PHOTO: Universal Orlando's Cabana Bay Beach Resort evokes retro beach resorts of the 1950s and 1960s.

Remember the days of the old-fashioned family vacation when mom, dad and the kids piled into the station wagon and didn’t stop driving until they reached the motel at their sunny destination? That motel, of course, came complete with color TV, a sparkling swimming pool and even air conditioning!

Even if those days were before your time — or your clients’ time — Universal Orlando aims to transport its guests back to that simpler era at its fourth onsite hotel, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Not only is this hotel a blast from the past — with clever details throughout that evoke the classic beach resorts and sunny optimism of the late 1950s and early 1960s — it’s also Universal Orlando’s least expensive property, with rates that dip as low as $93 per night for a standard guestroom, based on a seven-night stay.

What’s more, Cabana Bay Beach Resort caters to large families — just the kind that may have tumbled out of those iconic station wagons after a long journey. The 1,800-room resort includes 900 family suites that sleep up to six, with rates starting at $134 per night (based on a seven-night stay) — and 60 percent of the suites are connecting.

On March 31, 600 of the resort’s family suites welcomed their first guests with the opening of the Courtyard section of the property. The remaining 900 standard guestrooms and 300 family suites are available for bookings starting in June, when the two guestroom towers debut. That’s just in time to welcome the crowds expected to flock to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Diagon Alley, a new section of Universal Studios Florida’s blockbuster attraction that will debut this summer.

As a moderate, value-priced hotel, Cabana Bay’s amenities do not include Universal Express Unlimited ride access — which allows guests to skip the regular lines at Universal Orlando theme park attractions. That feature is included in the rates at the other “deluxe” onsite properties: Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel and Loews Royal Pacific Resort.

But guests staying at Cabana Bay Beach Resort can enjoy Early Park Admission to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where they are able to enter an hour before the general public. This perk, along with the other benefits of being onsite, the affordable family suites, and the colorful, carefree and downright fun atmosphere makes the Cabana Bay Beach an ideal choice for families visiting Universal Orlando.

PHOTO: A family suite at Cabana Bay can sleep up to six.

Accommodations: All 900 guestrooms, each measuring 300 square feet, can sleep up to four. They feature a 40-inch flat-panel TV, two queen-size beds, a single coffee pod brewer, minirefrigerator, iron and ironing board, hair dryer and in-room safe.

The 900 family suites, each measuring 430 square feet, have all the standard room amenities, plus another 40-inch flat-panel TV in the living room; a kitchenette with a minirefrigerator, microwave, sink and two-cup coffee pod brewer; a full-size pullout sofa with a memory foam mattress; and an extra-large bathroom. Bathrooms come with three compartments so three people can get ready at the same time — one with a toilet, one with a bath/shower and a sink, and another with a sink and vanity area. A sliding partition separates the bedroom (which sleeps up to four) from the living room (which sleeps up to two).

All accommodations boast a retro décor with geometric shapes and such bright hues as orange, turquoise, yellow and blue. While sporting such modern amenities as the flat-screen TVs, pod coffeemakers and plenty of electrical outlets, they also feature such nostalgic touches as bedside analog clocks and Alberto VO5 and Zest bath amenities in throwback packaging.

Public Spaces: In order to convey an authentic look and feel at Cabana Bay, Universal Creative researched mom-and-pop motels from the late 1950s and early 1960s along such roadways as A1A in Florida and the Pacific Coast Highway in California, as well as, most prominently, in such places as Wildwood, N.J.

“All of Universal Orlando’s hotels are intended to transport you somewhere — a rock star’s mansion at Hard Rock, or the golden age of travel at the Royal Pacific, or Italy at Portofino Bay, and this one is not taking you back to a place as much as it is a time,” says Russ Dagon, vice president and executive project director for Universal Creative.

PHOTO: The lobby at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort.

The nostalgic ambiance is obvious when guests arrive, with vintage cars permanently parked in front of the Space Age façade (including a Ford Country Squire station wagon) and a neon sign promising “Color TV” and “Cold Air.” The natural light-filled two-story lobby, centered by a terrarium of palm trees reaching for the sky, has colorful streamlined furniture that could have come from the set of “Mad Men.” The Swizzle Lounge just off the lobby serves such retro cocktails as Manhattans and White Russians.

Throughout the property, guests will be reminded of the era that inspired it — 1958 to 1962. Music from those years, such as tunes by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, wafts through the public spaces. The bright color palette takes its cue from vintage postcards, which were studied by the designers.

The names of the guestroom wings and towers could have come from those postcards as well, evoking hotel names from that era — Starlight, Thunderbird, Castaway, Continental and Americana, a nod to the Morris Lapidus-designed Miami Beach hotel built in 1956 by Robert and Laurence Tisch. Robert’s son Jonathan is chairman of Loews Hotels, which manages Cabana Bay.

PHOTO: Cabana Courtyard pool offers a great family play area.

Pools & Fitness Center: Cabana Bay boasts two large pools, one open now and one opening in June. The Cabana Courtyard, a 10,000-square-foot, zero-entry pool that made its debut in March, features a waterslide and a 35-foot waterfall designed to resemble a dive tower.

On the sandy beach surrounding the pool, guests can rent cabanas (for $50 to $100 per day, depending on the time of year); watch the occasional poolside movie (an Elvis classic played on a recent night); lounge by the fire pit if the night gets chilly; and enjoy a play area with such games as cornhole, billiards, ping pong and hula hoops.

When the Lazy River Courtyard opens in June, it will feature an 8,000-square-foot, zero-entry pool with a 6,000-square-foot sandy beach, and Universal Orlando’s first lazy river, including waterfalls and water cannons.

With memorabilia including photos, trophies and a statue of its namesake, the Jack LaLanne Fitness Center pays homage to the late legendary fitness buff who hosted “The Jack LaLanne Show” for decades starting in the 1950s. The state-of-the-art facility features cardiovascular exercise equipment and an open area with mats, medicine balls, dumbbells and more.

Activities & Theme Park Benefits: One of Cabana Bay’s star attractions is Galaxy Bowl, the 10-lane onsite bowling alley, where one hour of lane time (for one to three people) costs $15 per person, plus $4 for shoe rental. Servers bring food and drinks to guests while they play.

The Game-O-Rama arcade features video games, air hockey and skee ball, while the ironically named Fun in the Sun recreation center will show movies when it’s too rainy to enjoy the outdoor amenities. The large gift shop is the first in a Universal Orlando onsite hotel to sell Harry Potter-themed merchandise.

In addition to Early Park Admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, guests staying at Cabana Bay get the following free theme park benefits: shuttle bus transportation to both Universal Orlando theme parks and Universal CityWalk, as well as the use of a walking path to the parks (with a pedestrian pass over, Adventure Way, which is currently being built); delivery of merchandise purchased throughout the resort to the hotel; resort-wide charging privileges with a Cabana Bay key card; scheduled transportation to Wet ‘n Wild, SeaWorld and Aquatica; and special rates, preferred tee times and transportation to select courses through the Golf Universal Orlando program.

Dining: The hotel’s food court, the 600-seat Bayliner Diner features four hot serving stations offering sandwiches, pizza, pasta, burgers, grilled steak and salmon, and such 1950s comfort food as Swedish meatballs, meatloaf and tuna casserole, as well as a full salad bar and make-your-own-frozen-yogurt bar.

Most entrees are in the $9 to $10 range and the Sonic Fill souvenir cup allows unlimited refills from Coca-Cola Freestyle soda machines ($8.99 for one day, $11.99 for two, $14 for three and $17.99 for length of stay). In the spacious dining area, large overhead screens play clips from vintage TV shows.

The Hideaway Bar & Grill, a tropical pool bar at the Lazy River Courtyard serves a simple grill menu. Other food-and-beverage outlets that are open now include the outdoor Atomic Tonic pool bar in the Cabana Courtyard; a large Starbucks café adorned with mermaid murals inspired by Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs; the Galaxy Bowl Restaurant inside the bowling alley featuring burgers, pizza and wings; and Delicioso Pizza, which can be delivered to rooms or elsewhere on property.