Loews Portofino Bay Hotel Family Activities

Beach Pool
At Portofino, the Beach Pool is the hub of activity for families. In fact, we spent five hours there during our stay. It's huge and gorgeously landscaped, and there's an aqueduct waterslide that my kids could not get enough of, as well a small children's pool and play area for the younger ones; but even my barely-4-year-old preferred the water slide. There are fun activities throughout the day, like Ping Pong tournaments, cannonball contests, arts and crafts, and dive-in movies on an enormous screen on select evenings. We watched Harry Potter perched atop a rock overlooking the kids frolicking in the pool. There are also two Jacuzzis at the beach pool, as well as life jackets for the borrowing, and cabana rentals. While we've heard that the Hard Rock's pool ranks No. 1 in Orlando for families, we actually preferred Portofino's pool. Hard Rock's pool is awesome, but the layout of this one felt better to us, and the lifeguards here are the best we have seen at any resort, anywhere. They are extraordinarily diligent and professional (they won't turn their heads from the pool to speak with you) but also rotate between work and fun, participating in activities in the pool with the kids. There's a small game room adjacent to the Beach Pool, good for rainy days.

Villa Pool
The Villa Pool is a quieter pool. There are nicer lounge chairs, two more Jacuzzis, and snazzy cabanas. It's a great place to go for a few hours if the kids are otherwise entertained, but parents with kids probably won't spend too much time here. The same goes for the even smaller and quieter Hillside pool.

Campo Portofino
Loews Portofino has a supervised kids' club for kids ages 4 to 14, which is only open in the evenings. The aptly named Campo Portofino provides entertainment like arts and crafts table, a storybook corner, computer desks, and a movie room. It's smallish, but adequate for the purpose it serves: To provide a few hours of supervised fun while mom and dad slip out for the evening. You wouldn't want to leave them for much longer than that. The cost is $15 per hour, per child, and $15 per meal. It's open from 5 to 11:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and from 5 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. The concierge can also arrange for in-room babysitting services.

The Groove
There is no separate teen club at Loews Portofino Bay but if they are looking for something to do on their own, there are booze-free "teen nights" held a couple nights a week at The Groove, a nightclub in the nearby Universal CityWalk complex. It's $12-$15/teen and a photo ID is required.

Mandara Spa
Also for teens, the Mandara Spa's Y-Spa program, has the "heavenly massage," the "fake bake" self-tanning treatment and "surfers scrub" body exfoliation.

Universal Theme Parks
The two Universal theme parks, Universal Studios and Island of Adventure are both within 15 minutes walking distance from Portofino Bay; but the free water taxi is a quicker and prettier route to go. Those who have been there, done that at Disney (like us) will love experiencing cool attractions like Shrek 4-D, and Simpsons ride, and the Revenge of the Mummy coaster. We were a little concerned there might not be enough to do for our 4-year-old, but between Feivel's Playground, Barney and the E.T. Adventure, we had no reason to worry. Universal's other park, Island of Adventure, is home to the much anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter, with the towering Hogwart 's Castle, Dragon Challenge, and buildings draped in the realest fake snow and icicles we've ever seen. But be warned, if you are planning to visit Wizarding World, be prepared for shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and long lines everywhere. Our 8-year-old loved Marvel Super Hero Island, Spider-man in particular, while our youngest could have stayed in Seuss Landing all day. From Portofino you can walk or take the water taxi to Universal's CityWalk entertainment complex, which has restaurants, bars and clubs, and even a movie theater.