The first phase of Universal Orlando’s epic universe era kicks off with the opening of Universal’s Stella Nova Resort. Located across the street from Epic Universe, Stella Nova is considered a Prime Value resort, the middle tier of Universal Studios’ hotel offerings. The hotel and its sister hotel, Terra Luna, will open in March, both with a space theme. Stella Nova is inspired by the infinite expanses of the unexplored universe.
Stella Nova’s exterior is striking, with more than 140,000 colorful and shiny tiles visible throughout the area surrounding the resort. Stella Nova is located across the street from the back of Epic Universe and you pull right up to the park as you enter, which adds to the excitement of the new park. I stayed at Stella Nova for two nights and here are my thoughts on the room, food, shops and everything else.
Room
Stella Nova has only two room types, standard rooms and pool view rooms. Both room types come with two queen beds and sleep up to four people, the only difference being of course the view. We stayed in a standard room but our view was far from standard. We were lucky enough to be placed on the top floor with a direct view of the Epic Universe, which was incredible.
Normally you have to pay extra to see a view like this, and while it’s not actually in the park, for $128 it’s an incredible view.
As we walked outside at night, we could see themed lights, rides testing, and even hear audio from within the park. This is probably my favorite part of the room, but there is so much more to like.
The bed was comfortable and there were plenty of lamps and lamps to adjust the lighting levels. I loved that this room also included a couch, which is rare for a “value” priced resort in Orlando.
The windows are large and light-filled, and it’s fun to have a porthole style window to look out of, no matter the view. The aesthetic of the room is very minimalist, except for a beautiful galaxy pattern detail on the main wall above the bed.
The bathroom was also nice, with a sink area with plenty of towels and some storage, and the shower/toilet was in a separate area with its own door.
The room is quite spacious and has a dresser with four drawers and a wardrobe so four people can comfortably place their luggage. We didn’t think we heard any noise from the other rooms at night, but you could hear the nearby doors opening and closing.
Lobby and gift shop
The resort’s lobby area is beautiful and very open, with check-in, gift shop, restaurant and lobby bar all in the same area. There are plenty of places to sit and relax, and the stylish design continues the space and galactic theme.
There are some cool light fixtures in the lobby above the front desk, and everyone who works in the lobby is friendly and helpful. We did park here and it was about $30 a night for resort guests. There is also housekeeping service every other day, but you can always ask the front desk if you need service.
The gift shop is fairly small but offers a variety of Epic Universe merchandise from the park itself as well as the theme lands.
I’m a little surprised there aren’t more generic Universal items, but I guess that’s what the park gift shops are for. However, I was very disappointed that there was no actual Stella Nova branded merchandise. The only Stella Nova-specific items available for purchase are refillable soda cups and souvenir cups at the Galaxy Bar by the pool.
I would love a Stella Nova shirt or hat, or even something like a keychain or magnet. These may be launched in the future, but are not available as of Opening Day.
food and drink
Stella Nova has one main restaurant, the fast-service Cosmos Cafe & Market. There’s a small grab-and-go market area, as well as a quick service ordering counter where you can order and then sit back and wait for your food, or you can order on the go on your phone. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with different options for each, and some overlap for lunch and dinner.
One very small but very annoying thing is that Cosmos’ menu appears on a TV that constantly scrolls and changes menu screens, so you only have a few seconds to view the menu before another category appears. I had to take a picture before the menu disappeared and I saw other guests doing the same thing. This would be a simple fix, but having just one menu on each screen instead of rotating would go a long way.
The food here is generally good, I tried a few different options and some were better than others. The best thing I had here was the chicken tacos, which were delicious and came with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.
The fish and chips were tasty, but the batter was much sweeter than other fish and chips dishes I’ve had. This wasn’t a problem for me, but be prepared for an almost fried dough type taste on the outside of the fish.
The chicken sandwich was delicious too, tastier than your typical theme park chicken sandwich. When I had this for dinner on opening night we had to wait about 40 minutes for our food but this was not normal during the stay and was most likely due to issues on opening day, a team member told us The booking system is out of order.
The stromboli were delicious, the crust was the best part, crispy and grilled to perfection. The cheese, peppers and onions were fresh but nothing special.
It was cold during our stay so the grilled cheese and tomato soup was a perfect choice. The soup was delicious, the portions were generous, and the grilled cheese paired perfectly with it.
Breakfast was the most uneventful meal in my opinion, nothing particularly interesting on the menu, except for the monkey bread which looked delicious. I had the banana walnut pancake which was very tasty and exactly what you would expect for a quick service breakfast.
The grab-and-go market area offers snacks, candy, desserts and hand-scooped ice cream.
The bar at Stella Nova is really nice and the theme park cocktails are actually pretty affordable. My favorite is the outdoor Galaxy Bar, where $16 drinks include souvenir cups. The bartenders were all very friendly and even knew the drinks well on opening day. The design of the Galaxy Bar also matches the shiny colorful tiles on the hotel’s exterior, which is a great detail.
The indoor Nova Bar remained popular throughout our stay, with guests sitting at the bar and around the lobby enjoying space-themed cocktails. They also make smoked drinks which look interesting and very unique for a lobby bar.
The outdoor Galaxy Grill offers a slightly different menu than the Cosmos Cafe, with appetizers, salads, sandwiches and ice cream sandwiches.
Other Ideas for Stella Nova Resort
- There is a fitness center in the main lobby with plenty of cardio machines and free weights.
- When the weather is nice, the hotel shows movies by the pool, and when it rains, they move the movies to the entertainment room. The rec room also has games and other rainy day activities which is nice.
- Like other Universal hotels, Hotel Stella Nova offers a text message service upon check-in where you can ask any questions or requests via text message, which is very convenient for asking about opening hours or requesting towels, etc.
- There is a walkway to Epic Universe, which of course isn’t open yet, but when the park is open it will be a great way to get to the park. There are also buses to all three theme parks.
- The market is open later than Cosmos Quick Service and also offers hard ice cream scoops and some pre-made desserts.
- Like other Universal Studios hotels, Stella Nova offers in-room pizza delivery until midnight.
- Due to the cold weather in Florida, the outdoor pool area was closed for much of my stay, but the pool was large and I loved that there was a hot tub, which is rare for a budget resort.
- Compared to other “value” resorts around Orlando, the price per night here is truly unbeatable. Even for non-Florida residents, the price is around $160. Just walking distance to Epic Universe makes it all worth it.
Learn more about Stranova Resort is here. Compare this to our review Surfside Inn and Suites at Universal Studios. Staying at Stella Nova Resort makes us even more excited epic rides and epic place!
Have questions about Stella Nova Resort? Ask us any questions in the comments below!
