Universal Orlando’s Endless Summer Resort is now open!

There is no doubt that Universal Orlando resort has some lovely and inviting resorts. You can easily spend a day just relaxing at and exploring your resort when staying at any of the on-site hotels here. What excites me about the newest resort is that it adds a new category to the on-site hotels which may make staying on property easier for many of us! That new category is Value! Now you have an on-site option that more closely rivals some of the less expensive hotels that are not on Universal property. It will be wonderful to get on-site perks while paying off-site prices! I have all the details for this new resort, so let’s get into what you can expect when you book here!

First, there are two sides to this resort. This aerial photo shows the location of each section. We will focus on Surfside Inn and Suites here because it just opened last month!

Speaking of location, it’s important to know that this resort is a little further away from the main hub of the Universal theme parks and Citywalk. It’s not far, just a 5 to 10-minute bus ride. Bus transportation to and from the theme parks, Citywalk and Volcano Bay water park are complimentary and run about every 20 minutes!

Surfside Inn and Suites opened on June 27^th. Dockside Inn and Suites is scheduled to open in early spring of 2020. Both sections have standard hotel rooms and family suites. This will be a great option for big family groups that want to stay at the same resort but need different types of accommodations. If you have a family of 4 and your sister or brother has a family of 6, this could be an ideal resort for your family to stay in the same place at Universal’s most affordable price point!

I am loving the theme at Surfside Inn and Suites! The pool at Surfside is shaped like a surfboard! For people like me who love the vibe of being near the ocean, this theme is perfect! There is a splash pad area near the pool for little ones, and the staff has some fun activities poolside each day for those enjoying the pool.

There is also a pool side bar called Sand Bar; What else would it be called at a resort with a surfing theme? Sand Bar is scheduled to be open from early afternoon until late evening and will offer some fruity, delicious looking drinks! The Tidal Wave, The Epic Sunset, and the Toasted Coconut Mango Mojito all sound good! These drinks are for the over 21 guests!

The views of the lake are stunning! The standard rooms and Suites at Surfside are very bright and again invoke that ocean vibe from the minute you walk in! Standard rooms sleep up to 4 adults with plenty of room to move around.

The suites are very spacious and sleep up to 6 people. There are 3 queen beds (one is in a separate bedroom), two TVs, a kitchenette with sink, picnic table, a good sized mini-fridge, coffee maker, microwave and free WiFi!

You can book a standard view suite, a pool view, or a water view which would give you a view of the lake or the pool.

Lots of people will ask if I think an upgraded view is worth the extra money or not. What I have found is that people tend to fall into two categories on this topic. Either a nice view is very important to you, no matter how much time you spend in the room, or you really don’t care if you are looking out the window into a parking lot because you don’t plan to spend that much time in the room. The words “worth it” are very personal for everyone. What’s worth an extra $50.00 or $100.00 to me, may not be for someone else. Talk with your travel agent about your room expectations and they can help determine how important this to you in relation to everything else you will have going on during your vacation!

Now, the all-important question, what are the dining & food options at this resort? Beach Break Café! A casual dining food court inspired by food trucks and backyard BBQ’s.

Beach Break Café will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! This on-site restaurant will have lots of different options, with most entrees’ coming in at around $12.00. From unique options to familiar comfort food, you should be able to find something for everyone here. A couple of the breakfast offerings are the Bacon Egg and Cheese Croissant or the breakfast pizza!

Lunch and dinner feature the Italian ciabatta, a traditional southern California Cobb Salad and panini sandwiches.

There is also a burger and a Tofu power bowl if you are trying to stay healthy.

There is also a Starbucks in the lobby of the hotel, so if having that familiar Starbucks drink is essential to starting your day, you are covered! This resort is also offering in room pizza delivery!

A few other amenities that are offered here are:

Universal Studios Store
Fitness center
Car rental desk
Game room
Guest self-service laundry facility

There are several perks for staying on site at Universal:

Early Park Admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Volcano Bay Water Park. Early admission starts 1 hour prior to normal opening and you must have a park ticket to enter. That one hour can make a huge difference in crowd level, so if you are booked on site, be sure to take advantage of this!
Free buses and boats to use around Universal property.
Resort wide charging privileges with your room key.
Complimentary merchandise delivery to your hotel room from Universal shops.
Complementary club to club access at Citywalk to select venues for your length of stay.

One of the reasons I am excited about a value resort on Universal property is that it makes longer trips more affordable! Universal Orlando Resort has really grown into a full week destination. If you truly want to experience everything Universal has to offer, without feeling rushed or leaving wishing you had more time there, you need the full week! I did what a lot of people do when visiting Universal for the first time, I added on a few days to my Disney trip. That does work and your travel agent can help you with a great plan for a combo trip, but if its possible for you, a full week at Universal can be awesome! My first time at Universal, in those few days, I left feeling like I missed a lot, rushed a lot and really wishing we had planned more time there. You don’t want to rush it if you can help it!

Two major theme parks, great resorts, a very unique Water park, and Citywalk for shopping and dining! That is a lot to try and pack into a 2- or 3-day trip! You could easily spend an entire day or two just going through each of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter sections, and that is just one section in each of the parks! I used to suggest 1 day for each theme park, but now I recommend you allow 2 days for each park if you can. Another day for the water park and time to enjoy your resort and explore Citywalk makes for a very full vacation but spent with a lot more relaxing and at a pace where you feel like you really experienced it all!