Helios Grand Hotel Review – Is the Epic Universe Convenience Worth the Premium Price?

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After spending a whole week at the brand-new Helios Grand Hotel inside Epic Universe with my family, I wanted to share my honest thoughts about what you can expect – both the highlights and the areas where it falls short.

I have stayed at most of the Universal Resort hotels with my children over the past decade or so of visiting the parks. And we were all excited to stay at Helios.

My kids are now adults and have grown up with the theme parks over the last 20 years. My two sons traveled with me and we all had high expectations of this resort.

How did Universal Helios Grand live up to these high hopes?

Location & Convenience: A Game-Changer

Now you really can’t get away from this. Helios Grand has one amazing thing going for it. Location.

There is no other Universal hotel, or Disney World hotel for that matter, that comes close to being, well quite so close, to the park.

It reminded me of the Disneyland Hotel in Disneyland Paris, which is literally at the entrance to the park. Well it did in terms of location anyway, but unfortunately little else.

You arrive in the lobby, step out of the huge doors and there you are – on a terrace overlooking the Epic Universe Park (more about the mechanics of actually getting into the park in a moment).

This is the reason I, and probably everyone booking this hotel, wanted to book. And it certainly delivered on this promise.

The ability to walk directly back to your room for midday breaks or just to escape the heat cannot be overstated.

During our stay, we took advantage of this convenience on most days. Probably not as much as I expected to – but the lines at Epic Universe also meant that we didn’t have quite as much down time to spare as I had anticipated either, so we did tend to stay in the park longer than I had imagined we would.

This is the view into the park from the courtyard outside the hotel.

I stayed with my adult kids and we are all seasoned theme park visitors – so we spent a lot of time enjoying the park.

If you were visiting with younger children this location would also be a huge advantage.

No matter who is in your group, having our room just steps away made the entire park experience more manageable and less stressful.

The Early Park Admission was also a huge benefit and gave us access 60 minutes before regular guests.

It could work more smoothly though. People started lining up about an hour before early entry opened. This seems to be something that just happens these days.

Access to the park is just off the lobby, in a pretty small area. So the line in the early morning went almost all the way back to the door to access the pool. I have heard that on some days it goes out into the pool area.

Once the line started moving it could be frustratingly slow progress. There is one X Ray Machine. Then a small gathering area with 2 “turnstiles”. As usual in these situations you never quite know whether to pick the left or the right!

The whole process once the line started moving, even if we were at the back, took anything from 10 to 30 minutes. Towards the end of our stay we stopped lining up so early because I am not sure of the benefit of actually doing that as opposed to just joining the line a bit later when most people had been processed.

There are 500 rooms in this hotel and so you can factor on a majority of the people in those rooms wanting early entry. So why they couldn’t have made this entry area bigger, with at least 2 X-ray machines and more ‘turnstyle” entry points I really don’t know.

It would have made this experience a lot easier. We are going to spend all day in line in Epic Universe so it would have been nice not to have started off with this long line as well.

The good thing is that the entry point where they check your tickets uses facial recognition, and this is so much quicker than the traditional scan your ticket and then hope that your finger print works.

Once you are through this point, you are just steps away from Celestial Park.

Here of course is where you have to decide how best to take advantage of your early entry privilege (more on that in another article).

The advantage of location really can’t be overstated. It doesn’t get any better than this.

Room Quality & Space: Functional But Nothing Special

We have spent all that time discussing the one major advantage, and to be honest really the only reason why I would book Helios Grand Hotel.

The location.

But in other ways Helios is not particularly special. A decent, modern, comfortable hotel, but nothing to get excited about.

This would be fine, except for the huge premium you are paying.

Helios Grand Hotel marketed by Universal Orlando as the “crown jewel” of Epic Universe. It is difficult to argue with that description but only because it is right there in the park.

It is undoubtedly a pleasing hotel to look at from within the park.

But inside it has a bit of a identity problem. And certainly has a lack of wow factor problem.

The Mediterranean, astronomical, Greek mythology theme is a bit of a mismatching of things that don’t quite blend together.

One thing that surprised me was the very small lobby area. When you compared it to any of the other Universal Orlando resorts it is positively tiny and lacking.

However, there is a stunning view out of the huge windows, and from the overlook patio to Celestial Park in Epic Universe. These views do go a long way to making up for the distinctly average lobby area.

The rooms at Helios are undeniably modern and well-appointed, with everything feeling fresh and new. Our standard room featured two queen beds with high-quality linens and pillows that were actually comfortable.

Here are your choices of rooms at Helios:

Standard Rooms – here you have 2 options:

• One King Bed – sleeps up to 3 guests, with 340 square feet of space.
• Two Queen Beds – sleeps up to 5 guests, with 325 square feet.

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Deluxe Rooms give you extra room to spread out. At 415 square feet, these can sleep up to 5 guests with two queen beds plus a small sleeper sofa in the shared living space — perfect if you have kids who like their own spot to snooze.

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Suites are where things get really spacious. (and eye wateringly expensive)

• How to Train Your Dragon Kids’ Suites – 545 square feet, with themed bedrooms the kids will love.
• Hospitality & Presidential Suites – over 1,000 square feet, offering a luxury stay with plenty of space for entertaining or relaxing.

I didn’t opt for the park view. No doubt this would be wonderful, but I tend not to be a “view” person if that is going to cost me a big premium. And at Helios that park view is going to cost you a premium!

I liked our room, but really it wasn’t anything very special. If I compare it to the rooms at Sapphire Falls then I prefer these to Helios – and of course, whilst I wouldn’t get the location I would be many hundreds of dollars better off per night if I chose Sapphire Falls.

The bedding is 300 thread count and very nice quality. The beds are comfortable. No complaints there.

The bathroom is nice, but again, nothing special. It is a good design feature that the sink area is separate from the toilet and shower. Also the shower itself is large and the water pressure was good. The provided toiletries were of good quality.

The tablet controls for the lighting, curtains and television were a great feature.

Storage is a bit limited – we tend to pack light, but it could be a challenge for larger families (it was me and my adult sons).

Each room includes standard amenities: mini-refrigerator, coffee maker, iron and ironing board, hair dryer, and in-room safe. The air conditioning is powerful and quiet – crucial for Florida summers and maintaining comfortable sleep for children. Free Wi-Fi worked reliably throughout our stay.

However, at 325 square feet, these rooms feel quite compact if there are more than 2 of your staying there.

Pool Area: Limited but Functional for Families

The pool at Helios Hotel is 8,600 square feet. It is a reasonable size and didn’t feel crowded, but when you compare this with my favorite Universal Resort pool at Sapphire Falls then it is only half the size of that.

The Helios pool has a zero entry feature in one area, with a shallow area for children, but no water slide. Apparently it also has underwater speakers but I didn’t remember this at the time, so didn’t think to try that out!

The one thing that is a big drawback is the lack of shade in the pool area. There were a decent amount of loungers but it was difficult to find shade. Not a good thing in Florida.

The pool deck can get quite hot underfoot during peak afternoon hours, making it uncomfortable to walk on so take your flip flops!

Pool towels are provided at the towel station, which is convenient, and there’s a small snack bar offering basic items like chips, drinks, and ice cream – though at typical theme park pricing. A poolside beverage service is also available.

Related: Universal Harry Potter Rides Including Epic Universe – Ranked from Worst to Best

Dining Options: Mixed Results

Aurora Market (Quick Service): This grab-and-go option is a huge disappointment. The pricing was staggeringly high. I am very used to theme park pricing but this was stunningly overpriced. The selection was limited but you are going to be paying $15 to $18 for a small sandwich, or $17 for a tiny salad. Take my advice and bring your own snacks or eat in the park where there are plenty of great options.

Thankfully Flora Taverna was exceptionally good and reasonably priced. We liked this restaurant so much we ate here 3 times in our 7 night stay.

It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. I will be doing a separate review but would highly recommend eating here.

There is indoor and outdoor seating – and many tables have fabulous views of Epic Universe.

Reservations are highly recommended and can be made up to 60 days in advance through the Universal Orlando app.

We didn’t manage to get a reservation for Bar Helios but really wish that we had. This roof top bar has 360 views of Epic Universe. We did make it up there to look at the viewing area and the views were stunning.

Related: The 10 Very Best Snacks at Epic Universe Ranked

Additional Amenities & Services

The hotel offers several amenities:

Fitness Center: Small but open 24/7.

Gift Shop: Compact but well-stocked with Universal merchandise, snacks, beverages, and essential travel items like diapers, baby formula, and medications at typical theme park pricing.

Luggage Storage: Complimentary service available before check-in and after check-out

Laundry Services: Valet laundry service is available (though expensive), and there are no self-service laundry facilities, which can be inconvenient for longer family stays.

Pricing Reality

The elephant in the room. Universal Grand Helios is a perfectly nice hotel, with an amazing location if you are going to Epic Universe.

But it is outrageously expensive.

So you can compare the costs of a 3 night stay at all of the Universal Hotels, here is the rate that shows today (8/15/25) for a 3 night stay for 2 guests arriving on 11/3/2025 and checking out on 11/6/2025.

Taxes are not included.

Hotel	Nightly Rate	Total for 3 Nights
Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel	$842	$2,526
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel	$761	$2,283
Loews Royal Pacific Resort	$744	$2,232
Hard Rock Hotel	$725	$2,175
Loews Sapphire Falls Resort	$567	$1,701
Universal Aventura Hotel	$229	$687
Universal Stella Nova Resort	$203	$609
Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort	$192	$576
Universal Terra Luna Resort	$185	$555
Universal Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites	$183	$549
Universal Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites	$167	$501

You can see the huge price differences here. And that Helios rate is just for a standard 2 Queen room with no view.

For context, nearby Stella Nova and Terra Luna are close to Epic Universe convenience and you can even use the walking path from Stella Nova which will take you about 10 minutes. That walk could save you $2,000 over 3 nights.

If you are prepared to take the free bus transportation then you could be staying in a significantly nicer hotel than Helios if you pick Portofino Bay, Hard Rock Hotel or Royal Pacific.

And if you choose any of these other deluxe resorts you will get Express Pass for Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure. This is a huge benefit and I can’t quite believe that guests at Helios are not offered this.

Who Should Consider Helios Grand Hotel?

Helios makes the most sense for families who:

• Value convenience over cost considerations
• Are staying only 1-2 nights and want the unique experience
• Have unlimited budgets and prioritize convenience above all else
• Plan to spend 90%+ of their time at Epic Universe specifically
• Are celebrating a special family occasion and want the “newest” experience

Consider Stella Nova or Terra Luna if:

• You want to be able to walk to the park or have quick bus access and are going to spend most of your time at Epic Universe.
• You need larger rooms for family comfort.
• You want good pool amenities with more shade and space
• You appreciate having multiple dining options for picky eaters

Consider Royal Pacific, Hard Rock, or Portofino Bay if:

• You want Express Pass included (massive value for families)
• You prefer larger rooms and more family amenities
• You’ll visit multiple Universal parks during your stay
• You want extensive dining and entertainment options

Related: Is Universal Portofino Bay Concierge Level Worth the Cost?

Consider Sapphire Falls if:

• Budget is a primary concern but you still want Universal resort benefits
• You want significantly larger rooms for family comfort
• You prefer extensive pool areas with better shade and family features
• You don’t mind a short bus ride to Epic Universe

We all loved and enjoyed our stay at Helios Grand. And we enjoyed Epic Universe.

But this hotel is not what it could or indeed should have been.

Helios Grand Hotel delivers unmatched convenience for Epic Universe – this cannot be underestimated.

I hope to return. But I am not sure I will at those prices.