Hotel Review: Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa

We were on a quick business trip to Nadi - and decided to soak up a bit of sun and luxury at the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa. We used Welcome Pickups to organise a transfer from Nadi Airport - the service was excellent both ways - and good value. 

The drive is about half an hour - we had booked a “luxury” beach side room (322) with beach club access and a king-size bed. We arrived at a rather tired-looking open reception area to be greeted by lots of Bula - or should I say BULA -  a special way to greet someone in the Fijian dialect. Get ready for lots of very genuine BULA folks. This is quite a large resort by the way. We needed to register at the beach club we were told - our bags were bundled onto an electric buggy - and we arrived a few minutes later only to be told they were too busy to help. Back at the main reception, formalities were soon over, and we were finally accompanied to our room.  Now I have walked into some freezing rooms in my time - particularly in Singapore in the early days - but this was insane. To top it off, the aircon fan was on high and made a racket, much like the fully loaded concrete mixer I have just been using. It took a while to reset the control to low fan and 23 - the arrival setting was 17.

The motel-style room is on the smaller side - the floor is covered by what looked like linoleum with a fake timber finish. The shower/toilet is in one section - there is a main bench and a large oval mirror in the main room. A point was scored here - power plugs for the hairdryer near the mirror. Points also for the USB plugs either side of the bed - and in other areas. Finally, we were relaxing and fired up the iPad to check home only to discover the email signal must have started out on a slow boat from China. Cast your movies is the promise - but you have to open an app for that - all we got was the big slow spin. So how do you order room service - or anything? In a word, the internet is woeful. So, before bed, a look out of out cute little balcony showed real promise - it was late at night but we could see a huge sparkling blue pool, the clubhouse/restaurant, and the beginnings of what must be one of the most magnificent and extensive tropical gardens anywhere in the world. We slept well, and the next morning, after a cool shower (I did complain, but it was never fixed), we headed to the clubhouse for breakfast only to be told it was only being served at the main restaurant. This is even though we had paid for club service. Refund? We found our way over there - and wow - you name it, it is either sizzling somewhere - or will be cooked for you. You can also order in the less crowded Vietnamese Restaurant nearby,, but the food arrives a little cold. Best to go with the flow. Just outside the main restaurant, by the way, is a thatched-top open area cooled by fans. We enjoyed taking our food out there. Service is with a smile everywhere - along with never-ending BULAS. Near the main restaurant is a huge pool mostly for families and what a time they have. Activities included exercise sessions that everyone enjoyed. All in all a very happy place. A walk away is the clubhouse with another huge pool that includes a sunken bar and little thatched-top open seating areas where small groups can enjoy the views. There is a little white sand - behind a serious breakwater - but that’s about it. All black, probably volcanic soil from there on. Lunch is served at the clubhouse and dinner -  the smell of roast meat at night is a real lure. We started with entree dishes on the second night and had to call it a day - the servings were so big.  There are other restaurants, including the beachfront Solis. As I mentioned before, the gardens are magnificent. I have included a few pics of the flowers that were out during our stay. 

Finally the cost. If you thought Fiji might be cheap - think again. Our accommodation and meals for three nights cost $2,500. 

FLIGHTS: We chose Fiji Airways and quite enjoyed the experience. We travelled in economy but paid for seats close to the front.

TO CONCLUDE: It is a bit like being on a cruise ship. Some people are happy with an inside cabin and spend all day using the wide range of leisure facilities onboard. Not us, though—we want a balcony suite where we can relax, read, chat, and transact a bit of business. It's the best of both worlds, I guess. By the way, soundproofing needs to be improved when the units are renovated.