There aren’t many theme park inns that may really make you overlook you might be at a theme park, however Loews Portofino Bay Lodge at Common Orlando appears to be like and feels as very similar to an Italian seaside village because the identify implies. As you stroll alongside the cobblestone grounds, you may encounter a full of life piazza crammed with outlets and eateries and a harbor crammed with gently bobbing boats.
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Regardless of being inside strolling distance of Common, the lodge is secluded sufficient that you simply will not see (or hear) any curler coasters from the property. Even when you love theme parks, you may want a respite from the motion on the finish of the day. That’s precisely what you may discover at Loews Portofino Bay Lodge.
What’s Loews Portofino Bay lodge
Loews Portofino Bay Lodge is likely one of the most upscale inns positioned at Common Orlando Resort. You will discover spacious rooms and a full slate of facilities, together with a number of pool areas, table-service eating places and immersive theming. It is also one of many closest inns to Common’s theme parks, solely a 10- to 15-minute stroll from the park’s entrance.
For these causes, the lodge is fairly expensive relative to the opposite lodging within the space. Charges begin at simply lower than $500 per evening, however there are methods to squeeze a variety of worth out of that nightly charge, which we’ll contact on beneath.
There are many budget-friendly inns at Common, however Loews Portofino Bay Lodge provides luxurious lodging and full-service facilities for theme park guests who need their trip to really feel indulgent. This is what my latest keep on the lodge was like.
Methods to ebook Loews Portofino Bay lodge
There are three important methods to ebook a room at Loews Portofino Bay Lodge: straight by means of the lodge’s web site, by means of Capital One Journey or by means of the American Specific Superb Accommodations + Resorts program.
The costs are usually the identical no matter the way you ebook, however The Platinum Card® from American Specific and The Enterprise Platinum Card® from American Specific cardholders can reap the benefits of further advantages by reserving by means of Amex FHR. In case you ebook by means of Capital One Journey, you possibly can earn 10 factors per greenback on money bookings or redeem Capital One Miles.
Though this lodge shouldn’t be a part of any main lodge rewards program, you possibly can nonetheless maximize your keep by utilizing a card that earns factors for journey purchases, just like the Chase Sapphire Most popular Card, which earns two factors per greenback on journey purchases. (For that purpose, it is amongst our favourite bank cards for reserving lodge stays.)
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Money costs for the standard room common between $500 and $600 per evening. You would pay as little as $400 if Common is providing a lodge low cost — or as a lot as $900 per evening when you go to throughout a busy time of yr.
If you’re an eligible Amex cardholder and ebook by means of the Amex FHR program, you possibly can pay with money, Amex Membership Rewards factors or a mix of the 2. You will earn 5 factors per greenback spent on any portion of your reserving paid in money. Amex Journey lodge reservations are pay as you go, however most properties have versatile cancellation insurance policies. Loews Portofino Bay Lodge, for instance, usually permits cancellations till 5 days earlier than your arrival date.
Theme park advantages at Loews Portofino Bay Lodge
All friends of Loews Portofino Bay Lodge obtain beneficiant theme park advantages. The primary is Early Park Admission to one in every of Common’s parks as much as an hour earlier than the official opening time. You’ll be able to examine this web page to see which of Common’s two parks (and which points of interest at that park) might be open for early admission on a given day.
Early Park Admission is open to all friends staying at one in every of Common’s on-site inns, together with complimentary theme park transportation and resort-wide charging privileges utilizing your lodge key.
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Visitors on the lodge additionally obtain complimentary Common Specific Limitless for everybody staying within the room. Common Specific means that you can skip the common line at most points of interest. It might save hours ready in line and begins at $119.99 per particular person per day, which is usually a large financial savings.
In case you plan on shopping for Specific anyway, you possibly can break even or come out forward by staying at Portofino Bay or one other of Common’s Premier inns (Loews Royal Pacific Resort or Onerous Rock Lodge at Common Orlando) over a less-expensive lodge.
Amex Superb Accommodations + Resorts advantages at Loews Portofino Bay Lodge
Visitors who ebook by means of the Amex FHR program obtain further advantages on high of these talked about above.
You’ll be able to obtain a room improve when out there (we had been upgraded from a garden-view room to a bay-view room), complimentary Wi-Fi, midday check-in and 4 p.m. checkout. You additionally obtain a day by day breakfast buffet for 2 at Mama Della’s Ristorante and a $100 meals and beverage credit score that can be utilized at most eating areas across the lodge. We used our credit score to cowl our youngsters’s breakfast buffets throughout our keep.
We additionally acquired a stunning welcome amenity in our room: a fruit and cheese platter, two bottles of water and sweets.
Visitors take pleasure in easy accessibility to Common’s theme parks
Common Orlando and Loews Portofino Bay Lodge are each solely about quarter-hour from Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO). One of many high causes for selecting this lodge is its proximity to Common’s theme parks. In case you journey to the lodge by automotive, you will need to pay a $31 charge for self-parking or a $40 valet parking charge per evening.
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From the resort, you possibly can attain Common Studios, Common’s Islands of Journey and Common CityWalk by bus, water taxi or a backyard walkway. A shuttle bus can even take you to Common’s Volcano Bay water park.
I desire the strolling path or water taxi when staying right here. The look forward to the water taxi is often round 5 minutes, and also you undergo safety earlier than boarding the water taxi. This protects you from ready in line on the important safety screening space, which you may endure when you arrive by automotive or bus.
Relying in your tempo, you possibly can stroll to the parks in 10 to fifteen minutes. It is an attractive stroll, and I discovered it a soothing strategy to begin a busy day. There may be additionally a separate safety screening on the finish of the strolling path, which saves you from becoming a member of the crowds in the primary safety screening space.
Rooms are spacious with a European aptitude
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From the {custom} furnishings to the patterned drapes and carpets, the visitor rooms had an upscale European really feel; they stored up the phantasm that I used to be far, far-off from Central Florida. The 750 visitor rooms (together with 45 suites) are designed with colourful carpeting and material, marble counters, light-colored furnishings and blue accents just like the padded headboards on beds.
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Our room had a espresso and tea station and an ice bucket within the entryway. The closet held two spa-style robes, a secure, an iron and an ironing board. The beds had been agency however snug, with plush comforters that you simply will not discover in a few of Common’s lower-tier inns. The nightstand between the beds had two energy shops, and the clock radio supplied USB shops for ample charging choices.
The massive bay-facing window supplied loads of pure mild, however there have been additionally bedside lamps, a desk lamp and a flooring lamp close to the seating space.
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The big rest room had a separate tub and bathe and a double vainness. The lavatory was stocked with Julien Farel merchandise, together with a bar of cleaning soap, a bathe cap, shampoo, conditioner and lotion. The bathe was small however useful, although the big dimension of the bathtub made up for that (particularly if you’re touring with children who like to take a shower). Just like the bedding, the towels had been of upper high quality than these at a few of Common’s lower-tier properties.
Even with two queen beds within the room, there was loads of room for a rollaway mattress, which is critical for us as a household of 5 once we keep in a typical room.
The lodge additionally has club-level rooms which can be barely bigger and supply entry to an unique lounge and suites; these embrace Despicable Me Youngsters Suites with custom-made missile beds and a separate sleeping space for fogeys.
Visitors can dine in an Italian-inspired piazza
Loews Portofino Bay Lodge has a mixture of quick-service and table-service eating places, in addition to a Starbucks, a gelateria and room service.
We had breakfast at Mama Della’s Ristorante, which was included in our Amex FHR advantages. The common worth for the breakfast buffet is $30 for adults and $16 for teenagers ages 3 by means of 9 (children beneath 3 are free). The buffet unfold was spectacular, with contemporary pastries, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes, eggs and different typical buffet objects, together with an omelet station. You can too order off the common breakfast menu.
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Previously, I’ve eaten at Mama Della’s for dinner, and musicians circulated by means of the restaurant throughout the night. (They even took requests.)
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We additionally often visited the lodge’s Starbucks espresso store, which had a virtually similar food and drinks menu to different Starbucks areas. Sal’s Market Deli contained in the foyer is an efficient spot for on-the-go snacks and drinks or a scorching, contemporary pizza to carry again to your lodge room.
We ate most of our meals contained in the parks on this journey; nevertheless, I’ve visited The Thirsty Fish for dinner and drinks prior to now and cherished the expertise of eating outdoors within the piazza. With the reside music and different friends having fun with the night, it felt harking back to related nights I’ve had that had been truly in Italy.
There’s loads of household enjoyable available outdoors the theme parks
Loews Portofino Bay Lodge has one in every of my favourite pool complexes at Common. The primary pool known as the Seaside Pool and has a sandy seashore, a gently sloping zero-entry space, two scorching tubs, pool video games and a waterslide long-established after a Roman aqueduct. There may be ample seating, and cabana leases are additionally out there. Two different swimming pools, the Villa Pool and the Hillside Pool, are smaller and supply a quieter environment.
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The lodge additionally has a 24-hour health heart, a well-marked out of doors jogging path, an arcade and a full-service spa. The gymnasium had a wide selection of cardio tools, free weights and weight coaching machines, although the variety of machines could make it really feel a bit crowded if quite a lot of individuals are understanding. The Mandara Spa provides hair, nail and pores and skin therapies, massages and sauna services. You’ll be able to view a full worth listing right here.
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Causes Loews Portofino Bay Lodge may not be for you
One factor that will deter some friends from checking into Loews Portofino Bay Lodge is the sheer dimension of this property; all the things is sort of unfold out. Numerous areas (just like the gymnasium and eating places) will not be housed in a single constructing, and you could end up strolling a good way to get out of your room to the foyer or different public areas.
From the elevator, you must stroll down two units of stairs (or take one other elevator) to the world the place the visitor rooms, pool, eating and most different lodge facilities are. This one might not be the most suitable choice when you desire smaller inns.
Accessibility
Loews Portofino Bay Lodge provides specifically outfitted, accessible visitor rooms with wheelchair-friendly options like decrease closet rods and peepholes, wider doorways and roll-in showers. All eating places and elevators are wheelchair accessible, together with the foyer and swimming pools. The swimming pools even have zero-entry areas and wheelchair lifts.
Visitor rooms have Braille room numbers for visually impaired friends, in addition to a visible alarm and doorbell, a flashing mild on the cellphone and TTYs (Teletypewriters) for friends who’re listening to impaired.
Testing
This wasn’t my first keep at Loews Portofino Bay Lodge, and it will not be my final. The serene setting, massive rooms, proximity to Common’s theme parks and the perks like complimentary Common Specific skip-the-line entry will maintain me coming again. The potential of being serenaded whereas I dine alfresco overlooking the bay would not harm, both.
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