Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando (Review with Photos!)

Heading to Universal Orlando? Read my Loews Sapphire Falls Resort Review! Loews Sapphire Falls Resort is a moderately priced on-site hotel with a contemporary island look and feel.

There are several benefits of staying at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort! It's my favorite Universal Orlando Resort hotel.

In this Loews Sapphire Falls Resort Review, I'll break down things to do at the hotel, which rooms have the best views, resort dining options, compare this hotel to others nearby, plus much more!

First Impressions

The driveway approaching the front entrance of Sapphire Falls is lined with tropical trees, bushes, and plenty of greenery.

It's absolutely gorgeous and immediately makes me feel like I'm on island time, even in the middle of central Florida.

Upon entering, you're greeted by several friendly staff members and an expansive lobby area. This lobby is one of my favorites with its pops of color and tropical beach ball chandelier.

Overall the resort is bright, clean, airy, and spacious!

Let's talk about the lobby scent at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. The beautiful aroma you're greeted with in the lobby of Sapphire Falls is named Bright Sunshine.

It has top notes of effervescent grapefruit, peach, pineapple, cassis, and citrus. Middle notes that make this scent for me with notes of rose, jasmine, muguet, ylang ylang, and herbaceous thyme. The base notes make Bright Sunshine truly remarkable with patchouli, sandalwood, sheer amber, exotic musk, and vanilla.

You can purchase a variety of Bright Sunshine products and browse additional resort collections online that include room sprays, wax melts, reed diffusers, scent machines with oils, and more.

Use discount code URBEN for 10% off! Coupon code excludes gift cards, gift sets, and refill subscriptions.

Room Review

My husband and I stay in the standard rooms with 2 queen beds, but Sapphire Falls offers guestrooms with king sized beds, as well.

The standard rooms include a refrigerator free wi-fi, a flat screen tv, coffee maker, and more! You're also able to request a microwave and additional amenities for an extra cost on a first come, first serve basis.

For us, the room is a perfect size with the queen sized beds, a desk, dresser, and sitting chair.

The beds are comfy and you're offered a variety of different pillows!

I appreciate that the bathroom with the toilet and bathtub shower are separate from the vanity area. It's well-sized and has a lighted makeup mirror that comes in handy for applying skincare and sunscreen.

The room is stocked well with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, etc. There's even a hair dryer, as well!

Resort Pool or Lagoon View

This will come down to personal preference and priorities.

The lagoon view is closer to water taxis, while the pool view has a farther walk to the boat dock.

The pool view looks over the resort pool, with access just downstairs.

I've stayed in both and prefer the lagoon view! I enjoy watching the boats come and go, plus it was a tad quieter since we couldn't hear music blasting from the pool.

During our last stay, we had a pool view and were able to see the fireworks from the Universal Studios nighttime show – so that was fun!

Restaurants in Loews Sapphire Falls Resort

The dining options at this hotel are fantastic! They include Caribbean cuisine at Amatista Cookhouse, Strong Water Tavern for happy hour and small bites, a quick-service spot at New Dutch Trading Co., and casual dining by the pool at Drhum Club Kantine. Plus, guests can enjoy in-room dining 24 hours a day!

I suggest getting a dinner reservation at Amatista Cookhouse! There are several allergy-friendly, vegetarian, and vegan options.

The Vegan Masala Curry “Chicken” is vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, and nut free. After checking with the waitstaff, I was able to ensure the kitchen would prepare my dish vegan. My husband enjoyed the Seafood Arroz Caldoso.

I'm also a huge fan of New Dutch Trading Co. They offer fresh brews, frozen treats, savory soups, craft sandwiches, an assortment of grab-and-go options, and a wide range of beverages.

You can also purchase the Sapphire Falls refillable soda mug here! This is great if you plan on drinking lots of soda, sports drinks, or sparkling water. You can fill up at New Dutch Trading Co. or the machines by the resort pool.

Don't confuse these refillable soda mugs with the Universal Orlando Refillable Cups! The Coke Freestyle cups can be used in all the parks, with several locations and free standing stations.

Perks and Amenities

A major benefit to staying at an on-site hotel is early park admission! Staying at Loews Sapphire Falls Resorts get you into the theme parks up to an hour early and the water park 30 minutes before it's open to the public.

You'll want to check the mobile app for specific times and which rides are available during early park admission!

When we visited, everyone made a beeline to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and Jurassic World VelociCoaster.

Unless there's a special promotion running, express passes are not offered or included with your stay at Sapphire Falls.

Things To Do at Sapphire Falls

Besides sleeping and having a home base near the parks, there's a handful of things to do at the resort!

The 16,000 square-foot, zero-entry pool features white-sand beaches, a splash pad area for children, a water slide, hot tub, and fire pit.

Towels and life jackets are available for guests, and if you really want to relax, you can rent a private cabana for the day!

Nearby the pool, there's outdoor games set up plus a game room with classic arcade favorites just inside.

The fitness center is across the way from the arcades and has your typical hotel gym equipment is a bright, clean setting. The Kalina Health and Fitness Center also features locker rooms and dry saunas.

Inside the resort, just off the lobby, you'll find the Universal Studios Store! You can pick up Universal souvenirs and anything else you may have forgotten to pack.

Sapphire Falls features 115,000 square feet of meeting space including a large ballroom, hall, breakout rooms, and pre-function spaces. It's truly massive!

How to Get Around

Follow this guide to learn how to get to Disney World, City Walk, the theme parks, and Volcano Bay!

Traveling to Walt Disney World from Universal Orlando Resort

If you decide not to rent a car while in Orlando, relying on a ride share app like Uber or Lyft will be your best bet for traveling around the city.

Depending where you're final destination is at Disney, it's nearly a 9 mile trip and can take up to 25-30 minutes to arrive depending on the traffic.

How to Get to CityWalk from Loews Sapphire Falls Resort

There are 3 complimentary transportation options:

Walking along the Garden Walkway: Recommend for a relaxing stroll. It's about half a mile long on paved walkways, with plenty of signage, and no streets to cross. You'll pop out near Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, very close to the Islands of Adventure entrance.
Taking the water taxi: I love this fast and scenic 5-10 minute boat ride. The resort water taxi service is free and runs every 15 minutes! You'll get dropped off or picked up at a dock at CityWalk, near the entrance to Universal Studios. It's only offered at Sapphire Falls, Royal Pacific, Hard Rock, and Portofino Bay.
Waiting for the theme park shuttle: It's best if you can avoid the busses. The ride is only about 10-15 minutes, however the lines can get very long at peak time. Especially heading from CityWalk back to the resort. Additionally, you'll have to go through the main crowded security screening, rather than the quick and effortless screening on the hotel's water taxi dock.

Walking to Volcano Bay

To get to Volcano Bay, you can either walk using the Garden Walkway or take a dedicated shuttle bus. The shuttles bus visitors approximately every 30 minutes.

The walk is much shorter than the walk to CityWalk! It takes about 5-10 minutes, has an efficient security screening area, then you walk right into the water park!

Universal Orlando Resort Hotels

There are tons of hotels around Universal and the Orlando area. I highly recommend staying at a Universal Hotel or very close by.

Affordable Hotel Options

Universal's Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites & Surfside Inn and Suites are the 2 newest hotels on property, but they're also the farthest away.

For an upgraded affordable option, there's Universal's Aventura Hotel and Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort.

Aventura is clean, comfortable, and sleek. It also shares an entrance with Sapphire Falls. Cabana Bay is fun for the entire family with massive pools, a lazy river, and bowling alley. It's located just across the street from Sapphire Falls.

Premier Hotels

Sapphire Falls Resort is a preferred hotel at Universal Orlando. If you're wanting to skip the regular lines with an express pass and escape to a luxurious resort with impeccable accommodations, check out Universal's premier hotels.

They include Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel.

Loews Sapphire Falls or Cabana Bay

I've actually stayed at both of these resorts and have to say I prefer Sapphire Falls!

The water taxi boat service is so nice for early mornings and heading home after a long day at the parks.

Additionally, I love the dining options at Sapphire and the overall relaxed yet modern tropical vibe.

I will say, Cabana Bay is great for families and their new towers overlooking Volcano Bay are pretty awesome. The walk to the water park is about the same, but my vote still goes to Sapphire Falls.

Sapphire Falls vs Royal Pacific

Comparing Sapphire Falls to any of the premier hotels will be hard for me, since I've never stayed at Portofino Bay, or Hard Rock.

We have dined in the Islands Dining Room at Loews Royal Pacific Resort and enjoyed the overall island paradise vibes at every turn.

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort Review FAQ

Where is Loews Sapphire Falls located?

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando is located at 6601 Adventure Way, Orlando, FL 32819.

What is the check in / check out time?

Check in is at 4PM and check out is at 11AM. We were able to request a late check out at 12PM and leave our luggage at bag check in the lobby.

What's the best way to get to and from the airport?

Traveling to Loews Sapphire Falls Resort from Orlando International Airport (MCO) is easily done by taking an Uber or Lyft. It's about $24-$36 depending on the time, date, season, and surge pricing. Self-parking at the resort is $26 + plus per vehicle, per night. For that reason, I suggest taking a ride share rather than renting a car.

Can you walk from Loews Sapphire Falls Resort to Universal Studios?

Yes! The Garden Walkway connects Sapphire Falls with Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and CityWalk. From CityWalk, you can head west to enter Islands of Adventure or east to go towards Universal Studios Florida.

I hope sharing my Loews Sapphire Falls Resort photos, review, and experiences were helpful to you. If they were or if you have any questions, please leave a comment below!

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