Universal’s Loew’s Sapphire Falls Resort is one of the newest resorts to open at Universal in Orlando, Florida. It opened in the Fall of 2016, and it is easily one of the most beautiful of their hotels. Keep reading for all the details!
Universal’s Loew’s Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando Florida
There is a tropical style to the Loew’s Sapphire Falls Resort, but it is done in a very classical way and not your typical, touristy style. This makes it one of my favorite Universal Orlando resort!
It is located just off of the main interstate in Orlando and is within walking distance to the theme parks, plus offers a few types of transportation to the parks as well if you don’t want to move your car and pay for parking at Universal.
They have a valet service when you pull up to sign in, or you can just park yourself after unloading the car. This hotel has a nice, large parking garage so your car isn’t sitting in the hot sun, but I will say that it is a good walk to some areas of it, so it is best to unload the luggage prior to parking if you can.
There are fees for each day you are parked at the hotel, too, so be sure and ask about those so you don’t have that surprise on your bill.
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When you enter the hotel, there is a gorgeous, open lobby that is very inviting immediately. You don’t feel cramped the way you can at many hotels while you’re checking in.
There are some comfortable seats in the center of the room, underneath an awesome chandelier, where your family can hang out while you check in, or anytime during your stay.
They give everyone in your family their own key cards also, with their names on them, so this keeps the hotel more secure, but also lets you split up as a party without worrying about someone not having a key.
My kids loved this part, and there were fun things on the keys like the minions and other Universal characters.
The hotel has a very cool layout to it, and it gives it a feel that is unlike any other hotel I have previously stayed in.
There are a couple of restaurants in the hotel if you want to just hang out there and not leave the property, and they are different styles of food, too, so it’s not the same type of thing repeated.
They are great about food allergy issues too, so let them know what your family needs and they are happy to work with you to be sure you only eat what is safe.
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They do also have a little store that is combined with a café that has quite a good variety of foods and drinks, for that type of a shop. They have teas and coffees they can make you, hot foods, and lots of cold items, plus snacks and refillable souvenir cups.
If you are going to be in the hotel much, the cups are worth buying, because you pay one cost per day and then you can go right to the Coke machine to refill over and over. The drinks otherwise cost about what half the cup does, so it is well worth it, plus then you do have a take-home item to remember the hotel by.
Universal’s Loew’s Sapphire Falls Resort rooms are extremely nice – The beds were very comfy and they gave us lots of pillows and blankets. I wanted to take that bed home, and a couple pillows, too!
The bathrooms have a nice amount of space, with doors so if one person needs privacy while another is getting ready at the vanity, they can do that. They do offer suites for families too, and if it is a slower time, you may get an upgrade if you ask. We had a large party with us and they upgraded us for free!
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There are 2 rooms that are adjoined but have a door you can close off one room with. Both have televisions as well.
The pool area is awesome. It is very spread out and has palm trees everywhere and plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas. There is a café outside too, and they have waiters that come around pretty often to see if you need a drink or any food, and you can stay right where you are if you like! A very relaxing environment for sure.
I would recommend that if you can, spend one day just at the hotel, taking a good relaxing break, and not just try to fit the hotel stuff into your Universal trip, around the parks. Doing the City Walk area at night is a fun thing to do too, so if I could advise anything it would be to do the hotel during the day and City Walk at night.
The best thing for us about this hotel is that they offer not only bus transportation, but they have a water taxi you can take to the parks. It is right out the back door and down the deck to get on it, so it doesn’t take a long time to get to it. It comes and goes often, too, so if you’ve just missed it, the wait is not very long and when it’s busy, they run several.
It takes you right into the heart of City Walk and lets you out between where the park entrances are, so you can easily get to either park fast.
After a long day at the park, especially in the summer heat, it is so nice to not have to walk all the way back to the parking garage at the parks, as it is a long walk. So, you are not only saving on paying that parking fee, you are saving your tired legs!
The boat ride is about 10 minutes, too, just enough to relax but not too much! You get a good view of the tower for Islands of Adventure, the cool new Steampunk style restaurant, Toothsome, and the Hard Rock Café and concert venue, as you pull up, among all the other things there at City Walk and the view at night is awesome with all the lights!
As far as the pricing, this hotel falls in the middle of the range for the Universal hotels. It is not the most expensive, nor the cheapest. If you follow Universal or sign up for emails, they do run specials during the slower seasons, and you can save quite a bit off the rooms during those promotions. It is worth the weekly email for those savings.
One other great thing that comes with staying with them on site, is that they now let you enter the park an hour early to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, ahead of the general guests. They will tell you what time to be to the transportation and take you right over there. It is well worth waking up early for, as those areas are general crowded all day.
One more tip. If you want to check out the non-Universal or Disney park attractions you can get discount admission with the Orlando GoPass. You can save up to 55% off admission prices buy building your own pass. Locations to choose from including Legoland, Sea World, Bush Gardens, The Titanic Museum, The Kennedy Space Center, Gatorland, many water parks and more! You can also buy an all-inclusive pass for up to 5 days and get into as many attractions as you can fit into your schedule for 5 days!
So, hope this helps you know more details and information on this hotel so you can decide if it is a good fit for your family – and enjoy! Have you visited Loew’s Sapphire Falls Resort? I’d love to hear your experiences! Comment below.
We also put up a review of Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort make sure to check it out if you are looking to stay in the area!