HRH versus Portofino

[Kikicat]

My husband & I have never stayed on-site at Universal before. We are trying to decide between HRH & Portofino. We think we would like the quietness & looks of Portofino better, but in looking at a map of the resort, it looks like Portofino may be across the street, whereas HRH looks like it is more of a part of the park area. We would be going to both Universal parks as well as City Walk during our stay. We know there is boat transportation, etc. from the Portofino. We are wondering if the Portofino is in an area where people who are not even staying at Universal can just drive by, more of a public area, as opposed to the HRH which may be in a more secure area, closer to the parks, & would not have as many passersby. That is our interpretation after looking at the map. Do you really get the feeling that you are actually in the park when staying at Portofino, or is it more of a feeling of not even staying on-site?

Also, is parking that much better or worse at 1 hotel as opposed to the other, in terms of how far you have to park from your hotel, or even with the ability to find good parking spaces.

Thanks so much for your assistance.

 

[dsmom]

We LOVE Portofino Bay and you definately feel like you are part of everything. You can walk to the park or take the boat or bus. It is a short walk to the HRH from PB. It is a very secure area. The resort has an enclosed parking garage. You feel like you are worlds away from the real world the minute you pull up to this resort. We have had six stays this year and are returning for Thanksgiving - it is an incredible place!

 

[coastergirls]

Wen are just back today from a 3 day stay at HRH. We stayed at Portofino last year. We have 3 kids and the deluxe room at Portofino was excellent. We stayed club level.
Decided to try HRH this year. We were staying club again and asked for a deluxe but didn't get one however we got a complimentary roll away. I thought I might be disappointed In HRH comparing it to PBH. Howewver I have to say if there was not the issue over the size of the rooms and the extra bed we would stay at HRH over PBH.
I found the staff at HRH far far nicer than PBH they were much more fun and more talkative. Didn't take life as seriously as the staff we encountered at PBH. Even down to the maid and standard of housekeeping. Everyone was far more obliging. Parking was not an issue the car parks were almost empty . One at PBh was inside so I couldn't compare.
Have to say the trip to the parks was far easier it was a couple of minutes stroll and you were at the gates of Universal. Far easier than getting the boat from Portofino . In fact we could walk it quicker if we missed a boat rather than wait for one.
Found HRH far more convenient for getting to citywalk to eat at night.
Only thing I thought was better at PBh was the pool. They have 2 poole The Villa pool which is more adult orientated and quieter and the pool with the slide.
Kids liked the pool at Hrh well enough but I felt PBH was better.
When it comes down to cost I think I would pick HRH every time as other than the benefit of the bigger room and extra bed I didn't feel it would be worth it.
I suppose it really depends on what you are looking for.
Had heard criticism about noise at HRH but I never felt that the music was overly loud.
We felt very secure in HRH you needed your room key to get inside the pool area and the building.
People would be more inclined to wander through PBh as we never needed anything to get inside.

 

[dsmom]

We felt very secure in HRH you needed your room key to get inside the pool area and the building.
People would be more inclined to wander through PBh as we never needed anything to get inside.


Is that something new? We were at PB a few weeks ago and went to the HRH and RPR and checked them both out. We did not need a key to get into the pool or common areas at either resort. I think all three resorts are beautiful and you can not go wrong with any of them. I think you will feel secure at any of them.

We have been lucky at PB- I have met some wonderful people there!

 

[calgarygary]

I'm not sure what people coastergirls is referring to when she says that they may be more inclined to wander at PBH. PBH does not have a free parking area, so it is unlikely that people will drive in off the street just to wander the grounds. Kikicat, you can drive by the entrance to all 3 hotels, but when staying at any of them, you know you are staying onsite at Universal.

 

[coastergirls]

When we walked back to HRH we needed our room key to open the gate at the pool area. Also when we got boat back we needed room key to open the door to get to the elevators.

 

[Motherfletcher]

Parking at HRH is tight, so tight that they bus their employees in from the Studios employee parking lot. There have been times where the parking and double parking was so bad in the self parking lot that we were forced to park valet. Other times the hotel required valet (free) because of the anticipated crowds (Velvet Sessions, Halloween Costume Contest and HHN). Self parking at PBH has never been a problem. There are three floors of parking with 2 underground. Park near the elevator and you come out close to the check-in lobby. Now your room can be very far (up to a quarter mile) from the lobby though.
At both you feel totally "on-site". We like both but consistently receive better upgrades at PBH. Last stay I was given a room that had more square feet than my house.