A few weeks ago, my husband and I took the kids down to Florida for our very first trip to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.
We were lucky enough to join the Family Forward team for a once-in-a-lifetime trip that we won’t ever forget. Our family enjoyed 5 fun-filled days in Florida, doing everything from spending quality time together in quiet moments to screaming and giggling through the more adventurous moments. We loved it all!
The trip will need several more posts to even come close to doing it justice, but for now, here’s a rundown on our amazing hotel.
The Portofino Bay Hotel:
The Portofino Bay Hotel is absolutely gorgeous!
The above view was taken from the complimentary water taxi we took each day over to Universal and Islands of Adventure. It was a truly beautiful sight at the end of a fun day.
And the daytime view is just as pretty:
Everywhere we walked throughout the resort was so beautiful. The attention to detail, inside and out, was amazing. There were outdoor cafés, vintage vespas parked along the water for photo opps, gorgeous pools and walkways throughout, and so much more.
The kids’ favorite area of the resort was the Beach Pool. With a real sand beach, a cool water slide, a fun grotto area and more, it was hands-down one of the coolest pools we’ve ever been in.
This was the area of the Beach Pool that the kids loved best:
We didn’t swim in the Villa Pool, but it looked like a wonderful place to relax and to enjoy a more serene afternoon.
Our room at Portofino Bay was just as pretty.
We had two queen-size beds and requested an additional rollaway bed. The room was so spacious that there was enough room for the rollaway bed (at the far wall in the back left corner). There was plenty of room to walk between the rollaway and the other bed and to walk to the window and enjoy the view outside.
We had plenty of room for our entire family of five and loved how comfortable and beautiful the room was:
And the bathroom was beyond spacious. I couldn’t get a good photo that showed how huge the bathroom was, but I had joked about putting the rollaway bed in there at first because it really would have fit!
As a blogger who has been to a lot of conferences, I’ve seen a lot of ballrooms.
Well, I’ve seen a lot of large rooms that some hotels call “ballrooms”.
At Portofino Bay, the ballrooms are just that, in every sense of the word. They truly look like an extravagant ball could be held in the room. So pretty!
Everything about our stay at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel was wonderful.
So much so, that I’d love to go back with just my husband or a couple of girlfriends to take advantage of all that it offers. Enjoy lunch at the café, lounge in the sun by the Villa Pool, or enjoy an afternoon at the Spa.
We were so busy having fun on this trip, that I definitely need to head back and spend more time enjoying Portofino Bay!
Wowza, what a nice hotel. I would love to go there for our next family getaway!
Very nice hotel – looks like a place my family would love to stay at 🙂
Oh wow! What a fun place to visit. I LOVE water parks like the one above, they are SO much fun to go to!!!
Wow. That’s one swanky hotel. I’d love to kick back there for a few days.
I can’t remember the last time I took a water taxi. It’s so relaxing and amazing.
That hotel is beautiful! The rooms are gorgeous and the pool looks so fun.
That plce looks wonderful. Love the pol!
What a beautiful place to stay. We are actually headed to Florida at some point.
what a gorgeous place to stay! we’d pick the same pool
Wow, this hotel looks absolutely amazing! I would love to stay there!
What a beautiful place to stay! I like that they offer something different from the run of the mill hotel!
What an amazing hotel! I would love to stay somewhere with a complimentary water taxi to and fro. It’s so gorgeous that I want to redecorate my bedroom.
My parents stayed here, and they loved it! Their favorite part was the pool. I usually am not very picky because I know we won’t be there much, but now that we are traveling more without kids, I’m starting to look for nicer hotels!
I wish I could visit a hotel like this, looks so spacious and comfortable as well as entertaining. I know I want to travel a bit with the fam when they are older
What a fancy hotel! That pool looks fantastic!
I love the outdoor pool area, and that water. I could see myself there with my family having a great time!
The hotel looks amazing! Luxury everywhere you look 🙂
We went to Family Forward last year and stayed at Loews Royal Pacific. LOVED it and we were very sad not to be able to make it this year. This resort looks amazing too!
It’s such a nice resort! I’d love to relax in the pool!
You were in my hometown? Isn’t the Portofino amazing? Love the waterways
that looks like a great looking hotel to stay at. I plan to go to Orlando soon. I will have to look into this one
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel looks so incredible. I loved hearing about all the fun you and your family had.
It truly is a magnificent hotel. It was so nice and quiet and peaceful too!
That looks like a wonderful hotel. I would love to take my family there!!
Oh my gosh. That place looks like a dream. Just gorgeous.
Wow, how incredibly gorgeous is this place?! I MUST visit it someday because it looks like paradise!
That is a beautiful place to stay. I don’ t know if I’d want to leave. The pool is gorgeous.