Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort

Built to scale after the small town on the Italian Riviera, this property includes a miniature bay, gardens, piazzas and multiple pools. The guest rooms and bathrooms feature an upscale design with custom furnishings and modern amenities of today.

The charm and romance of Portofino, Italy – destination of Europe's rich and famous – are conjured up at this lovely luxury resort, where part of the fun is exploring the waterfront 'village' from end to end and not knowing what you'll find around a corner or down some steps. The illusion is maintained by the details: cobblestone streets, variegated row houses lining the boat-dotted 'bay,' and inviting archways that lead to narrow, shop-lined alleyways, stairways, and piazzas, but made slightly surreal by the sounds of screams from Universal roller-coaster riders.

A re-creation of the exclusive Italian fishing village, right down to the jut of its ferry dock and the rusty hue of the buildings, Portofino Bay has some of Orlando's largest rooms (at least 450 square feet apiece), with terrifically soft beds. The 750 rooms, decorated in a combination of Italian-villa and southern-plantation style, have curvaceous, carved- and inlaid-wood headboards and armoires, and elegant fabrics.

Modeled after the real Portofino Bay on the Italian Riviera, this 750-room Loews hotel has nightly singers in the piazza, great Italian restaurants, and a waterslide that resembles a Roman aqueduct. It's the most expensive of Universal's four resorts, but that's because of its bigger, more beautiful rooms, gorgeous spa, and three pools, including two quieter ones for couples.