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If you’ve ever spent a full day at a theme park, the last thing you want to do is drag your weary body on trains, buses or car trips to some distant hotel. This is why we booked Hotel Universal Port Vita for our Universal Studios Japan accommodation. Just a 5-minute walk to the entrance gates.
We are theme park regulars back home in Australia, but Australian theme parks have nothing on Japanese theme parks, so we knew that having accommodation close to USJ was a must for our Osaka itinerary!
But aside from being close to Universal Studios, did it measure up in all the other ways that matter? It did and we’ve put together a complete Hotel Universal Port Vita review for you.
FYI: This review is not sponsored! We don’t normally write hotel reviews, but it was worth sharing in case you’re planning a Universal Studios Japan visit.
Hotel Universal Port Vita Review: Universal Studios Japan Accommodation
Located just a 5-minute walk from the entrance to Universal Studios Japan, Hotel Universal Port Vita is the perfect spot for families visiting the park. With its playful, yet subtle, Minions-themed decor and convenient location, this hotel offers an enjoyable and comfortable stay for both kids and adults.
We initially booked a hotel closer to central Osaka for our 3-day Osaka itinerary, but realistically, we knew we really only had two full days in Osaka and one of those was dedicated to Universal Studios.
For this reason, I decided to book something within walking distance of the amusement park – I’d much rather take an extra half hour getting into town and back on our free day than I would late at night after a full day of rides, park snacks and far too much walking!
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Location
The hotel couldn’t be more conveniently located for anyone planning a trip to Universal Studios Japan. Hotel Universal Port Vita is located in the Osaka Bay district of Osaka.
While there are other parks even closer to the entrance… literally just steps away from the park entrance, Hotel Universal Port Vita is just a short walk across the road and over the bridge to the Universal gates.
It’s a huge bonus if you’re trying to get an early start on popular rides and attractions. Especially since Universal Studios is quite well known for opening before the advertised entry times.
The nearby Universal CityWalk also offers plenty of dining and shopping options, and it’s just a short train ride to explore other parts of Osaka, including the bustling Dotonbori area.
- Distance to Universal Studios Japan: 5 minutes walk
- Train Access: The Universal City Station is also nearby, making travel around Osaka easy.
- Proximity to Restaurants and Shops: Universal CityWalk Osaka is packed with options just a few minutes away.
- Close to other public transport: A bus stop and taxi waiting areas are nearby.
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Checking In
The check-in experience was really easy and welcoming. They have staff to guide you to the counter and the whole process is very streamlined.
As soon as you enter the hotel and make your way up the escalator to the reception area, it’s easy to see this is a very well-maintained hotel. Everything was clean and modern and it smelt good too!
They clearly have their own ‘signature scent’, like so many hotels and resorts do.
Check-in time is from 3 pm. This is a fairly standard time for check-in in Japan.
Our Room
Hotel Universal Port Vita has a range of family-friendly rooms. Our room had charming details, like woodgrain furnishings and yellow accents (keeping with the Minions theme), but it wasn’t overwhelming—just enough to make our kids smile without being fully themed (like our incredible Toy Story Hotel stay).
We stayed in a Superior Quadruple Room, which comfortably fit our family of four with 4 single beds. The room had:
- Comfortable beds: Four single beds, each with 2 pillows.
- Modern amenities: A large flat-screen TV, free Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, and a mini-fridge for snacks.
- Spacious bathroom: Japanese-style bathroom with separate shower and bathtub, ideal for families, plus a separate toilet.
- Japanese toilet: A modern bidet toilet (which you will find all around Japan).
- Electric kettle: Tea and coffee-making essentials in your room.
- Daily housekeeping: They will make your beds, remove trash and change towels each day.
The room was clean, modern, and spacious by Japanese standards. In saying that, there wasn’t a lot of room to store suitcases.
Thankfully we travel light and only had 2 suitcases and our backpacks so we managed fine. Any more than 2 and you would need to keep them upright until you need to access items from them.
Room Amenities
The bathroom was stocked with shampoo, conditioner and body wash. There were also bath salts for use in the tub. These were restocked each day.
There is a hair dryer in the bathroom and a clothesline over the bath for drying clothing. You will also find a safety deposit box in each of the guest rooms.
The hotel provides pyjamas for guests to wear. These seem to be a one-size nightgown style and it was comfortable for me, but not a good size for the rest of the family.
You will find guest slippers for use during your stay and an area to take your shoes off before stepping onto the carpeted floor area.
They also have extra hotel amenities in the check-in area, rather than placing them in the rooms. Here you can grab basic toiletries such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, hygiene products and even a razor and you can pop back up any time you need to grab more.
What About The View?
We sort of lucked out on getting a good view. We were lucky enough to be on the top floor of the hotel, but facing the harbourside. Directly below the rear of the hotel is a pretty ugly industrial port area.
We could see part of the giant Tempozan Ferris Wheel though, which was pretty in all it’s colourful glory at night.
Some rooms face Universal City and just a few park-side rooms as well. But in the end, we weren’t there to look out our window so it wasn’t a bother.
Dining Options
While the hotel doesn’t have a full-service restaurant, it does have a buffet breakfast option in Solis Gratis, that features both Japanese and Western options—perfect for picky eaters and adventurous foodies alike.
The buffet has a good variety, from freshly baked pastries for breakfast to more traditional Japanese fare like miso soup and rice dishes.
It also opens for lunch on weekends and during the holidays.
It is quite expensive though, particularly if you’re looking to have a family breakfast each morning of your stay. We opted for the Lawson convenience store on the first floor of the hotel for quick breakfasts.
For lunch and dinner, you’ll find numerous dining options at Universal CityWalk right next to the hotel, offering everything from casual cafes to themed restaurants.
Again, these are mostly higher-priced dining options but there are a few more budget-friendly restaurants within the complex. You will also feel like you’ve stepped into the USA as there are quite a few well-known chain restaurants here, like Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, Red Lobster and Shake Shake, mixed with more traditional Japanese restaurants.
We dined at two of the restaurants during our stay, including an all-you-can-eat Japanese BBQ restaurant and a ramen restaurant. Both meals were great.
Guest Facilities
Hotel Universal Port Vita has everything you need for a short stay. There is a ticket counter for organising park tickets, in case you haven’t organised them already. Although, I’d recommend you do this ASAP if you want express passes. They sell out fast and are released around 2 months before the date.
There are vending machines, an ice machine and a microwave oven on each level for guest use.
There is a Lawson convenience store on the bottom floor. It’s small but it has the essentials. There are also several more Lawson stores and a 7-Eleven within the nearby Citywalk area if you want more variety.
There is a restaurant that serves buffet meal services for breakfast and weekend lunches.
There is guest parking available if you are driving.
They also have a laundromat in case you’re running low on clean clothes!
Free Coin Lockers
They also have free coin lockers on the first floor to store your luggage after you check out. This is such a great feature! We assumed you would need to pay for them but you don’t. Completely free to use and big enough to fit large suitcases.
The lockers are operated using an IC card. If you don’t have one, head up to the front desk and they will give you one to use for the day, then pop it in the slot in the locker room after you’ve collected your luggage.
This was perfect for our final day since we didn’t fly out until almost 10 pm.
Is Hotel Universal Port Vita A Themed Hotel?
We have touched on the theming a little already. Yes and no. Port Vita and it’s sister hotel next door, Hotel Universal Port are both referred to as the Minion hotels but most of the theme is in the public areas.
There are large Minion decals on the windows and on the front desk area. There is a super-cute Minion statue at the front entrance (which was decorated for Halloween during our visit) and the elevators have Minion designs.
Otherwise, the guest rooms themselves aren’t really themed. They have accents of yellow and orange, but are otherwise just modern, simple rooms.
It’s still enough to delight younger kids who love all things Minions!
Things To Do Nearby
Of course, you’re likely staying here because it’s one of the best hotel options near USJ. But that’s not the only thing nearby.
Universal City Walk has some cool places to visit, like Hard Rock Cafe Osaka, Osaka Takoyaki Museum (this isn’t really a museum – it’s a place where you can try several different Takoyaki places in one place), Universal Store and more.
It’s also really close to Tempozan. Essentially it’s just over the water and you can see the Giant Tempozan Ferris Wheel from many of the rooms.
You can walk around 15 minutes to catch the free public ferry, opt for the quicker but expensive USJ ferry over to Tempozan or take a taxi. Here you will be able to ride the Ferris wheel, visit the world’s largest aquarium – Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, shop at Tempozan Marketplace or go to Legoland Discovery Centre in Osaka.
Things We Loved
The 4-star Hotel Universal Port Vita Osaka is modern with spacious rooms as far as Japanese hotel rooms go.
The location of the hotel is great! Just a short walk to Universal Studio Japan and the Universal Walk area for food and shopping. Plus you’ve got a train station that is around a 4-minute walk away and a bus stop that’s even closer.
- Spacious rooms
- Modern furnishings and amenities
- Free luggage storage
- Late check-out time (11 am)
- Close to USJ & Universal City Walk
- Public transport within walking distance
- Convenience store
- Cheaper than most of the other USJ accommodation deals
- Non-smoking rooms
- Reliable free wifi
- Only around 30 minutes by train to Dotonbori
It is also within walking distance of the Universal Studios Limousine bus stop pick-up area, which is one of the cheapest ways to get to the nearest airport (Kansai Airport).
Things We Didn’t Love
It’s hard to find a perfect hotel and while we would be happy to stay at Hotel Universal Port Vita again, there are a few things worth noting.
Firstly, the pillows weren’t great. There’s a bit of a theme we noticed while travelling Japan that mattresses are typically firm and pillows are either tiny or really hard. They gave us two different types of pillows (which is a good thing), but one was filled with hard beans and none of us found them at all comfortable.
Thankfully the bed itself was comfortable to make up for the less than awesome pillows.
Another thing worth acknowledging is that there were 3 Universal channels on the TV, along with standard Japanese channels.
We were initially excited by this because one channel was playing Minions in English. Until we realised that it was playing on repeat for the duration of our stay along with Boss Baby 2 in Japanese on a second channel…
We love Minions, but does anyone love the Minions THAT MUCH?? Lucky we were usually far too worn out from exploring Osaka and our day in the park to have time for TV anyway.
The only other thing is that of course, being associated with a brand such as Universal Studios, the hotel comes at a higher price point. It was one of the cheapest options within such close proximity to the park though and you’re paying for the convenience.
- More expensive than hotels further from USJ
- Uncomfortable pillows
Alternatives To Hotel Universal Port Vita
There’s no shortage of Universal Studios Japan accommodation! It’s easily one of the best setups for accommodation for any theme park trip we’ve done. Even compared to Tokyo Disneyland.
There are multiple hotels all within 5 minutes of the park entrance – some less than a minute’s walk to the gates!
Here are a few alternatives worth considering:
- The Park Front Hotel at Universal Studios Japan – The closest official hotel, just steps away from the park entrance. Offers themed rooms and stunning park views.
- Hotel Universal Port – A popular family-friendly hotel with Minions-themed rooms and a 5-minute walk from the park.
- Hotel Keihan Universal Tower – Located within Universal CityWalk, this hotel is only a 2-3 minute walk from the park.
- Liber Hotel Universal Studios Japan – Slightly further but still close, with about a 10-minute walk to the park. It’s a more luxurious option with views of Osaka Bay.
- The Singulari Hotel & Skyspa – Located within Universal CityWalk, it features modern amenities and a rooftop spa with great views.
It is worth noting that Universal Studios Japan does not typically allow pass-outs from the park. This means if you leave during the day, you cannot re-enter, which kind of sucks when your hotel is so close and you need a nap. There are some exceptions for Universal Hotel guests.
We did see a sign that mentioned stays between certain dates (September to November) were able to obtain a pass. This is likely due to the Halloween Horror Nights events and the fact that it becomes a really long day without a break.
Overall Experience
Our stay at Hotel Universal Port Vita was fantastic. The location is unbeatable for families planning to visit Universal Studios Japan, and the Minions theme added a touch of fun that made the experience even more memorable for our kids.
The hotel is modern, clean, and equipped with everything a family might need for a comfortable stay. Plus, the proximity to Universal CityWalk meant that we had easy access to food and shopping when we needed a break from the theme park.
While it might not offer the level of luxury that some high-end hotels do, it strikes a perfect balance between comfort, budget-friendly, convenience, and great for families. We would highly recommend Hotel Universal Port Vita to any family planning a trip to Universal Studios Japan!
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Need help planning your Universal Studios Japan visit? Check out our ultimate guide for tips on how to make the most of your day at the park! And make sure you book early if you want USJ express passes before they sell out!