HR Or Portofino?

[Louisa]

We are going in June-5 days at Disney(Riverside) and we want to go to PB for our last 3 days. I read that this hotel is very snobby and not friendly. We have 3 boys ages 6,11 and 12. Is this not a good idea? I was afraid the hard rock would be less appropriate and too noisy like the restaurant. Help!

 

[pathubia]

The Portifino is very beautiful and quiet. The pools are great. We personally like the HRH better, there seems to be so much going on all the time. We have not found it too loud. I have read a couple of reports of loud music while staying in poolview rooms, but we have stayed twice in pool view rooms and the music did not bother us, but we are a couple of "aging" (40's) rock and rollers, I guess it is just personal preference.

My daughter is 8 and she loves the HRH!!

I think you will be pleased with either hotel.

Patty

 

[Katy]

We spent three nights at the Hard Rock Hotel in April and fell in love with the place. My whole family went - about 30 people with children of all ages and everyone from our toddlers to our teens had a blast. I had dinner at Portifino and thought that it was a beautiful resort and would love to stay there some day - but I know my children would prefer HRH!

 

[crazyme5kids]

We did not find it snobby at all. We had six kids ranging in age from almost 1 to almost 16. They loved it.

 

[Bchamp]

The HRH is the MOST appropriate hotel, imo, for kids!!! We just went with a 3 1/2 yo, 11 yo, and 12 yo and they were not EVER quiet the whole trip.
What you hear at HRH is not noise, it is the sound of kids and grown-up kids having a great time.
Anyway, the "noisier" it is, the less chance that anybody will hear my big mouth when I am yelling at my boys!

 

[CPM]

Originally posted by Bchamp
The HRH is the MOST appropriate hotel, imo, for kids!!! We just went with a 3 1/2 yo, 11 yo, and 12 yo and they were not EVER quiet the whole trip.
What you hear at HRH is not noise, it is the sound of kids and grown-up kids having a great time.
Anyway, the "noisier" it is, the less chance that anybody will hear my big mouth when I am yelling at my boys!

I will agree to diasagree but it's to each his own. And I don't know where people get the idea that PBH is snobby. Who was snobby??????
HRH is smaller & people are confined to one area. They don't even have a play area or another pool to go to. What makes HRH more appropriate for children? You can't even find a place to sit at the pool & there is only one place to eat for children as I more then likely wouldn't take mine to the Palm.
And on another note, the rooms are larger at PBH.
I will stay wherever I get the best rates but we (including my children) prefer PBH.

 

[cdpa4d]

I would say your 3 kids would love the Hard Rock. The pool is much better in my opinion. Although it is shallow, the slide is awesome, and they have cool water games, like basketball, volleyball, etc. This is only my opinion, but I would stay at Hard Rock, your kids would enjoy it more.
ADP

 

[Bchamp]

I guess you have to actually go to both to really decide but for us it is not necessary. The convenience of the close walk to the parks, the huge water slide for our older kids and the shallow pool for our little one, not to mention the atmosphere of the whole hotel are enough reasons to continue to stay at the HRH.
Room size is not a big deal for us, considering how much we actually are in the room. Hotel restaurants are not important to us, we would much rather eat at citywalk or inside the parks.
I guess it comes down to what you really want ,
Now the rate is something that I would have to play with, if it was a choice between the HRH, say for 175. and Portifino fr 150, I would pay the extra and stay at HRH.

 

[CPM]

Just in case people don't know, there is a large water slide at the beach pool at PBH & it is also shallow.

 

[Tony M]

I agree with all previous HRH votes and would also add that I like the proximity of HRH to Citiwalk and the theme parks. It is a short walk to Citiwalk and Universal, and a slightly longer walk to IOA (about the same as to the closest parking garage space) and you do not have to wait for any transportation.
Rock on...er,
HAVE FUN

 

[joloco]

We just got back from HRH with kids, 5, 7 & 8. We all loved it! The walk from HRH to City Walk was shorter than we expected. Planned on taking the water taxi, but we didn't waste our time waiting for one. I think it was quicker to walk (if you use the pool slide exit) As you know from PO Riverside you can walk and walk to get to a bus, That seemed to be the distance all the way to Universal's gates. With kids of any age, I think you would have to take the water taxi to City walk. HRH also plays great music.