Hotel: Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa

Location: Denarau Island, Fiji

Room: Superior Room, 1 King Bed, Oceanside

Perfect for: Couples or Couples with 1 small child

Category: Luxury

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Located 30 minutes from Fiji’s Nadi International Airport, Denarau Island is filled with resorts with something to suit everyone.

The recently renovated Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa was an easy choice for us when booking our trip to Fiji. Click here to view their website.

We have previously been Platinum Accor Plus members which we have found super beneficial when staying at an Accor property and love the dining benefits in particular! We didn’t have our membership for this particular trip, but quickly regretted that decision. You will see why further down in this post.

Click here to find out more about claiming your FREE night with Accor Plus and here to read more about the Accor Live Limitless ‘ALL’ loyalty program. Click here to go directly to their website.

Our welcome experience…

BULA!!! Our welcome experience was fantastic. We arrived by taxi from the airport (around 30 minutes) and were greeted by staff and quickly learned that Bula is the greeting that we would soon be saying ourselves. Our check in process was quick and easy and the staff took our bags to the room for us.

The Room…

The rooms have been nicely renovated and felt spacious. Equipped with a large bathroom, king size bed and lounge (which if needed can be made into a sofa bed). There is also a table with two chairs and a nice balcony overlooking the grounds of the hotel.

To take a walk through the room – check out our short video.

Meals…

Our booking included daily breakfast and half board. The way it works at this hotel is each adult receives $100 FJD per day towards food and drinks and this comes off your total bill at checkout.

Solis Restaurant & Poolside dining: We ate lunch every day by the pool. The poolside food was good and came out pretty quickly too. They had a range of meals for adults and kids. It’s nice to be able to eat by the pool and not have to pack up and head to a table.

We also dined at Solis restaurant each night with the exception of two. Although we didn’t have the best experience the first evening, we did return to give it another go and was impressed with our other dining experiences there. We put it down to bad luck our first evening.

To view the menus click here.

Bazaar Kitchen: Bazaar is where the buffet breakfast is located each morning. The variety of breakfast foods was great and what you would expect at hotel.

They also host the buffet dinner each night at this restaurant. We joined the Fijian night buffet for our first dinner due to Solis restaurant being fully booked. The atmosphere was great with a traditional Fijian show throughout the dinner service. However, the drinks took quite some time to come out and the price was $99 FJD per person, including our 4 year old. Whilst the food was good, it was expensive. That being said, we aren’t big buffet fans.

Suka Bar: Located on the beach front, it’s the perfect spot to unwind and enjoy the sunset! We spent a bit of time here waiting for our reservation at Solis restaurant. The great thing about the bar is that there are seats on the sand, which is not only relaxing but the kids can be entertained while you relax with a refreshing beverage!

Room Service: We had room service for one of our dinners. The menu can be found on the TV (in case you are like us and can’t find the menu anywhere!). We ordered burgers and they were actually super tasty and the delivery time was pretty reasonable too.

To read more about Accor Plus and how to get 50% off your dining, click here.

Hotel Grounds

The grounds are really beautiful and spacious. Plenty of space for the kids to run around, or to enjoy a morning or afternoon walk. The grounds lead directly to the beach.

The pool area is incredible! The pool itself is huge! The best part of the pool is that it’s suitable for babies and toddlers. There are shaded areas of the pool where the depth is no more than around 30cm. Other parts of the pool were shallow enough for Henry (4 years old) to stand and walk in the pool. This gave him so much confidence and us a break from holding him for the entire duration of his swim!

Tip: Bring your own inflatable if you can! If not, you can pick one up at the local supermarket for around $30 AUD.

Health and Fitness…

For those who like to stay active on holidays, there is a gym onsite and additional group fitness classes you can book in for.

Good to know…

Filtered water station: You receive a large bottle of water in the room when you arrive. Each level has a filtered water station for you to top up your bottle of water. This will save you purchasing additional bottles of water.

Convenience Store: The hotel has a convenience store which is located on the pool level. When you walk down the stairs from reception, the convenience store will be to your left. They sell a range of items from snacks, drinks, medicine to souvenirs and beachwear. You can also get your Bula Bus tickets from here.

Bula Bus: The Bula Bus takes you around Denarau Island to each of the hotels and also stops at the Marina. The Marina has a convenience store, liquor store, clothing and souvenir shops and a heap of restaurants. It is also where most of the boat day trips depart from and you can take a look at what’s on offer and book on the spot. You need tickets to ride the Bula Bus and you can buy these from the convenience store.

Restaurant reservations: I would 100% recommend you pre-book your dinner reservations for each evening ahead of time. The restaurant was fully booked every night so it pays to book ahead. However, it’s worth noting that if you cancel last minute or don’t show up, they charge a cancellation fee.

Niu Kids Club: The kids club looks fantastic! You can see their prices here. However, it is worth noting that if you’re Gold or above with ALL, Kids Club is free. There are always a number of staff on duty and plenty of things to keep the kids busy. Plenty of shady areas means the kids aren’t always in direct sunlight. They held the Little Warrior Experience from the kids club each evening – this needs to be booked in advance (it’s free) and such a great experience for the kiddies!

Check out Henry’s Tiny Warrior experience!

Here are some other kids activities we participated in!

Adolescent Corner: We stumbled across this when we were exploring the hotel grounds. The staff person at the gym told me about it and to show Henry. It’s located behind the gym and has free games for the kids to play.

Beach: If you’re looking for a beautiful beach and crystal clear water, you won’t get that on Denarau Island. The sand is dark and course and the water is not clear. You will need to make your way to one of the beautiful islands for beaches like that!

Waitui Beach Club

Waitui Beach Club is an adults only part of the resort. You need to have booked a certain package for access to this section of the resort.

Checking out…

It was a quick and easy process to checkout. The staff who collected our bags arranged for a taxi for us to the airport. Prices are fixed and pre-agreed so you don’t need to worry about being ripped off.

Above and beyond…

Shazia at the tour desk was beyond helpful. She booked our scenic helicopter flight over heart island. In addition, Shazia booked and confirmed our private island hopping tour at around 7pm for the next morning. The service she provided was excellent!

The not so good…

We had a couple of issues at the start of the hotel. We had pre-arranged a cake for Henry’s birthday and pre-selected the time for delivery. There was confusion around it and I had to chase a couple of times to get the cake which was late afternoon instead of the morning. It wasn’t the end of the world, but we were keen to celebrate in the morning! That being said, the cake was beautiful and delicious! It was great we could specialise a cake order prior to arrival.

The verdict…

If you’re looking to stay in Fiji on Denarau Island, I would absolutely recommend this hotel, particularly if you have kids. There is plenty to do to keep busy. Keep an eye on our Fiji page for some of our other recommendations.

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