Aventura Hotel

[JoeCamel]

We have always come during a slower time of the year, and being that we will be on site the entire week, I think we will definitely be more apt to take our time, not feel any pressure that we have to do anything early unless we really want to. However, we have never had express and it was always something we were envious of. The more I contemplate on it, the more I’m thinking of taking the plunge to booking at Portofino, we can certainly afford it, and I think it’d be a really great surprise for the wife. The last thing I want is to get to universal and be underwhelmed with Aventura, wishing I had just coughed up the extra cash to go to a deluxe resort. Since I know how much she wants to go to Europe and we are not going anytime soon, this may be the next best thing.

I think your decision is made....

 

[DuelingDragonskid]

Just Saw Dwayne, from Orlando Sentinel !

 

[Mad Dog]

We have always come during a slower time of the year, and being that we will be on site the entire week, I think we will definitely be more apt to take our time, not feel any pressure that we have to do anything early unless we really want to. However, we have never had express and it was always something we were envious of. The more I contemplate on it, the more I’m thinking of taking the plunge to booking at Portofino, we can certainly afford it, and I think it’d be a really great surprise for the wife. The last thing I want is to get to universal and be underwhelmed with Aventura, wishing I had just coughed up the extra cash to go to a deluxe resort. Since I know how much she wants to go to Europe and we are not going anytime soon, this may be the next best thing.

Ahhhh....Portofino makes you feel like you're on the Italian Riviera, for real . The buildings' painting, that makes flat objects appear three dimensional (forgot the Italian term) was even done by artisans flown in from Italy. And quite often the employees will use Italian greeting phrases. The immersion is 'magnifico'. If there's no budget (money) worries, it's worth considering.

 

[JoeCamel]

Ahhhh....Portofino makes you feel like you're on the Italian Riviera, for real . The buildings' painting, that makes flat objects appear three dimensional (forgot the Italian term) was even done by artisans flown in from Italy. And quite often the employees will use Italian greeting phrases. The immersion is 'magnifico'. If there's no budget (money) worries, it's worth considering.

Trompe l'oeil I think???

 

[Mad Dog]

Trompe l'oeil I think???

Yes, that's it!.....A few more recommendations, besides the ones I previously mentioned, for @Suprachica79 if she takes the Portofino option....We will have, after this December trip, apx. a hundred nights at Portofino (and apx. 50 at the other onsite hotel resorts) and there's so much to see at Portofino, that even now we're finding new areas we've somehow missed before. So, if you go there, I highly recommend that you explore the grounds & buildings. Besides the large beautiful Harbor Piazza, there's a number of courtyard Piazza's accessed within the building, some of them hidden away. Perfect spots for a glass of wine or a cup of coffee. Off of the Main Lobby there's an area themed like a small Italian village street at night. Go past there to the Convention room area, and you see two absolutely beautiful winding stairways with enormous crystal chandeliers, and one with a fabulous grand piano at the bottom. Both that level and the lower Convention level will open into beautiful courtyard piazzas. There's a few more, in addition to those, throughout the property. Portofino also has apx. 70 rooms with balconies (most small, a few large), which is a rarity at the Universal hotels. We're usually able to get one, if available, if we ask during check in. The restaurants are all located on the Harbor Piazza. And they all have the option of dining outside on the Piazza if you want. Generally we'll have breakfast at least once a trip at the "Trattoria" restaurant. They have an excellent high quality buffet, with a zillion choices, at a reasonable price. Mama' Della's restaurant is the one with the strolling musicians, and it's only open for dinner. There's also a third sit down and award winning restaurant, Bice, but we've never eaten there since the prices are really high. I think the Musicians stop there also, but I'm not positive.There's also a few high end shops on the Harbor Piazza that your lady might enjoy (a small art gallery, a few high end clothes shops), in addition to the obligatory Universal Studios store. Plus there's a small gift shop in the lobby. The Harbor Piazza also has the excellent Sal's quickservice restaurant, a Starbucks, and a Gelato, plus the Thirsty Fish Bar (live music on Thurs, Fri. Sat. nights). The pool has it's own restaurant/bar and it's good as pool restaurant/bars go. The water taxi's are officially every 20 minutes arrival, but we've found it really closer to one every 15 minutes. You can also walk to the parks on a super beautiful landscaped walkway. The walk is about 15-18 minutes depending how often you stop to look at the breath taking flowers & scenery. I highly recommend you do this walk at least once on your trip since it's just absolutely beautiful. There's small shuttle buses that will also take you to the parks. During lightening storms, the water taxis shut down. On the walkway, you can also have a pedi cab drive you. They are private contractors not allowed to charge a flat fee, but tipping is 'expected'. Probably $10 to $20 is fair....Portofino also has the state of the art Mandara Spa, and a very large Fitness Center.....A final word. Portofino seems to have a the largest percentage of foreign guests at the Universal resorts. That makes it seem especially exotic, and immersive, since you continually hear foreign languages and accents being spoken.

 

[Suprachica79]

Yes, that's it!.....A few more recommendations, besides the ones I previously mentioned, for @Suprachica79 if he takes the Portofino option....We will have, after this December trip, apx. a hundred nights at Portofino (and apx. 50 at the other onsite hotel resorts) and there's so much to see at Portofino, that even now we're finding new areas we've somehow missed before. So, if you go there, I highly recommend that you explore the grounds & buildings. Besides the large beautiful Harbor Piazza, there's a number of courtyard Piazza's accessed within the building, some of them hidden away. Perfect spots for a glass of wine or a cup of coffee. Off of the Main Lobby there's an area themed like a small Italian village street at night. Go past there to the Convention room area, and you see two absolutely beautiful winding stairways with enormous crystal chandeliers, and one with a fabulous grand piano at the bottom. Both that level and the lower Convention level will open into beautiful courtyard piazzas. There's a few more, in addition to those, throughout the property. Portofino also has apx. 70 rooms with balconies (most small, a few large), which is a rarity at the Universal hotels. We're usually able to get one, if available, if we ask during check in. The restaurants are all located on the Harbor Piazza. And they all have the option of dining outside on the Piazza if you want. Generally we'll have breakfast at least once a trip at the "Trattoria" restaurant. They have an excellent high quality buffet, with a zillion choices, at a reasonable price. Mama' Della's restaurant is the one with the strolling musicians, and it's only open for dinner. There's also a third sit down and award winning restaurant, Bice, but we've never eaten there since the prices are really high. I think the Musicians stop there also, but I'm not positive.There's also a few high end shops on the Harbor Piazza that your lady might enjoy (a small art gallery, a few high end clothes shops), in addition to the obligatory Universal Studios store. Plus there's a small gift shop in the lobby. The Harbor Piazza also has the excellent Sal's quickservice restaurant, a Starbucks, and a Gelato, plus the Thirsty Fish Bar (live music on Thurs, Fri. Sat. nights). The pool has it's own restaurant/bar and it's good as pool restaurant/bars go. The water taxi's are officially every 20 minutes arrival, but we've found it really closer to one every 15 minutes. You can also walk to the parks on a super beautiful landscaped walkway. The walk is about 15-18 minutes depending how often you stop to look at the breath taking flowers & scenery. I highly recommend you do this walk at least once on your trip since it's just absolutely beautiful. There's small shuttle buses that will also take you to the parks. During lightening storms, the water taxis shut down. On the walkway, you can also have a pedi cab drive you. They are private contractors not allowed to charge a flat fee, but tipping is 'expected'. Probably $10 to $20 is fair....Portofino also has the state of the art Mandara Spa, and a very large Fitness Center.....A final word. Portofino seems to have a the largest percentage of foreign guests at the Universal resorts. That makes it seem especially exotic, and immersive, since you continually hear foreign languages and accents being spoken.

Thank you so much for all the in depth information Mad dog, you are always a wealth of knowledge. I am definitely strongly leaning toward moving our reservation as this sounds like the type of place we are looking for on this vacation. While hard rock has some cheaper deluxe rooms, I’m not even tempted based on all I have heard here. I think this will be a really nice surprise for my wife as well, as she will be expecting Aventura lol. Because this is the most laid back Uni trip we will have ever done, staying at a resort where we can find hidden places to enjoy each other’s company and the scenery sounds exactly like what we need. Again, thank you for all of the info and taking the time to help me understand all the options. And thanks to everyone else for letting me hijack a page or two of the Aventura thread! We are still definitely stopping at Bar17!

(A side note - I’m a she, don’t worry, happens all the time )

 

[Mad Dog]

Thank you so much for all the in depth information Mad dog, you are always a wealth of knowledge. I am definitely strongly leaning toward moving our reservation as this sounds like the type of place we are looking for on this vacation. While hard rock has some cheaper deluxe rooms, I’m not even tempted based on all I have heard here. I think this will be a really nice surprise for my wife as well, as she will be expecting Aventura lol. Because this is the most laid back Uni trip we will have ever done, staying at a resort where we can find hidden places to enjoy each other’s company and the scenery sounds exactly like what we need. Again, thank you for all of the info and taking the time to help me understand all the options. And thanks to everyone else for letting me hijack a page or two of the Aventura thread! We are still definitely stopping at Bar17!

(A side note - I’m a she, don’t worry, happens all the time )

Perfect...That will certainly be a fun & romantic surprise if you go that Portofino route.Often there's no one else at the hidden away Piazzas. Pure serenity. ...Little add on...Our first time driving to Portofino, as you turn the corner, the bay and hotel emerge in front of you. Alene & I simultaneously uttered the same phrase, "On my god" .

 

[Ridgepole]

And they put up a very nice Christmas tree!

 

[Doug A.]

My wife and I stayed at Portofino for our honeymoon and thought it was the most beautiful and relaxing resort we have ever been to. Everything that @Mad Dog said is true, the views and architecture is truly a marvel. This as of now is the only resort we will stay at when at Universal (we do live some 1500 miles away in Buffalo NY). If you do decide to stay at Portofino you and be missus will not be disappointed for sure! :toast:

 

[Suprachica79]

Just wanted to update everyone that I have taken the plunge and moved our res from Aventura to a club level deluxe room at Portofino! As there were no standard guest rooms available at the discounted price, I felt the club level provided enough value to justify it over the standard deluxe room. I’ve read great things about the club level offerings at Portofino so now I really can’t wait for this trip! And my wife thinks we’re staying at Aventura, can’t wait to see her face when we pull up at he Portofino! Also first time with express, although during the first week of December it’s probably the least important week to have express but still will be nice to just walk on what we want. Thanks again everyone for the suggestions!

 

[Mad Dog]

Just wanted to update everyone that I have taken the plunge and moved our res from Aventura to a club level deluxe room at Portofino! As there were no standard guest rooms available at the discounted price, I felt the club level provided enough value to justify it over the standard deluxe room. I’ve read great things about the club level offerings at Portofino so now I really can’t wait for this trip! And my wife thinks we’re staying at Aventura, can’t wait to see her face when we pull up at he Portofino! Also first time with express, although during the first week of December it’s probably the least important week to have express but still will be nice to just walk on what we want. Thanks again everyone for the suggestions!

The Club level rooms are excellent. We've been upgraded to them a few times, though we didn't get access to the Club lounge. They're 490 sq. ft. so a bit bigger than the 450 regular rooms. The bathrooms have separate tubs and showers, instead of combined, and there' s a louvered window opening to the room from the tub....We will be at Portofino Nov. 29th to Dec. 7th. If you're there any of those days, we'd be happy to buy you and yours a drink and have a bit of a chat. And, as @Ridgepole said, there's a giant decorated tree on the Harbor Piazza. We're excited for the trip also, since it will be our first vacation during the holiday season. Now that Universal finally added a decent amount of Christmas activities, it seems worth the try. We're also going to do an evening at "Mickey's Christmas Party' at MK. That seems fun.

 

[Joel]

Quick, I need to book a hotel for HHN next week. Does Aventura have late night pizza like Cabana!?!?!?

Yes

All food closes at midnight. We were told by the front desk we had to order from an off-property pizzeria when we got back from HHN.

Booked for next Thursday-Sunday. Will try and find time for the rooftop bar.

Even though the bar closes at 2am, last call is 1:30am and they are STRICT with that. We arrived at 1:32 for a drink after HHN and were not served. This was after getting turned away from Stranger Things (Friday night ordeal). Haven't been rejected that many times and so quickly since my high school days.

We def plan to take the water taxi over since it brings you right in the middle of the action. When you say 15 min is the longest walk, do you mean from cbbr to the other end of RPR or something else?
Cant wait to hear your thoughts on the place! We need some first hand accounts on this site for sure.

I know Joe already helped you change your reservation over to Portofino, but I just wanted to give my thoughts having stayed at Aventura Friday night in a Kids suite (with my two brothers, no kids).

What do you want to know? 6th floor looking at the parking (my request). Bed is hard shower is hot and wet, room pad controls - a pita, quiet, parking gates don't work, fridge is underpowered, lighting could be much better
I keep telling myself it is a value hotel that just opened. Don't think I will book a new one again.

We had the Kids suite on the third floor at the end of the hallway, looking towards Sapphire Falls / the parks.

One of the iPad chargers was broken so when we got back from HHN late at night, we were unable to turn off the TV that this particular iPad controlled. Luckily it wasn't the TV where I was sleeping.

First I should say that I work as a designer/coder of websites, as well as design UX for all sorts of devices. I also designed and installed my own home automation system, using a matrix of systems ranging from ISY-994i to HS3 Pro, that are all integrated into a singular HA solution called myServer by Allonis.

I was impressed with the UI/UX for the control system on the iPad. It was extremely simple and easy to use, especially the A/V portion of it. Having said that, only 1 of the 5 lights listed under lighting worked. Also, the Somfy curtains weren't integrated into the system, they had separate push button controls mounted on the walls.

My two brothers (also AP holders who have stayed in most of the on-site hotels) agreed with the sentinment of this being our least favorite hotel. We won't be staying here again (unless by necessity). My feelings for Aventura are exactly as it's name implies, its nothing more than a hotel, and definitely not a resort.

EDIT: @JoeCamel do you mind snapping a few pictures of the iPad interface and posting them? thanks!

 

[Parkscope Joe]

All food closes at midnight. We were told by the front desk we had to order from an off-property pizzeria when we got back from HHN.



Even though the bar closes at 2am, last call is 1:30am and they are STRICT with that. We arrived at 1:32 for a drink after HHN and were not served. This was after getting turned away from Stranger Things (Friday night ordeal). Haven't been rejected that many times and so quickly since my high school days.



I know Joe already helped you change your reservation over to Portofino, but I just wanted to give my thoughts having stayed at Aventura Friday night in a Kids suite (with my two brothers, no kids).



We had the Kids suite on the third floor at the end of the hallway, looking towards Sapphire Falls / the parks.

One of the iPad chargers was broken so when we got back from HHN late at night, we were unable to turn off the TV that this particular iPad controlled. Luckily it wasn't the TV where I was sleeping.

First I should say that I work as a designer/coder of websites, as well as design UX for all sorts of devices. I also designed and installed my own home automation system, using a matrix of systems ranging from ISY-994i to HS3 Pro, that are all integrated into a singular HA solution called myServer by Allonis.

I was impressed with the UI/UX for the control system on the iPad. It was extremely simple and easy to use, especially the A/V portion of it. Having said that, only 1 of the 5 lights listed under lighting worked. Also, the Somfy curtains weren't integrated into the system, they had separate push button controls mounted on the walls.

My two brothers (also AP holders who have stayed in most of the on-site hotels) agreed with the sentinment of this being our least favorite hotel. We won't be staying here again (unless by necessity). My feelings for Aventura are exactly as it's name implies, its nothing more than a hotel, and definitely not a resort.

Thanks for the correction and info!

 

[Skipper Justin]

Thanks for the correction and info!

Can you not order a pizza from the room service menu?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Can you not order a pizza from the room service menu?

Sounds like the kitchens at Aventura close at midnight, a good choice would be to take a bus to Cabana to eat there (they’re offering a late nite menu that closes an hour after the event) and walk over the pedestrian bridge to Aventura afterwards.

 

[Joel]

Can you not order a pizza from the room service menu?

Unfortunately no, kitchens are closed. I was excited to see the UX of ordering from the iPad but it was a no-go.

 

[UNIrd]

Even though the bar closes at 2am, last call is 1:30am and they are STRICT with that. We arrived at 1:32 for a drink after HHN and were not served. This was after getting turned away from Stranger Things (Friday night ordeal). Haven't been rejected that many times and so quickly since my high school days.

I'm crying.

 

[Suprachica79]

The Club level rooms are excellent. We've been upgraded to them a few times, though we didn't get access to the Club lounge. They're 490 sq. ft. so a bit bigger than the 450 regular rooms. The bathrooms have separate tubs and showers, instead of combined, and there' s a louvered window opening to the room from the tub....We will be at Portofino Nov. 29th to Dec. 7th. If you're there any of those days, we'd be happy to buy you and yours a drink and have a bit of a chat. And, as @Ridgepole said, there's a giant decorated tree on the Harbor Piazza. We're excited for the trip also, since it will be our first vacation during the holiday season. Now that Universal finally added a decent amount of Christmas activities, it seems worth the try. We're also going to do an evening at "Mickey's Christmas Party' at MK. That seems fun.

Small world, we are staying Dec 1st-8th lol. The standard room wasn’t available at the discounted rate for some reason so the deluxe room with separate shower and tub was the cheapest available but I think I would have gone for it anyways, my wife loves baths, especially after a long day at the parks so it was a nice upgrade. Now if we can somehow get a king instead of 2 queens, and a balcony I think that’d be the cherry on top. Might just have to take you up on the beverage; I saw from UK-Trigg trip report posts that you are from western PA, my wife is from the eastern PA (Wilkes-Barré area) and her mom was born and raised in Dubois. Steelers fans all the way, should give us something to chat about .

 

[Mad Dog]

Small world, we are staying Dec 1st-8th lol. The standard room wasn’t available at the discounted rate for some reason so the deluxe room with separate shower and tub was the cheapest available but I think I would have gone for it anyways, my wife loves baths, especially after a long day at the parks so it was a nice upgrade. Now if we can somehow get a king instead of 2 queens, and a balcony I think that’d be the cherry on top. Might just have to take you up on the beverage; I saw from UK-Trigg trip report posts that you are from western PA, my wife is from the eastern PA (Wilkes-Barré area) and her mom was born and raised in Dubois. Steelers fans all the way, should give us something to chat about .

:toast: the week before we go I'll send you a PM with our cell phone number....amazing coincidences...and with all those photos Mark took while in Pgh., Alene & I will be easily recognizable.

 

[UNIrd]

I stayed here over the weekend and it's a nice little hotel. Definitely give it a chance especially if offered at the proper price point. It's got a lot of vibe for a Universal hotel. Walking in and hearing Kaskade playing and being able to head to the bar right there in the lobby as people came and went, mostly adults as I guess most people realized this is not the hotel for kids but the proper one for a weekend HHN getaway. Good job, parents.

The design choices in the rooms were really interesting. We stayed in the Deluxe 2-Queen that has the weird bed layout, which was made most awkward by the TV being directly in front of only one of the beds. (My friends ended up hopping into my bed to watch Netflix). The iPad worked like a dream for all the features we tried.

Got to try out Urban Pantry for both breakfast and lunch. For breakfast, they had a similar Croissant, Bacon, Egg & Cheese sandwich similar to the one I like over at Bayliner Diner at Cabana Bay. But the pricing was kinda awkward here. $7 for the sandwich.. totally reasonable. $5 for a side of home fries? And $5 for a Minute Maid Orange Juice? Not so much.

Lunch fared much better as we tried the Create Your Own Stir Fry and WOW. Got steak with ramen noodles stir fried and added a poached egg with a bunch of veggies. Delicious. Everyone who got the stir fry really enjoyed, the others who got it with broth enjoyed it less so. Friends tried a pizza that looked good as well.

I was not looking forward the pool as I thought it just looked so basic... and it IS... but it is enjoyable and the right depth. We were going to walk over to Sapphire Falls pool as we had some friends staying there but we enjoyed ours enough. The music is ramped up in volume a bit at night and we also checked out some of a dive-in movie, Sing, one night. The drinks at the pool bar were really good and we tried different variations of the frozen Del Sol drinks: passion fruit, mango, raspberry... we all added on an extra shot of rum which the bar tender offered.

Also checked out the Bar 17 Bistro.. it was a very cool spot and could see why locals would head over to check it out but it could use a few more tables as it was pretty busy when we checked it out. Views are awesome but it's concentrated in a very small area. There's a whole opposite side with great views that's empty. Definitely should consider putting something else there (should've been a rooftop pool but alas).

Now for some negatives:

Looks like this shares bus service with Cabana Bay. They would pick up Cabana Bay guests first and then the first bus that came, Aventura Hotel guests were able to get on that bus standing only. Only fit so many so we had to wait for the bus right behind it (which worked out better since it was empty and we were able to sit.) But it took 30 minutes to get to the CityWalk bus drop-off from the hotel at 6:30pm on Saturday!

I get Horror Nights traffic, sure, but how they haven't figured out an internal bus loop of sorts for these hotels is beyond me. I felt sorry for the people forced to stand during this one as that's way too long for such a short distance. Should've walked over to Sapphire Falls and used the boat but my friends staying there said even that was at a 20-minute wait. Also, on the way back from Horror Nights, they dropped off guests at Cabana Bay first as well (and it was the vast majority of the bus which makes sense... CBBR's 2200 rooms vs Aventura's 600).

Then, on Sunday checkout date, the parking garage was backed up all the way up to the third floor to exit. For those of you who don't know, you need your room key to enter the garage and to exit. There's an unusual lag time for the gates even when it is working correctly (same issue at Cabana Bay if you're familiar). But with so many guests trying to leave at the same time, we were at a total standstill. We were stuck for about 15 minutes without moving (more guests from floors under were leaving and backing things up further) and we weren't even close to the exit. Friends in another car who stayed as well asked if we should just park and go to CityWalk for lunch since it seems pretty dire. But I made reservations for lunch at The Boathouse at Disney Springs and wasn't going to eat the $50 charge for cxling the reservation.

Finally called guest services and let them know how long we'd been waiting and that they needed to just open the gates and let everyone go and that there should be someone there directing traffic. They advised there WAS someone down there assisting guests with card entry and that they couldn't just lift the gate. I said obviously it wasn't working as we were just sitting here. Moments later, we all started moving as magically the gate was permanently lifted and we were out in seconds.

Overall, we all agreed we would absolutely stay here again even with the quirks. Yes, it's still got some kinks to work out even after a month but if you're going without kids, don't need or care for Express, and the price is right, definitely consider staying here. At a stone throws away from Sapphire Falls, you basically have those bars, restaurants, and amenities at your disposal there as well. It's nice to have yet ANOTHER option for our UO stays, even if it means for the purpose of freeing up space at your UO resort of choice.