Universal’s Aventura Hotel
The Aventura is a modern and sleek hotel located on site at Universal Orlando Resort.
Sitting in the Prime Value Hotels category we think it offers a lot for the relatively moderate price.
We feel this hotel is well suited to Adults with it’s stylish interior and rooftop bar. Fantastic for Couples and groups of friends looking for a casual and comfortable base to unwind after a jam-packed day in Orlando.
Location & Getting about
The Aventura’s location is a big plus point! It has walking access to Volcano Bay with dedicated bag check. You can be in the park in around 10 minutes which is super convenient making Volcano Bay an extension of your hotel facilities.
Getting to the parks is also no problem. There’s a bus stop just outside the entrance providing frequent free service to the hub at city walk main entrance. A beautiful alternative is to take a stroll over to the Sapphire Falls Hotel opposite and take a free water taxi from the dock to city walk dropping you right in the centre of all the action.
Finally if you’ve over indulged on Voodoo Doughnuts, then you might want to carry on past the dock taking the footpath for the 20-30 minute stroll all the way to a dedicated entrance and bag check entering city walk by Islands of Adventure.
Parking & Car Hire
There is plenty of self parking available in the form of a multi-story car park. There is direct lift access to the hotel via the lobby, remember it may be worth parking on a higher floor to get a spot closer to the lifts. The self parking charges are approx. $18 + tax per night.
There is an Avis car hire desk in the lobby of the Aventura with hire cars located in the car park. If you’re not planning on leaving the resort for a few days it may be worth using Avis so you can off hire the car when you don’t need it and save the parking and hire charges and then simply start a new hire later in your stay when you’re ready to get out and about.
Rooms
The Aventura offers a variety of room grades in King, 2x Queen or Family Suites. We stayed in a Standard King room which was clean, comfortable, well appointed and bright with floor to ceiling windows. With a King bed and a pullout sofa, this room is great for couples or a family with up to two smaller children. The option of a sofa for use in the day offers more floorspace, however for teens or 3+ adults we would definitely recommend the 2 queen room.
Rooms have a coffee maker, small fridge, Iron and ironing board. Desk with power and USB charger along with a very funky ipad that controls the TV, lighting and climate control. You can cast to the TV and sign into your own services such as Netflix or Youtube. The Ipad provides resort information and even allows you to make requests to front desk such as more towels, pillows or coffee refills, this was a really handy service.
Bathrooms
There is a vanity area with sink and mirror before a separate bathroom with toilet and dedicated shower. This is great for allowing someone to take a shower whist another member of the party can get ready at the sink. The bathroom was clean and functional, if you require a bath I believe they are available with over batch shower, but I would check directly with the hotel to make sure you are allocated one if it’s important to you.
Facilities
The lobby has a food court with a selection of quick service counters offering fresh baked pizza, burger, salads and the usual fast food offerings. There’s a grab and go with sandwiches and fruit and a counter offering more substantial meals such as meat and veg. There is an onsite Starbucks for grabbing your caffeine fix along with a gift shop. The central area has lots of seating and tables to sit and eat a meal or just relax with a drink.
There are 6 lifts to the accommodation floors which were quick and efficient and after 4pm one became an express lift to the rooftop bar on the 17th floor. There are a further 2 lifts from the lobby to the parking garage which is not accessible directly from the main lifts.
The Pool
The outside area offers a bar and seating area along with a large pool and good selection of sunbeds. At the back of the pool area there are two gates allowing access to the dedicated guest walkway to Volcano Bay, no busses no hassle, this is a fantastic perk and you can re-access the hotel this way with use of your room key.
Winner?
Overall we would highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking to be on resort with a moderate amount of time spent at the hotel. It’s a great base and the hotel is clean and minimalistic with a great price. In our opinion it lacks some character as it’s more of a generic modern hotel compared to the other on offer. That said it ticks all the boxes for couples and groups taking full advantage of the parks and entertainment on resort. If you’re looking to spend a lot of time at your hotel with a more relaxed holiday or travelling with kids some of the other Universal hotels may offer a more themed experience.
