TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Perfect location to visit Universal. One of the best check in experiences from Austin. The hotel is spotless , each member of staff we interacted with were really friendly and made us feel really valued as guests . Check out experience continued this theme . When returning to Universal , I would return to the Saphire Falls hotel without hesitation. Pool bar, Amatista breakfast buffet and Strong Water Tavern all offer great service and excellent quality food . Highly recommend this hotel and cannot wait to return . Boat service to City Walk was extremely convenient and well run.

Just completed my third stay at this hotel- I really like it as a mid-level priced option at Universal. The hotel is so pretty and the team members have always been sweet and kind. Strongwater Tavern has such good food (and drinks) and Amatista is a good spot too! The onsite gym is fully equipped and spacious enough that you’re not on top of each other when utilizing the space and the pool is just gorgeous! The boat to/from the parks is nice- but the walk is ok too. Love the proximity to the parks! Only drawbacks are- it IS cold. Understandably Orlando is usually sweltering hot and it happened to be cold when we visited but the temp in the room/common areas was kept as though it’s mid summer. The bedding is decidedly blah. Even though it’s mid priced for Universal it’s still an expensive hotel for the rest of the world and the bedding was harsh and scratchy and not at all sufficient for how chilly it was. And the lighting in the bathroom is horrible for doing makeup. You have a spotlight on your head or it’s too dark if you cut off the overhead. All of the drawbacks are minor things but still worth mentioning. Definitely will not derail me from future visits but will influence my packing next time. Had a fantastic stay!

Arrived here Christmas Day. The hotel is set out very nice - boat travel included to universal studios - because you are staying in this hotel you can gain access to universal 1 hour before the official opening time - bar is nice - little expensive but you expect to pay that In universal. Parking is available at cost

We arrived after a long days travelling and asked would we like to load some credit onto our room key card which we did. We have now been home almost 9 weeks and still have not received our outstanding balance returned to our credit card account. We have various excuses via email such as , wait 3 to 5 working days , wait 7 to 10 working days and lastly, we have sent it to your bank. I contacted my bank to be told they had received no notification whatsoever. They then told me to get specific details from the hotel such as the exact date and time it was sent, the exact amount, the account number it had been released from and finally the account number it had been paid into. Since this last request my emails seem to have been ignored. Just a word of warning to anybody who comes across this situation give this account a wide berth. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole holiday but this has sullied the whole experience. Mr Steven Bannister.

Please ignore all the bad reviews of this hotel, this must have been a unique experience. We were a family of 4, one 8 year old and one 15 year old and a mother in law. Got a taxi from the airport, was around 20 mins. Upon arrival the reception area is beautiful, we had a long stay of 2 weeks so was relieved. Yes we had to share a room with all four of us, my mother in law had her own room, we had a bath she had a shower not sure why?! But the view from both rooms was spectacular, the beautiful waterfalls, lagoon and rides in the distance were second to none. We had shopping delivered to the hotel and just had to meet him outside to collect. The beds were SO COMFORTABLE, literally we got home and our 8 year old made us buy a mattress topped because he missed 'his florida bed' haha. The rooms had a separate mirror and sink from the bathroom which was a godsend for me sharing with 3 boys, they will charge you for that fancy fiji water on the way out though. Everything was cleaned everyday and left spotless. The pool area was stunning! Prices to make your eyes water but we knew this coming to florida, the kids meals were good value and we had the nachos which were great. Lifeguards regularly testing each other on duty and saw 2 rescues, they are on the ball! Waterside really fun AND the red hot jacuzzi pool was to die for after walking around all day in the parks, pool open till 11 too which was amazing. Little firepit to do marshmallows on was a nice touch at night. Can refill water from the machines or buy a refillable cup which were such good value and cheaper than next door aventura I noticed (although they do have some better food options if you're craving veggies and noodles! Little coffee shop aswell which we used a lot for snacks. Boat ride to the parks was a beautiful relaxing touch, never too busy and always a pleasure. Some kids parties around the pool but never too overcrowded. We had one issue where our son had collected all the souvenir cups and left them in a plastic bag in our room and the cleaning staff accidently binned them. The reception staff were so lovely about it and although we never got them back they did credit us with some money to go and buy them again. We never ate in the steak restaurant so can comment. Got ubers from outside the hotel- really quick Walmart not far. Magical to watch the fireworks and drones in the distance. Our flight was late on and they let us use the gym facilities to get showered and ready. This was such a magical holiday for us and it wouldn't have been the same without this hotel, the beautiful relaxing decor was a welcome break from the overstimulating parks, I would go back in a heartbeat.