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-   -   Orlando hotel for single adult (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/orlando-hotel-for-single-adult-914510/)

grrr Dec 10th, 2011 02:07 AM

Orlando hotel for single adult
 
I´ll visit Orlando for the Universal Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I am not interested in the early admission and front of the line privileges, so there is no need to stay in a hotel on Universal property. I don´t mind taking a taxi for the ride between hotel and WWHP.

What I am looking for is a more upscale hotel for two nights in March. I´m not interested in nightlife or a pool, just want a quiet room with some comfort.

Any recommendation would be appreciated. Thank you!

starrs Dec 10th, 2011 02:15 AM

An upscale hotel near Universal? The Peabody is the first that comes to mind.

But do consider the Portofino. I love it and it will allow you to get into the park early. Lines can be so long at WWHP it will make the visit so much better. No front of line privilege benefit (except for the Dragon roller coaster) but getting in the park early is a BIG benefit. WWHP is VERY small so early makes a BIG difference.

grrr Dec 10th, 2011 02:21 AM

Starrs, thank you for your swift response! The Peabody looks tempting, and I will reconsider the Portofino. My concern was noisy hallways with kids celebrating all night...

qwovadis Dec 10th, 2011 02:22 AM

betterbidding.com Priceline bidding for best price

many options for you but Peabody my fav from personal

experience anything along International Drice will

be close to Universal plus lots of single action.

starrs Dec 10th, 2011 02:33 AM

grrr, if you haven't seen the Peabody ducks it's worth a stop. But it's also across from the convention center. If rates are high for your dates, there's probably a convention going on.

But DO reconsider the Portofino. I used to stay there ALL of the time and never went into the park. It's just a lovely hotel, with nice restaurants on site. It's the kind of place where you'll be comfortable all by yourself and there's no problem with kids running in the halls. I loved the mussels at the Italian restaurant, Mama Della's and Bice is an upscale restaurant (an extension of their Palm Beach restaurant).

It's one of my favorite hotels anywhere - and it does get you in the park an hour early. WWHP only has 3 attractions so beating the line is priceless. I went in Jan after US kids were back in school and the lines were horrid - the park was full of Europeans on holiday. Get up, get in the park early, beat the lines, enjoy WWHP and then relax for the rest of the day. Really. Truly. You won't regret it. I promise. :-)

starrs Dec 10th, 2011 02:35 AM

The Hard Rock across the street will have the noisy kids.

And you can still take a cab over to the Peabody to see the ducks at 4 in the afternoon. :-)

grrr Dec 10th, 2011 03:14 AM

Wow, such great answers! This is more information than I could hope for! Thank you again!

I'll be on a business trip and decided to use the opportunity for a stop in Orlando, so I guess I will be one of those "Europeans on holiday" that fill the park :-)

starrs Dec 10th, 2011 03:50 AM

grrr, I planned business meetings for my group and could choose any hotel I wanted. I always picked the Portofino. I stayed there by myself a lot. It's the kind of place where you could get out and walk around (unlike a standard hotel), has excellent service and good food options. Seriously, none of my visits were for the park - I just like the hotel that much. BUT if you want to go to the WWHP it's the best option (IMO) because of the early entry. The Hard Rock and Royal Pacific are the two other options, but the Hard Rock WILL be noisy. I don't have anything negative to say about the RP - just like the P.

I didn't mean anything negative about the European travelers. I just thought I was going during a slow time based on US schools - and learned very quickly that it wasn't slow at all. We had to go to the overflow area to start the line there. The line moved quickly, but once you're in WWHP the lines were still long. They close entry to WWHP based on the crowds. That area of the park is VERY small. VERY well done, but very small. There's only so much room for people in lines, so they have to close that part to new entries.

Go early so you're not standing in lines for hours. Portofino (or HR or RP) give you that early option.

Enjoy!

schmerl Dec 10th, 2011 05:29 AM

the Royal Pacific is also very relaxing. We have never experienced screaming children running in the halls. In fact, I sleep better there than I do at home!
It is also closer to the parks than the Portofino...a very easy walk.


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