Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa 5 gwiazdki

The Sofitel brand has been our “go-to” choice when travelling for some time now and we have enjoyed their sites in New York, throughout Europe and Asia along with the Sydney and Melbourne locations. We found their hotels offer a sophisticated atmosphere and an exceptional innovative quality when it came to the rooms. Unfortunately spending a couple of days at the Sofitel Fiji Resort (which is more like a good 3 star property) has made us reevaluate the brand. Getting off a cruise in Fiji we wanted to spend a couple of luxury nights at a top resort and decided on the Sofitel Fiji Resort in the Waitui Beach Club. Having emailed the hotel a dozen times beforehand to get my room selection right - we settled for the King Luxury Room in the Waitui Beach Club Wing at a bit over F$1,000 a night. What a disappointment….., Clearly the site is about 30 years old and while the pool and public facilities present well - unfortunately the room layout and design are still housed within the 30 year old original room layout and it shows. The rooms have been renovated but its such a poor job. The rooms offer nothing other than hard surfaces and artificial timber panels to try and create some sort of plantation style - but it just looks cheap. It feels like they hose them out when you leave…. Its cold and soulless. To try and increase the bathroom size they have pulled the sinks out and placed them into the middle of the bedroom with a double sided mirror separating. They also pulled out all the storage so luggage now needs to sit in cases all over the floor. The renovation is not at a typical Sofitel standard. There was no sense of the polished style or modern luxury from our room which we have come to expect from Sofitel. All my research suggested my room would be a high floor with expansive views (all of the online photos showed water views which I was hoping for) - but as per the attached photos showed my room was above a busy noisy path with another block of about 80 units opposite looking back at me. Of course they hadn’t mentioned the building site behind where a massive expansion is underway and the invasive noise which comes with that - (which was a bit unfair). Rooms on the north side of the beach club block are exposed to the music and noise from the general pool area which gets louder as the day progresses. The room included a complicated mini bar service in which you need to visit an onsite office and trade your mini bar items to be restocked. This was just bizarre and at a thousand dollars a night why cant they just restock my bar! We ended up at the onsite convenience store which was far simpler to manage. The room had a small table and one chair- so my wife and I took turns to eat dinner which highlights the lack of thought that has been considered in the design. Our room was at the end of a long hallway where the voices of everyone walking past echoed until late into the evening. Outside our room the floor covering changed from tiles to carpet so the metal trolleys and wheelie bags made a thumping sound each time someone past. The bathroom door has been changed to a barn door style which doesn’t allow it to close completely therefore you end up hearing your travel partners EVERY activity. The water pressure was poor and we had no hot water on the first day. Finally we couldn’t get the television casting to work - tried many times but it wouldn’t connect. Was told by a staff member the wifi is a slow/weak signal which means it only works sometimes. This is an old hotel thats had a facelift- but you cant hide a 30 year old design/style/space with new tiles and paint. Its outdated and is really more like a roadside best western. What a waste - we wish we flew straight back after the cruise and not visited the Sofitel Fiji at all. There are some amazing hotels in Fiji - but the Sofitel Fiji is not one of them. The rooms are disappointing and are certainly not worth the rates being charged. Avoid this one

This hotel is amazing the best hotel I have stayed at. The buffet was amazing for the breakfast I had the best pancakes. All the staff are so friendly every one that we walked past said bula (hello in English). The service is amazing Zack and Eddie are so nice and was helping us out a lot. The pool is fantastic, the water slide is fun too. You should definitely come stay at the Sofitel in Fiji, if I could rate more than 5 stars I would. Best hotel ever!

This is our 3rd year staying at Sofitel Fiji, and 2nd year using the pillow shop/menu. It is an excellent service, and added touch to a great, relaxing stay. Our choice: latex and lavender pillows. Heavenly!! At the pillow shop please ask for Merewalesi, who will be happy to assist with your selection.

This resort caters for everyone and has everything for your enjoyment. The pool, variety of restaurants, Waitui Club for adults, the Day Spa. You can go on. All facilities cater for all needs.

This resort caters for everyone and has everything for your enjoyment. The pool, variety of restaurants, Waitui Club for adults, the Day Spa. You can go on. All facilities cater for all needs.