A few weeks ago I *finally* got to stay at Universal Orlando Resort’s newest hotel – Universal’s Aventura Hotel! 

I enjoyed my stay here, and I’m excited to share my full review with you. Aventura is a prime-value hotel, ideal for couples, friend getaways, honeymoons, and is also somewhat family friendly. 

If a premiere hotel doesn’t fit in your budget, a prime-value property like Aventura Hotel  is a great option to consider!

Keep reading to see if staying at Universal’s Aventura Hotel is a good fit for you.

Universal's Aventura Hotel Overview

Universal Studios has 4 categories of hotels: Value, Prime Value, Preferred and Premier. Universal’s Aventura Hotel is a Prime Value hotel, which is one of the more affordable options. Cabana Bay Beach Resort is the other Universal Orlando property in the Prime Value category

Universal's Aventura Hotel is a 600-room, 17-story hotel. It’s not your typical theme park hotel. It has a sleek and minimalist design, there is essentially no theming, and there’s no waterslide.

There’s a gorgeous rooftop bar, a fire pit and a food court called Urban Pantry that serves gelato, sushi, poke, burgers, pizza and much more.

Location

Located directly off the I-4 Highway, next to Loews Sapphire Falls.  Aventura is across the street from Cabana Bay and Volcano Bay. 

If you’re heading to Universal Studios Florida, or Island's of Adventure, you can walk the 1.5-mile garden walkway, or utilize the complimentary shuttle bus service that’s shared with Cabana Bay. Buses typically run every 5-10 minutes. I’d save your feet and avoid the garden walk unless you’re wanting a scenic route.

Aventura TIP:

You can walk over to Sapphire Falls and take the water taxi to City Walk. You'll just enter the lobby and head down to the lower level and out the back door.

From Aventura, you can also walk to Volcano Bay. Head around the back and go through security at the bus stop. Then keep walking down the path that goes under Universal Boulevard and over to Volcano Bay.

The Vibe at Universal’s Aventura Hotel

A relaxing reprieve with a trendy/futuristic vibe.

Universal's Aventura Hotel Rooms

Aventura offers 4 room types:

• Standard

• Deluxe

• Kids suites

• Skyline kids suites

The standard room is 314 square feet in size. The deluxe room is 395 square feet, and the Kids Suites are 575 square foot that sleeps 5 and features a special room area for children with 2 twin beds.

Standard and deluxe rooms offer the option of one king or two queen beds. The king standard and deluxe rooms have pullout sofas.

Standard and deluxe rooms offer single vanities. 

The suites, offer bath tubs, separate walk-in showers and a double vanity. The suites offer partitioned rooms, There’s an additional "rec" room with a small pull-out sofa and TV. The only difference between the kids suite and the skyline kids suite is the floor its on — it's up to you whether the view is worth the upgrade.

Aventura Hotel Room Design:

These guest rooms have no typical theme park theming.  The rooms compliment the overall modern feel of the hotel. The lamps, vanity and desk are all super modern.

• Light and airy 

• Hard wood-flooring 

• Sleek, modern fixtures

• Rooms come with: 

  • Coffee maker

  • Ironing board

  • Hairdryer

  • In-room safe

  • Mini refrigerator

  • Large television

  • Lots of outlet plug ins

  • Each room has a tablet device that controls the temp, turns lights on and off, controls the television, and allows in-room dining, access to housekeeping and the ability to chat with the front desk. 

My Aventura Hotel Room Review

The room was bright and sleek. Surprisingly pretty spacious. You can for sure feel the miminalistc  + futuristic vibes. The beds were VERY comfortable, and I appreciate all storage space.

If you need to work remote, there's a long desk making it easy for you to spread out your work items. 

The bathroom sink is located separate from the bathroom which is always a helpful when you have multiple people in a room. The sink area is small but the cubbies in the wall create storage spaces for each member of the family to keep their personal toiletries.

With the in-room tablet control system, I legit never had to never touch the wall-mounted thermostat because I was able to adjust it from the tablet! Being able to turn off the lights from in bed was pretty sick too. 

Other awesome uses for the tablet include ordering room service and housekeeping. I enjoyed being able to order more coffee packets without having to talk to a human. 

The tablet also has a guide to Universal Orlando Resort. You can even stream to your in-room TV which lets you connect to any of your pre-existing services like Disney+, Netflix, and Hulu. 

The best feature in my opinion is the floor to ceiling views, which was the highlight of my stay.  We could see Hogwarts, Island’s of Adventure attractions, and the entrance to Sapphire Falls.

Universal's Aventura Hotel Amenities

The Pool at Aventura Hotel

Aventura Hotel has one outdoor zero-entry pool located on the ground floor. This pool wraps around the pool bar, and is one of Universal Orlando's smallest hotel pools.. There's a fire pit, lots of lounging space, a hot tub and a small kids splash pad. I approached the attentive lifeguards.

It can get crowded at this pool, expect to see crowds on hot nights after the parks are closed. By far the pool with the fewest screaming kids running around. 

Although, there’s no pool slide, as an on-site Universal Orlando hotel guest, you can pool hop to any of the Universal hotel pools. Sapphire Falls is the closest and easiest to get to, but Cabana Bay is also close — and it offers two pools, a slide, a splash pad and a lazy river.

Virtual-Reality Game Room

Located on the second floor, Aventura has a state of the art virtual reality game room which includes “pay to play” games with the included VR headsets. Suitable for adults and children. This is by far one of the most unique offerings at a Universal Orlando Hotel.

Universal Studios Hotel Gift Shop

Located in the lobby, this gift shop is on the small side. There’s a very large section dedicated to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  Can confirm Diapers and swim diapers were available for purchase.

Aventura’s Gym

On the second floor of Aventura Hotel. Nothing fancy, but the fitness equipment will get the job done.

Housekeeping at Aventura Hotel

Relay, the hotel robot can deliver you items that you may need to enjoy your stay! You will simply use the tablet in your room and select what you would like to be delivered. You can order towels, blankets, toothbrushes, etc! A few minutes later,  Relay will be there at the door with your items!

Universal's Aventura Hotel Dinning Options

Note-- There is no full-service restaurant options at Aventura. 

Urban Pantry:

Located on the 1st floor.  Essentially a food court, the wide open space contains dining stations serving various types of food. 

Serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Urban Pantry offers a variety of options, from pizza, sushi, burgers and fries. Urban Pantry's breakfast includes waffles, eggs, bacon, ham, biscuits, pastries, yogurt parfaits and a variety of other options.

The Wok & Sushi station has been my favorite meal. This station features build-your-own breakfast bowls. SO DANG GOOD! My eggs were surprisingly perfectly cooked, and there were no hesitation on freshness of the ingredients.

Dinner one night- I panic ordered the chicken fingers and fries because I couldn’t decide on all the yummy  sounding options. lol

Aventura Hotel Tip: You can apply your Annual Pass discount here!

Aventura's Lobby Bar

Grab a drink after check-in! Contemporary design with fun music. 

Bar Sol

Located outside on the first floor, Bar Sol is the large, shaded pool bar. Here, you can try signature cocktails like the Arnold Palmer's Day Off, Frozen drinks, or mock-tails. Don’t forget to check out the wide selection of wines and beers.

Bar 17 Bistro

Aventura's modern, sleek rooftop bar. Gorgeous views, great music, lots of lounge seating, custom cocktails and a variety of tasty meal options like the signature Rooftop Burger. There's also a kids menu.

Note—you don’t have to be a hotel guest to dine and drink at Bar 17 Bistro, so staying nearby and walking over for a drink might a great option for your budget.

Starbucks

Located on the 1st floor. As you pass through the lobby area, you see the full-size Starbucks. Mobile ordering IS an option.

Comparing Universal’s Aventura Hotel to Cabana Bay Beach Resort

Both are Universal Orlando Prime Value Hotels. Distance wise, they’re located across the street from one another, both offer direct access to Volcano Bay, and have comparable hotel rates.

Aventura is a great option–a better one, for those who like me view hotels as a place to to just shower and sleep, and prefer spending the majority of their vacation inside the theme parks. Aventura rarely has lots of kids making this an ideal choice if you want a more peaceful hotel.

Cabana Bay Beach Resort is geared more towards families. It has 2 pools, a lazy river, multiple water slides, more dinning options, has a bowling alley, lots of theming (retro) and a ton of other hotel amenities.

Universal's Aventura Hotel Perks

• Complimentary shuttle transportation to the parks and CityWalk

• Resort-wide charging privileges with your room key card

• Have in park souvenir purchases delivered to your hotel room

• Early Park Admission to the Universal Studios Florida AND/OR Universal's Islands of Adventure one hour before the theme parks open. This includes the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

• Early Park Admission to Universal's Volcano Bay 30 minutes before the water park opens

• Start your day with a wake-up call from one of your favorite Universal Orlando characters

• Rooftop Bar

Things to Consider Before Booking Universal’s Adventura Hotel

Like the other lower-priced Universal Orlando hotels, Aventura guests do not get unlimited Express Pass. If that’s something you’d otherwise buy, you’ll probably want to book a premiere hotel, as the value/cost of that is unmatched.

If you’re staying with children, Cabana Bay offers more to do at a similar price point. If you’re sticking to a budget, Endless Summer has better rates, especially for family suites, and better pool areas and food options. 

My Overall Impression

Universal's Aventura Hotel is not a hotel necessarily designed for those with children, but it is one where kids can stay and have a great time. 

Aventura Hotel is great for couples and childless adults, weekend girls trips or solo getaways. If you have children, I would consider upgrading to a suite room for the extra space and privacy.

The proximity to Universal's Volcano Bay is ideal for those who plan to spend time at the water park. Those wanting a more relaxed, beach vibe during their vacation—  Sapphire Falls or Royal Pacific are better hotel options.

If you’re a smart home person (Amazon Alexa) you'll enjoy the emphasis on technology . I 1000% futuristic  Meet the Jetson's vibes.

My only big issue with Aventura is you don’t get you Express Passes, which are expensive for families to buy a la carte. I’d much rather save money at Dockside, or splurge and stay at Royal Pacific where Express Pass is included.

Ultimately- it comes down to if you want to stay at the newest Universal Orlando hotel that happens to be reasonably priced. Aesthetically, it's pretty sterile meets trendy, and on the small side. if the lack of of children on property is appealing, this is the hotel for you. 

I would stay here again if the price is right, I just feel like for the price, you can get a better bang for your buck at Cabana Bay Beach Resort.