Just back from Portofino and WDW

[jojoromama]

Hi all, I gathered so much info before my trip that I felt I had to post about our trip. Our family of 6 spent 2 nights at 2 Club deluxe rooms at Portofino Bay before heading over to Disney for 6 nights. This was our first stay at Universal. First of all, PBH was very nice acommodations. However, the check-in staff was very cold and unfriendly. We arrived around 11:00 pm on Friday June 8th. Our kids were starving and we wanted to get something to eat at Citywalk. We were told that they would deliver our luggage without our being in the room so we could get something to eat. Our rooms were in the villa wing, very nice, but very hard to find. The young woman who checked us in told us to get on the elevators to our left from the check-in desk. Anyway, if you've ever been to PBH, you'll know that there are no elevators in the lobby and they are very hard to find. We walked around in a maze-like pattern for about 10 minutes before we found the elevator.

We were seated by a male host at a dirty table at Margaritaville at about 11:55pm only to be told that the kitchen was closed when we were ready to order. We ran over to Bubba Gump's, and although their kitchen was closing very nicely seated us. We had a very nice meal and the waitstaff was excellent. We returned to our room at about 1:30 am only to find that our luggage was not delivered. We called Bell Services immediately and had to wait a full hour for our luggage. The bellhop told us that they would never deliver our luggage without our being in the room because they would miss out on the tip. Thank you very much, front desk. I hate to sound negative but this was not a very good first night. We slept in a bit Saturday morning before taking the water taxi to Islands of Adventure. The park was easy to navigate and the Express was wonderful in every way. We did all we wanted to and were impressed with the rides. I believe we ate at Mythos which was very nice, not great but good. Good service, okay food, nothing outstanding. We liked the ambiance of Mythos and appreciated the break from the rides. We went back to PBH for some pool time. The pool was beautiful, just too warm, not refreshing at all. We got ready for our dinner reservation at Tchoup Choup. Again, this was good, not great. We live in Philadelphia and are used to good restaurants. It was pretty, but not jawdropping. The service was ok, the food was ok to good, and the bill was very expensive. We had a lovely walk back to PBH. I liked the rickshaw drivers. We did not use them but they were very friendly and considerate.

Our last day, Sunday, we went to universal Studios. FOTL was again put to great use. We ate at Mel's Diner and it was just what we expected. Actually, it was probably better than what we expected. We were all hot and tired after lunch and had pretty much done all that we wanted to do. So we walked over to HRH. Our youngest two went in the pool and had a blast there. Our two teens and us(Mom & Dad) got beverages and appetizers at the pool bar. The HRH pool was crowded and very lively.
We were getting picked up at 3:30 pm so we headed back to PBH. We thoroughly enjoyed and made good use of the Club Lounge. We found their food and beverage choices to be more than adequate and the staff there very nice. The club lounge was the best part of our stay at PBH. We did not go to any of the restaurants in the hotel so I can't say anything about them. The pool was way too warm to enjoy. I was disappointed in the outside of PBH in that all the mouldings and architectural details (shutters, windowsills, cornerstones,etc) were all painted on. I expected more from such a highly rated hotel. Also, we never received our Loew's First welcome gift although it was printed on our reservation slip.
The theme parks were very nice and we enjoyed most of our rides there. We are not big rollercoaster riders so we really did not care for Hulk. We loved Mummy, Spiderman, Ripsaw Falls and Popeye's Barge ride! The Horror Makeup show was a pleasant surprise, and I got very sick on Jimmy Neutron's. Go figure!
I'm sorry, but while we enjoyed our stay at Universal, I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon. I think we're theme parked out right now. I don't think you want to hear about our Disney part of the trip, but I will say that the FOTL pass is key at Universal. We really got alot done in our two days there. Transportation was a breeze at universal as well. Disney had longer lines, more transportation glitches. However, I think Disney has nicer hotels, and cleaner parks. I'm sorry, just my opinion. Thanks for listening.

 

[Melanie230]

Wow...thanks for the trip report. I will honestly say that I have never been impressed by theme park food ANYWHERE. We love Universal but have never stayed at PBH.

***However, I think Disney has nicer hotels, and cleaner parks. I'm sorry, just my opinion***
You are the first person I have ever heard say this.

 

[dsmom]

One of Portofino Bay's most distinctive features is the elaborate trompe l'oeil painting on the building facades. This centuries-old technique, used by artisans in Portofino to create the illusion of architectural elements like moldings and marble columns, harks back to when the poor fishing village could not afford grand buildings like those found in Rome or Venice. Trompe l'oeil artists from Portofino, Italy, were hired to paint the hotel. The Portofino coat of arms adorns one of the piazza walls.

 

[jojoromama]

One of Portofino Bay's most distinctive features is the elaborate trompe l'oeil painting on the building facades. This centuries-old technique, used by artisans in Portofino to create the illusion of architectural elements like moldings and marble columns, harks back to when the poor fishing village could not afford grand buildings like those found in Rome or Venice. Trompe l'oeil artists from Portofino, Italy, were hired to paint the hotel. The Portofino coat of arms adorns one of the piazza walls.

I understand tromp l'oeil and I figured that this was the reason for the painting. However, I felt it overdone and that it gave a cheap feeling to the hotel. I think that they could have put real shutters up at least. The hotel was nice but it was really just concrete slabs painted to look like it was more than it was. I do understand your point. I just didn't care for it, I guess.

 

[ChrisFL]

I understand tromp l'oeil and I figured that this was the reason for the painting. However, I felt it overdone and that it gave a cheap feeling to the hotel. I think that they could have put real shutters up at least. The hotel was nice but it was really just concrete slabs painted to look like it was more than it was. I do understand your point. I just didn't care for it, I guess.

Tokyo DisneySea also has their own version of a Portofino styled hotel and the shutters are done the same way

 

[AllieKat]

Thank you for taking the time to post. I always enjoy reading trip reports...good and bad. I haven't yet stayed at PBH, but I've toured the grounds. I think it's pretty, but RPR is much more my "style".

Glad to hear that you liked Bubba Gump's. I've dined there 3 times and each time have had a really good experience. I didn't really care for Mythos either. I think it's a beautiful place to eat, but that's about it. I now have a "rule" that I follow when in a themepark and that is that I never eat a meal at a themepark, only snacks, I save the meals for "real" restaurants.

I definitely want to read about the Disney part of your trip...off I go to find the second part of your trip report. I have to live vicariously through Dis trip reports until my next Orlando visit, which isn't until October.

 

[macraven]

thanks for sharing your trip with us.

mels is one place i wouldn't return to.
tried it 3 x's but found other places more to my liking