To go along with my trip to the Universal parks earlier this summer, I decided to stay at the Endless Summer Resort- Surfside Inn and Suites for a little getaway. This resort is fairly new and opened just last summer. Both Surfside and its sister resort, Dockside Inn and Suites are in Universal’s value category, making them a bit cheaper.
The building is made up of two different towers, decorated with surfers and boats. As soon as you walk into the lobby, you are met with an open and beachy vibe. Plenty of windows are located all around, bringing in extra light and sunshine.
The lobby is decorated with beachy furniture and plenty of fun and comfy seating. Overall, I found the theming really pleasing and not overdone. The light from the windows and the blue coloring inside leave the place with a nice and clean feeling.
Off of the lobby is the hotel’s quick service restaurant, Beach Break Café. This restaurant serves a number of different options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you have picky eaters, this is the perfect place for you as the menu offers items like pizza, burgers, and sandwiches.
The cafe offers plenty of seating inside. TV’s are spread along one wall displaying images of surfers and waves. Surfside does not offer any table service dining, but there is one restaurant at Dockside across the street.
The lobby also consists of a Starbucks for all you coffee lovers. Just keep in mind that the line might be a bit long if you are looking to grab one in the morning on your way to the park!
A gift shop off of the lobby sells souvenirs from the hotel and items featuring your favorite characters from the parks!
This resort does require bus transportation to Universal Citywalk and the theme parks, but I wouldn’t let that sway your decision against staying here. The drive is really short and we found the bus ride to be quite easy. The busses come every few minutes and we never really had to wait to get one.
The two towers of the resort curve around the pool in the center. The pool has a fun, fish like shape. It offers zero-depth entry for easy accessibility and there is a rim around the edge to sit on.
The pool area also includes a bar called the Sand Bar for all your poolside drinks. The area is decorated with fun colors and surfboards on the ceiling. Tables and chairs are offered at the bar, but there are also plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas surrounding the entire pool. Unfortunately, during our stay we only got to spend about 10 minutes out here before a thunderstorm came in, but I could have easily spent a few hours!
Just like the lobby, the rooms had a beachy and clean feeling. The window in the afternoon let in a lot of light, making the room bright and happy. Again, details were not overdone, but still were enough to complete the theme. The bathroom had a nice walk-in shower.
We also chose a room with a pool view which was absolutely lovely during the day. Seeing the pool outside really added to the summery theme of the resort. However, at night, the pool music was a bit loud and did not stop until 10. If you are staying here with younger children, maybe a room facing the other side might be a better option.
Overall, I don’t have too many negative things to say about the resort, just a few minor things here and there. First, the little rug by the beds in our room did have a few stains on it. For a newer resort, you would hope to see these still stain free. Also, the towels in our rooms were very small and a bit scratchy. However, you can probably chalk that up to the fact that it is one of Universal’s value hotels and you get what you pay for.
Overall I really enjoyed my stay at the Endless Summer Resort- Surfside Inn & Suites. I would recommend this to travelers visiting Universal Orlando who don’t want to spend too much on their hotel rooms. I would love to stay at the Dockside one day and compare the two! Have you stayed at either of these resorts yet?
Really loving the beach/surfer theme! Great photos!