Loews Sapphire Falls Resort

The Hotel Overview

Sapphire Falls Resort embraces a relaxed Caribbean theme, with colonial-inspired architecture in warm blues and corals, cascading waterfalls, and rope bridges spread across its grounds. It opened in July 2016 as Universal's fifth on-site hotel and sits in the mid-tier Preferred category, trading the Express Pass perk of its Premier neighbors for a lower nightly rate and Early Park Admission.

Its centerpiece pool — at roughly 16,000 square feet, about 30% larger than the next-biggest pool on property — is large enough that Universal built a shallow sandbar crossing through the middle of it, making it one of the most talked-about pools in the resort's history.

Dining & Amenities

Amatista Cookhouse offers full-service breakfast, lunch, and dinner with water views; Strong Water Tavern in the lobby serves a tapas menu alongside an extensive rum-tasting flight and ceviche bar; The New Dutch Trading Co. covers grab-and-go Caribbean-style meals.

The signature pool includes twin sand beaches, a waterslide, a dedicated children's play area, and the poolside Drhum Club Kantine bar and grill serving seafood-forward fare and specialty cocktails; cabana rentals are also available.

Booking Strategy

• Guests staying at Royal Pacific can walk over and use Sapphire Falls' pool too, but the reverse isn't true — Sapphire Falls guests are restricted to their own pool.
• This is the value play among the water-taxi hotels: you keep the walking/water-taxi proximity to CityWalk without paying Premier-tier prices, but you give up Express Pass.
• Compared to Royal Pacific, Sapphire Falls is quieter and more low-key in its theming, with a bigger, more active pool — a good fit for guests who want resort-level polish without the Premier price tag or the Express Pass.
• Because Express Pass isn't included, budget separately for it if you want to skip lines at Universal Studios Florida or Islands of Adventure.