Beckles

[ceb29]

Beckles: you posted the following in reply to Robin's trip report and I must be slow. Could you please explain to me exactly where to park? (It's not your description, I've never been there, so please "paint a picture" for me.) Also, do you have to use valet when you first check in at HRH or can you go to the back parking lot then?? THANK YOU! THANK YOU!


Like you said, the entrance out the back by the waterslide is the quickest route to the parks from the hotel in general, but if you're going straight from the parking lot to the parks (which it sounds like you did), the best bet is to park all the way in the back of the lot, then you're basically at the same place where you go out the gate from the pool area. The real advantage of this is that your car is now also only five minutes from the parks ... makes it real convenient if you want to go out for lunch off site or anywhere else. This is by far the most convenient place in all of Universal to park ...

 

[Beckles]

When you're driving up the driveway, the self-park parking lot I've always used is on the right. There's one directly across from it on the left also, but I believe that's valet parking only. To get in the parking lot, you usually need a room key, though I've seen the gates up a good bit, that may also have been because my two visits were during the first month the hotel was opened and they were ironing out a lot of wrinkles. Anyway, you need to check in first to get a key. Don't let them valet park the car if you don't want. Tell them you're just checking in and are going to self-park. These folks are always pushy (I mean at *all* hotels, not just the HRH or PBH, but all big hotels with valets and bellhops out front), and I'm always insistent back that they let me just leave my car there off to the side while I check in.

Anyway, now that you can get in the parking lot, turn left. There are one of two places that you'll want to park. The first is by the long stairway. There' s a stairway that is 3 stories I think, but you can park right at the foot of it, climb the stairs and you're at the front door of the hotel basically. I think you can also go in the building there somewhere and take an elevator ... not sure though ...

What I find even more convenient is to keep going further past that, and park all the way in the back. There's actually a back exit guarded by a security guard back there. From there it's a very short walk to the back gate by the pool and you can get into the hotel from there. It's also a very short walk to the gate of USF and beyond. To get to your car from the front gate of USF is five minutes tops ... say ten minutes from IOA. You can also exit the lot through that back exit (the security guard won't let you in, but they never said anything to me about leaving through that exit). What this let us do was leave the park whenever we wanted ... to run to the drug store or go out to dinner. REAL convenient. This is by far the closest place to the parks you can park (and is even closer than the valet parking at City Walk!).

 

[ceb29]

Thank you! I don't know how I can mess up now! (But I'm sure I'll find a way!LOL) Thank you, again.