LOEWS PORTOFINO BAY HOTEL,
5601 Universal Blvd., Orlando, FL, 407-503-1000,
hotels/portofino-bay-hotel
Rates: Depending on the season, rooms range from $269 to $539 a night; suites are $524 to $2,525. $12 self-parking fee; $18 for valet.
Stay here if you’d: Love to go to Italy but don’t want to leave America.
It’s close to: On the grounds of Universal Orlando Resort, which is accessible by footpath or a free boat ride; 15 miles from Disney World.
The rooms are: Big and comfortable. Even the smallest of the 750 rooms are 460 square feet, and there are 45 suites. Most rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, which add a lot of style and light to the decor but seem an odd choice in a resort that caters to families and their tippy toddlers. The bathrooms are huge, which made me feel pampered even though the fixtures weren’t anything special. The beds are comfy, with down comforters, and the TVs are big flatscreens. The hotel also allows pets — up to two a room, no size limit — for a $25 fee.
They put all of the money into: Everything. It’s hard not to make fun of this sanitized version of the famous Italian hilltop town, complete with a man-made harbor with artfully anchored fake fishing boats, generic Italian- style architecture with artificially aged shutters and a staff that greets you in Berlitz-style Italian sound bites. But then the atmosphere begins to work its magic, and you really do start to feel as if you are in Italy, or at least the Italy you see on postcards. Even my jaded traveling companion, who regularly stays in the Las Vegas theme hotels, admitted he’d never seen a hotel so amazing. With its three swimming pools — including one with a sandy beach and fake pirate’s cove — eight restaurants and bars, spa, fitness center, video arcade and five boutiques, the hotel is its own resort.
The bottom line: A lot of attention to comfort and ambience went into this hotel, from the friendly staff to the beautifully landscaped grounds. Still, I felt like I was constantly being nickled and dimed. For instance, there’s bottled water thoughtfully provided next to the in-room coffee pot, but it costs $7. A plate of lasagna in one of the restaurants is $22. And I had to pay $9.95 a day for Internet access — in a room that averages more than $400 a night. But if you can get a package rate or someone else is paying, it’s a relaxing and romantic respite from ordinary hotels.
Vicky Uhland
