DISCLOSURE: This Sapphire Falls review is based on my own opinion and perspective. I paid for my hotel room. Universal did not grant me any special access to the resort and I received no special treatment from hotel employees, who were not aware that I was conducting a review.
REVIEW: Loews Sapphire Falls Resort
If you are looking to find what Disney considers deluxe accommodations at value prices —you will find it by staying at Universal Orlando Resorts instead. Universal offers a number of awesome accommodations now. We have stayed at almost all of them, with Loews Portofino Bay being our favorite by far, but not always in the quick trip budget, so Cabana Bay seems to be a repeat spot for us.
My kids were skeptical that the would like it because they are obsessed with the other Universal Hotels, and since it was right across from Cabana Bay the fact that we could just make a quick walk to the Lazy River definitely twisted their arm in realizing why this Universal Resort is a hidden gem in plain sight! (Yes, hotel pool hoping is accepted and even encouraged here unlike how it is forbidden at Disney- one reason why I prefer Universal over Disney World – read about that here.)
After this recent trip, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal is, in my opinion, the best value of any on-site theme park hotel in Orlando. Florida. Considering the price and the resort’s comfortable and spacious rooms, beautiful pool and multiple convenient transportation options has made it my families favorite place to stay if enjoying a handful or more days in Central Florida.
The room at Sapphire Falls
Sapphire Falls Resort houses 1,000 rooms spread across multiple guest towers. We stayed in a standard room, which features two queen beds, a desk, a K-Cup brewer with some complimentary coffee pods, an extra chair by the window, and a nice size shower / toilet room separate from the vanity/sink space – perfect for families where multiple people are getting ready at the same time. At 321 square feet, Sapphire Falls’ standard rooms are well above similarly-priced Disney Value resorts (260 square feet) and even beat Disney’s moderate resorts as well (314 square feet).
The food
Sapphire Falls offers four dining options. The largest of these is Amatista Cookhouse, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from its location in the lower level of the resort, next to the door that leads to the water taxi dock. We ate here first thing upon checking in and it was my favorite meal of our most recent Orlando trip! The kids actually loved our room service dinner- but I am unsure if it was because of the food quality or just because of the concept of eating fancy food in a hotel bed while watching cartoons!
Their quick service option is the New Dutch Trading Company. At first look, it seemed like a stand-in for the typical Universal hotel Starbucks, but one a last minute dinner search we realized this location does have a small selection of sandwiches, soups, pizza and large, fresh pretzels! They also have grab-and-go options here; but I highly suggest making a quick run to Walgreens instead of getting gouged for chips, sodas and simple snacks here.
We only had pool drinks at Drhum Club Kantine pool bar and never visited Strong Water Tavern. So little to comment on those. The pool drinks were just ok- Portofino and Hard Rock Pool Bars were MUCH BETTER but more pricey.
The Pool
As I mentioned, my kids have a love for the lazy river at Cabana Bay, but Sapphire Falls’ massive 16,000 square-foot pool with a fast slide kept them entertained. The pool’s layout is unique- it consists of a zero-entry section in the middle that steadily gets deeper as it expands on each side. This makes it super easy to cross over from the sand beach area to the hot tub and fire pit side.
Amenities & Benefits
One of the nicest amenities or you could consider a benefit of staying here is the water taxi. Boarding is just outside Amatista, this service runs directly to Universal CityWalk throughout the day. We never waited more than 5 minutes to be picked up and you’re not having to stop at any other resorts. There is a bus stop right around from the water taxi launch- we took it once because of lightening in the area that paused water taxi service. But the downside of the bus is it will take you only between the hotel and the guest drop-off point, leaving you to go through the more crowded security checkpoint for CityWalk with visitors using the parking garage. Plus, you have to trudge from that location through all of CityWalk to get to the parks. The water taxis drop you off much closer to the park entrances and you’ll breeze through security at the docks. It may not seem like a huge benefit, but every step counts when you’re in a long theme park day.
A walking path to CityWalk is also available. We loved walking. It puts you right at the entrance of Universal. So if you enjoy taking a walk and looking at scenery it is worth taking one morning before your legs are exhausted!
Parking is available for guests at Sapphire Falls, but it won’t come cheap. Nightly rates have now hit $26 for self-parking and $33 for valet.
Sapphire Falls gets you early entrance into Islands of Adventure BUT does not offer the included Universal Express pass. That’s reserved for guests at Universal’s three most expensive hotels: Hard Rock, Portofino Bay and Royal Pacific.
It’s a a point worth noting when kids notice the difference in service here compared to Cabana Bay.
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