Loews Sapphire Falls Resort Review (Universal Studios Orlando)

Loews Sapphire Falls is a hotel at Universal Studios Orlando Resort. This review discusses our experience at the resort, including rooms, dining, recreation, and other amenities. This resort offers a high-end feel without the expensive price tag. For those who are unfamiliar, Universal Orlando Resort groups its hotels into the following categories: value, prime value, preferred, and premier. Loews Sapphire Falls is currently the only resort in the preferred category.

This review was from our last stay at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. We’ve updated the review to provide changes to the resort perks and transportation options for Epic Universe, which opened after this stay.

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort Perks

Guests who stay at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort are privy to the following perks:

• Universal Orlando hotel guests and other select groups can access one of the theme parks up to one hour before the park opens (Valid theme park admission required. Select attractions.)
• Complimentary transportation to the theme parks and Universal’s CityWalk (shuttle buses, walking paths, and water taxis).
• Resort-wide charging privileges with room key
• Complimentary merchandise delivery throughout Universal to your resort.

Unfortunately, Sapphire Falls guests do not receive the Universal Express Pass, which allows select resort guests to skip the line at the most popular attractions at Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. That benefit is included for guests who stay at a Premier Hotel (Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort) with valid theme park admission.

From the moment we arrived at Loews Sapphire Falls, I was surprised and delighted. I’ve come to the opinion that while Universal’s and Disney’s theme parks are drastically different, both have unique resorts with outstanding amenities. Sapphire Falls is considered an island escape themed to the Caribbean. A large silo representing an old-fashioned sugar plantation sits off the lobby. This entire silo features intricate stonework with artwork displayed on each level. A spiral staircase allows guests to travel back and forth from the resort’s lower level to the lobby.

The entire space is truly a work of art. It feels as though you’ve stepped back in time, while realistically, multiple theme parks and Universal CityWalk, a major shopping and dining destination, are within walking distance.

Throughout the hotel, several spaces offer modern furniture with bright pops of Caribbean artwork.

These small lobbies are outside each guest house. They are a great place to meet friends and family before heading to the parks.

Outside, crystal blue waters form falls that spill out to the resort’s gorgeous backyard. A large hallway with walls made of windows allows guests to walk above the waterfall area while enjoying the view from above.

An outdoor staircase follows the waterfalls and leads to various paths around the resort.

It’s a gorgeous resort inside and out. However, while the resort is immersive, you’ll still have views of the surrounding on-site hotels. Additionally, you can see select attractions from certain viewpoints in the distance.

Here is a photo of Sapphire Falls from the back of the resort.

Loews Sapphire Falls has several room types. A regular guest room has a standard view, typically a garden or resort view. Upgrades include a pool view or a lagoon view. Standard rooms sleep up to four guests (a king bed with a queen sleeper sofa or two queen beds). Another option allows up to five guests in a standard room by adding a roll-away bed. (Additional fees might be required.)

For this stay, we were in a standard room with a resort view. Our room was on the resort’s lower level near the main lobby. So, we found it exceptionally convenient to get around the resort and access the various transportation options.

Our room featured two queen-size beds and felt like an island retreat. It was a calming space that offered a place to decompress from the hot weather and crowds.

We had a flat-screen television and a dresser with storage space.

A cabinet on the far right of the dresser opened to reveal a mini-fridge. However, these newer room fridges are considered beverage coolers. They are intended to chill water and other drinks. Rooms do not include microwaves. But from my understanding, you could request one. But they are not guaranteed.

A desk with a chair sits in the corner of the room.

Several glasses and an ice bucket were available. However, you might not want to open the Fiji water since it costs extra. With that said, the glassware was appreciated.

An individual coffee-cup maker was also available. I would be shocked to find a room without one.

Our bathroom had a nice layout. A vanity area sits outside the water closet. It featured a sink, counter space, and open shelves to store items underneath. A hair dryer, make-up mirror, and other toiletries were available.

While the bedroom portion of the room had carpet, the entryway and bathroom had a pretty patterned tile.

We had a walk-in shower with a built-in bench toward the back. We did not have an adjoining room. However, they are available. Regarding the room, we didn’t have any significant complaints. But we did hear some noises, especially other guests coming and going early in the morning, which indicated the walls are somewhat thin. So if you had loud neighbors, it could affect your stay.

Room Tour

Here is a quick video tour of our room at Sapphire Falls.

Food Options at Loews Sapphire Falls

We were impressed with the food options at Loews Sapphire Falls. Throughout our stay, we enjoyed multiple meals at the resort and felt there were plenty of options. Some other hotels in Orlando could take a hint. We’ll start with New Dutch Trading Co., the resort’s primary location for quick service, snacks, and beverages. It’s a few steps off the lobby.

Inside, you can select from a variety of grab-and-go items or order something. New Dutch Trading Company is open from 6:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. and serves cooked-to-order breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

Signage outside New Dutch Trading Co. provides an overview of what you can expect, like grab-n-go sandwiches, hot pots, salads, and snacks. Specialty coffee drinks are also available.

Several display cases offered an array of treats and pastries.

It was nice to see so many options adequately displayed. Ultimately, I ended up with one of these large chocolate chip cookies, and I assure you it didn’t disappoint. In addition to the various pastries, we saw the following: chips, nuts, Pringles, cereal, oatmeal, Bugles, Chex Mix, and shortbread cookies. There was also an area with dedicated gluten-free options.

Toward the back of the store, we saw a large display with liquors and wine options. A beverage case contained a variety of beer, soft drinks, juice, sports drinks, dairy items, and water. Freestyle Coca-Cola machines are located in New Dutch. Guests can purchase a single drink or a refillable mug during their stay. Here are a few photos of the items that were available.

One evening, I ordered an individual pepperoni pizza from the quick service. While it wasn’t what I would consider a five-star pizza, it was of good quality and made for an excellent meal while watching Captain Marvel under the covers in our room.

Speaking of dining in our room, Loews Sapphire Falls offers in-room dining. What a novel idea that someone might want to order room service during their vacation. It also sounds profitable, but what do I know? I’m genuinely not bitter. But this hotel stay (at a reasonably-priced resort) made me aware that we’ve grown accustomed to paying exorbitant prices for lackluster accommodations, dining options, and other amenities. (No, they no longer have room service at the other theme park’s hotels, with one exception.)

Anyway, Amatista Cookhouse is the resort’s table service restaurant. It is open daily, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

We stopped in one evening and ordered the Queso Fundido to share. It was a delicious dish featuring Chorizo sausage, artichoke, and Chihuahua cheese.

You can order snacks, entrees, desserts, and various beverages from the Drhum Club Kantina at the pool. This poolside bar is designed to look like another sugar silo.

It was nice that you weren’t limited to a burger, hot dog, or grilled cheese. You could order freshly prepared salads, flatbreads, wings, quesadillas, tacos, grilled chicken, and more. Here are a few of the beer selections on tap.

Several chairs were set up around the bar area.

Additionally, tables with chairs were available in a covered outdoor seating area. But most guests were ordering food and drinks from their chairs at the pool.

Strong Water Tavern is the name of the resort’s lounge off the main lobby. We didn’t have the opportunity to visit the lounge during this stay. The lounge is open most days from 4:00 p.m. until midnight. They offer small plates, cocktails, flights, beers, red wine, white wine, and rum.

The resort’s pool was so tremendous that we provided a separate article covering it. Sapphire Falls has a 16,000-square-foot pool area, the largest resort pool at Universal Orlando.

It’s a beautiful space.

Toward the center, there’s a zero-entry area on each side of the pool. It almost looks like a raised sandbar. You can see it in the photo below near the palm trees.

Plenty of lounge chairs surround the pool area.

Private cabanas are available to rent.

A water slide sits on one far end of the pool.

A large hot tub is available near the slide.

Smaller children might enjoy the splash pad, which sits outside the pool area.

Here are a few more photos of the pool.

The Kalina Fitness Center is near the pool area. I was able to work out here during our stay and enjoyed the views out to the pool area.

It’s a massive gym with quality equipment. It had pretty much anything you might expect and then some.

Across from the hotel gym, you’ll find the Calypso Game Zone, the resort’s arcade.

Several video games were available.

Our stay at Sapphire Falls Resort was a mix of business and pleasure. So we didn’t visit the parks during this trip. However, I walked through each transportation item so you would know how it works. Universal has a Garden Walk from several resorts to the parks and CityWalk. It’s a beautiful walk that has some shaded areas, but the majority of the walk is in direct sunlight.

A separate walkway was also available to Universal’s Volcano Bay water park, which is next to Cabana Bay Beach Resort. However, you will have to cross a street.

Free shuttle bus transportation is provided to Epic Universe, CityWalk, and Volcano Bay. Park entrances for Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure are accessible from CityWalk.

Water taxis travel to and from CityWalk.

Ultimately, we had a terrific time at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. Universal Studios has distinctive hotels with amenities that deliver when it comes to meeting the needs of its guests. It is also worth mentioning that we received excellent customer service and had positive interactions with the hotel staff during our stay.

We hope you enjoyed this review of Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. For more of our non-Disney hotel coverage, see our guide to off-site hotels near Disney World. Make sure to check back with Resorts Gal for more resort reviews and updates.

In the Comments

We hope this review helped you decide if Loews Sapphire Falls was right for you or not. Hopefully, we’ll have more coverage of Universal Studios Resorts in the future! What do you think of the resort? Have you ever stayed here? We love to hear your feedback, opinions, and any related questions you might have. Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.