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Are you planning a family trip to Universal Studios Resort in Orlando, Florida? Looking for an on-site hotel?
Well, if you are considering staying at either Cabana Bay Beach Resort or Endless Summer: Surfside Inn, then you are in luck. I am going to compare and contrast the two hotels in this blog entry. This will help you choose the best hotel for you for your upcoming trip.
Cabana Bay Beach Resort and Surfside Inn & Suites
Both are much more affordable (to find the best price, book through Undercover Tourist). They are both also great for families. They have multiple suite options. The suite I stayed in at Surfside Inn even have a total of three queen beds (Disney, please take notes).
The great news with both hotels is that my family absolutely, positively loved staying at both. Like, we absolutely did not want to leave. I think either would make for a great choice for your hotel. They both have a wonderful fun theme. Surfside Inn has a great surfing theme. Cabana Bay has a great 50s & 60s retro theme. They both have a laid-back, beach feel which I think is perfect for a vacation. They both offer great small touches, like the TVs in the food courts. At Surfside Inn, you can watch clips of surfers. At Cabana Bay, you can watch clips of old TV commercials. So both are just great choices for families.
But there are some things Cabana Bay offers that Surfside Inn does not. So I think it’s good to let you guys know what you’re missing if you stay at Surfside Inn. Especially if you have stayed in Cabana Bay in the past and you’re trying Surfside Inn for the first time. If these things don’t both you or barely bother you, then I would choose the cheapest option. Because I think you’ll like either. And that cheapest option is most likely going to be Surfside Inn. But if these are a dealbreaker to you, then pay a little more and choose Cabana Bay.
Location
Surfside Inn & Suites is a bit farther away from the two original Universal theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure) as well as CityWalk than Cabana Bay. You’ll need a bus to get from Surfside Inn to get to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and CityWalk.
But Cabana Bay is actually close enough that you can walk to all three. It’s a bit lengthy of walk, but still doable. That is not the case with Surfside Inn.
Cabana Bay is even closer to Universal’s waterpark, Volcano Bay. The hotel is so close to Volcano Bay you can watch it while you eat at the food court. You can walk to Volcano Bay, and that is great because Volcano Bay is a waterpark. You can basically finish drying off as you walk. So if Volcano Bay is a big part of your Universal Orlando plans, that is a big selling point for Cabana Bay.
But what if the main reason you are visiting Universal Orlando is for its newest theme park, Epic Universe? In this case, Surfside Inn is better. Now, you can’t walk from Surfside Inn to Epic Universe. And it is not that much closer to Epic Universe than Cabana Bay. But the bus ride it is a bit quicker, so that could make a difference to you. Especially if you are wanting to get Epic Universe as early as possible to avoid the longest lines for Epic Universe’s top attractions. So that is something to think about when choosing between Cabana Bay and Surfside Inn.
Dining Options
Now, first of all, Surfside Inn & Suites does have a number of dining options. But they are a bit limited. They have the Beach Break Cafe, which offers grab and go items. This is where you can grab pre-made stuff and eat with the aforementioned surf videos. Now, with grab and go, you may be thinking just a couple salad and sandwich options, but they actually do have a larger menu. They even have things you might not expect at a grab and go, like pizza and burgers. And for breakfast they have items like pancakes you might not expect at a grab and go. We really love the restaurant, and you can read more about why in our Beach Break Cafe review.
But having said this, then can absolutely not compare to Bayline Diner at Cabana Bay. Bayliner Diner is one of the best food courts I have ever seen at any hotel. Their menu is so extensive you could probably eat there every day for a week for all three meals and eat different items each time. A couple of the favorites for my family was the salad bar and the dessert station. At the salad bar, you could make your own salads with the ingredients you want and then they weigh it and the price is based on this. This is a great way to literally only pay for what you want. And the same concept was true if you wanted frozen yogurt at the dessert bar. These are neat touches that they just do not have at Surfside Inn.
Cabana Bay even has more dining options than this. Their onsite bowling alley, Galaxy Bowl, has a restaurant with delicious food. So if having lots of dining options is a dealbreaker for you, then choose Cabana Bay.
Suite Layout
Now, if you are just going to stay in a standard room, this point won’t matter, and you can skip to the next point. But if you are considering a suite, keep reading.
I mentioned earlier that both Cabana Bay and Surfside Inn have suites. But the layout is a bit different.
The suites at Cabana Bay have a living room area and a separate bedroom with two queen beds. The living room has a pull-down bed.
This means if, say, you and your partner are there and have four kids, then you won’t really get your own private bedroom.
The suites at Surfside Inn, on the other hand, have two queen beds in the main room and a separate room with a queen bed.
That means in the previous scenario, you could get your own private bedroom. Which could be a plus for you.
On the other hand, the suites at Cabana Bay have more of a living room area with a couch and chairs. I really like this, as it can be nice to relax with your family. When I stayed in a suite, my family and I took a break during the hottest part of the day and watched a basketball game together.
Now, you can do that at Surfside Inn, but you would be sitting on the beds. Or at the table in the room, but they have uncomfortable bench seating.
So I guess what you prefer depends on what you want out of your suite. But it’s important you know the differences between the suites.
Pool Complex
I really like the pool at Surfside Inn & Suites. It is surfboard shaped, which is neat. It’s incredibly large, which is a huge plus. You can actually swim in it, which you can’t always do a large hotel. And it is a zero entry pool, which I really like.
But having said this, it can’t compare to the pool complex at Cabana Bay. For starters, Cabana Bay has a lazy river. There’s a slide, too. And there’s a sandy lounging area where you can feel like you’re at the beach.
But this may not matter to you. Maybe you just want a pool. Or maybe you’re visiting to hit the theme parks and not the pool. So in this case, it won’t matter. But if the pool is going to be a big part of your trip, you might want to choose Cabana Bay.
Recreational Activities
And finally, Cabana Bay does have more recreational items. Mainly, as I mentioned before, it has bowling. This just sort of adds on to what you can do during your trip.
But once again, this may not matter to you at all. If you just want an onsite hotel where you can get Universal perks, then choose the cheaper option with Surfside Inn. But otherwise, choose Cabana Bay.
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