PORTOFINO BAY HOTEL Information

[joemo]

It's a beautiful hotel, i just hope you aren't disappointed because it is only that...after saying you stayed in Italy.

Have a good time

Thanks, I'm sure we will. In the hotel we tend to just go from the room to the pool to the bar and just miss all the nice little touchs and details.

Italy's great, but I'm certainly not expecting to get my bottom pinched in Orlando like I did (repeatedly) in Rome, still I can but dream.....

 

[ADP]

Hey Gang...On the morning of March 24th I booked a reservation at PHB with an AP rate For June 18th - 21st. Of course, the next day we all learned the grand opening of WWoHP will take place on June 18th. Well, I just checked the Universal resort hotel availability today. It seems many of the room categories are gone...Club level rooms are limited for AP rates. I found that interesting. That weekend will be crazy around the resorts, parks, and even City Walk.

I'm glad I booked when I did.

 

[DecaturDad]

Portofino is my favorite.

You already have Mama Della on the list and that is definitely a dont miss. Request Joe to be your waiter, he is awesome. Sal's for a slice or a panini is great too you can even have it sent to your room. The ice cream place thats attached, The Gelateria Caffé is excellent. My kids love the gelato and I love the cappuccinos. In the AM if you dont want a full breakfast you can always grab some breakfast items there as well.

My kids love to throw coins in the fountain in the lobby. I like to shop in the gift shop off the lobby.

In the evening be sure to take the boat ride from citywalk back to Portofino, its beautiful. Also when you get back have a cocktail at The Thirsty Fish and sit on the Piazza. Take pictures on the Vespas.

Be sure to visit the Art Gallery next to Sal's. They have some amazing and very interesting pieces. I have been collecting Frogs from the Frogman from this gallery for years.
Visit the Villa pool and jump in the cold plunge pool and then the big pool - my kids seem to love to do that. After, relax in the hot-tub that at the villa pool its usually empty.

Grab lunch at the beach pool one afternoon. Maybe rent a Cabana. We like to get a cabana at Hard Rock though. The Beach Pool slide is lots of fun and there is a hot tub hidden up behind the rocks.

Take in all the trompe l'oeil on each of the buildings - very cool and I still love looking at it 10 years later.

We enjoy having a full breakfast or the buffet from Trattoria del Porto outside on The Piazza at least one morning during the trip. The food is great and the service is excellent.

Usually at dusk dont miss Musica della Notte. The schedule changes so ask at the desk. When we were there is took place each evening. I found this description on their site.

Come and experience our daily show "Musica della Notte" (Music of the Night)! Each night at sunset Loews Portofino Bay Hotel's Harbor Piazza will come alive with a musical celebration that captures the romance and charm of Italy and the allure of Mediterranean hospitality.

Musica della Notte showcases a unique blend of classic opera, romantic and festive music, along with 'popera' favorites - the wildly popular musical style that bridges the gap between pop and opera. Three themed shows will be offered on a rotating basis Romantico Night, Classico Night, and Italian Festival Night.

Check out a Dive-In movie, usually at the beach pool one or two nights a week.

Divertiti!
Have a great vacation! Hope you enjoy Portofino as much as we do.
Ciao

Thanks! One reason we are staying at PBH is to be able to take the time to relax. If I was just planning to get up early and spend all day at the parks, I don't think I would be staying at PBH.

 

[bubba's mom]

Hey Gang...On the morning of March 24th I booked a reservation at PHB with an AP rate For June 18th - 21st. Of course, the next day we all learned the grand opening of WWoHP will take place on June 18th. Well, I just checked the Universal resort hotel availability today. It seems many of the room categories are gone...Club level rooms are limited for AP rates. I found that interesting. That weekend will be crazy around the resorts, parks, and even City Walk.

I'm glad I booked when I did.

I'm guessing everyone else in the world got wind of the Grand Opening date and decided to book.

See? It pays off to be a DISer

 

[mom2aandj]

We just booked the Dr. Seuss kids' suite and I'm wondering if those are located in one particular wing, or are they placed throughout the hotel?

 

[andee515]

We stayed at Portofino Mar 16 - 21. Just wanted to add my 2 cents. We reserved and prepaid a Dr Suess kids suite, when we got there, surprise, none were available. This really pe'od me. I understand them overbooking regular reservations, but since this was completely paid for months in advance, they had nothing to gain by overbooking excepy making me mad......really disappointing. They put us in 2 deluxe adjoining rooms, so supposedly we had bigger rooms, larger bathrooms and more bed space. To "make up" for the switch they gave my children three small sr suess dolls and mini doodle pads and comped us a fridge for the stay. Bell services and houskeepers were amazing. front desk and concierge not overly bright. ROOMS: nice fluffly beds, large bathtubs and showers. Pool was awsome, lifeguards great. Boat to universal, very short wait, peaceful (compared with Disney monorails and busses) FOTL was awesome. although in general Universal didn't excite as that much. FOTL for restaurants is completely useless by the way, same wait either way. If you have any ? let me know

 

[JessicaR]

We stayed at Portofino Mar 16 - 21. Just wanted to add my 2 cents. We reserved and prepaid a Dr Suess kids suite, when we got there, surprise, none were available. This really pe'od me. I understand them overbooking regular reservations, but since this was completely paid for months in advance, they had nothing to gain by overbooking excepy making me mad......really disappointing. They put us in 2 deluxe adjoining rooms, so supposedly we had bigger rooms, larger bathrooms and more bed space. To "make up" for the switch they gave my children three small sr suess dolls and mini doodle pads and comped us a fridge for the stay. Bell services and houskeepers were amazing. front desk and concierge not overly bright. ROOMS: nice fluffly beds, large bathtubs and showers. Pool was awsome, lifeguards great. Boat to universal, very short wait, peaceful (compared with Disney monorails and busses) FOTL was awesome. although in general Universal didn't excite as that much. FOTL for restaurants is completely useless by the way, same wait either way. If you have any ? let me know

That's a shame. I would have been upset if that happened to me too. The 2 deluxe rooms do have more space (about 400 sq ft) and an extra bathroom. Nice rooms actually but not the themed kids suite you were excited about. It isn't too late to write a letter to the manager to express your thoughts.

 

[JessicaR]

We just booked the Dr. Seuss kids' suite and I'm wondering if those are located in one particular wing, or are they placed throughout the hotel?

I believe there are 18 Kids Suites located in The East and West Wing as well as the Villa area. I'm not sure if they are all themed as Suess.

 

[Skuba2]

We have had the kids suite three times in a row and I think the novelty wore off really quick. I hated having the bathroom in our room. With 3 kids it was a little annoying. To be honest, my kids would have loved the little gifts they were given.

We also booked for the Harry Potter weekend grand opening. We booked a few months ago based solely on my kids' school ending on the 16th. I am not looking forward to the crowds. We were hoping that the opening would be in spring and then the crowds would be dead by June. Ugh!!! We have a Portofino Suite I think. Hopefully it will all work out. It will be a very stressful trip just wondering if the rental car will be there, if the room will be there and if we end up getting there.

DG

 

[bubba's mom]

We have had the kids suite three times in a row and I think the novelty wore off really quick. I hated having the bathroom in our room. With 3 kids it was a little annoying. To be honest, my kids would have loved the little gifts they were given.

We also booked for the Harry Potter weekend grand opening. We booked a few months ago based solely on my kids' school ending on the 16th. I am not looking forward to the crowds. We were hoping that the opening would be in spring and then the crowds would be dead by June. Ugh!!! We have a Portofino Suite I think. Hopefully it will all work out. It will be a very stressful trip just wondering if the rental car will be there, if the room will be there and if we end up getting there.

DG

It won't be dead...but you at least have your room key for EP.

Oh...and you'll be happy having 2 bathrooms w/ the Portofino Suite

 

[damo]

Oh...and you'll be happy having 2 bathrooms w/ the Portofino Suite

This is one of the best reasons to book the Portofino Suite.

 

[bubba's mom]

This is one of the best reasons to book the Portofino Suite.

Oh yeah OUR king bed & Bubba in the next room....almost don't have to ever see him at the room!

 

[cieslack]

Are there in-room safes at PBH?

 

[JessicaR]

Are there in-room safes at PBH?

Yes, safe is in the closet.

 

[Skuba2]

Yep, yep, yep. Having 5 people trying to get ready to go in the morning just doesn't work too well with just one bathroom.

This is our fourth visit and our first in a non-kid suite.

Just FYI, my kids requested this vacation specifically for the hotel. LOL We went on a few Disney Cruises and each time spent a few nights here. They like the hotel so much, they wanted a longer stay and no cruise. It is just a beautiful property and the beach pool keeps their interest. They usually find "friends" their ages and make playdates for most of the vacation.

We spend the morning at the park, the afternoon at the pool, then head back over to the park until close.

DG

 

[DecaturDad]

We just returned form 4 nights in a kid's suite at PBH. It was fantastic! The room was great. Having the seperate bedroom really made it a relaxing vacation. We even managed to have dinner outdoors at Mama Dell'as during the evening "opera". The kid's suite is not the most inexpensive choice, but it was well worth it to us.

 

[93hokie]

This is my first post, and reading everyone's messages has been a great! Heading to PBH for the first time in two weeks, and had one question I had not found info on yet. The wife and I were thinking about using Campo Portofino one night for our 5 year old, so that we can have a night out. Do others have information on this service? When do we need to make reservations?

 

[bubba's mom]

This is my first post, and reading everyone's messages has been a great! Heading to PBH for the first time in two weeks, and had one question I had not found info on yet. The wife and I were thinking about using Campo Portofino one night for our 5 year old, so that we can have a night out. Do others have information on this service? When do we need to make reservations?

Welcome to the Dark Side

Having a pre-teen, we've never used the Camp. But here is the info on their site:

http://www.universalorlando.com/Hot...ino.aspx?ComponentId=6502&SourcePageId=7805#6

 

[JessicaR]

Just bumping this with the other two - should be a sticky, right?

 

[macraven]

Just bumping this with the other two - should be a sticky, right?

it used to be..........