Apparently, we only visit Universal property on a whim.
At the very beginning of 2022, with Velocicaster as the brand-spanking new kid on the block, Derrick and I found ourselves desperate to get to Florida and ride this new roller coaster.
So, on a whim in February, we booked a weekend flight down to Orlando and we stayed at Surfside Inn and Suites in order to take advantage of the entire Universal property experience. We had an incredible, whirlwind visit.
Fast forward to 2025, and the brand new Epic Universe was about to open to the public. We’d anxiously watched this park be built from the ground up, so we were desperate to get to Florida to experience this brand new park.
Sp, on a whim in April, we were able to snag tickets to Epic Universe during their very last day of previews and once again, we found ourselves staying at Surfside Inn and Suites in order to take advantage of the entire Universal property experience. We had an incredible, whirlwind visit – and it blew our socks off.
This is a full, in depth review of our stay at the Universal Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites located at 7000 Universal Boulevard, in Orlando, Florida. We stayed at this resort for 3 nights in May of 2025 (and 2 nights back in February of 2022) and this was our experience.
OVERVIEW
Surfside Inn and Suites is actually part of a pair of properties that make up the Universal Endless Summer Resort. Dockside Inn and Suites sits right across the street – and while we’ve never stayed there, we’ve heard that it’s very similar to Surfside.
During our most recent Florida trip, we hadn’t planned to stay on Universal property (we hadn’t planned to visit Epic Universe at all – it’s a bit of a long story). However, when we were able to score tickets to visit Epic Universe, we decided to tweak our stay so we could stay on property and pick up all the benefits that come along with a Universal stay.
When Derrick called to ask a few questions about how those benefits work with the brand new Epic Universe and book us a room, we were actually shocked at just how reasonable the room rates were!!
We found the cost for staying at Surfside and Dockside to be very average and comparable to other hotels we’ve stayed out – even, dare I say, on the lower end. Let’s just say: we’ve definitely paid much higher rates for random hotel stays over the last few years.
We checked in early in the afternoon and spent the entire afternoon and evening simply enjoying the resort – and WOW, it did not disappoint. We were blown away by our time at Surfside – all the nice little touches that really elevate the experience and atmosphere, every employee we came in contact with was helpful and friendly, the entire resort is well-kept and just so nice. It was the perfect place to relax leading into a very full day at Epic Universe.
But, I’m getting ahead of myself..
UNIVERSAL PROPERTY
Universal has 11 resorts on their property that they divide into three levels: Value Inns and Suites (this includes Surfside and Dockside and Cabana Bay), Prime Value Hotels (this includes Aventura, Stella Nova, and Terra Luna), and their Signature Collection (this includes the Hard Rock Hotel, the Helios Grand Hotel, and several others).
So Surfside is part of Universal’s “Value Inn and Suites” – which means it carries the most inexpensive rates.
The next level up ranges from $50-200 more per night, and the Signature Collection hotels at least triple or quadruple the cost of the Value Inn and Suites (and that very high price-tag does come with some additional benefits on-property that the other resorts do not, so if you’re weighing your options between a Prime Value Hotel and a Signature Collection location – those additional benefits are worth checking in to!)
In other words: Universal truly has a resort at a price-point for everyone – whether you are going all out for your vacation or simply looking to stay within a more reasonable budget.
Oh, and if you are a Florida resident, Universal has a special discount just for you. You can score up to a 40% off of your room – all of those details are listed on their website.
THE ROOMS
Surfside offers two different types of rooms: standard rooms and two-bedroom suites.
The standard room is 313 square feet in size, has two queen beds, and hosts a maximum of 4 guests. This is the type of room we stayed at in 2022 and the type of room we booked when we tweaked our plans and booked a few nights at Surfside this year. After all: with the incredible resort spread out before us – we planned to spend very little time in our room. So, we figured: why do we need the upgraded space of the suite?
Speaking of: the two-bedroom suite is 440 square feet in size, has two queen beds in the first room, which is open to the kitchenette area, and a third queen bed in a separate bedroom. This suite hosts a maximum of 6 guests.
When we arrived at Surfside and Derrick went in to check us in, he came out to the car with a sneaky smile on his face. We were all grinning ear-to-ear – after all, staying at Surfside and going to Epic Universe was a pair of plans we had only changed a few weeks prior, so the entire experience truly felt like a dream. But there was something extra special in his smile – and he eventually let it slip while we were unloading that there was “a surprise” up in our room.
Much to our surprise: Universal went ahead and upgraded us (at no charge) to one of their two-bedroom suites.
As if our entire Universal experience wasn’t dream-like enough, walking in and seeing all of the extra space they upgraded us to really put the experience over-the-top. We were blown away.
So, speaking specifically about the two-bedroom suite – this includes a small kitchen area with a mini-fridge, microwave, coffee maker, dishes, silverware, and a table to sit at.
As I said: the two-bedroom option sleeps up to 6 people, so if you are traveling with a family – this option is INCREDIBLE. It just feels like such an amazing upgrade to their standard room – which as I said: we have stayed at in the past! The standard room is almost identical to the suite – just less the extra bedroom and kitchen area.
The room was clean and felt well-kept. Complimentary WiFi is included in your stay, and there are coin-operated washer and dryers on-site (I’m just not entirely sure where these are – we didn’t need them, so we never went looking for them.) There was a small safe in the bedroom – but it was SMALL – literally just large enough to hold a wallet and a few other small items. You couldn’t even put a laptop in there unless you stood it up on it’s side.
If there was an award to give, Surfside (or at least, our room in Surfside) would receive the “BEST WATER PRESSURE” award. We have NEVER stayed in a hotel with BETTER water pressure in the shower – in fact, it rivaled the water pressure we have at home (and if you’ve stayed in a hotel recently, you know what an incredible experience this is!)
I will say: each bed only had two pillows on it – most resorts and hotels seem to stack TONS of pillows on their beds, so we found this fascinating. We traveled to Florida by car, so we brought our own pillows, but it was just something interesting we observed.
Speaking of observations: what do hotels and resorts in general have against hooks on the wall? Surfside, like every other hotel we’ve ever stayed at, lacked enough hooks to hang 4 bath towels plus 4 wet swim suits. There was a line you could pull across the shower to drape things over, but that doesn’t really help while you’re using the shower. There were also these small hooks that were under the shelves in the room – but if you hung a towel on them, it would touch the floor – so it was almost like someone had this amazing afterthought to add hooks, but the implementation was a little lack-luster.
While most hotels have adopted an “every other day” housekeeping routine since 2020, that didn’t seem to be the case at Surfside. In fact, we are so used to not having housekeeping attend to our rooms, that we were genuinely shocked to come back to our room, after being at Epic Universe all day, to find the beds made, fresh towels stocked in the bathroom, and the room tidied up – in fact, our kids were so shocked that they were initially worried that some of their precious stuffed animals might have gotten stolen. No worries, everything was completely accounted for – it was just unexpected!
Moving on to talk about the resort outside of the rooms..
THE POOL AREA/RESORT
Surfside functions as a full-fledged resort.
There is a massive fitness center, a game room/arcade, a HUGE gift shop (and I do mean: “massive”) and then there’s the pool area.
Before I dive into describing the pool, which is obviously the star attraction of Surfside, I wanted to touch on their massive gift shop. What makes this store unlike any other general resort gift shop is that it is filled with Universal merchandise and souvenirs. In other words: if you are headed to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe, or Volcano Bay and you don’t want to spend a ton of time browsing the gift shops for a t-shirt or ornament to take home as a memento of your trip – this gift shop within Surfside is incredible. They have an amazing (but limited) selection of all the major themes within the Universal property and stopping here just means more time for rides and food and experiences within the parks themselves.
Of course, if you’re looking for something very specific, you’ll want to explore the shops within the parks – but if you’re simply looking for a general piece of merch – this gift shop is where you want to stop (plus, the check-out lines are shorter, you can toss your purchases right into your room instead of carrying it around – it’s a win-win-win.)
Oh and if you completely forget to pick up a t-shirt or souvenir, I will mention that you can buy officially licensed Universal merch on Amazon! I’ll put a link in the description below (I was personally feeling a little jipped after we left Universal because even though I made sure to pick up my traditional ornament, I didn’t get anything else, so now there’s a bunch of Universal merch on my Amazon wish list for Christmas!)
Your room-key at Surfside does double as your credit card. This means that you only need to carry one card around the resort, instead of an entire wallet or purse, and you’re covered.
The pool and outdoor area of Surfside is what truly sets this resort apart from other generalized resorts. It’s HUGE.
The pool itself sits in between the two distinct towers that make up Surfside Inn and Suites. The pool is shaped like a fish, which you can’t really tell from the ground, but if you ride the elevators up a few floors and look down, it was just a really fun detail for our kids to discover.
The pool is circled by tons of chairs, tables, and umbrellas for you to relax under and in. Life jackets and towels are provided and having those available down at the pool just makes the entire process of leaving your room to come down to the pool so much simpler.
The entire pool is just 3 foot 6 inches deep (or 1.1 meters) the entire way around – so it’s not very deep, but perfect for floating, easy-swimming, and lounging in. The tail end of the fish (the end closest to the doors of the resort) doubles as a small splash pad and there are lifeguards on duty around the pool – which, as a parent, simply added another level of peace-of-mind while we were enjoying the pool. Our kids are 10 and 6 and they could easily touch the bottom of the pool (our son had to stand on his tip-toes, but he could touch!) but that doesn’t mean that I still don’t have this heightened level of awareness whenever we’re around water. I’m obviously not going to let my guard down simply because there are lifeguards, but knowing that they’re there was just really nice for me, as a parent.
Additionally, there was one ping-pong table next to the poolside bar – we aren’t very good at playing ping-pong, but it was a very fun activity to play!
Speaking of the poolside bar – it is simply a bar. They serve drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, frozen and iced) but no food. You can buy food inside the resort and bring it out to the pool – but it does require you to leave the pool area and go inside.
I’m going to talk more about the food in a moment, but to finish out my thoughts about the pool and outdoor area of the resort – it was really so beautiful. I almost want to describe it as “peaceful”, but at a resort the size of Surfside, the pool area is always going to be busy and there are going to be kids and people everywhere. We still found the entire experience so enjoyable. The atmosphere was festive and fun and we loved our time relaxing around and in the pool.
THE FOOD
Okay, let’s talk food:
As with most resorts: there is no complimentary breakfast at Surfside Inn and Suites.
The Beach Break Cafe is the main dining location at Surfside. It’s a mix of grab-and-go options (think: snacks, drinks, and things you could toss in your microwave), and made-to-order food. The made-to-order options are quite extensive: they had pizza, burgers, salads, burritos, chicken – the options just go on and on and really surprised us with how diverse the offerings were!
They serve breakfast sandwiches, donuts, croissants, cinnamon rolls, and yogurt parfaits at breakfast too – so there is literally something for everyone!
Outside of the Beach Break Cafe, there is a large Starbucks right in the lobby to fuel you up and get you energized for a long day in the parks or just relaxing around the pool.
As I already mentioned, the Sand Bar is the poolside bar serving cocktails, wine, beer, smoothies, and other frozen drinks – perfect for while you’re relaxing around the pool!
And last but not least – from 4pm – midnight, you can order room service delivered straight to your room from Beach Break Cafe. This includes their most popular items like pizza, salads, deserts, and beverages for the ultimate convenience.
As amazing as Surfside is as a resort, let’s talk about the MAIN reason we booked a few nights there – and that’s the Universal Theme Park Perks..
UNIVERSAL PERKS
Surfside, as well as each of the other resorts on Universal’s property, provide their guests a set of perks that are only available to the guests staying on property. We have found that these perks alone are worth the cost of staying on property (and as a Disney College Program grad, I hate to say it, but Universal’s perks are slightly better than Disney’s).
Staying at Surfside means that you can take advantage of Universal’s complimentary transportation to the four Universal theme parks. This not only saves you from having to drive your car and deal with parking, but saves you the daily parking fee (which, if you’ve been to any amusement park recently, you know this cost can be quite hefty).
We found the Universal bus system to be fantastic and to be super efficient. We’ve ridden other park’s transportations and so far, Universal, by far, provides the fastest, most smooth transportation.
From our own experience: we were told that the first bus to leave Surfside for Epic Universe would be at 7am (early entry that day started at 8am). We walked down to the bus at 6:35am, and the bus was already sitting there waiting. We got on with a few other people and the bus left by 6:45am – meaning we arrived at Epic Universe’s front gates by 7am! Talk about impressive!
Then, when it came time to leave and catch the bus back to Surfside after Epic Universe closed, we came out to a VERY long line. Transportation people who were directing guests and managing the buses noticed the huge crowd waiting and came over to tell us that they were re-routing a bus that was supposed to go to City Walk to take us back to Endless Summer! In other words, what we walked up to and assumed would be a LONG wait, ended up being a very minimal wait in the end!
Needless to say: we found Universal’s transportation to be fantastic. It was flexible and fluid enough to re-route buses as needed and that level of customer service really blew us away.
Staying on Universal property also gives you EARLY ACCESS to the theme parks – one FULL HOUR inside the parks before the regular crowd enters. This time will make a HUGE difference in your day and is the primary reason we decided to stay on property! One full extra hour?! Yes please!
And I’ll note: if you’re staying on Disney property and going to a Disney park – they only give you 30 minutes of early entry time, so Universal’s 60 minutes (which is double what Disney gives you) is absolutely incredible!
This extra time allows you to get this massive jump on your day – you can hit up the busiest attractions and ride them with the shortest lines. Trust me, with the amount of things to do and see within the Universal parks – you need all the time you can get to really enjoy it and soak it in (plus, that initial hour is during the coolest part of the day, so if you’re visiting in the hot summer months – this early entry time is a no-brainer).
In our opinion (as roller coaster enthusiasts and theme park junkies) early access alone is worth staying on Universal property.
*Just, note to self: have your room key handy as you’re entering the parks for early entry as you’ll likely need to show it at least twice while entering the park. We didn’t realize this and in all the hustle and commotion of getting into Epic Universe, it left us fumbling and a bit flustered.
Also included with your stay on Universal property is a package delivery service – so say you find an amazing souvenir in the parks but don’t want to buy it and have to carry it around all day long? As long as you are staying on property within their delivery window, all of the major gift shops can deliver your purchased merchandise to your hotel free of charge.
CONS
It goes without saying, but there are no Disney perks when staying at Surfside. However, as I mentioned, there are tons of Universal perks, because Surfside is a UNIVERSAL hotel. Depending on what your vacation plans look like will determine whether staying on Universal property makes sense – and if you are headed to the Universal Theme Parks, staying on property 100% makes perfect sense. If your vacation plans are centered around Disney, definitely stay on Disney property! I have a full, in-depth review of one of our favorite Disney property hotels, I’ll link it below.
Parking for Surfside is located in a parking garage and there is an additional parking fee of $26 per day during your stay (that is: as of this recording, prices are always subject to change, so check Surfside’s website for the most accurate information as you plan your stay!) The parking garage is kind of around the side of the resort – and, let’s just say: it’s a long walk away. In other words: you definitely don’t want to leave items in your car, because it’s not just a quick “run out to the car” kind of location (especially if you find yourself with a room in Tower 1!)
Additional parking fees are very common at resorts, especially resorts in the Orlando area, but it’s always good to know about the fees ahead of time so you can add them into your budget.
If you are flying into Orlando, Surfside, as well as the other Universal resorts, do offer a shuttle service to and from the airport, but it is not complimentary, so just another fee you’ll need to add into your vacation budget (but you won’t have to pay the daily parking fee – so this is definitely the less expensive option). Sure, the fee is annoying, but having secured a Universal shuttle to your resort from the airport is super convenient and very easy to take advantage of (we used this option back in 2022).
PROS
If you arrive at Surfside but your room is not ready yet (maybe you flew into Orlando and you arrive before check-in time), there is a luggage hold right off of the lobby. You can check-in, leave your luggage there, and then immediately start enjoying the resort’s amenities until your room is ready for you.
And vice versa, if you are leaving, but need to check-out before actually leaving the resort, you can leave your luggage in the hold and still relax around the resort without having to drag your suitcases around.
We didn’t utilize this feature on our last visit, but we definitely did the first time we stayed at Surfside back in 2022! It was so convenient!
In the lobby, there is a concierge who will not only answer all of your Universal Theme Park questions, but they will give you tons of tips and tricks to help you get the very most out of your visit. The Universal parks are HUGE and also a HUGE investment to visit, so having someone give you some guidance before stepping foot into the parks is a huge help. You can even buy your park tickets right there in the lobby if you haven’t already purchased them!
CONCLUSION
At the end of the day, Surfside Inn and Suites really surprised us – both when we stayed in 2022 and 2025. For a resort that falls into Universal’s “Value” category, it didn’t feel “value” at all. Between the friendly staff, the super clean and well-kept rooms, the resort-style amenities, and of course, the unbeatable perks that come with staying on Universal property, it was such a no-brainer for our family. Even with the added parking fee and a few little quirks here and there, the pros far outweighed the cons.
For us, the combination of affordability and convenience is what makes Surfside so appealing. Having access to early entry, complimentary transportation, and the ability to fully immerse ourselves in the Universal experience without worrying about traffic or parking made our entire trip less stressful and more fun. It’s the kind of place where you don’t just feel like you’re staying at a hotel – you feel like you’re still very much a part of the Universal bubble, even after you’ve left the parks.
Would we stay here again? Absolutely. In fact, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Surfside Inn and Suites to families, couples, or even groups of friends looking for a comfortable, budget-friendly way to stay close to the action. Whether you choose the standard room or splurge on the two-bedroom suite, you’re getting an experience that is both practical and elevated. We left feeling refreshed, cared for, and so sad that our Universal experience was over.
So if you’re planning a trip to Orlando and you’re debating whether to stay on or off Universal property, definitely keep Surfside in the running. It may not have the high-end bells and whistles of the Signature resorts, but it delivers exactly what you need: convenience, comfort, and that Universal magic sprinkled in. And for us, that made all the difference to spring-board us into a fantastic Universal Theme Park vacation.
