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Sapphire Falls Resort

There's almost two dozen, from different nation's to choose from. Every one we've had (more than half of the choices) were good. Generally the two of us order three plates and we split them up. My personal fav drink is the Tavern Grog....but they all look good.
Damn, nice! I shall experiment then, probably gonna be with a couple of friends so that should be fun. I'll start with the Grog!
 
I'm pretty sure I need to go to little Havana
Just go all in, Road Town, Tortola BVI

Roadtown%2C_Tortola.jpg
 
Is Sapphire Falls a good place to stay for a weekend for HHN? Likely doing 2 nights of HHN (Thursday and Friday) then one day at IoA, planning to spend days before HHN at the resort. We stayed at Cabana Bay before and thought it was nice, but is this worth the upgrade if we might spend more time at the resort? Also, are the water taxis better than shuttles?

TLDR, I'm curious if this is a worthy upgrade from value resorts for an HHN trip.
 
Is Sapphire Falls a good place to stay for a weekend for HHN? Likely doing 2 nights of HHN (Thursday and Friday) then one day at IoA, planning to spend days before HHN at the resort. We stayed at Cabana Bay before and thought it was nice, but is this worth the upgrade if we might spend more time at the resort? Also, are the water taxis better than shuttles?

TLDR, I'm curious if this is a worthy upgrade from value resorts for an HHN trip.
Sapphire has been our go-to for the past several HHN trips - the property as a whole is smaller than the Cabana "campus", and so it's not a long walk to get to the pool, bar, restaurants, etc. - just feels very convenient. It also tends to have fewer of the huge groups that book at Cabana, so just a little more chill, relaxing vibe overall IMHO. I'm generally always looking at options in terms of step count on HHN nights, so having the water taxi pick up at Citywalk (instead of walking over the parking garage for the shuttle) and then drop me off a few steps from the resort's door (vs. drop off then trekking to whichever hotel room/tower I got at Cabana) is crucial.

The only downside I've ever felt for Sapphire when it comes to HHN is that, depending on how late you stay at the park, the food options at Sapphire close around midnight, I think, versus Cabana I want to say had some pretty late night options for pizza and snacks. But honestly it's probably been best for me to have the kitchen closed!
 
Apologies for having these questions so close together, but planning is a hassle and we want to figure things out before rates go up.

Right now, we are torn between Sapphire Falls and Aventura due to their proximity. We're not very familiar with UOR's hotels, the first we stayed at was CBBR for HHN in 2021, but we were so busy that it was hardly more than a place to sleep and shower. This trip is different though. We will be flying down in the evening on Wednesday, going to HHN Thursday and Friday nights, using Saturday for either IoA or another HHN night, and flying home Sunday. However, we have nothing planned for Thursday and Friday before Stay and Scream, and we will likely use that time to explore Citywalk and the resorts.

My main question lies in if the offerings of SF (and the premier resorts as well) can be taken advantage of as an Aventura guest. Aventura generally looks bland and corporate to me, but as I said, we will likely spend little time there besides sleeping. We are really curious as to how much of the higher resorts we can experience, such as the pools, restaurants, and water taxis. I am especially curious about the water taxis, since they don't use that massive security hub by parking, the walk back to the resort would be brutal after HHN, and I've heard some say they check for room keys sometimes.

For our dates, rates are $225 for Aventura and $345 for SF. We have no desire for premier resorts since we have no need for Express. Splurging a little bit to take advantage of all of SF's offerings wouldn't be a problem... but if we can access most of it as Aventura guests, I'm not sure the ultimate extra $500 is worth it. It really does seem beautiful, but do the rooms offer anything that will make our experience THAT much better? Or might we be better suited staying at Aventura and spending our free time at SF and the other resorts?

Sorry for the long post or if anything is confusing. Thanks in advance
 
You can pool hop and use the water taxis when at Aventura. I like the rooms more at Sapphire but I think the Aventura rooms are nicer than their price point.
 
Apologies for having these questions so close together, but planning is a hassle and we want to figure things out before rates go up.

Right now, we are torn between Sapphire Falls and Aventura due to their proximity. We're not very familiar with UOR's hotels, the first we stayed at was CBBR for HHN in 2021, but we were so busy that it was hardly more than a place to sleep and shower. This trip is different though. We will be flying down in the evening on Wednesday, going to HHN Thursday and Friday nights, using Saturday for either IoA or another HHN night, and flying home Sunday. However, we have nothing planned for Thursday and Friday before Stay and Scream, and we will likely use that time to explore Citywalk and the resorts.

My main question lies in if the offerings of SF (and the premier resorts as well) can be taken advantage of as an Aventura guest. Aventura generally looks bland and corporate to me, but as I said, we will likely spend little time there besides sleeping. We are really curious as to how much of the higher resorts we can experience, such as the pools, restaurants, and water taxis. I am especially curious about the water taxis, since they don't use that massive security hub by parking, the walk back to the resort would be brutal after HHN, and I've heard some say they check for room keys sometimes.

For our dates, rates are $225 for Aventura and $345 for SF. We have no desire for premier resorts since we have no need for Express. Splurging a little bit to take advantage of all of SF's offerings wouldn't be a problem... but if we can access most of it as Aventura guests, I'm not sure the ultimate extra $500 is worth it. It really does seem beautiful, but do the rooms offer anything that will make our experience THAT much better? Or might we be better suited staying at Aventura and spending our free time at SF and the other resorts?

Sorry for the long post or if anything is confusing. Thanks in advance
Yes on the using premier resorts perks when being an Aventura guest. I know the water taxis are supposed to be for specific resort guests, but I've never once had a boat captain check my hotel card in the 8+ years I've been staying on site. I'll often interchange the Sapphire and Royal taxis when departing Citywalk based on whoever gets to the dock first. Restaurants and pools are advertised as being open for all guests.

The differences between Sapphire and Aventura are there but it's not overwhelming - Sapphire is just a step above in lots of little, small ways - nicer linens, nicer finishes, nicer furniture. The rooms feel slightly smaller to me at Aventura vs. Sapphire. The pool and the restaurants are the most obvious upgrade, with Aventura not having a table-service option, but then again, you can just make the five-minute walk to enjoy Sapphire. Aventura does have a fun rooftop bar.

If, like you said, you don't spend much time in the hotel, I'd lean toward booking Aventura and putting the $500 toward another aspect of your vacation, or just pocket it. This year I'm probably going to treat myself to an "upgrade" to Sapphire simply because HHN is the one child-free trip I take in a year, so my husband and I are fine to pay more for the slightly nicer, more convenient experience. When we used to stay onsite at UO multiple times a year, I'd have no qualms about booking Aventura to save some money while still getting a very nice room/experience.
 
I’ve stayed at both for HHN and both are amazing. For the savings to spend on other things, I’d go Aventura. As others noted, you can use the amenities at other hotels like their pools and transportation. It’s not far of a walk either between the two resorts. I loved my deluxe room at Aventura. Much roomier than I was expecting.
 
"Right now, we are torn between Sapphire Falls and Aventura due to their proximity."

I consider them to be the same hotel since they are next door to each other ... when I stay at SF, I go to Aventura each morning for their Starbucks ... when I stay at Aventura, I use the SF pool

All about what rooms / rates are available
 
We did the King Suite in 2021 and had an amazing room with tons of space and overlooking the pool. We loved it!

This year I wasn't able to snag a King Suite for 9/27-10/2, but I saw there was a Sapphire Suite that looks comparable, but has a large extra dining area that we don't really need for two of us. I was able to book this suite for around $550 a night (all-in) for late September with the Stay More, Save More discount.

We spend a lot of time at the hotel before HHN, but I'm wondering if this is going to be too much room for two people and not worth the price. We were also looking at a Water View King Room at Royal Pacific, but the room is about $500 more for a lot less space. I've been indecisive and can't decide which to go with.

Recommendations? Better alternatives out there?
 
We did the King Suite in 2021 and had an amazing room with tons of space and overlooking the pool. We loved it!

This year I wasn't able to snag a King Suite for 9/27-10/2, but I saw there was a Sapphire Suite that looks comparable, but has a large extra dining area that we don't really need for two of us. I was able to book this suite for around $550 a night (all-in) for late September with the Stay More, Save More discount.

We spend a lot of time at the hotel before HHN, but I'm wondering if this is going to be too much room for two people and not worth the price. We were also looking at a Water View King Room at Royal Pacific, but the room is about $500 more for a lot less space. I've been indecisive and can't decide which to go with.

Recommendations? Better alternatives out there?
I don’t think I’ve seen a rack rate at a hotel worth an under $600 a night since before COVID. I’d jump on that. The only consideration is how much you’d want Express. For two people in September, not sure the extra $500 for Royal Pacific would be worth it (unless this nets out to a lot of days that you’re planning spending at the parks).
 
We did the King Suite in 2021 and had an amazing room with tons of space and overlooking the pool. We loved it!

This year I wasn't able to snag a King Suite for 9/27-10/2, but I saw there was a Sapphire Suite that looks comparable, but has a large extra dining area that we don't really need for two of us. I was able to book this suite for around $550 a night (all-in) for late September with the Stay More, Save More discount.

We spend a lot of time at the hotel before HHN, but I'm wondering if this is going to be too much room for two people and not worth the price. We were also looking at a Water View King Room at Royal Pacific, but the room is about $500 more for a lot less space. I've been indecisive and can't decide which to go with.

Recommendations? Better alternatives out there?

that is a great deal for a suite at Sapphire (the nicest hotel on property)
 
We did the King Suite in 2021 and had an amazing room with tons of space and overlooking the pool. We loved it!

This year I wasn't able to snag a King Suite for 9/27-10/2, but I saw there was a Sapphire Suite that looks comparable, but has a large extra dining area that we don't really need for two of us. I was able to book this suite for around $550 a night (all-in) for late September with the Stay More, Save More discount.

We spend a lot of time at the hotel before HHN, but I'm wondering if this is going to be too much room for two people and not worth the price. We were also looking at a Water View King Room at Royal Pacific, but the room is about $500 more for a lot less space. I've been indecisive and can't decide which to go with.

Recommendations? Better alternatives out there?
I think we got upgraded to the Sapphire Suite one year since it was a birthday or anniversary. It was super swanky, giant living room, giant dining room foyer and everything. It was super impressive but a little disappointing that our stay was only for 2 nights.
 
I just realized that you can look up the suite information and floor plans and everything. It was definitely the Sapphire Suire and dang it was cool.
 

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