Universal Orlando has always had fantastic resorts with beautiful properties like the Royal Pacific and Portifino Bay Hotel. But the luxurious amenities and proximity to the parks came with a hefty price tag. With the opening of Universal Orlando’s newest resort, Cabana Bay, guests now have an affordable option with all of the pizazz you would expect from a Universal resort. When you drive up to the Cabana Bay Beach Resort you are immediately transported back in time to the 1960s. When what is now retro was totally in vogue. Life was swell and Americana was a way of life.
7 Reasons to stay at Cabana Bay
It’s Groovy Baby! Neon lights, pops of color and everything mod – from the lobby to the guest rooms every piece looks like it could have been taken straight out of the sixties. Fun and funky everywhere you look, sans the looks that should stay in the sixties like shag carpets. (Thank goodness.)
Anne-Marie @ This Mama Cooks! On a Diet says
If/when we make it down to Orlando, I’m going to look into staying at Cabana Bay. We love anything retro, so this is our kind of place.
Chris Bird says
So cool! Definitely on the radar for our next visit to Orlando!
Lynsey @MoscatoMom says
Haha I just said on Facebook yesterday that I wanted to start a movement to bring back the 50s and 60s (instead of the 80s lol) Looks like they are one step ahead! SO SO cool!
LyndaS says
How awesome! It does look like a really hip/cool place to stay. Staying on a property that is at Universal is the bomb!
Dee @ Cocktails with Mom says
I will definitely have to check out the Cabana Bay next time we’re vacationing in the area. Looks like a really cool place to stay.
Erin Ellis says
Wow! That looks like a fabulous place to vacation! I’m bookmarking this page so I can show my hubby!
Audrey at Barking Mad! says
I LOVE the retro look, and how everything is so sleek and shiny. It looks like a lot of fun!
nicole dz says
WOW! Looks beautiful. I have always wanted to go to Universal Studios with the family. Looks like they have some good food there! And the bowling is right up my alley. Beautiful pool.
Saundra M says
This would be an awesome place to stay. It’s just me and hubby, and I think we would really enjoy this next time we go. Thanks!
Anne says
Looks like a great place to stay. I like the bowling alley, and my husband loves to play skee ball
Jennifer H says
I love the old school feel of the place. It looks beautiful!
Marina says
All that for that price? Woohoo!! Definitely another add-on to my travel bucket list!
Diane says
Spent 3 nights at Cabana Bay. Wonderful hotel, staff very friendly.
Cathie says
I love the splash pad for the littles! Adding bowling to the mix makes for a perfect weekend vacay for us locals!
Mary Beth Elderton says
This looks like a lot of fun—like a destination in itself. What a blast!
Janet W. says
The décor is amazing! This looks like such a fun place to stay. I’ve never heard of it before, but I will tell my family about it!
alicia k (Petite Pilates Pixie) says
you have me convinced! i need to go there now!
Esperanza Gailliard says
Looks like a retro fun family vacation spot for sure! With the old cars and the retro furniture it would be hard to pass this one up. My dad collected older cars and I have the experience of riding in the butterfly doored cars!
kelly tupick says
Love this style!! This looks like a really neat and fun place to stay!
keely hostetter says
Looks like a really fun place. Some day we hope to make it south!
Helga says
That is so very retro and looks fun for the kids too!
Lori K. says
Great post! I’ve been wanting to take our son! Looks so fun!
shaunie says
This is amazing to kind of go back in time . Would have loved to visit that timeframe. This is neat and I’d love to stay there
Betsy Barnes (@bbpinktaz) says
I love the retro look of Cabana Bay! I can’t believe I have never heard about this cool place, definitely going to stay there when we plan our next years vacation 🙂
Vicki Wurgler says
this is so cool I love the sixties style plus the fact that the food trucks and ice cream trucks make regular stops by the pool.
gianna borden says
oh my goodness this place looks amazing! we live in tampa so we are not far from orlando, we definitely need to check this place out as we frequent orlando!!! Thanks for sharing!
Mary Jo says
How great is this for a local vacation? And…I don’t even need a time machine. Our kids can have a taste of what it was like for us growing up! Perfect!
Leah B says
That looks like a really cool hotel! I love the retro feel and any place that has bowling is awesome in my book!
Stephanie says
if i had the money i would love to go visit
Jessica says
We’re actually planning a trip to Florida this summer and this looks really cool. My daughter would love that pool!
Cassandra Eastman says
Wow! I absolutely love the retro look of this resort. My dream vacation is to take my family to Orlando and go to Disney so i’ll have to keep this place in mind. Thanks for the review!
Helga says
That was designed well for the period. Very whimsical too.
Kimberly says
Between the splash pad and the candy colored bowling balls, this place makes up my 2.5 year olds dream vacation.
Marissa says
I would love to go to this Cabana Bay! It is beautiful and new. I love the new part because I am not a huge fan of germs.
Brittany says
I’d love to visit after reading this post. What a great family vacation idea! Thanks for sharing pics!
anne stewart says
great review, thank you!
Stacey b says
A friend of mine just stayed here and really enjoyed it! I’d love a chance to stay there myself.
Daniela Tapia says
The Prices are not that bad, I would love to stay there and enjoy a few days with my family. I love how it has a starbucks and the galaxy bowl. So many things to do for sure!
Helga says
That is so retro in design, it’s uncanny how accurate it was done!
Natalie Brown says
Oh my goodness, this hotel looks like the places we’d stay in Florida when I was little. lol It’s really cool! I live in Florida and we sometimes take three day week-ends to Orlando. I will definitely keep this place in mind! Thank-you for the review!
michelle oakley warner says
that is awesome i have been kind of thinking of planning some kind of stay cation and that would be perfect and its not to far from home. Thanks for all the great pictures i love the 60’s theme of the whole place and the pool wow, its so big the ice cream truck drives by it often, wow. lol. awesome, i will be checking it out, thanks for a great review
Lindsey says
That pool looks like paradise!
Ingrid p. says
This looks like a super hip resort. My kids are the perfect age for a staycation. They would love this super cool pool!
courtney b says
wow you dont need to give me a reason, i would die to go there, but reasons 3 and 4 are my favorite. My kids would love all of it!
Hollie says
I am also in the market for a family resort when we return to Orlando, I am not sure Cabana Bay is for us. After reading tons of reviews on TripAdvisor, Cabana Bay seems like they have it all, everything costs money (lots of reviews about how spendy the bowling is) and the food is not that great. I do love the look of the hotel and the pool and slide do look amazing. I am hard pressed to be the family staying there.
jen says
There are always going to be extras a a budget hotel because only the basics are included. But the rooms are FANTASTIC and the things that are included (like the pool) are wonderful. Honestly, I didn’t bowl while I was there so I have no idea how much it cost. But the food was fine. It isn’t a 5-star restaurant, but for quick food while on vacation it was good. If you want to stay in the Universal area, you can’t beat Cabana Bay for the price. If you want luxury, my pick is The Portifino Bay resort 😉
jb says
If she’s complaining that everything “costs money” (though God knows what that actually means)..I do not think this visitor is up for Portofino!!
Deanna Bridges says
Just booked a week at this resort for summer vacation! It has gotten great reviews . And rates for longer stays are terrific.
jen says
Have fun! We loved it!!
Kim says
Just booked our stay for December and we are PUMPED! 4 kids makes it hard to find accommodations at so many resorts but this resort will fit our family well!! And the price- CANNOT Beat it! They gave us amazing deals on park perks and admission as well!!
jen says
Have a great time!!!
Traci says
Is there room in the family suite to store luggage and to put our clothes in drawers? Based on the pictures I am seeing, I am concerned that we may be walking on suitcases. Any idea?
jen says
There are some drawers for clothes and shelves for clothes/things. (Just the 2 drawers in the unit shown by the couch, as I recall.) There is space under the bathroom counter (which is separate from both the toilet and shower) for a small suitcase, but there isn’t really a good place for luggage. We ended up putting ours behind the chairs in the sitting area so it wasn’t a problem. But we weren’t there long or with huge bags.