Summary Worth EVERY cent

Reviewer's Comments

6/12/2005-6/15/2005 Our absolute favorite. The Portofino is my families (parents+1 boy & 1 girl) favorite place to stay. 2 yrs ago we cheaped out and stayed at the H.R. and switched half way through. This is our 3rd trip back and are still thrilled with the place.

The past 3 yrs we\'ve been adding a Universal stay to our 9 day annual WDW trip. As my son got older (7 now) we felt we had to add something extra for him since he\'d outgrown Pooh. The Portofino is a little pricey but you realize its worth every dime once you get to walk past all the shlubs waiting on line while you are on your way to your Fastpass point of entry. Of course, all the Universal hotels offer this perk but the Portofino is in a league by itself.

The rooms are 100% luxury. Towels used mid-day are replaced with a cleanup & turndown at night. The front desk strives to please every guest and the staff are friendly and efficient. WE LOVE the boat ride to the parks and found the new night time music in the bay to be refreshing.

The pool is outstanding and my husband and son made a ride out of the pool slide. Apparently my 35 yr old husband has discovered that by arching your back and sliding on your heels and shoulders one can reach maximum velocity and shhot out of the slide \'like a rocket\' My kindergarten girl loved the zero entry and playing in the sand. The 4 of us loved that they let us play catch with a hackey-sak from home and a balloon like beach ball. I also loved that there were tiered steps/seats surrounding the pool for easy Mommy & Daddy resting while watching the kids (who Should have been tired) after a LONG day at the parks

Before I forget, the pool has pleanty of rocks on which to find lizzards if your family contains at least one wanna be \'Lizzard Hunter\'. Of course, our families Lizzard Hunters just catch the little guys (if possible), get a photo, and turn them loose