From Tracie: Loews Royal Pacific Resort At Universal Orlando

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Loews Royal Pacific Resort At Universal Orlando

I was invited to spend the weekend at Universal Orlando Resort for the opening weekend of their Holiday Celebration. They provided me with media tickets for this event, and Katarina and I stayed at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort. This was our first time staying at the Royal Pacific, but we definitely plan on staying there again in the future.

Loews Royal Pacific Resort Entrance

You get a South Seas feel the moment you step on the Royal Pacific Resort property. It is green and lush, and the decoration details are beautiful.

Katarina and I stayed in a standard queen room. The beds were soft and comfortable, and the pillows were perfect. I could have slept in for hours in that bed if we didn't have a busy schedule of fun planned each day. They also have king rooms and suites if you need more room during your stay.

Royal Pacific Queen Room

The bamboo screen detail on the dividing wall was nice. It fits the theme of the decor, but it also made the sink area of the bathroom feel larger with the natural light being able to filter in from the bedroom.

Royal Pacific Bathroom

Because we were visiting at Christmas, the hotel was decorated for the holidays, but the South Seas decor and charm still shone through.

Royal Pacific Lobby Mural

Lobby Seating

Orchids are everywhere in the Royal Pacific Resort. Between the lobby and the Orchid Court Lounge is an outdoor orchid court with over 400 orchids, representing 20-30 species, surrounding a gorgeous fountain.

Orchid Court Fountain

It is serene and beautiful.

Purple Orchids

Katarina and I sat by the fountain each night, talking about our day, and using the free wifi that can be accessed in the lobby areas and poolside.

There are several dining options at the Royal Pacific. We ate breakfast at the Islands Dining Room breakfast buffet. The eggs, bacon, and sausage were great, and they had cereals and just about every breakfast food you could think of, but my favorite section was breads and pastries.

The Islands Dining Room and buffet

On Saturday night we wanted to relax after a full day at the parks. It seemed like a good opportunity to try one of the on-site restaurants: Emeril Lagasse's Tchoup Chop, Orchid Court Lounge & Sushi Bar, Jake's American Bar, or Bula Bar & Grille.

Ultimately we chose the Bula Bar & Grille. It is the most casual of the dining choices, and is located by the pool. My friend Lee and I split the most amazing plate of nachos. I don't have a picture for you, because we scarfed them down without even thinking of cameras, but I can promise that the plate was huge, the toppings were piled high, and the taste was wonderful.

The pool. Here's something fun. Every night at 8pm, they set up a huge screen by the volleyball net, and show a kid-friendly movie. You can watch it from the Bula Bar & Grille, the lounge chairs by the pool, or from inside the pool itself. The night we ate at the Bula Bar, they showed Elf, which is always a great choice.

Pool Volleyball Net

During the day, the pool is nice, too. It has a fun play area for kids with shooting and streaming water. The pool is lagoon-style, which is great for younger kids.

Pool play area for kids

They also have hot tubs, a beach volleyball court, and you can rent private pool-side cabanas.

Katarina Chillin

In the evenings there is a nightly torch lighting ceremony with fire dancers, and a weekly Wantilan Luau with authentic Polynesian food and a Hawaiian dinner show on the white sand beaches.

Loews Royal Pacific Resort Beaches

From the Royal Pacific you can take a water taxi, or there is a short walkway that leads to Islands of Adventure, making it easy to access the theme parks and CityWalk. We used the water taxis several times, but I really enjoyed the lovely path on the walkway.

Walkway To Islands Of Adventure

Staying at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort was a wonderful experience. I was impressed with the helpfulness of all of the staff, the beautiful decor, and the comfort of the room. It was an amazing weekend, and I really felt I was vacationing far away from Orlando, even though I was really just down the street from home.

The biggest benefits of staying at an on-site resort is the Universal Express Unlimited ride access and Early Park Admission to Universal’s Islands of Adventure. When we were there, using the express access turned a 45 minute line at The Incredible Hulk ride into a 5 minute wait. That early park admission is awesome, too. We used the extra hour to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on Saturday morning, and even though that is one of the busiest days at the park, we did not have long waits for rides or attractions.

Loews already has two other resort hotels on Universal Orlando property, the Portofino Bay Hotel and the Hard Rock Hotel. Loews and Universal recently announced that they will be adding a forth hotel, the Cabana Bay Beach Resort to this list.

Cabana Bay Beach Resort

The Cabana Bay will have a retro feel, and will provide a value priced option for families. I drove by the construction site the weekend I visited Universal, and it looked very fun. Reservations will open on March 31, 2014.

No matter which Loews resort hotel you choose, staying on-site at Universal Resort Orlando is a great option that will enhance your vacation. The Vacation Planner will help you plan the perfect adventure for your family, and chose the hotel that will best fit your needs.

*I was given media tickets to attend the Universal Orlando Family Blogger Press Trip, and was not compensated in any other way. I was not required to write this blog post or say nice things about our trip or the resort.

43 comments:

  1. I'm stuck in a New England winter right now, and this looks SO good! I want a king-sized bed and a breakfast buffet. And warm sun! And orchids!

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    1. This is the perfect time to visit! You can pack all your summer clothes, and relax in sunshine. It is a perfect cure for the cold winter blues.

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  2. Looks like you had a lot of fun! The food looks delicious and I really would love to see those orchids!

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    1. SO much fun. The orchids are amazing. I was so impressed by how many there were, and how beautiful they all are.

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  3. It looks like you had a great time. You have lots of pictures and memories to last a lifetime! Thanks for sharing this with us!

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    1. We had a wonderful weekend. It was one of those trips of a lifetime. I'm glad you enjoyed seeing all our fun!

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  4. HOLY CRAP!! That is like a resort island in some exotic place! I had no idea this was at Universal. I would love to stay there!

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    1. It really is!! I was totally impressed by it, and felt very islandy the whole time we were there.

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  5. This place looks amazing! I totally want to go!

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    1. Come on down! This would be the perfect fix for a cold winter.

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  6. looks GORGEOUS. one day i will get to universal with my family! we'd love to stay at royal pacific :)

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    1. The Royal Pacific is definitely the place to stay. Y'all will love it. Universal is totally worth the trip down to Florida.

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  7. This place looks awesome. Will have to add it on a future trip !

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  8. Ahhh that looks heavenly. Looks like you and your daughter had a fabulous time.

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    1. We really did. Now we need to plan a return trip, because my husband had to stay home and work while we were relaxing.

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  9. This looks like an amazing place to stay! The only Universal resort I have stayed in is Hard Rock Hotel, but this is now on my list.

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    1. I haven't tried the Hard Rock Hotel, but I've hear some great things about it. We did eat at the Hard Rock Cafe during our trip, and it was a ton of fun!

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  10. Oh wow, that looks fantastic right about NOW!

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  11. What a beautiful hotel! You really have some great photos! I think this sounds like a great destination too. I know I'd enjoy the luau with authentic polynesian food!

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    1. Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed my photos. It was SO beautiful, I don't think you could take bad pictures of the resort.

      We didn't do the luau this time, but I am definitely planning on it for our next visit.

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  12. This looks like an awesome place to stay! I will have to check this out when we are in Orlando!

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  13. Loews always has great resorts. This one looks like it's no exception. I like the fact that you can get to the theme park early. The pool looks like a lot of fun for the kids.

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    1. That extra hour is SO awesome. It makes all the difference, especially in Wizarding World. We were able to fit so many things in that hour, with hardly any crowds.

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  14. looks nice, love the plane in the water! Looks like the hotel has everything and then some!

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    1. Isn't that fun? I loved looking out over the water and seeing the plane. Loews thinks of all the details.

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  15. Oh this place looks like a paradise in the winter time!

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  16. Oh, that breakfast buffet has me dreaming of croissants!

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  17. This looks AMAZING! Wish I were there right now instead of up here in the freezing cold!

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  18. OMGosh what a beautiful place to stay it looks AMAZING!! I will keep this one in mind, we'll be going back out there soon!

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    1. Awesome! You are going to love it! Can't wait to see you.

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  19. I'll have to stay there next time I go. I've stayed at the Hard Rock and it was fabulous also!

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    1. I've heard great things about the Hard Rock, and I'm looking forward to trying Cabana Bay when it opens. But the Royal Pacific is going to be hard to beat. I really loved it.

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  20. It looks as if you went to a beautiful place. Your room was lovely. I could cur up and spend the entire vacation there!

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    1. I could have done that, too. It was luxurious and comfortable. I did not want to leave that bed in the mornings.

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  21. Wow....that resort looks beautiful! I bet you had a great time.

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    1. We did!! It was really nice in our down time just to walk around the resort and look at all the beauty and details.

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  22. This resort looks beautiful. I want to take a trip to a resort like this with my family.

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  23. The resort is beautiful. I am planning a trip down there in April. I haven't decided where we are staying yet. I might consider this.

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  24. Wow, the pool is totally stunning! That is the part that has me sold on this resort!

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  25. It looks like great fun, but you'd have a hard time getting me out of that comfy looking bed or the inviting pool! Great review, thanks.

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