It may be the fall, but at Universal Orlando’s newest hotel property, it’s definitely Endless Summer. 😉 You know how much my fam and I love Orlando! Right before school started, my sisters and I took a little end of summer trip to Universal for one last hurrah before the fall. I had the chance to check out the newest Universal Orlando Hotel, Surfside Inn and Suites, half of the brand new Universal’s Endless Summer Resort! (The other half, Dockside Inn and Suites, is set to open March 2020, making it the biggest of the Universal Orlando Hotel properties.)
When I visit Orlando, I love staying on-property at Universal Orlando. It’s convenient and the quality is truly outstanding. (Universal Orlando has partnered with Loews Hotels on all of their hotel properties and you can definitely tell!)
Other Universal Orlando Hotel Reviews:
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel
Universal’s Aventura Hotel
Loews Royal Pacific Hotel
Staying on-property has a lot of benefits including free and easy shuttles to and from the parks, early access to attractions like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal’s Volcano Bay, and resort-wide charging privileges. Plus, I’ve always just felt more like I’m “on vacation” when staying on-property. So, shall we get into specifics?
First up: The property!
The Skinny on Universal’s Endless Summer Resort
The property is totally beautiful and super fun. The vibe is easy, relaxed and fun. Universal’s Endless Summer Resort is the very first value property for the Universal Orlando Resort, which is major. It’s affordable and in my opinion the most family-friendly of the Universal Orlando hotels. (They all are, but I find Surfside Inn and Suites to be the best!)
The lobby is so beautiful! You MUST snag a pic with the SURFSIDE surfboards! The decor of the entire hotel is so pretty and the details– surfboards everywhere, jellyfish installations on the ceiling, the ceilings all painted blue, really made you feel like you were underwater, in the very best way.
For a full room tour and to see the property in action, make sure you check out my Universal’s Endless Summer highlight on Instagram Stories!
Next up: the rooms!
All About The Rooms at Surfside Inn and Suites
As I mentioned before, Surfside Inn and Suites is Universal Orlando Resort’s very first value property and it’s a GREAT option for families. Coming from the oldest of 4 kids, whenever we travel as a family it can be quite a challenge. One of the things that drew me to Surfside Inn and Suites is the 390 2-bedroom suites they offer. We were fortunate enough to snag one and it was FANTASTIC.
So, mom and dad can get one room and the kids can be out in the main room. There’s also a kitchenette with a microwave, mini-fridge and coffemaker. The rooms are all really bright and airy, surf-themed. We loved the giant surfboard in the corner!! The decor was really modern and pretty… kinda wanted to take home the chairs at the mint green picnic tables honestly!
Dining Options at Surfside Inn and Suites
You’ll find a FULL Starbucks in the lobby (PRAISE HANDS EMOJI) as well as the Beach Break Cafe, a food court offering multiple stations for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We had both breakfast and lunch on-property, and everything was delicious! The breakfast sandwich and chicken sandwich I had both had this very specific sauce, just FYI. It was a sort of a cheesy, Baha sauce that may not be for everyone, so keep an eye out for it. My favorite breakfast item was definitely the DELICIOUS breakfast bowl!! YUM.
There’s also a Pool Bar that has the most amazing frose, and in-room pizza delivery which is a total win.
Also wanted to point out that they have a pretty good gluten-free selection… after traveling to Universal’s Aventura Hotel last year with my good friend Savannah who has a gluten allergy, I learned just how hard it can be to travel when you eat gluten-free. There are a lot of really great options at ALL of the Universal Orlando Hotel properties, just FYI!
All About the Pool at Surfside Inn and Suites
There’s an amazing resort-style pool in the shape of a surfboard with a kids’ splash pad and daily activities. (There are also tons of beach balls scattered around!) It’s the perfect spot to cool off after a morning at the parks or to relax on a more low-key day.
Visiting the Universal Orlando Resort
As I mentioned before, staying on-property at Universal Orlando is key. The benefits like free shuttle access to and from the parks and early access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal’s Volcano Bay are major benefits! We had a great time at the parks! (I love taking pics at Universal, there are so many cute photo spots!)
ALSO– if you’re a Stranger Things fan, you can NOT miss the Stranger Things photo pop up at Universal’s Cabana Bay Resort! From now until October 31st, this photo opportunity is open to guests of any of the Universal Orlando Hotel properties and we made it a point to get out there and LOVED IT! Basically, your party goes into a room that is decked out like the Byers’ house in Season 1 and you can snap pics and even a video. There’s also a replica of Season 3’s Scoops Ahoy haha! There’s a staff member in the pop-up who’ll happily take all the pics and videos of you and your friends/family that you could want.
We had a GREAT time as always at the Universal Orlando Resort! If you’re in the market for a great family-friendly hotel, with all the luxury amenities at a great price, I can’t recommend Surfside Inn and Suites more. I’d love to know– where do you stay when you visit Universal Orlando?? Let me know in the comments!
Thank you to Universal Orlando Hotels for offering me a complimentary stay at Surfside Inn and Suites in exchange for this post! Thoughts and opinions are, as always, my own. Thank you for supporting the brands who support A Sparkle Factor!
