Sofitel Hotel

Arrived at the sofitel after our flight and could not fault the service from the welcoming drink and cool towels till we checked out 13 days later.The hotel is set in a lush garden setting on the beach with 2 great pools,Room was a superior and although the bathroom is starting to show its age the room was serviced daily to a high standard.

Breakfast was a delight with a varity second to none.The staff in all areas where most helpfull and the service first class.The seminyak area was very quiet and if you needed to go to legian or kuta just take a pleasent stroll along the beach.

Dont worry about the construction going on next door it was hardly noticeable and didn't impact our holiday in any way.

Stayed at the resort for 7 nights with several friends. Beautiful, tranquil gardens that embrance the ambience of Bali. The buffet breakest is of high quality and quantity, with several chefs at your beck and call wanting to make you a great omlette when you are hungover from all of the Bingtang and cocktails from the previous night. The Bali hostesses are very helpful. .

The pool is right on the beach front. You can sit back and view the surf while relaxing on a day bed or take a dip in the large pool. Fantastic location and the service is excellent.

Do no hesitate to stay here, no need to look eny further just book it.

I have stayed at many 5 star hotels and this one is one of the best. It has its own grounds which is a true tropical paradise with lagoons, streams, and swimming pools in it. The hotel grounds are adjacent to the ocean so when you swim in the main pool you can see, hear, and feel the ocean surf pounding. It is that close. But the beach itself is not one for swimming or snorkeling. There is always a large surf and flags flying on the beach that say “DANGER-STRONG CURRENTS’. So even thought I swim daily in the beaches of Southern California, in the month I was in Bali I was in the ocean a total of 3 minutes. There was no need to go in it with such lovely pools.

Anyway, the pools were great, the grounds great. My room was great, service was outstanding, internet connection good and reasonably priced, breakfast great, poolside services and food were also great. Plus I had to make an emergency call to the US for about a half an hour and when I got the bill it was quite reasonable too.

As for the hotels location, it was a mixed bag. The center of Bali for tourists is Kuta beach which is abut 6 km down the street., This hotel is located in the area of Seminyak. The walk from the hotel to the center of Seminyak is about 1 km or a 10 minute walk. There is everything you need in Seminyak such as restaurants, bars, massage shops (legitimate), shopping so you do not have to go into Kuta beach unless you want to go to Starbucks. At night Seminyak has a great nightlife which goes on all night. The only problem is the on the main street between the nightlife and the hotels is a major Lady-boy hangout. These lady boys got very aggressive late at night grabbing men passing by and looking into and knocking on car windows stopped in traffic. I cannot stand this so I only spent the night out in symmican once. The rest of the times I took a cab to Kuta beach which although tacky it was strictly heterosexual. And the cab fare is small, about $2 US. The main street between the hotel and Kuta beach is great and should be walked in its entirety at least once because it is the best shopping street with everything there and many stores to choose from. Be on the lookout for great silver stores which have outstanding silver/shell jewelry at rock bottom prices. After I came back I saw a jewelry show at Costco featuring jewelry from Bali and they were selling for $80 what cost $15 in Bali.

I stayed at this hotel for about 3 weeks and did not want to leave. I had everything there. If I ever go back to Bali this is where I will stay.

I stayed here recently with my mother, sister and two children (6 & 3) and we all really enjoyed it. The staff were very friendly and helpful, room service food & service was excellent. The pools are great - one especially if you have young children - there is a kids pool and the hotel also provides pool toys which is very useful. Sure there is construction next door (as you will read in other reviews) but whilst relaxing at the pool you really didn't notice it. if you are planning to stay in one of the villas, this is closer to the construction so you may want to consider a room in the hotel which is well away from the construction. We had adjoining rooms which were great, though i agree with other tripadvisors that bathrooms are tired. Apparently, this hotel was about to have a major refurb (a local (expat) interior designer informed me) when the Jimbaran Bay incident took place which put things on hold. i know it rates itself as 5 star but you're not paying real 5 star prices so i guess, what i'm saying is, you get what you pay for. Mosquitos were apparant. i guess this is due to water surrounding hotel. Just keep doors closed at dusk and use lots of repellent. Breakfast was great and varied and children will enjoy feeding bread to the resident 'dragon'. Gift shop also good - my sister, mother and I bought lots! Reasonable prices too. The location is great for local restaurants. Try Cafe Bali in Jalan Laksmana for lunch or dinner(just grab a taxi straight there). Did not enjoy Gado Gado (next to Sofitel) atmos great but food very ordinary. Go for a sunset drink instead. Ku De Ta great for a sunset drink too. Try Hu'u for the crab cakes - out of this world.

We had quite possibly the best stay we have ever experienced in any hotel, world wide. The service was impeccable, the villa absolutely beauitful, the location super handy, and directly on the beach, the massage in the private day spa villa was amazing and the food in their Thai restaurant was absolutely delicious. We are already organising our return trip. Highly reccomended.

We stayed here during the low season in February. There weren't too many tourists in Bali during this time, which may also explain the excellent rate we got during our stay.

We arrived at the hotel and received a welcome drink upon arrival. Always a nice touch. Very professional service allowed our check-in to be a smooth process. We were then escorted to our fabulous room. This is just one example of the friendly service we had received during our entire stay.

Our room was very comfortable and modern, with some touches of simple Balinese decor. We had a great view from our balcony over the garden and pool. The bathroom was also modern and very clean.

The hotel has two pools, one in a more secluded garden setting and the other more open with a view of the beach. The secluded pool is good for a nice quiet scene and also provides more shade, should you suffer sunburn from too much sun. The pool in front of the beach is much larger and ideal for sunbathing.

The Balinese sculptures and woodwork that adorn the gardens of the hotel make strolling around the hotel area very pleasant. The hotel itself is situated with direct access to the beach, where you can fall asleep on the deck chair as the sun sets.

The heart of Seminyak is a short stroll away, which we did everyday. Some decent restaurants can be found closer to the main road. The location of the hotel right on the beach makes it easy to enjoy a morning stroll with a great backdrop. Overall, a great hotel with everything you would need for a relaxed stay.

We spent nine nights at the Sofitel in February. Overall, I was impressed with the property and felt that it was an excellent value for the rate that we paid. The rooms were modern and stylish, with lots of dark wood. It was more of a European decor than an Asian style. Our balcony overlooked the garden and I especially liked that there was a regular door to the balcony rather than a sliding glass door. The service was excellent, I felt like the staff knew us by name after only a few days and we were always greeted with a friendly smile when entering and leaving the hotel.

The grounds of the hotel were aesthetically pleasing and had a very inviting feel. The vegetation was lush and thoughtfully laid out. The gardens and pool area had a classical Balinese look with worn, dark stone. The pool was huge and overlooked the ocean, with teak wood decks and lots of seating. There were even loungers built into the stone below the water level so you could sit and lounge in the pool. The beach was not terribly exciting but there were lounge chairs and umbrellas set up for guest use. The sands were dark and extremely hot.... and the water was usually quite rough. One drawback of the pool area is that there is currently construction going on next to the hotel. There is a canvas wall set up so you don't have to stare at the scaffolding, but there is definitely some noise. I didn't really find it all that bothersome and I spent several hours each day poolside.

I think the best part of the hotel was its location. It was an easy walk to restaurants and nightlife which meant you were not trapped at the hotel for your meals. Seminyak had plenty of activity without the hassles and noise of the southern part of Kuta. But if you wanted to partake in that madness it was only a short drive away. Because of its beachfront location the hotel is removed from all the noise and traffic, while still having plenty of local entertainment and dining options. I would definitely stay at this hotel again.

Stayed at the Sofitel for 5 days in mid-May in one of the superior villas. Overall, our experience was very good and the weather was perfect. We have stayed at this resort several times - including when it was still called the Imperial and Royal Seminyak - and have never had any serious complaints.

The villa - very spacious with all the amenities you need. Furnishings are a little worn-out but nothing major. The private pool - T-shaped - was lovely and large/warm enough to do some nice laps during the day and at night. The only issue we had with our villa was that it was located right next to a road/residential area and the noise from honking bikes/cars throughout the day/night kind of interrupted the otherwise serene atmosphere. The villa manager - very helpful person - offered us to switch to another villa located further away from the road. However, we thankfully declined since most of the other villas have less privacy; private-pool area can easily be seen from the upper balconies of the main hotel complex and surrounding hedges/greenery not fully grown yet.

Main Pool - we like the main pool. It's conveniently located next to the beach and offers a very nice view of the ocean. Overall pool service was good and staff were very attentive. They have a good selection of reasonably priced dishes/snacks and drinks. Yes, there is a huge construction site right next to the pool area (they seem to be building an Anantara apartment building complex right next door), however, the site facing the pool area is completely covered by plastic sheets and you barely see any construction workers at all. Noise levels are moderate and mostly tuned-out by the sound of waves/wind/palm-trees. So, no real reason to postpone your stay.

Breakfast - we loved the buffet style breakfast. They have a good selection of everything. One small complaint though; some of the tables we were sitting at were always missing napkins and/or spoons. That shouldn't happen.

Ocean/Beach - the beach in front of the hotel is a typical Bali style beach: lots of vendors trying to sell you stuff. Can be annoying but a polite 'no thank you' usually works. It's not really a swimming-beach since currents can be quite strong. However, If you like surfing, you can easily walk down towards the 'double-six' area (400m), rent a board there, and catch some nice waves.

One caveat though: compared to several years ago, pollution has become a real problem in this area. For most of the days we were there, some 'blankets' of foamy, yellow/dark brown, foul-smelling seawater were visible right in front of the hotel and even more though around the 'double-six' area.

Overall, we had a perfect couple of days in Bali and can only recommend the Sofitel.