Sofitel Fiji Beach Resort and Spa recently underwent a major makeover and the result is one of the best hotels in the South Pacific. Here you can expect stylish rooms, fantastic bars and restaurants and best-in-class adults and kids clubs. James Wilkinson checks in and catches up with Accor Hotels’ Area General Manager for Fiji and Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa General Manager, Vincent Macquet, to find out all of the highlights and more.
Vincent, Sofitel Fiji Beach Resort and Spa is popular on so many levels, from the location to the adult’s club, kids club, lobby, design, rooms and food and beverage on offer. Tell us about your favourite things of the property.
There are so many things to talk about and so many highlights at present. Let’s start with our Bula Lounge at Nadi International Airport.
The Bula Lounge is the first point of contact for guests when they arrive in Fiji. They can escape the hussle and bustle of Nadi Airport arrivals hall and enter our beautiful air-conditioned lounge, grab a cool towel and drink, and our Sofitel Team are on hand to connect them with their pre-booked transfers. The Bula Lounge Team can even check our guests in to Sofitel right at the airport, meaning as soon as they arrive to the resort, they are escorted directly to their room.
We also have ‘Sleep by Sofitel’, where you can go and test our range of 10 luxury pillows and swap your pillow for your favourite to maximise your comfort. We know how important sleep is so it’s a fantastic concept to be able to try out how the different pillows feel.
There’s also our diverse offering and that means there is something different to do every day. Whether you want to try out Sofitel Spa, Hair Salon or Nail Salon, take part in our complimentary fitness classes, head out on our Nadi Town tour, party at Republik nightclub, relax poolside, sign up for our complimentary classes (such as Rum Tasting, Cocktail Making or Kokoda Making), there is so much to do any try.
Tell us about the stylish rooms and suites on offer, which have had a stylish makeover.
We have 12 different accommodation types across our 295 rooms and suites. As you mentioned, all of them have had a refurb and are looking amazing with Fijian elements blended with a chic and sophisticated design.
We recently introduced a Two-Bedroom Family Suite which allows for up to four adults and two children or two adults and four children, which has been super popular amongst families. This Suite features a stunning king bed with a deluxe ensuite bathroom featuring a bathtub, a queen bed and a bunk bed room with closing sliding door.
Tell us about the fantastic food and beverage on offer, which is some of the best in any Fijian hotel.
We have five restaurants and four bars at Sofitel. The most recently introduced being Madame So, our specialty Vietnamese Restaurant, which opened in December 2023.
Madame So has been an instant hit with both locals and tourists alike, with amazing authentic cuisine, a beautiful contemporary and fully air-conditioned restaurant. We even had a talented local artist, Jack Eastgate, paint a spectacular Vietnamese mural on some feature walls in the restaurant.
Another fantastic experience is Suka Beats, on the first Saturday of every month (3-6pm) we have our resident DJ Dee on the beach spinning tunes, a delicious cocktail and tapas menu at Suka Bar and a front row seat to amazing sunsets.
There’s also Waitui Bar and Grill, our signature adults only restaurant, was awarded TripAdvisor’s Best Date Night Restaurant in the World award in 2023, ranking number one globally.
How important is the loyalty, particularly given the popularity of Accor Live Limitless?
Loyalty is extremely important to us. That is why we are consistently thinking of what we can do to improve our guest experience and recognize our loyalty guests for their ongoing support.
What’s your X-factor at Sofitel Fiji Beach Resort and Spa?
Our X-factor is our people we are a team of 600 who diligently work as one to create guest memories daily. That’s our secret for success.
Vincent, what are some of your favourite things to do in the local area?
Spending a day out on the water. You can leave right off the Sofitel beach and be at word class snorkeling locations within 20 minutes boat ride. It’s always nice to finish at Seventh Heaven, Fiji’s premium floating day club (restaurant/bar platform) located in the Mamanuca Islands.
Getting to Fiji
Fiji Airways flies to the nation’s largest city of Nadi from Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Christchurch, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Melbourne, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Vancouver, Dallas (coming soon), Wellington and across the South Pacific.
The flights are operated by Fiji Airways’ world class fleet, which includes the flagship Airbus A350-900, headlined by the carrier’s all-new Business Class that features flatbed seats with all-aisle access.
Onboard Fiji Airways flights at the pointy end, expect top food and wine, particularly thanks to the new Business class menu from renowned Kiwi-Fijian chef Richard Cross, fantastic entertainment (including Wayfarer TV episodes!), a sleeper service for overnight flights and some of the world’s best onboard service.
In economy class, passengers can upgrade their journey with some additional benefits such as the My Bubble and My Island seating arrangements allow passengers to purchase an extra seat or row respectively in economy for extra space and comfort. My Island comes with a mattress topper, Business class pillow, additional blanket and seat belt extension.
Travellers onboard all services will enjoy the award-winning Fijian hospitality and travel perks including increased baggage allowance from 23kg to 30kg for economy class passengers on all international flights and a complementary ‘Our Ocean Our Life’ in-flight activity pack for kids.
Sofitel Fiji Beach Resort and Spa also has an exclusive Fiji Airways check-in counter at the property, so you can check your bags in, head back the pool and lap up some more sunshine before it’s time to zip to the airport no later than an hour before your flight.
The in-resort check-in is open from 4:30am to 2:00pm daily and is available for Fiji Airways morning/early afternoon flights (8:00am to 2:30pm and check-in must be completed before 5:45am) and afternoon/evening flights (6:40pm to 10:00pm and check-in must be completed before 1:30pm) and should you miss the above check-in deadlines, you are still able to check in and must perform a bag drop at the airport no later than an hour before departure.
It’s a fantastic offering, particularly for afternoon and evening flights, so you have more time at the resort instead of the terminal.
The in-resort check-in is available for all Fiji Airways services, except flights to the United States due to additional airport security checks required by the United States Government.