Trattoria del Porto at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel

We don't ever stay at hotels that are as expensive as this hotel, but because we were celebrating my 50th Bday and our 30th anniversary, we treated

I'm actually surprised at how highly this is ratedI debated between two and three stars and gave them the benefit because the staff was so kind.

We chose to stay at this hotel as it is the most luxurious and priciest option on Universal property, and we wanted to avoid being surrounded by noisy children.

Have eaten here several times. Was surprised that with a reservation we were still sitting at a booth looking into the kitchen. We could have asked to be moved, but we didn't want to. The waiter was very enthusiastic, but failed to fill glasses of water without being asked. My husband's lasagna was a huge brick in the middle of an unadorned plate. A little salad or something green and crispy would have been nice. Not an à la carte fan, especially when it comes to the price of the main course alone. The room was very dark and a bit noisy. I would ask not to sit in this area another time.

The server was kind and efficient, but appeared to be overwhelmed with too many tables. The dishes were overly salty and seemed to have been left under a heat lamp for too long. While I used to enjoy dining here, I am unlikely to return in the future.