The Minion Cafe was extremely well decorated and themed so it's worth a visit just for the pictures alone! The staff were very friendly and were happy to help. They prefer you to mobile order when sitting at the table as it is quicker but they do have a counter service which can take payment. 

The food we ordered, whilst looked really nice, wasn't particularly good. We ordered Mel's Meatball Mountain (flat pizza, $13.99) and Uncle Dru's Belly Fillin Pork Sandwich ($13.99 + tax). We ordered the minion tots as well to see what they were like as well. 

The Pizza started off really well however the further you got towards the middle, it was raw and uncooked therefore was inedible which was a shame as it did have some really good flavour with the sauce and the meatballs. The pork sandwich was so greasy that the pork fell out of the bun and onto the plate when trying to eat it so you had to use a fork. The meat was tender but unfortunately not able to finish the meal due to the amount of grease. The sauce was nice but nothing special. 

The minion tots were lovely and fluffy with a crunchy outer layer though again, as they have been deep fried, you got a mouthful of grease each time which wasn't pleasant. Overall, whilst the theming was really fun, due to our experience with the food, we wouldn't go again. 

You cannot beat the Three Broomsticks as its themed to the Harry Potter films and you really feel like you are at the pub itself. It offers a taste of british food just what the pub served in the films. The staff were really nice and friendly and had great knowledge of the food, so this is good if you have any food allergies. You can order via mobile or at the counter service if you prefer. 

We ordered the Chicken and Ribs platter ($18.99 + tax) which is served with a corn on the cob and roasted potatoes, Roasted Turkey leg with Potato wedges, ($17.99 + tax, this has now been removed off the menu) Alongside we ordered the Butterbeer $8.99 + tax, Hot Butterbeer $8.99 + tax. The turkey leg was enormous and very very filling, a really good smokey/salty hit with the meat being tender. The wedges were quite fluffy but standard for the most part. The chicken and ribs, they were well cooked and well done, the meat came off the bone nicely, it was tender and juicy. The corn on the cob was awesome as it been flame grilled and with the added butter (we added the butter), it went well together. The roasted potatoes were nice and herby, soft with a little crunch. 

Now the drinks, the normal Butterbeer is lightly carbonated with a creamy butterscotch flavour topping which mixed together makes it a one of a kind drink. The hot Butterbeer on the other hand, is amazing! The cream and Butterbeer are perfectly combined (this is not carbonated) has a rich smooth butterscotch flavouring which just leaves you wanting more. This drink is something we highly recommend purchasing as we order it every time we go to the park without fail even for a breakfast drink when it's very hot outside! 🤣 

We stayed at Surfside Inn Resort in November 2022 as part of a split stay with Disney however, this is one we wished we had not stayed in due to different factors of our stay. We parked in the parking garage which is away from the resort itself and you would either have to carry all your bags to the resort or go and get a trolley cart, wheel it all the way back and back again to your room. 

Upon arrival the resort appeared clean and not very busy at all however during our stay this changed a lot. The check in staff were helpful but didn't seem they wanted to be there as it was as if they were in a rush even though there was no line. We went towards the lifts and there suddenly were lots of children running around from the pool making the floor quite slippy but no signs around to warn you. The lifts are not that large and can fit around 5-7 guests but if you have luggage then you will struggle to get and would have to get the next one. The one thing we really didn't like was you had to share the lift with the large rubbish cart that the housecleaners push around and personally for us this wasn't hygienic at all as the smell from the rubbish made you feel quite sick. There isn't a back stage area for housekeepers as there is with Disney, so you will and do see everything. 

When we got into our room, we thought we had left the door open as it was so loud on the floor however turned out, we hadn't, it was just because the rooms are very hollow and you can hear every conversation. Now whilst we understand this was a value resort, we don't expect to hear what everyone is saying. We've stayed offsite at different hotels and even they are not this hollow. Our feet kept sticking to the floor and when we looked closely, our feet we covered in dust,dirt and goodness knows what else (see picture - if you don't like feet, don't look). The floor hadn't been cleaned at all and goodness knows when it last had been as it clearly hadn't been in the last few days thats for sure. We did go down to reception, explained our concerns and asked to be moved due to the noise and the room being quite disgusting. Whilst waiting to see where they could move us, it become very noisy with a lot of teenagers (we are talking 20 guests +) all in the lobby, jumping all over the furniture, swearing which quite frankly was not appropriate. Not once did any staff member ask them to stop, be quiet or anything. This then brought on some anxiety which the staff could clearly see was effecting one of us but yet again, not once offered any water or a quite place to move to whilst this was being dealt with. 

We were moved to a room however this was then on the ground floor right next to the pool. Whilst it was clean, the noise was then even worse as guests were running past the window, up and down by the pool. We felt our concerns were not taken on seriously and one point we even wanted to move out the hotel completely, we did leave but ultimately did come back, as it was already paid for. We then found out the reason the hotel was so busy was because their was a football tournament going on and they were all staying at the hotel whilst attending. 

We didn't use the pool once during our stay as it was constantly filled and taken over by the teenagers who messed around throwing each other into it so you couldn't have a relaxing swim at all. We did eat from the dining location, Beach Break Cafe, Chicken Tenders, Fries and the Pepperoni Pizza. Both were fine but overall nothing special. They do not sell any type of ice cream at this hotel which we found most odd but do sell muffins/pastries. 

We wouldn't stay in this hotel again as we did have a bad experience but this hasn't put us off staying at another Universal Orlando Resort in the future.