Stayed 3 nights at Portafino. All I can say - is WOW. I have very high standards when it comes to hotels - and if you read my review of our stay at the Swan - that holds true. However our time at the Portafino could not have been more perfect.
The rooms are large and well appointed. The internet is great at the room. The staff is exceptional. We had a bay view and I had requested a room near the boat launch. We were literally right over the boat launch. In retrospect I would have requested a more inward view of the hotel - but that was my own doing.
We normally don’t have a bellman take our bags - but it was late so we did. The grabbed us a TON of waters and and gave us a brief - but informative tour of our hotel on the way to our room. He was most personable and just added an extra “welcome”. Although we didn’t stay concierge - we were able to take advantage of their services. They booked us a car from MCO to the hotel.
The food at the hotel - although expensive - was wonderful. Mama Della’s was very nice and we ate outside.
The pool was exceptional. We ordered dinner there one night. Although the service was a bit slow - the food was excellent and the presentation was very very nice. It just allowed us to relax a bit.
We also needed to get a car from Portafino to the swan - it was ready in 2 minutes.
The benefit of the Express Pass is WORTH THE STAY in and of itself.
If you are able to do it - I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the Portafino - it was a true resort experience. If you prefer one of the other hotels - I HIGHLY recommend staying at one of the deluxe so you can take advantage of the express pass. It made the park days so much more enjoyable.