rock Resort at Common Orlando Evaluation and Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Common Orlando Evaluation.)
Loews Portofino Bay Resort visitors additionally obtain Early Park Admission. That is maximum recommended at Epic Universe given the Limitless Categorical Go at IoA and USF, and we extremely counsel taking benefit at Epic Universe. If you happen to’re best going to do one early morning, make it there. It’s a great way to knock out a headliners in Wizarding Global of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic or Tremendous Nintendo Global.
The following main amenity at Loews Portofino Bay Resort is the swimming pools.
The Seaside Pool is Portofino Bay’s primary choice, having an array of options: bar & grill, two sizzling tubs, zero-entry white sand seaside, Roman aqueduct water slide, cabanas for hire, poolside actions by means of day, and dive-in motion pictures by means of evening.
Virtually the whole thing concerning the Seaside Pool is outstanding.
Specifically, we liked the structure and design of the pool house, which broke up the distance well with pathways and landscaping. We had been continuously the one visitors up in a shaded house by means of probably the most sizzling tubs, which used to be made much more tranquil by means of the stress-free sounds of waterfalls.
(This isn’t the recent bathtub described above–for some explanation why I forgot to seize a photograph of that.)
Loews Portofino Bay Resort additionally provides non-public cabanas for apartment. Those come utterly supplied with a telephone, ceiling fan, HD plasma TV, fridge with sodas and waters, wi-fi web, and extra.
Subsequent, there’s the Villa Pool, the opposite main pool advanced at Portofino Bay.
The Villa Pool additionally has cabana leases, cold and warm plunge swimming pools, and garden video games–there are two Bocce courts situated close to the Villa Pool.
We discovered the Villa Pool to be quieter and extra laid again, with at maximum 25% as many visitors as had been most often on the Seaside Pool.
The Villa theme is spot-on. The grounds and pool right here reminded us of the Getty Villa, its gardens, and reflecting pool–or the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild (we haven’t visited any villas in Italy).
Loews Portofino Bay Resort boasts a staggering eating place lineup. For desk carrier, there’s the informal but sublime Bice Ristorante. Mama Della’s Ristorante provides family-style eating with specialties from the areas of Tuscany, Naples and Piemonte. Trattoria del Porto serves breakfast and dinner in an off-the-cuff surroundings.
For informal eating, choose between Italian staples like home made pizzas, sandwiches, salads, fruit and extra at Sal’s Marketplace Deli. Burgers, sandwiches, and extra are served poolside at Splendido Bar and Grill. Simply off the principle foyer, there’s Gelateria, which serves gelato.
Again at the Harbor Piazza, there’s additionally Thirsty Fish.
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel has an impressive eating place and front room lineup that includes quite a lot of Italian and American delicacies at just about each worth level.
Something to notice is that some places have restricted seasonal schedules, and will not be open right through your seek advice from (particularly right through the low season). Nonetheless, having a half-dozen-plus other choices is lovely spectacular!
We paid for an improve to Membership Stage for this keep at Portofino Bay, and opted to take complete benefit of that. As a result, we didn’t do any of Portofino Bay’s eating places or lounges this seek advice from.
We don’t have a separate overview of the Membership Stage at Portofino Bay, however we normally preferred it. The meals is extra substantive and hearty than maximum Membership Ranges at Walt Disney Global, with Common acknowledging the truth that many visitors need to do complete dinner in the living room. Breakfast used to be filling however reasonably unambitious and unimpressive; a great way to begin the day, however not anything to write down house about (see picture underneath).
That used to be most definitely my largest takeaway–much less refined small bites and extra crowd-pleasing convenience meals for a correct dinner. Another way, there’s overlap between Membership Stage at Portofino Bay Resort and the Deluxe Lodges at Walt Disney Global. Breakfast, lunch/afternoon snacks, dessert & beverages had been all identical.
The living room at Portofino Bay is likewise pretty. If it had been a Deluxe Hotel at Walt Disney Global, the Membership Stage would rank extremely. With that mentioned, I did want the Membership Stage at Helios Grand Resort to Portofino Bay.
There’s certainly one thing to be mentioned for splurging on Membership Stage at Portofino Bay, particularly because it’s so just about two of the parks and also you’ll have Limitless Categorical Go. You will have to get numerous use out of the living room, particularly should you like a excellent noon smash or day(s) outdoor the parks.
We spent hours and hours merely wandering round, and strolling off that limitless Italian convenience meals that we ate within the Membership Stage front room!
This overview highlighted Portofino Bay’s theme above, however the high quality of its grounds can’t be overstated. The primary harbor house is referred to as Harbor Piazza, and that is the place many of the eating places and retail are situated. It’s amusing to wander round right here and folks watch, however that is some distance from the one house of Portofino Bay value exploring.
We additionally spent numerous time in and across the foyer, which simulates each indoor and out of doors settings, entire with surroundings lighting fixtures.
Some other spot we loved spending time is Piazza Centrale (above), which is a courtyard between the foyer and convention rooms with a fountain and different main points that some visitor rooms forget.
There are a selection of spaces like this that attach the visitor room wings, harbor, foyer, and so on. to each other. Along with those main ones, there’s additionally Piazza Ponte, Villa Piazza, Citrus Piazza, and the Hillside.
All of those tucked away areas are delightful and alluring, that includes random paintings and main points to find. You could in finding tilework of cats looking to catch a fish, hand painted signage, stunning lawn, or attention-grabbing archways. There’s actually so much to soak up.
By way of and massive, upkeep is impressive. There’s planned ageing, however not anything appears to be like or feels overlooked. Like Resort MiraCosta, trompe-l’œil is applied to nice good fortune at Portofino Bay to create the semblance of dimensional main points, and for additonal authenticity.
With all of that mentioned, Portofino Bay’s themed design isn’t best possible. There are some spaces that really feel moderately missing intimately, or that experience a Nineties genre. Those are few and some distance between, and the similar might be mentioned about maximum of Walt Disney Global’s highly-themed motels that had been constructed within the 90s or previous.
This spills over into non-pool facilities, as properly. Common’s more recent motels arguably do lounges and eating places higher, and in addition be offering a variety of artful capability enhancements over the older resorts. (On this case, “older” could be very a lot a relative time period–Portofino Bay is hardly ever historic by means of resort requirements, it used to be merely constructed a few decade-plus prior to a number of of Common’s fashionable houses.)
In my view, I’ll take a little bit of well-maintained datedness over blander new motels any day. To every their very own on that, despite the fact that. If you wish to have crisp and fashionable facilities and couldn’t care much less about theme, there are going to be higher choices for you than Portofino Bay. (In truth, there are likely higher opinions for you than this one, as our priorities don’t align in any respect.)
Loews Portofino Bay Resort boasts that its visitor rooms “convey the splendor of the Italian Riviera” to all in their newly-renovated 750 trendy guestrooms and 45 spacious suites.
Rooms get started at 450 sq. ft every (the only pictured this is 490 sq. ft), which places Portofino Bay Resort on par with the bigger room sizes of the Magic Kingdom house motels at Walt Disney Global.
Those recently-refreshed rooms function creamy white and teal colours, which offer the rooms a mild and ethereal really feel. Main points within the lighting fixtures, marble surfaces, velvet, and carpet texture give the areas an Italian aptitude.
Those rooms are at the extra refined facet thematically, which is certainly a pointy distinction to the typical spaces and grounds. They most commonly paintings, however may certainly use some other piece of artwork or two–there are a few partitions that really feel a little bit empty. Like lots of Walt Disney Global’s fresh room redesigns, those are a little bit at the generic facet for my tastes.
Portofino Bay’s visitor rooms function 100% cotton sheets and numerous pillows. Convenience-wise, the bedding used to be plush and improbable. Each Common and Disney have sturdy bed video games nowadays, which is excellent.
Different touches come with an in-room Keurig espresso maker, mini-fridge, unfastened Wi-Fi, paintings house, chair, cloth wardrobe, flat display tv, and extra.
Since I drew consideration to Portofino Bay’s thematic superiority over Disney’s Riviera Hotel, it’s best truthful to match the rooms.
On this case, Riviera Hotel reigns ultimate. Whilst smaller, the ones use house higher and have plenty of good design options that building up cupboard space and room “usability.” The design and main points within the visitor rooms also are higher at Disney’s Riviera Hotel. I’ll nonetheless take Portofino Bay over it, however your mileage might range.
The toilets at Portofino Bay are completely appropriate, however not anything to write down house about.
Twin sinks and a separate room for the bathroom are the highlights right here.
We liked the walk-in bathe, however this being in the similar room because the sinks may pose issues for households looking to get in a position within the morning.
Portofino Bay’s visitor rooms be offering various Julien Farel pores and skin, body-care and hair merchandise. I don’t know if that is one thing particular, however I don’t have anything to mention concerning the toilets, so I figured I’d come with it.
Sarah shoot a video excursion of the room to come up with a greater sense of its structure.
The visitor rooms at Portofino Bay aren’t going to win any awards for genre or substance. If truth be told, they’re most definitely center of the pack at Common Orlando, however they move muster for us with regards to enough luxurious and theme. Your point of view might range relying upon how a lot time you’ll spend within the room, your tastes, and so on.
Something to notice is that balconies don’t seem to be commonplace at Loews Portofino Bay Resort.
To my wisdom, those can’t be booked on-line and will best be asked upon check-in. We did precisely that, and got a unfastened improve to a room overlooking the Villa Pool. This keep used to be right through the low season at a time when availability used to be considerable, so don’t be expecting the similar good fortune as us (or there being no price).
Over half of of the time we had been within the room, I used to be at the balcony playing this pretty view. That most definitely contributes to giving the weaker internal a little bit of a move–my opinion of the rooms themselves could be a little bit harsher had I spent all of my time in there.
Room charges at Portofino Bay have exploded in the previous couple of years, and it’s now automatically the costliest hotel at Common Orlando with costs on par with Deluxe Lodges at Walt Disney Global. Then again, offers can nonetheless be discovered that convey room charges to a extra cheap stage.
Significantly, there are particular be offering and pricing quirks with Common, so we’d direct your consideration to our new put up: Find out how to Get Least expensive Pricing on 2026 Common Orlando & Epic Universe Holidays. That covers the whole thing you wish to have to grasp, together with Common’s one large pricing coverage this is dramatically other from Walt Disney Global.
We extremely counsel the use of Be Our Visitor Holidays to value out other applications and offers, and let you work out one of the best ways to avoid wasting, plan your travel, and so on. Request a unfastened, no-obligation quote from them, after which allow them to do the paintings of making plans for you.
In the long run, Loews Portofino Bay Resort is our favourite hotel at Common Orlando and one in every of our peak 10 theme park resorts any place on the planet. Whilst there are a handful of resorts we truly like at Common, that is some distance and away our favourite–not anything else comes shut. Because the flagship resort with the best moderate nightly charges, possibly that are meant to be a given–however even with regards to price for cash, the opposite peak performers don’t slightly measure as much as Portofino Bay.
Additionally, Loews Portofino Bay Resort is the what we’d believe the Common hotel “for Walt Disney Global lovers.” With regards to immersive themed design, that is on par with Imagineering’s perfect resorts in Florida. Portofino Bay can cling its personal in opposition to the Crescent Lake motels and perhaps the inns, and ceaselessly with quite priced room charges–particularly as soon as accounting for the worth of Limitless Categorical Go.
As with all resort, Loews Portofino Bay isn’t going to be for everybody. If theme is inappropriate and also you’re extra keen on fashionable facilities and lodging, there are likely higher choices at Common. For us, a keep at Portofino Bay is without doubt one of the perfect causes to find time for Common Orlando right through your travel to Florida.
Want travel making plans guidelines and complete recommendation on your seek advice from to Central Florida? Be sure you learn our Common Orlando Making plans Information for the whole thing about Islands of Journey and Common Studios Florida. Additionally take a look at our Walt Disney Global Holiday Making plans Information for the whole thing about the ones parks, motels, eating places, and so a lot more. For normal updates, information & rumors, a heads up when reductions are launched, and a lot more, join our FREE e-mail publication!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever stayed at Loews Portofino Bay Resort at Common Orlando? Was once your enjoy excellent or dangerous? What do you call to mind Common’s vs. Walt Disney Global’s Deluxe Lodges? What about on-site perks? Does Limitless Categorical Go on my own make Portofino value it? Do you compromise or disagree with our resort overview? Any questions we will let you resolution? Listening to your comments–even whilst you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please percentage your ideas underneath within the feedback!
