Our most unused perk of living in St Pete is the proximity to theme park mecca, Orlando.
I’m a huge Nintendo fan—I can conquer Mario 3 in eleven minutes—and what started as a quick dinner in Orlando turned into two nights at the Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel, so I could go to Epic Universe.
We chose the Helios Grand Hotel because it’s new, not a budget hotel, and has direct access to Epic Universe from the lobby. For a “Signature Collection” hotel (their version of luxury), the lobby was loud and uninspiring. If it didn’t have a view of the fountains at Epic Universe, it would have been forgettable.
We booked the cheapest room available, a two queen bed with a parking lot view, and got upgraded to a park view, thanks to our travel agent Melissa Griffith. The park view gave you access to the fountain show without having to get dressed. At almost 10 minutes long, it’s a fountain show worth watching, but if you have a standard view (a cute way of saying parking lot), you have to go to the lobby or the rooftop bar to see it. I don’t think I would have the energy to go out in public at 10 pm to watch it, after a day in the park.
The room was fine: nothing was outstanding but it was clean and relatively comfortable. The pillows sucked but the bed was fine. The shower had great water pressure and Julien Farel hair products, which is my favorite thing about the Loews hotels. Like most new hotels, the room was a smart room. Instead of a remote for the TV and a phone for room service, everything was controlled from an iPad. Like most technologies, it’s better in theory than in practice. Muting the TV took thirty seconds and four taps on the screen.
The walls are very thin, and we could clearly hear our neighbors and the music from the fountain show. Kids, light sleepers, or travelers hoping to catch up on some rest might be grumpy after a few nights. It felt more like a newly built Hampton Inn than a luxury hotel.
I’ll admit it was worth staying there for the freedom of knowing you can return to your room at any time. Reentry to the park is unlimited, and there was never a line at the lobby entrance. We went on a freezing Tuesday in late January, but I can imagine the relief if you’re melting in the sun (there is very little shade in the park) or soaked from an infamous summer thunderstorm. We only returned to the hotel to drop off our souvenir cups and grab dinner.
We grazed our way through the park all day, so we headed back to the hotel to have dinner at Flora Taverna. The Mediterranean-inspired hotel had beautiful decor and a menu that would appease even the pickiest of eaters. The Husband had the Italian Sausage pizza, and I had the bucatini. We had low expectations, given that it was a theme park hotel restaurant, but it was actually pretty good.
The crown jewel of the hotel is Bar Helios, a rooftop lounge with 360-degree views. The inside of the bar is stunning and worth seeing. It’s also a great spot to catch the fountain show finale, which plays at 10 pm every night.
There’s also a beautiful pool area with a bar and restaurant. It was 35 degrees Fahrenheit when we were there, so we didn’t even walk by the pool.
My overall opinion is shrouded by one significant detail—the cost. We booked two nights in the cheapest room available and two one-day, one-park Universal tickets and it came to $989.90 with a FL resident discount, plus $36/day for parking. Even with the convenience of walking directly from the lobby to the park, it’s hard to justify the price. Since we went at low season during the week, I checked the price of the same room for a weekend in March and it was $1,282 PER NIGHT! With the only true amenity being the direct access to the park (the room didn’t even have robes or slippers!) I would be equally infuriated and disappointed by the room.
The Universal Helios Grand Hotel feels like a $200/night hotel cosplaying as a luxury hotel. If you have the flexibility to go off-peak (or if the convenience is more important than money), it’s worth staying at when going to Epic Universe.