TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

The hotel is clean and in great proximity to Epic Universe. Easy to walk there but the shuttles come frequently. Pool is great. The only negative thing I have to say is there was something very wrong with the lights in the room. They would turn off all by themselves and then turn on again. In the middle of the night lights would pop on quickly and then shut off. Very annoying and weird. While taking a shower at night the lights just shut off in the bathroom.

We stayed at the brand-new Stella Nova Resort from July 2 to 4, and it did not disappoint. The hotel was fresh, clean, and beautifully designed—everything you’d hope for in a brand-new Universal property. We arrived a few hours before check-in and were pleasantly surprised to find that a room was already available for us. After a chaotic check-in experience at Loews Royal Pacific earlier in the week, this smooth and welcoming start was a huge relief. We chose Stella Nova because we were visiting Epic Universe and wanted to be closer to the park—and it absolutely delivered. It was just a short, easy walk to the front gates, making our park day stress-free and convenient. Out of the Universal resorts we’ve stayed at, this was genuinely one of the best. Great value, ideal location, and a peaceful, modern atmosphere. We wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again and are already looking forward to our next visit.

Positives : good size room, very clean. Large pool area Negatives : Food options extremely limited making it impossible to eat here due to medical reasons in our family . . Walking path to Universal Blvd flooded due to rain- so unless you have transport you are stuck . Great hotel for 1-2 nights but wouldn’t book a 7 night stay again . The rooms receive a light clean every two days - ours didn’t until 6 pm on evening though . Wouldn’t stay again for a prolonged stay as there isn’t even a small shop around to purchase any food/ drink and the onsite shop options are very limited . Staff seemed pleasant during the very few interactions we have had .

We decided to stay at this new Universal hotel as a way of relaxing after a 7 days Caribbean cruise . Hotel was very big , bright and airy. You could tell it hadn’t been open long as everything was obviously very new . We arrived earlier than check in time , received a warm welcome at reception , and given the keys to our room on 6th floor. The room itself was fantastic , very big , with plenty of storage , and a view of the new Epic Resort. The beds were really comfortable , we had complimentary toiletries and tea/coffee making facilities. The pool area was very big and clean , we had one meal in the Cafe , as we were too tired to go out , which was ok , nothing special, but I suppose they are catering for families on the go. The free shuttle buses going to and from the parks were an added bonus and ran every 15/20 mins from 7am - 2am. The hotel was not very busy when we were there and I commented to my husband that I wouldn’t like to be there when the hotel was full, as I don’t feel there would be enough catering to cope with possible demand. In hindsight I should probably have booked somewhere on International drive for our stay , so we could walk to the many bars/restaurants on your door step. I didn’t like the fact that the bars would only serve one drink per person at a time, people are on holiday and should be able to buy what they want without being restricted . All in all a good choice for families visiting the theme parks .

Let's start with the bad....the Food! We got food from the Cafe once and the Market twice. From the Cafe, our family tried a pasta dish, chicken sandwich, salmon fried rice, and the chicken noodle soup. All 4 dishes were not finished. It was a total grease fest! Every dish was swimming in oil. We also tried the breakfast sandwiches at the Market and these were unfortunately a miss as well. It was dry and bland. The only saving grace was the Starbucks where we were able to get beverages and decent pastries. On to the Great....everything else! Service was top-notch. We were checked-in by Rebecca, who was very courteous and overflowing with helpful information. I appreciated all her tips. The room was nice as well. It was comfortable for our family of four, especially after spending the day at the parks. It was also located on the first floor which was nice because we did not have to use the elevators. The room surprisingly had some wear and tear to it which I did not expect since it's been open for 6 months. Alot of scuff marks around the room and bathroom and the closet door had a broken piece of hardware. But it was overall very clean and suited our needs. I also liked the walking distance to Epic. It was about a 10 minute walk in the morning, and a 10 min return trip back on the shuttle (including wait time). We also shuttled to IOA/US one day, and it took about 15 minutes. Way better experience with these shuttles versus the Disney Bus Transportation.