The Best of Universal Orlando
by Cara Goldsbury
(Orlando, Florida)
| So you've done Walt Disney World and now
you're ready to discover Universal Orlando. But where to start?
Universal Orlando is a whopper of a destination composed of
exceptional resorts, first-rate restaurants, and two theme parks
offering a certain brand of high-speed intensity certain to
please. Here are some of Universal's best experiences:
Best Deluxe Resort
For the height of luxury in a Mediterranean
seaside setting head straight for this
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Universal Orlando
photo: Cara Goldsbury |
| exclusive hotel designed to resemble Italy's
idyllic seaside
town of Portofino. The scenery is pure postcard with colorful
fishing boats bobbing in the seductively curving bay,
sun-bleached stucco buildings with shuttered windows and trompe
l'oeil decorative facades, and a charming, waterside piazza
loaded with appetizing restaurants. Guestrooms are large and
luxurious with four-poster beds, luxe linens, down pillows, and
a pile of other amenities that can't be beat.
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Best Resort For the Utterly Cool
Hard Rock's motto is "love all, serve all" and serve
they certainly do at the single coolest place in Florida to hang out in
California hip style. It's a mix of pure luxury and star worship where
an ultra slick marble lobby, a marvelous pool complex, and stylish
guestrooms are interspersed with over one million dollars worth of rock
and roll memorabilia and rock music blasting away in every public space;
over 900 speakers are scattered throughout the property, all running
seven days a week, 24 hours a day. But rest assured, from the moment you
enter the hallways leading to your trendy guestroom, only beautiful
silence is heard.
Best Resort Pool
Hard Rock's 12,000 foot zero-entry pool is almost too
hip to handle. It comes with an underwater sound system and a 250-foot
slide (the longest at any U.S. hotel), all surrounded by a sand beach
and swaying palm trees. For the ultimate in luxury, rent a poolside
cabana equipped with lounge chairs, TV, telephone, fax line,
refrigerator, and ceiling fan. You can even order up your own private
masseuse.
Best Resort Lounge
It depends. The hip crowd should head to Velvet, Hard
Rock Hotel's so cool cocktail lounge offering a huge list of specialty
martinis and premium cigars along with rock and roll, chic seating, and
a great outdoor terrace with a view of the resort's pool. Those with a
more sophisticated inclination will love Bar America at Portofino Bay
Hotel where a pianist entertains a fashionable crowd feasting on Beluga
caviar and fine wine in an elegant setting.
Best Attractions For Thrill Seekers
Universal Orlando is the perfect place for those who
crave a rush of adrenaline. And the
best park for thrills is Universal's newest, Islands of Adventure. Head
first to the
Incredible Hulk Coaster where you're launched from a near standstill to
40 mph in 2 seconds, then immediately into a zero-G dive roll looping
through inversion after inversion and twice underground before coming to
a halt. Then take a ride on Dueling Dragons, the world's first inverted,
dueling (there's two of them), near-miss coasters. At certain points
during the ride you'll swear your dangling feet almost touch those of
the opposite dragon as it goes roaring by.
Best Way to Spend an Evening Without the Kids
First check the children into one of the Universal
resort's excellent child care centers. Then head to either Emerils at
Citywalk, a classy spot reminiscent of the New Orleans warehouse
district with intoxicating Creole/Cajun food or Tchuop Chop at
Universal's Royal Pacific Resort, one of the most beautiful restaurants
in Orlando serving innovative Asian/Polynesian fare. Afterward dance the
night away at Universal's Citywalk. Buy a Party Pass for unlimited
admission to all the nightclubs and enjoy!
Best Resort Restaurant
It's a toss up. Tchoup Chop at the Royal Pacific
Resort for it's breathtakingly beautiful dining room and imaginative
cuisine or Delfino Riviera, Portofino Bay Hotel's stylish and
sophisticated Italian restaurant perched above the piazza overlooking
the bay.
Best Way to Spend an Afternoon Away From the Parks
Immerse yourself in luxury with one or two soothing
spa treatments at Portofino Bay's Mandara Spa. Choose from a variety of
massage, face, anti-aging, and body treatments including Indonesian four
hands massage and Javanese Lulur. Follow this with an afternoon lazing
beside one of the resort's three luxurious pools.
Footnotes and Credits information:
Cara Goldsbury is the author of The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World:
How to Get the Most Out of the Best Disney Has to Offer available at
800-247-6553, Amazon.com, or your local bookstore. Visit her at
www.luxurydisneyguide.com.
Cara Goldsbury
Author of 'The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World', San Antonio, Texas
Website
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