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On this trip, in addition to staying at the Walt Disney World Waldorf Astoria, I also visited Universal Orlando. (For me, Universal is way more fun than Disney. The lines are shorter, and the rides are better.) For various reasons, I couldn’t book Loews Royal Pacific Resort, another Universal property, so I settled for the 4-star Loews Sapphire Falls Resort instead, and stayed in a Hospitality Suite with an area of 126.7 square meters. Since this is a Universal hotel, guests get access to the water taxi service (the dock is just 10 meters from the hotel entrance and takes you straight to the entrance of Universal) as well as the perk of entering the park one hour early.
Coincidentally, the after-tax price of this suite was about the same as the Disney Waldorf suite I stayed in, around $1,000 per night. Which would you prefer: the more refined but smaller Waldorf suite, or the more spacious but rough-around-the-edges Sapphire Falls suite? Feel free to leave your pick in the comments!
As usual, let’s start with the room layout.
Right by the entrance, there’s a bathroom on one side and a closet on the other. Further inside is the living room, which includes a TV area, a 4-person sofa area, and a dining area. Past the dining table is the primary bedroom, and the primary bathroom comes with two sinks, a shower, and a toilet.
When we first entered, all the curtains were closed, leaving only the indoor lighting on. Unlike many hotels, the lighting here was quite bright, which I appreciated!
This is the bathroom near the entrance. It’s pretty basic, with just a sink and toilet. (For two people, at least there’s no need to fight over the bathroom, haha.)
The TV area. Not many people watch TV these days, but this couch was nice—very soft and spacious.
Panoramic views of the living room, looking from front to back and from back to front. The space is definitely roomy overall, but it lacks a more polished feel.
These 4 sofas were unexpectedly comfortable, and they were also handy for putting clothes and other items on.
This is a small kitchenette area, equipped with a coffee maker, refrigerator, microwave, and a small wet bar. One thing worth complaining about: why is bottled water so expensive at Florida hotels no matter the price point?
The bedroom was spacious and had plenty of charging outlets. The hotel-provided charging + alarm clock speaker was actually quite useful.
There was a small chair next to the bed, which was convenient for putting a backpack and clothes on.
Inside the room’s closet were an iron, hair dryer, extra cups, and a safe.
Next up is the bathroom inside the room.
The vanity was fairly standard.
There was a separate door between the toilet and the shower area outside, giving a bit more privacy.
I have to complain again: this showerhead was really difficult to use.
One thoughtful feature was that you could sit down while showering.
Finally, the biggest problem with this hotel: no slippers!!!