Universal don’t just have their theme parks in Orlando they also have a great range of hotels and resorts for you to stay in. We were invited to spend two nights at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort and we couldn’t wait to see what it was like. Staying in one of the Universal resorts gives you lots of perks such as early entry to the theme parks and if you are in one of the premium resorts then you also get Express passes as part of your stay.
Cabana Bay Beach Resort is a retro themed resort in 1950’s to 1960’s style. It is right next door to the brand new Volcano Bay and it even has a separate entrance to volcano Bay which helps you to beat the queues. The front of the hotel is home to some lovely classic cars which really helped with the theme.
There were 7 of us in total and we had two adjoining rooms which each had two double beds. The rooms were surprisingly spacious and I could actually have spent more than a few nights there.
I loved how the retro theme was continued throughout the resort and even the toiletries fitted in.
Our rooms overlooked the new Volcano Bay and the views were amazing. We were really disappointed that we didn’t have time to visit the Volcano Bay park but we hope to visit the next time we are in Orlando.
Every morning when we got up we headed down to one of the pools. Cabana Bay Beach resort has two pools and a lazy river (you do need your own inflatable tube which you can purchase onsite for a few dollars). They also have a water slide and fire pits which are perfect for cooking smores at night (smores kits are available in the Bayliner diner). We spent nearly all of our time in the pool next to the Lazy River as the other pool with the water slide was further away from our room and seemed a lot busier.
There was also a bowling alley, arcades and a fitness studio available for guests as well as a Starbucks coffee shop which was exactly what I wanted first thing in the morning. The Bayliner Diner was the perfect place to grab a bit for breakfast and in the evenings we ordered snacks from the Hideaway Bar and Grill (next to the pool) as well as room service pizzas on our first night.
We really enjoyed our stay at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort and I wish we had been able to stay longer to really explore everything that the resort had to offer. I always wondered how I would cope staying in a resort like this as I usually opt for a villa for longer holidays and now having spent those two nights in the Cabana Bay Beach Resort I know that it is definitely an option that we will look into in the future.
Wow, it looks amazing!! We’ve always stayed in hotels as I love not having to cook and clean!!
Universal is definitely on my list the next time we visit Orlando as Zak would love the rollercoasters and we all want to see Harry Potter World.