Universal Stella Nova Resort
Spending less for a perfectly decent stay is the point at Stella Nova, which has similarities to Universal's other cheapie property, the two hotels of Endless Summer. This is a quintessential affordable theme park hotel: Although its exterior is adorned with a rainbow's worth of colorful tiling, it's pretty much an L-shaped box with a giant oval swimming pool out back. There's not much theming but there's a cavernous lobby that can handle the dribble of swimsuits and the wheelings of coach loads of luggage, a counter-serve café and coffee shop built to feed the hordes and, above all, quick access to Epic Universe, which is right across the street.
The one major downside of a stay here isn't the price, which is lower than just about any hotel beside an Orlando theme park. The wrinkle is that unlike the similarly priced Endless Summer hotels, Stella Nova is not easily walkable to other places to eat and shop, although the rest of the Universal theme parks and CityWalk are a free 10-minute express shuttle bus ride away via express lanes.
Standard rooms have two queen beds and are 315 square feet (about 30 square meters—a tad less than the Helios Grand, which costs more than double) with powerful AC, a mini-fridge, and all-you-need amenities like a safe, coffee maker, TV with Chromecast capabilities plus the option of playing ambient sounds to drown out the unavoidable clamor that theme park-going families make in the hotel halls of Orlando. The sink is located in a separate room from the shower/tub/toilet area, which may help speed up family prep time. Rooms on the 9th floor have much higher ceilings without affecting the price, so ask for one.
The Terra Luna, just west, does the same job the same way, but there are small reasons the Stella Nova has the edge. Of the two hotels, the Stella Nova is marginally closer to Epic Universe and it has a walkway to the park, which its sibling does not. The Stella Nova also offers the best chance to potentially glimpse views of Epic Universe through your room's elongated porthole-like window, although park view rooms are not specifically sold. You're more likely to look at the pool area (with SeaWorld's coasters visible in the middle distance) or at the Terra Luna. Staying here earns you a list of Universal benefits, including free shuttles to all Universal parks, early theme park entry (but not Express for quicker line access, unless you pay for it), and the ability to send souvenir purchases to your hotel.
Spending less for a perfectly decent stay is the point at Stella Nova, which has similarities to Universal's other cheapie property, the two hotels of Endless Summer. This is a quintessential affordable theme park hotel: Although its exterior is adorned with a rainbow's worth of colorful tiling, it's pretty much an L-shaped box with a giant oval swimming pool out back. There's not much theming but there's a cavernous lobby that can handle the dribble of swimsuits and the wheelings of coach loads of luggage, a counter-serve café and coffee shop built to feed the hordes and, above all, quick access to Epic Universe, which is right across the street.
The one major downside of a stay here isn't the price, which is lower than just about any hotel beside an Orlando theme park. The wrinkle is that unlike the similarly priced Endless Summer hotels, Stella Nova is not easily walkable to other places to eat and shop, although the rest of the Universal theme parks and CityWalk are a free 10-minute express shuttle bus ride away via express lanes.
Standard rooms have two queen beds and are 315 square feet (about 30 square meters—a tad less than the Helios Grand, which costs more than double) with powerful AC, a mini-fridge, and all-you-need amenities like a safe, coffee maker, TV with Chromecast capabilities plus the option of playing ambient sounds to drown out the unavoidable clamor that theme park-going families make in the hotel halls of Orlando. The sink is located in a separate room from the shower/tub/toilet area, which may help speed up family prep time. Rooms on the 9th floor have much higher ceilings without affecting the price, so ask for one.
The Terra Luna, just west, does the same job the same way, but there are small reasons the Stella Nova has the edge. Of the two hotels, the Stella Nova is marginally closer to Epic Universe and it has a walkway to the park, which its sibling does not. The Stella Nova also offers the best chance to potentially glimpse views of Epic Universe through your room's elongated porthole-like window, although park view rooms are not specifically sold. You're more likely to look at the pool area (with SeaWorld's coasters visible in the middle distance) or at the Terra Luna. Staying here earns you a list of Universal benefits, including free shuttles to all Universal parks, early theme park entry (but not Express for quicker line access, unless you pay for it), and the ability to send souvenir purchases to your hotel.
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