sister’s first ever vacation!

[MrsDanielle]

Helllo all!

Looking at booking a five-night holiday for either Nov 13 to 18 or from Dec 11 to 16 with my sister. This will be her first vacation EVER, which is really saying something since she’s in her early 40s! Cannot wait!

I’m having a difficult time deciding which hotel to choose. I cannot decide between Sapphire Falls and Adventura. Both look absolutely great! We definitely both prefer a more quiet vibe, but we both love a nice pool and hot tub! Which one would you pick? Is it possible to walk from either hotel to US and IOA? I was considering booking at one of the premier hotels, but honestly, the price is a bit high. I know you get the EP, but I have no idea if we’ll need them.

We will be without a vehicle too, if that matters.

 

[jaceraden]

If I were taking a vacay with my Sister, I would pick Sapphire Falls of your two options. I would actually pick Cabana Bay and get a Volcano Bay view room but that wasn't one of your options and Sapphire Falls has a more chill vacation vibe.

You can absolutely take the garden walk to get to either park and City Walk. It should take around 20 minutes depending on your walking speed. I walk fast so I rounded up to 20 for you.

 

[djmeredith]

I have never stayed at Aventura, but just stayed at Sapphire Falls for the first time and loved it. Very clean rooms, beautiful lobby, pool area, and restaurants. And best of all, it has boats to City Walk/Parks!

 

[MrsDanielle]

hmmm SF is actually $500 more, whereas Adventura and CB are the same price! I could probably put that 500 bucks to good use! That said, I’m thinking we’re gonna be spending quite a bit of time just relaxing in a hotel. She’s a single mom, and really needs some downtime.

CB looks great too, but I was leaning toward Aventura because it’s newer and smaller.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I love both resorts (&CBBR too ) .
Sapphire Falls has the water boat too and their landscaping and fun boat captains !
Aventura has a smaller pool but that view from their rooftop bar !!!
Plus Aventura has a Starbucks . It is an easy walk from A to SF to use the boat transport to City Walk .
I guarantee you will be happy with either choice. I think I like the food selection better at Aventura ‘s food court . We just stayed at SF and decided to walk over to the Aventura for the food selection.
I was surprised the little sushi bar has more than just sushi .
Universal Resorts are owned by a real hotel business and everything is very classy .
We seem to alternate between the 3 resorts depending on rates.
I love Hard Rock too but $$$ unfortunately.
Do not care for Portofino or ?Royal Pacific ? …
Dont delay making a decision!

 

[MrsDanielle]

I’m terrible, I cannot decide which one to choose. Out of all the hotel Universal offers, I like the look of SF the most. But is it worth 500 more than CB or A? 500 would likely pay for my food for those 5 days…

 

[disney-inspired]

I would pick Sapphire Falls - stayed there earlier this month and loved being steps away from the boat launch to the parks. You can walk from the parks back but the boat ride is very pleasant.

 

[lisam70]

My two cents on pros and cons:
SF is beautiful more tropical resort feel, a great pool and water taxi. I don't like their food options although the sit down restaurant (Amatista) is very good there isn't a good quick option. They have a marketplace but its mostly premade sandwiches. I personally don't think its worth the extra money.
Aventura is right next door so if a bus is not there waiting you can walk to SF and take the boat. It has a modern minimalist feel with a small pool. There are good food court options and it is a smaller, more compact resort so easier to get around.
Cabana Bay is directly across the street from adventura but its a busy street and the cross walk is not directly in front of the resorts. Bus service is usually very fast. It has maybe the best pools onsite with a slide and lazy river and view of volcano bay with a quirky retro feel inside. Also good food court options. It is a very large resort so you could potentially be doing some extra walking depending where your room is.
I like the feel of CB over Adventura but the proximity of Adventura to SF to use their boat and pool makes is what makes it an option for me if the price is right!

 

[MrsDanielle]

CB and Adventura are the same price. CB looks great, but I’ve heard some poor reviews about the condition of the rooms (lots of mould, and just dirty) and paper-thin walls which has me concerned. Btw - I’ve heard about the room through friends from work, they went with a large group, and they described their time there as a nightmare.

 

[lisam70]

CB and Adventura are the same price. CB looks great, but I’ve heard some poor reviews about the condition of the rooms (lots of mould, and just dirty) and paper-thin walls which has me concerned. Btw - I’ve heard about the room through friends from work, they went with a large group, and they described their time there as a nightmare.

I have heard complaints about the rooms showing some wear and tear. I haven't seen this myself since I stayed in a standard room in the towers a few years ago when it was pretty new and last year stayed in a family suite which was really nice. I thought adventura still felt pretty "new".

 

[MrsDanielle]

I have heard complaints about the rooms showing some wear and tear. I haven't seen this myself since I stayed in a standard room in the towers a few years ago when it was pretty new and last year stayed in a family suite which was really nice. I thought adventura still felt pretty "new".

Thank you for this information! I’m pretty sure I’ll book Adventura, mostly based on it being the newest of the three mid-range resorts. My sister genuinely has OCD about cleanliness, so I think this will be our best bet. I *might* spend an extra 200 dollars for the deluxe room so that we have a bit more space.

 

[lisam70]

Thank you for this information! I’m pretty sure I’ll book Adventura, mostly based on it being the newest of the three mid-range resorts. My sister genuinely has OCD about cleanliness, so I think this will be our best bet. I *might* spend an extra 200 dollars for the deluxe room so that we have a bit more space.

Sounds like a good decision. Another good thing is proximity of Adventura not only to SF but also RP making it very convenient to walk for a meal or pool hop!

 

[christophfam]

Thank you for this information! I’m pretty sure I’ll book Adventura, mostly based on it being the newest of the three mid-range resorts. My sister genuinely has OCD about cleanliness, so I think this will be our best bet. I *might* spend an extra 200 dollars for the deluxe room so that we have a bit more space.

It would be worth the extra 200 for the deluxe room. It’s so very nice especially for sisters as you’ll each have your own little space instead of the beds being right next to each other. I love Sapphire, don’t like CB and am perfectly happy at Adventura to save some money. When staying at Adventura, I do usually use sapphires boat and definitely their pool. I also wouldn’t miss strongwater at sf. Adventura is so close though and can even be closer to these places than some of the far off rooms. As others have said Adventura has great quick service food options and a great roof top bar. I’d probably stay sf if I was only saving a small amount because it is a superior resort but if it’s a significant amount I’d happily stay at Adventura. You’ll find both very clean.

 

[MrsDanielle]

It would be worth the extra 200 for the deluxe room. It’s so very nice especially for sisters as you’ll each have your own little space instead of the beds being right next to each other. I love Sapphire, don’t like CB and am perfectly happy at Adventura to save some money. When staying at Adventura, I do usually use sapphires boat and definitely their pool. I also wouldn’t miss strongwater at sf. Adventura is so close though and can even be closer to these places than some of the far off rooms. As others have said Adventura has great quick service food options and a great roof top bar. I’d probably stay sf if I was only saving a small amount because it is a superior resort but if it’s a significant amount I’d happily stay at Adventura. You’ll find both very clean.

So the difference in price between a standard room at Adventura and a standard room at SF is 500. If I go with the deluxe room at Adventura (200 more), that difference shrinks to $300. Hmm.

I currently have a standard room at Adventura booked. I just wanted to lock in the price, but I may change it.

 

[christophfam]

So the difference in price between a standard room at Adventura and a standard room at SF is 500. If I go with the deluxe room at Adventura (200 more), that difference shrinks to $300. Hmm.

I currently have a standard room at Adventura booked. I just wanted to lock in the price, but I may change it.

wdwrule has some great pictures of the deluxe in a trip report she did if you want a look.

Post in thread 'Adventurous Week in Aventura (June 6-10, 2022) ~ Completed'
https://www.disboards.com/threads/a...une-6-10-2022-completed.3889408/post-64145969

 

[MrsDanielle]

wdwrule has some great pictures of the deluxe in a trip report she did if you want a look.

Post in thread 'Adventurous Week in Aventura (June 6-10, 2022) ~ Completed'
https://www.disboards.com/threads/a...une-6-10-2022-completed.3889408/post-64145969

I’m upgraded to a deluxe room!

 

[wdwrule]

I just stumbled upon this thread and yes, I’m a bit partial to the deluxe rooms at Aventura The huge wall of windows is absolutely incredible!! The square footage of this room is a bit more than most of the premium/deluxe resort standard rooms.

We also love SF and have stayed there several times. However, Aventura is basically at the same location of SF so not a far walk to the parks and we sometimes hop on the SF boats. Otherwise, we walk the beautiful walk and usually walk through the interior of Royal Pacific along the way (nice AC and bonus if it’s raining). Aventura is nice and compact and has a Starbucks. I find their variety of quick service food including a breakfast made to order oatmeal bar is way better than SF’s grab and go/quick service choices (just our experiences).

We do like SF’s pool a lot better but we just walk across the small parking lot to head into SF and use their pool (just show SF’s concierge your Aventura room key and they’ll happily give you the pool access key). For the price, Aventura is a steal most of the time compared to others. Is it my style of decor? No. But for the price, it’s amenities and location is great. Same friendly staff and service compared to all of the other resorts. We’ve stayed at all except for Surfside (loved Dockside but missed walking to the parks). Oh and Aventura gives access to their freestyle coke machines 24/7 which is nice. (We just get water from those machines… have never purchased a refillable mug because we’re not soda drinkers). Not all resorts give 24/7 access.

Lol ok I’ll step off my pedestal now from describing this diamond in the rough. A little tip: pay attention to the color of hallway your room is in. Upon exiting the elevator, it gets a little disorienting which hallway is which. There’s a big medallion on each floor. If you remember your color, you’re set.

 

[MrsDanielle]

I just stumbled upon this thread and yes, I’m a bit partial to the deluxe rooms at Aventura The huge wall of windows is absolutely incredible!! The square footage of this room is a bit more than most of the premium/deluxe resort standard rooms.

We also love SF and have stayed there several times. However, Aventura is basically at the same location of SF so not a far walk to the parks and we sometimes hop on the SF boats. Otherwise, we walk the beautiful walk and usually walk through the interior of Royal Pacific along the way (nice AC and bonus if it’s raining). Aventura is nice and compact and has a Starbucks. I find their variety of quick service food including a breakfast made to order oatmeal bar is way better than SF’s grab and go/quick service choices (just our experiences).

We do like SF’s pool a lot better but we just walk across the small parking lot to head into SF and use their pool (just show SF’s concierge your Aventura room key and they’ll happily give you the pool access key). For the price, Aventura is a steal most of the time compared to others. Is it my style of decor? No. But for the price, it’s amenities and location is great. Same friendly staff and service compared to all of the other resorts. We’ve stayed at all except for Surfside (loved Dockside but missed walking to the parks). Oh and Aventura gives access to their freestyle coke machines 24/7 which is nice. (We just get water from those machines… have never purchased a refillable mug because we’re not soda drinkers). Not all resorts give 24/7 access.

Lol ok I’ll step off my pedestal now from describing this diamond in the rough. A little tip: pay attention to the color of hallway your room is in. Upon exiting the elevator, it gets a little disorienting which hallway is which. There’s a big medallion on each floor. If you remember your color, you’re set.

Wow, what a great review! I’m excited for our visit to Adventura! We’ll definitely be hitting up SF for the pool.

 

[wdwrule]

Wow, what a great review! I’m excited for our visit to Adventura! We’ll definitely be hitting up SF for the pool.

So excited for you! Here is a recent YouTube review/overview of Aventura that I just watched today if interested.

 

[MrsDanielle]

So excited for you! Here is a recent YouTube review/overview of Aventura that I just watched today if interested.

Just watched it, thank you ! I think the design of the hotel is sort of meh, but the value is outstanding! I’m very excited that I upgraded the room to a deluxe, I think we’ll both really enjoy ourselves! btw - this is her birthday/Christmas gift for the next two years (we’re from Canada), so I hope she really loves it!