Loews Royal Pacific Resort

Loews Royal Pacific Resort Information: Rooms, Pools, Dining, and More

Overview

A favorite of young families and solo travelers, the Royal Pacific Resort is the least expensive and most relaxing of Universal’s top hotels. You may be tempted, as we were initially, to write off the Royal Pacific, which opened in 2002, as a knockoff of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. There are indeed similarities, but the Royal Pacific is attractive enough, and has enough strengths of its own, for us to recommend that you try a stay there to compare for yourself.

The South Seas–inspired theming is both relaxing and structured. Guests enter the lobby—which received a thorough refurbishment in 2020—from a walkway two stories above an artificial stream that surrounds the resort. Once you’re inside, the lobby’s dark teakwood accents contrast nicely with the enormous amount of light coming in from the windows and three-story A-frame roof. Palms line the walkway through the lobby, which surrounds an enormous outdoor fountain.

The Rooms

The Royal Pacific’s 1,000 guest rooms are spread among three Y-shaped wings attached to the resort’s main building. Standard rooms are 335 square feet and have one king or two queen beds. The beds, fitted with 300-thread-count sheets, are very comfortable.

A standard Royal Pacific room.

The rooms feature modern monochrome wall treatments and carpets, accented with boldly colored floral graphics. Rooms include a flat-panel TV, a refrigerator, a coffee maker, and an alarm clock with an iPhone docking port, plus several USB-equipped power outlets. Other amenities include a small desk with two chairs, a comfortable reading chair, a chest of drawers, and a large closet.

As with the Hard Rock, rooms at the Royal Pacific have a dressing area with sink, separated from the rest of the room by a wall. Adjacent to the dressing area is the bathroom, with a tub, shower, and toilet. While they’re acceptable, the bathroom and dressing areas at the Royal Pacific are our least favorite in the upscale Universal resorts.

A Royal Pacific bathroom.

Some standard-view rooms look out over the Royal Pacific’s green landscape, while others see the parking lot or nearby roads. Water-view rooms facing the pool or lagoon are also available, many of which have a great look at Hogwarts Castle. Guests in north- and west-facing rooms in Tower 1 are closest to the walking path to the park but also closest to the attractions at Islands of Adventure (IOA); you can hear the roar from IOA’s Incredible Hulk Coaster throughout the day and night. East-facing rooms in Towers 1 and 2 are exposed to traffic noise from Universal Boulevard and, more distantly, I-4. Quietest are south-facing pool-view rooms in Tower 1 and south-facing rooms in Tower 3, which are also nearest to the water taxi dock. Tower 2 is the most remote from amenities and transportation.

Jurassic World Kids' Suites

The Royal Pacific also offers themed rooms for kids with its Jurassic World Kids Suites, which were refurbished in 2018. These 370-squarefoot two-room suites have a door connecting the kids’ room to the main hotel room, but only the main room has a door out to the hallway. The kids’ room has two twin beds with headboards that look like Gyrospheres, as well as a wall-size mural of dinosaurs.

Pool, Gym and Recreation

Like the Hard Rock Hotel, the Royal Pacific’s zero-entry pool includes a sand beach, volleyball court, play area for kids, hot tub, and cabanas for rent, plus a poolside bar and grill. Designed to look like a cross between a tropical island and cruise ship pool (complete with faux exhaust tower and observation deck), the swimming complex pool is huge; it does not, however, have a waterslide. Lounge chairs line most of the walkway around the pool, and portable folding umbrellas provide shade where the palm trees and lush green plants can’t. A free torch lighting ceremony with Polynesian dances, music, and fire juggling is held by the pool around sunset on select nights (usually Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday during the summer). For the full island experience, the Wantilan Luau is held every Saturday night year-round

The Royal Pacific includes a 5,000-square-foot fitness facility, with free weights and machines, treadmills, stair-climbers, elliptical machines, and exercise bikes, plus separate lockers, dressing areas, and sauna rooms for men and women. The Royal Pacific’s expansive convention facilities cover more than 132,000 square feet and connect to the Sapphire Falls Resort via an air-conditioned bridge. A business center and video arcade round out the on-site amenities.

On-Site Dining

On-site dining includes a full-service restaurant, three bars, and a luau. Islands Dining Room is open daily for breakfast; à la carte options range from steel-cut oatmeal and custom omelets to more exotic eye-openers like Tahitian French toast l’orange. At dinner, Islands has better-thanaverage international cuisine. Another breakfast option is the grab-andgo Tuk Tuk Market in the lobby, which also serves Starbucks coffee, hot sandwiches, and gelato. Jake's American Bar serves a casual sit-down menu for lunch and dinner, along with late-night bar snacks. On select Saturday mornings, the Tahitian Room opens for a character breakfast with the Minions and their Despicable Me pals. Several casual bar areas—including Jake’s American Bar, the Orchid Court Lounge & Sushi Bar, and the poolside Bula Bar & Grille with neighboring ice cream stand—are located in the resort.

Rates

Rack rates run from a low of around $210 per night up to about $480 per night, excluding tax, depending on the time of year. Though nice, the rooms alone aren't worth those rates, but adding in unlimited Universal Express, one hour early access to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and a short walk to the parks makes makes it the best deal among Universal's deluxe hotels.

Hotel Photos

Good (and Not-So-Good) Rooms at Loews Royal Pacific Resort

Guests in north- and west-facing rooms in Tower 1 (the Windward wing) are closest to the attractions at Islands of Adventure and can hear the roar from IOA Incredible Hulk Coaster throughout the day and night. East-facing rooms in Towers 1 and 2 are exposed to traffic noise from Universal Boulevard and (more distantly) Interstate 4. Quietest are south-facing pool-view rooms in Tower 1, and south-facing rooms in Tower 3.

The Royal Pacific was one of the first Orlando hotels to offer themed rooms for kids with their Jurassic Park Kid's Suite. These two room suites have a door connecting the kid's room to the main hotel room, but only the main room has a door out to the hallway. The kid's room has two twin beds with light-up raptor slash marks on the head boards while the rest of the room is fully themed to the Jurassic Park film, including on-set photos.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Loews Royal Pacific Resort Dining

• Bula Bar & Grill Coffee Express (Food Stand or Cart)
• Bula Bar & Grille (Table Service)
• Bula Ice Cream Shop (Quick Service)
• Islands Dining Room (Table Service)
• Jake's American Bar (Table Service)
• Orchid Court Lounge (Bar or Lounge)
• Orchid Court Sushi Bar (Table Service)
• Tuk Tuk Market (Market)
• Wantilan - Luau & Brunch (Table Service)