Pool hopping from Portofino

[Ashtons_Nana112]

We will be staying at Portofino in June with our 8 year old grandson. I wanted to take him over to the Hard Rock for a day to use their pool during our stay. Does the Hard Rock have a pool gate that requires a room key to get into the pool area? Didn't want to be bothered having to go to the front desk first. Also is the pool much better for kids at the Hard Rock then at Portofino? I keep visualizing the Portofino pool as being more adults with no kids around lol.

 

[humphreydog]

imho. I think the Portofino beach pool is better suited for children. It has a much larger zero entry shallow area (great for the dive in movies) and has a gated childrens wet play area too. In addition, it's much easier to keep track of your children at PBH and the PBH lifeguards are less tolerant to drunk millennials (unlike HRH).

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

You need your HRH room key to enter the pool area from the footpath/boat so you do need to walk through the hotel to get to the ‘entrance’ to the pool, where there are lifeguards checking access, towels etc., but I don’t think that you need to go to Reception/ Guest Services first.
I have never seen drunk people at the HRH pool but the ‘free pours’ from the pool bar are generous.

 

[schumigirl]

We will be staying at Portofino in June with our 8 year old grandson. I wanted to take him over to the Hard Rock for a day to use their pool during our stay. Does the Hard Rock have a pool gate that requires a room key to get into the pool area? Didn't want to be bothered having to go to the front desk first. Also is the pool much better for kids at the Hard Rock then at Portofino? I keep visualizing the Portofino pool as being more adults with no kids around lol.

Don`t worry, there are plenty of children at the PB pool. It is an amazing pool, and much better than the pool at HRH, it`s just so shallow.

You don't need to go to the front desk, just make sure you have room keys for all that are planning on being there and you`ll be fine.

 

[bumbershoot]

I keep visualizing the Portofino pool as being more adults with no kids around lol.

There are three separate pool areas at portofino. There will be kids at all of them. Well maybe not the hillside pool, but then the only people I’ve ever seen there were my family lol

Don`t worry, there are plenty of children at the PB pool. It is an amazing pool, and much better than the pool at HRH, it`s just so shallow.

So true. Only deep part of the water at the HR pool is under the slide, and you can’t hang out there.

 

[sleepymouse]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but is pool hopping allowed at some or all Universal resorts?

 

[smiths02]

The main pool at Portofino is great! There is a children's splash area, a sandy/beachy area, and a fun pool slide that lets out into water that is not too deep.

 

[hhoope01]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but is pool hopping allowed at some or all Universal resorts?

Yes, with the following caveat (cut/pasted from the Universal Orlando website): "Please be aware that guests staying at our Value hotels are not permitted to access the pools or use poolside amenities at the Prime Value, Preferred and Premier hotels."

 

[georgina]

Which means no pool hopping from Endless Summer resorts...Aventura and Cabana Bay are Prime Value.

 

[sleepymouse]

Thanks for the info. We are staying at RPR and am excited to at least try out the pool at Portofino.