Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando

I recently worked a business conference at the beautiful Loews Sapphire Resort in Orlando and have high praise for the level of service extended by everyone. In particular, I want to mention our Customer Service Manager, Michael Craig, who was exemplary in delivering above expectations to ensure our attendees were well taken care of and the meeting ran smoothly. I must also mention the set-up team of Reynold Jollaecur, William Cabrera, Matthew Kenney and Josue Acosta. These staff were always eager to help, move items whenever asked and always with a smile. These individuals are examples of what winners look like!

I traveled up to Universal for my yearly Mardi Gras stay and I chose the beautiful Sapphire Falls Resort again. From the time you walk through the doors and enter the beautiful spacious Lobby you can feel the sunshine beaming in. I was greeted by the lovely Emi on checkin. She was so kind and helpful. It was early in the morning when I checked in and I knew my room would not be ready, but I wanted to get an early start to my day. If you have a special request for room placement they do truly and accommodate if possible. I received my text that my room was ready about 11:00 am. Wow, that was awesome. I went back to the front desk and another lovely young lady named Lissy reset my room key and off I was to my room. I went to my assigned room number and to my surprise I was standing outside the doors to a Sapphire Suite overlooking the Lagoon. I thought there must be some mistake until my room key opened the door. I had been upgraded to a Sapphire Suite. What an awesome surprise. I opened the door to a spotless suite. There is a half bathroom off the spacious entry. There is a nice large dining room with a dining table that can seat 6 comfortably. There is a small kitchen area with small refrigerator, coffee maker and sink. There is coffee, tea and creamer and disposable cups to take your hot beverage on the go if you want. There is a large living room with plenty of seating and the couch does come out for extra sleeping area. There is a large TV in the living room. There is large TV in the king bedroom and a large bathroom with double sinks, shower and tub. There are plenty of soft towels and wash cloths. The shampoo, conditioner and shower gel is attached in the shower and there is plenty of soap supplied. If you should need any thing you might have left at home you call or text for additional supplies. There is a safe, iron, ironing board and additional bedding in the closest and hair dryer supplied for your needs. There is an ice bucket and glasses provided for your beverages. The ice machines are easily accessible. The king bed, sheets and blankets were so comfortable. There was maid service everyday I was there. You are given the option of daily maid service on your arrival. My room was kept spotlessly clean and the towels and other toiletries were kept refreshed daily. I did have a meal from Amatista Cookhouse late one evening. I had a side salad which was fresh and the Chimichurri Steak flatbread. The flatbread was delicious. There is a huge store in the lobby to shop all your Harry Potter and other Universal items. There is the New Dutch Trading Company for fast grab and go food off the huge lobby. If you have a taste for incredible cocktails and small bites try the Strong Water Tavern off the Lobby. There is a Vacation Planning desk where you can purchase tickets in the Lobby. There is Concierge and Avis car rental available in the Lobby. There is a large beautiful pool with slide and rental Cabanas. This is a Resort that has everything you need to have a great stay. Mr Diaz the front desk manager was so kind and gave me some tips for looking for the Easter eggs at the Mardi Gras Tribute Store. I had a great stay at the beautiful Sapphire Falls Resort and wonderful time celebrating Mardi Gras at Universal Studios. What a wonderful surprise on the Sapphire Suite upgrade. Sapphire Falls is a beautiful Resort with the kindest folks who work there. The Sapphire Suite is a spacious beautiful Suite perfect for a honeymoon, a family wanting extra room to spread out or a grandma like me. Thank you Emi, Lissy and Mr Diaz and all who made my stay so special.

Avoid at all cost unless you enjoy paying for "signature collection" and getting motel level experience. While the resort is generally clean and well laid out it has very little normal food service so you will find yourself wasting time and money trying to feed your family basic foods. Do not think the Drhum Club Kantine will save you as that food is one step away from prison and priced like filet mignon. Housekeeping is 8AM to 8PM and no way of getting extra towels during the day which is nice especially your first day when they give you two sets for a room booked with four people. Get ready to fetch yourself pool towels for the length of your stay. The shower water pressure is so low you may not even want to try to wash your hair. You will also learn how to hold down the toilet handle and count to twenty. The room itself was underwhelming. While the décor looks nice in photos, in person it felt worn and poorly maintained. We noticed scuffed walls, stained carpeting, and a bathroom that didn’t feel thoroughly cleaned. The beds were uncomfortable, and noise from the hallway and adjacent rooms made it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. The pool area, which is supposed to be a highlight, was overcrowded, chaotic, and dirty. Heated pool NOPE. Dirty pool YUP. Don't forgot about the charges for Fiji water bottles that you never took. Save your money and look elsewhere.

Hotel was ok. Just a room, nothing special but nice to be able to walk to parks. Staff was friendly. Coffee maker didn't work but they did send a replacement 2nd day. Called desk to borrow a cork screw and they brought one to the room, tipped $10 for the service. On check out was charged $32 for the cork screw! We were not told we were being charged until it was already done. I would never have paid $42 to open a $20 bottle of wine. Also bought park to park tickets to ride the Hogwarts Express train between parks which was closed down for our entire stay. It was a scheduled closure and we weren't informed until we arrived at the park. No refund for the difference in cost. For the cost of the rooms should not have such deceptive charges.

I am currently at this resort with family and like it a lot. We have stayed at Universal Portofino and many Disney Resorts and at first I was worried Sapphire Falls didn’t have enough bells and whistles like those….but then I realized that’s exactly what I love about it. It’s a nice respite after a chaotic day at the parks. Every staff member we’ve encountered has been lovely and gone above and beyond. The text feature for pretty much anything you need is great as they are prompt to reply and very helpful. The property and room is clean (I’m a freak about that,) and it has a big heated pool with a slide for the kids. There are few other fun extras like ping pong and a little game room. Really nice gym too. This resort is very close to Islands of Adventure and the Universal Studios so the water taxi is a quick and pleasant ride over. We’ve taken the shuttle to Epic and that was easy too. Very timely transportation. The food on property at all restaurants we’ve tried has been great, including the Drhum Club by the pool, Strong Water Tavern (loved) and even the snacks at the coffee shop in the lobby. The coffee (k cups) in the room is bad, but they want you to go buy it from the coffee shop so we just did that. Having a nice time and glad we chose this place for our stay this year.