We’ve wanted to stay at this hotel ever since we first visited Orlando back in 2013 and now, we’ve finally ticked it off the list!

Universal have recently expanded their hotels to include seven resorts ranging from value resorts, to premium.

The Hard Rock sits within their premium category and so therefore is at the pricier end of the spectrum, however in our opinion the benefits far outweighed the additional cost and the vacation turned out to be an absolute dream!

We’ll discuss the hotel first and then the reasons as to why I would choose this over the other available resorts.

The Room

The rooms were lovely, clean and fairly large, including two large beds. (I’ve included photos for you!) Our room was a pool view - you could also see part of the park in the distance along with the occasional fireworks!

I also loved that our room had a bathroom and then a separate sink and mirror outside the bathroom in a vanity area. This meant that we could both get ready at the same time!

The Staff

The staff were super friendly and helpful. They have a text service which you can message if you need anything or have any questions to save you walking to reception.

The Restaurants / Bars

We tried out two on site restaurants for dinner, “The Kitchen” and “The Palm” both served lovely food, but are very different.

“The Kitchen” is based on a fancy American diner (I loved their mac and cheese which was SO good that I didn’t get a photo of it!) serving awesome versions of American favourite dishes.

If you fancy a touch of sophistication in your theme park adventures, “The Palm” is a more formal venue / fine dining experience.

You can check out both menu’s on Universal’s website.

Cobbler Dessert “The Kitchen” - with added birthday candle

Options for breakfast are either “The Kitchen” which serves the most incredible buffet style breakfast I have ever seen (they also have an a la carte menu). Usually I am not one for buffets, but this is the exception. They’ll also make as part of the buffet, omelettes, eggs Benedict, pancakes and waffles etc. The advantage of the buffet option is that all drinks are included and you can eat as much as you like!

“Millions of Peaches & Champagne” - The Kitchen

The other option is room service - which we experienced a couple of times when we needed to be out super early the next day. You’ll need to order the night before, choose a time slot and the form needs to be outside the door of your room by 2am. Easy.

The Velvet Bar in the reception area serves great cocktails and provides live music in the evenings - we sat here a few times and downloaded on our day over a cocktail (or two!) I do wish though, that they had a wider range of cocktails served at this bar. The bar downstairs within “The Kitchen” restaurant has a more extensive range but is a restaurant bar, rather than a bar in its own right.

Other amazing reasons to stay at the Hard Rock which we tested out!

Walking Distance

The Hard Rock hotel is the closest resort to the parks - to walk takes around 5 minutes. Much easier than catching Universal’s complimentary shuttle busses.

Unlimited Express Passes for your stay

THIS IS THE BEST and the NUMBER 1 REASON for me to have chosen a premium resort. For every day of your stay, you receive unlimited express passes (for the rides which offer this service) when staying at one of Universal’s premium resorts (theme park admission required.) The ability to skip the queues for the majority of main rides ALL DAY long, was an absolute timesaver. The express passes are also your room key! Our vacation was in the off peak season, so the queues weren’t as busy as they would be in the summer, but having the express passes allows you to fit loads more in during your vacation. You need to weigh the time saved against the cost of staying at one of Universal’s premium resorts.

Early Park Entry

When you stay at a Universal resort, you get to gain access to Volcano Bay and some attractions an hour earlier than the crowds. This can vary per date, so check with your hotel for details of attractions and parks which are participating. We didn’t take advantage of this on this trip, however it was explained to us.

Resort Wide Charging Privileges

When you check in to any Universal resort and receive your room key, you have the option to use Universals Resort wide charging privileges. Credit is loaded on to your room key and can be used in all restaurants and shops for merchandise. All purchases are then charged to the room. You can even choose to have merchandise delivered to your room to save you carrying it around the parks.

Boat Rides to the Park

In all honesty, the Hard Rock is SO close to the park, it’s generally quicker to walk than get the boat. However, the boat is still super fun to catch and drops you at City Walk opposite the parks. Only certain hotels offer this, as not all hotels have access to the water.

Separate Bag Check

Anyone that’s been to Universal will know that all bags are checked on arrival to city walk before you get to the parks. All visitors have to go through this route. When you walk from the Hard Rock and the Portofino Bay, bags are checked at a different entrance to CityWalk, therefore skipping the queues. When catching the boat, bags are checked before boarding.

(I can’t speak for whether the other hotels have separate access, as I have only previously stayed at the Cabana Bay - which resulted in us going through the main CityWalk queue.)

Summary

The express passes for us, were the main point of booking a premium resort as the time we saved by not standing in queues allowed us to experience more of what Florida has to offer. It meant that you could pop in to the park for a couple of hours after a day out and ride a fair few rides before dinner and with the park being so close, it makes things even easier.

Would definitely stay here again - without a doubt! Universal have a handy hotel comparison sheet detailed on their website where you can see the benefits of each tier of hotel. I would use this to work out the best option for your vacation.

Have you stayed at the Hard Rock? Or one of the other resorts at Universal? Let us know in the comments below

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