Stella Nova vs Aventura: Which Universal Hotel Should You Book?
Stella Nova vs Aventura Hotel is the exact decision I had to make for my own July trip, so this comparison is a real life look into my travel brain.
Both are Universal Orlando “Prime Value” hotels, both usually price within shouting distance of each other, and both are good — which is what makes the choice annoying. The right answer comes down to one question, and it’s not about the hotels at all. It’s about which parks you’re actually visiting.
I stayed at Stella Nova in July 2026 and Aventura in 2022. Here’s my honest breakdown of where each one wins.
The 30-Second Answer
Book Stella Nova if Epic Universe is the focus of your trip — it’s a 10-minute walk to the gates. Book Aventura if you’re spending most of your time at Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, or Volcano Bay — it’s on the main campus, a short walk from Volcano Bay and about 15–20 minutes on foot from CityWalk. Everything else — rooms, food, price — is closer than you’d think.
Stella Nova vs Aventura: Comparison Table
Price: Effectively a Tie
Both hotels sit in Universal’s Prime Value tier, one notch above the cheapest Value tier (Endless Summer) and well below the premier hotels. On most dates I’ve priced, the two land within $20–$40 of each other, with Stella Nova often slightly cheaper since it opened with 750 rooms to fill. Neither charges a resort fee, and both charge overnight self-parking, so the sticker rate is a fair comparison.
My advice as a travel advisor: check both for your dates and let a meaningful price gap break the tie. If they’re within $30 a night, decide on location instead.
Rooms: Aventura Wins on Options, Stella Nova on Freshness
This one’s interesting tidbit: Stella Nova has exactly one room type — a 315-square-foot room with two queen beds, a split bathroom setup, and space-themed decor. It’s brand new, it’s clean, and it’s smartly laid out, but if you need anything other than “two queens, sleeps four,” you’re out of luck.
Aventura offers actual variety: standard queen and king rooms, deluxe rooms with skyline views through floor-to-ceiling windows, and 591-square-foot Kids’ Suites that sleep five with a separate partitioned kids’ area. Rooms come with a tablet that controls the temperature, lights, and TV — gimmicky, but the kids love it. The trade-off is age: Aventura opened in 2018, and depending on the room you draw, it can show some wear.
Both rooms had noise issues- I’ve found this to be a consistent problem at Universal Orlando, sadly. Pack your ear plugs!
Families of five, this section just made your decision: Aventura.
Dining: Aventura, and It’s Not Close
Stella Nova’s food is fine — I covered it all in my Stella Nova dining review — but it’s a standard hotel quick-service setup: Cosmos Cafe and Market for counter-service meals, Galaxy Bar and Grill at the pool, Nova Bar in the lobby, and pizza delivery to your room.
Aventura’s Urban Pantry is a legitimate food hall with distinct stations — burgers and grill items, pizza, Asian noodle and rice bowls, salads, and a bakery — so a family that can’t agree on dinner all eats in one room. There’s a real Starbucks in the lobby (Stella Nova only has a coffee counter that serves Starbucks drinks). And then there’s the trump card: Bar 17 Bistro, the rooftop bar on Aventura’s 17th floor, with an Asian-inspired menu of bao and small plates and the best free view on Universal property — you can see Volcano Bay’s volcano glowing below and fireworks in the distance.
I had a lovely cocktail and appetizer at Bar 17, which you can see in my review video below!
Rooftop bar beats on lobby bar. Aventura takes the dining prize.
Pools: Stella Nova by a Mile
Aventura’s pool has always been its weak spot — it’s a modest, sleek pool tucked beside the tower, with a hot tub and a kids’ splash area, and it’s pleasant but unmemorable. Stella Nova’s 10,000-square-foot pool complex, with its splash pad, hot tub, fire pit, lawn games, and nightly poolside movies, is a genuine resort pool that would look at home at a hotel twice the price.
If pool time is a scheduled part of your trip rather than an afterthought, Stella Nova wins this category decisively.
Location and Transportation: The Deciding Factor
Here’s where the decision actually gets made.
Aventura sits on Universal’s main campus, next door to Sapphire Falls and directly across from Volcano Bay — the water park is about a five-minute walk. Garden walking paths connect you to CityWalk, Universal Studios Florida, and Islands of Adventure in roughly 15–20 minutes on foot, or you can hop the shuttle. Getting to Epic Universe means a bus ride.
Stella Nova sits on the Epic Universe campus, a few miles south. The dedicated walking path gets you to Epic’s gates in about 10 minutes; everything else — CityWalk, the two original parks, Volcano Bay — is a 15-minute-ish shuttle ride away.
I love the ability to walk to a theme park and not rely on buses. It really depends on where you’re spending your time during your visit which one makes sense.
Neither hotel includes Express Pass — that perk is exclusive to Universal’s three premier hotels — but both include Early Park Admission, so the perk column is a wash.
Who Should Book Which
Book Stella Nova if: Epic Universe is your priority; you want the newest rooms on property; the pool matters; you have little kids who need a splash pad; or it’s meaningfully cheaper on your dates.
Book Aventura if: your trip centers on Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, or Volcano Bay; you’re a family of five who needs a Kids’ Suite; you want a real Starbucks and food-hall variety; or the idea of ending each night with a drink at a rooftop bar sells you (it should).
Splitting your trip between Epic and the original parks? Honestly, consider a split stay — or just pick the hotel closest to the park you’ll visit on more days. For a compressed itinerary, my one-day Universal Orlando guide shows how much transit time actually eats your day.
My Verdict
If you forced me to pick one for the average 2026 visitor — someone whose trip exists because of Epic Universe — I’d point you to Stella Nova and its walking path, since Epic Universe is still a hot ticket. One evening, taking the shuttle over to Aventura for a drink at Bar 17 might be a fun break.
Want the deeper dive on the space hotel? Read my full Universal Stella Nova Resort review, or see how it stacks up against its identical twin in Stella Nova vs Terra Luna.
Planning the rest of an Orlando trip? My Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek review covers my pick on the Disney side of town.
