Four Best Universal Orlando Hotel Pools

Cabana Bay Courtyard Pool area.

The first question was “What sizes are the Universal Orlando pools?” We searched for pool information on Universal and Loews’ websites or used online area finders using Google Maps to determine pool sizes. We then compared this square footage to the size of the hotel which we determined by the number of hotel rooms at the resort. Dividing the pool square footage by the room count gave us a rough ranking of the pool size-to-room ratio. It is not a perfect comparison, of room occupancy and guests per room change between the hotels, but it is a good general unit of measurement.
Aerial look at Sapphire Falls. The pool is shallow across the middle, like a sand bar. (aerial photo by @bioreconstruct)

Pool Size: 16000 sq ft
Room Count: 1000 rooms
Pool/Room Ratio: 16.00
We start off our list with Sapphire Falls which is home to Universal’s single largest hotel pool. Sapphire is themed to the Carribean with lots of rockwork, cascading waterfalls, and plenty of rum barrels as theming. The theme of rocks and water continues to the massive pool – at 16000 sq ft it’s 30% bigger than the second largest pool. It’s so large Universal built in a shallow sandbar in the middle for guests to cross over! The pool also features hot tubs, a water slide, rentable cabanas, and a great pool bar at the Dhrum Club.

Despite having the largest pool this hotel also has the most amount of rooms out of any hotel on this list at 1000 – more guests means more folks at the pool bar, waiting for the slide, and taking up lounge chairs. Sapphire is also a popular pool to hop to for guests staying at Royal Pacific (yes pool hopping at Universal is allowed).
Helios Grand Hotel pool under construction on October 2024.

Pool Size: 8660 sq ft
Room Count: 500 rooms
Pool/Room Ratio: 17.32
When bioreconstruct flies over the new Helios Grand Hotel lots of folks comment about the pool looking a bit too small. It is always hard to judge sizes based on concrete and dirt so when we found out the pool was 8660 square feet we were glad to see it wasn’t the smallest pool at Universal Orlando. In fact not only is it not the smallest it’s actually the 3rd best when it comes to the pool size to hotel room ratio!
Helios Grand Hotel. Lotus Lagoon concept art.
While Helio’s pool might be an acceptable size it lacks the water slide seen at other Signature Hotel pools. We will have more coverage of Helios Grand Hotel when it opens to the public on May 22, 2025.

Pool Size: ~13500 sq ft combined

Room Count: 750 rooms
Pool/Room Ratio: 18
Portofino Bay comes in second with over 135000 square feet of pool space spread across three pools. That’s right, Portofino Bay has three pools located across the property. The main Beach Pool is the largest with a zero entry area, water slide, hot tubs, kids play area, and pool bar. The Villa Pool is a quieter pool opposite the Spa next to the Beach Pool and features rentable cabanas. The Hillside Pool, located at the far southeast of the property, is the pool for guests in the eastern wing of the building.

The pool quantity, quality, different styles, and lower room count put Portofino Bay #2 on our list.
Hard Rock Hotel pool. (photo by Mike Sperduto)

Pool Size: 12000 sq ft
Room Count: 650 rooms
Pool/Room Ratio: 18.46
Our #1 hotel pool at Universal Orlando is the Hard Rock Hotel with a massive 12000 square foot pool for only 650 rooms. Hard Rock Hotel’s pool is well-known chill-out spot for Universal fans with a water slide, lots of lounge space, and the fantastic beachclub pool bar. DJs and music acts show up frequently to give this pool a hopping atmosphere. The pool was also one of the first to feature underwater speakers so you never had to miss a moment rocking out.

Hard Rock Hotel’s pool is among the older ones at Universal Orlando which is really the only downside to this pool.
Cabana Bay’s lazy river and pool area.
“Hey Joe! What about Cabana Bay?” Good question! Cabana Bay features two pool areas with slides, splash pads, pool bars, and even a lazy river. But what sets Cabana Bay back several spots on our list is the 2200 rooms at the hotel! The fact this is the largest hotel at Universal sent Cabana Bay all the way down to last on our list if we only count the pool square footage, but if we include the lazy river it bounces back up to 7th on the list.
Universal Orlando Hotel Pool Rankings by Pool Sq Ft/Hotel Room Count

Hard Rock – 18.46 pool sq ft/room
Portofino Bay – 18 pool sq ft/room
Helios Grand – 17.32 pool sq ft/room
Sapphire Falls – 16 pool sq ft/room
Stella Nova – 13.33 pool sq ft/room
Terra Luna – 12.98 sq ft/room
Surfside – 12.13 pool sq ft/room
Dockside – 11.95 pool sq ft/room
Royal Pacific – ~ 10 pool sq ft/room
Aventura – 7.92 pool sq ft/room
Cabana Bay – 7.27 pool sq ft/room*

What are your favorite pools at Universal? Agree or disagree with our ranking system? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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