Opened in 2013, the Sofitel is one of the newer hotels in the gated Nusa Dua ITDC community and it shows. The hotel’s design is very contemporary relative to its much older neighbours. Unfortunately, that comes with the caveat of what felt like a relatively smaller beachfront compared to other large beach hotels like the Grand Hyatt, The Laguna and etc. 

Like much of Nusa Dua, the hotel is large, with its 415 rooms with the ability to house at least 830 people at any given time. 

Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua

Check In

Porte cochère

We arrived by car at the hotel at 14.00, and someone quickly took care of our luggage and escorted us to the check-in area. We were quickly processed and handed our room keys. To this point, I was very impressed with the speed and efficiency of service. It was a very busy period and yet we didn’t have to wait long for anything, much to the contrast of our rather disappointing stay at the Movenpick a few months earlier.

Lobby

We were offered a welcome drink at Le Bar, which was a nice touch.

Le Bar

Welcome Drink

We got slightly lost when looking for our room, being assigned a room numbered 21XX that’s located on level 1. It never occurred to us that the first digit stood for the building number, followed by the floor. As such, be sure to take a resort map that would be useful to prevent getting lost.

Room

Courtyard

We stayed in an entry-level ‘Luxury Room’. Frankly, I thought that the space looked very modern and was well-appointed, featuring subtle Balinese design touches. At only 48 sqm, I was rather impressed with how spacious the room looked and definitely thought that the space was very well proportioned. The bed was particularly plush and definitely a high point of the room. I absolutely loved the fact that there are many table surfaces, which is always convenient. The room does not have a desk per se but instead had a small dining table set up that doubles as a desk.

'Luxury Room'

'Luxury Room'

Room Foyer

There is also a nice balcony that’s unfortunately equipped with a pair of uncomfortable rocking chairs.

Balcony

The one thing I disliked about the room would be its bathroom. The space looks aesthetically pleasing in my opinion but it was not very functional. The standalone bathtub was uncomfortable and the shower leaves the bathroom completely, soaking wet. Furthermore, the house-branded bath gel and shampoo were in large refillable bottles that are screwed onto the wall, making it inconvenient when using the bathtub. Whilst they didn't seem bad, we had been used to nicer French-branded toiletries at other Sofitels. As such the bathing experience left a lot to be desired.

Bathroom

Bathroom

Shower

Toilet

Service

Service is probably a high point for the hotel. As expected from a hotel of this size, service is not personalised, but I am very impressed with how quick and efficient everything is. Staff members were courteous and polite and proactively greets every guest encountered. I thought that the staff was proactive and helpful. 

Dining

We only had breakfast at the hotel which was included with our rate. Breakfast is served at the Kwee Zeen restaurant, the name of which sounds like a Seychellois Creole rendition of the word cuisine. Interestingly, the restaurant's name is used repeatedly in several other Sofitels in Asia.

Anyways, the restaurant is large and offers a very large spread of food. The breakfast consists of an ordinary buffet, which I haven't otherwise seen during the pandemic. The selection is impressively varied and included Indonesian, Western, Indian, and other Asian food. The food I sampled however didn’t taste very good and didn’t seem to be good in quality. Interestingly, the hotel also had instant noodles as a food option, which seemed very cheap on the part of the hotel. I was rather disheartened by the poor quality of pastries, especially at a hotel that markets on its ‘Frenchness’.

Kwee Zeen Breakfast Spread

Kwee Zeen Breakfast Spread (note the instant noodles)

​​​​​​​Kwee Zeen Breakfast Spread

​​​​​​​Kwee Zeen Breakfast Spread

​​​​​​​Kwee Zeen Breakfast Spread

​​​​​​​Kwee Zeen Breakfast Spread
Nevertheless, there are some things that tasted fresh and completely edible, like the usual omelette, as well as the fruits and juices. 

The restaurant is very well staffed, and it never took over a minute for plates to be cleared or for coffee/tea and water to be topped up. Very impressed with this.

Amenities

Pool

Among the strengths of hotels in Nusa Dua would definitely be their pools, and Sofitel is no exception. The Sofitel's pool is spectacularly large and featured lagoons that extended along the length of the hotel's buildings. The pool was even better empty, as it had surprisingly been at one point during my stay. It felt very surreal being alone in that pool and I thoroughly enjoyed swimming in it.

Pool

Pool

Pool

Pool

Pool

Pool

Pool Lagoon

Pool Lagoon

Having said that, I don't think I would say the same had the pool been crowded, which was the case towards the afternoon during my stay. 

Beach

Being a beach hotel, the Sofitel conveniently has direct beach access. The beach itself didn't look particularly beautiful during low tide, although Nusa Dua features some of the nicer beaches that have hotels. There were many beach loungers that are set up although they did not look particularly inviting. There were also some uniformed outside hawkers of various beach accessories who went around offering their products. Given that all of Bali's beaches are public, I reckon that the hotel doesn't have much that they can do, but that only made the hotel's stretch of beach even less appealing for me as I very much am not fond of pushy touts disturbing one's attempt to 'relax' on the beach. 

Sofitel Beach

Sofitel Beach

Beach Grill

Beach Club

Location

The hotel is located inside Nusa Dua's gated community which frankly felt sterile when compared to the rest of Bali. As such the location is not ideal for those who wish to explore the island, particularly without a car. However, I can understand the appeal of the area. At heart, apart of being a conference area, Nusa Dua is really a beach resort. It's beaches feature pristine white sand and they are well kept (because of the hotels); additionally, it is very much possible to swim here, particularly during high tides. 

There isn't much to see in the immediate vicinity of the area, but Uluwatu isn't very far away and could be a point of interest. Outside dining at hotels, there are also a few popular Balinese restaurants nearby (just outside the compound's entrance) which can be reached within a 20-30 minute walk.

Overall

Overall, I think the Sofitel is a pleasant enough hotel for what it is. I was mostly impressed by the plush room and the service (considering the size of the hotel), and very much loved the pool (provided that it is quiet). I can see how the hotel can appeal to families given its scale and its variety of amenities.

I'm not especially fond of the area nor do I love these large resorts, but it was nice to have stayed here anyway. Whilst I'm not sure I'd personally return any time soon, I'd still be curious enough to check out the other hotels in the area.

So is life magnifique at Sofitel? Well, yes and no. It could very well be if you're travelling as a family, or just looking for a relatively upmarket beach getaway, but less so for those seeking personalised, exceptional service or those wanting to explore the island.

Le Meridien never occurred to me as a brand with particularly nice hotels. This was my first time at an LM, and having heard of some complaints about the LM Bali didn't give me a lot of confidence. 

The hotel isn't especially large compared to others, at 118 rooms, although it likewise occupies a small piece of land, unlike the massive InterContinental next door. The hotel's design revolves around its pool/courtyard, to which most rooms view.

Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran

Check In

Our arrival experience wasn't entirely pleasant. The hotel has cordoned off its porte-cochère by the lobby on Level 3 and instead, everyone is dropped off at a small welcome area on the ground level. As such, heading to the lobby required a walk down a long, dark hallway, before ascending up using the elevators.

Le Meridien Bali Lobby

Le Meridien Bali Lobby View

We were quickly seated at a desk and a friendly agent checked us in. We arrived at 13.00, before check-in time, and that was where the confusion came in. The agent who checked us in informed us that our room was ready, to which another staff member came up and interjected that it was not, citing the 15.00 check-in time. The first agent then retorted that it was indeed ready... Hmmmm...

We did end up being issued one key soon after, and the friendly agent pointed us to the direction of our room. 

Room

We were booked into an entry-level Classic Room but was unexpectedly upgraded to a Lagoon-view Deluxe Room. 

At 62sqm, the room is very spacious for a non-suite, and it definitely felt that way. The room can be said to have been designed to look 'trendy' and was probably so when it opened, sadly the room looked quite outdated at this point. I frankly didn't like the grey and cool colour palette, which only made the already dim room look darker and less inviting; the room's bad lighting didn't help. 

Deluxe Lagoon View Room

Deluxe Lagoon View Room

I thought that the space is poorly utilised. There were many empty areas that made the room look awkwardly spaced. There are few table surfaces and storage areas despite the size of the room. The room just looks rather run-down and there were many items that are falling apart. For instance, there were multiple electrical socket covers that kept falling off their frame and lots of wear and tear on various items of furniture.

As such, the hotel desperately requires significant refurbishment and perhaps a full-scale renovation. 

Deluxe Lagoon View Room

Deluxe Lagoon View Room closet

At first glance, the bathroom does look rather premium but sadly suffers from the same poor state. The bathtub's drain knob is displaced, and there was quite a lot of mold in the shower's silicone sealant, leaving much to be desired. Interestingly (and perhaps unsurprisingly), the toiletries weren't from Malin+Goetz as one ought to expect from a Le Meridien; they were poor. 

Deluxe Lagoon View Room bathroom

Deluxe Lagoon View Room bathroom

The room also features a sizeable balcony, which in retrospect seemed to be the only part of the room that actually felt inviting.

Deluxe Lagoon View Room balcony

View from Balcony

Deluxe Lagoon View Room lighting

Service

We didn't encounter too many staff members but they mostly seemed well-intentioned and were friendly enough, apart from the misunderstanding at check-in. Service never seemed proactive, but I think that's to be expected from a hotel of this scale. 

Location

Le Meridien is located in front of a row of beachside grilled fish restaurants. I'm aware that there had previously been complaints of smoke from these restaurants blowing into the hotel. Thankfully this hadn't been evident during our stay. 

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Le Meridien Bali back entrance

Grilled fish restaurants behind the hotel

The hotel is located next to the much larger InterContinental next door, along with several more upmarket options like the Four Seasons, Raffles, Belmond, and Kayumanis nearby. 

Frankly, there isn't much to do in the direct vicinity of the hotel apart from those seafood restaurants (which can be a hit or miss), although the beach being mostly clean and rather empty in the past two years made it a lot more pleasant than what it had been previously. 

Pool

The hotel's saltwater pool is rather large and pretty much covers the entirety of the hotel's courtyard. It is probably the only part of the hotel that I found to be rather inviting. Even so, I never bothered to swim in the pool and never saw anyone else swimming in there either.

Le Meridien Jimbaran Pool Area

Le Meridien Jimbaran Pool Area

​​​​​​​Le Meridien Jimbaran Pool Area

​​​​​​​Le Meridien Jimbaran Lagoon Area

​​​​​​​Le Meridien Jimbaran Pool Area

Overall

Overall, I thought that Bali's Le Meridien is more look over function. Even so, the hotel's interiors seemed to be largely unkept. The hotel's relatively eclectic design didn't seem to have aged very well, and its uninspiring paint scheme only made the place look even less inviting.

Whilst the pool does look rather nice, it does feel boxed-in, and the shortcomings with much of the hotel's other hardware sadly outweigh this positive.

Unless a major overhaul is underway, I'm afraid Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran is not a hotel I can recommend.