SO Sofitel Mauritius — Hotel in Bel Ombre

So Sofitel Mauritius: A “So-So” Experience ⭐☆☆☆☆

If you’re looking for a holiday that’s equal parts luxury resort and experimental patience retreat, then boy, do I have the place for you. The So Sofitel Mauritius promises five-star indulgence — and delivers it… eventually… if you ask six times, in three languages, and possibly mime the request.

Check-in: Our luxury journey began with a 45-minute check-in marathon, the kind of wait usually reserved for budget airlines and the DMV. We were charged $1,000 extra for reasons that remain a mystery, and then treated to another 45-minute wait to get refunded. The server helping us kindly paused halfway through to help someone else, leaving us staring into the middle distance wondering if we’d been part of a hidden camera show.

Room upgrade adventures: We bravely upgraded from the standard room to the Premium Presidential Villa (because if you’re going to suffer, you may as well suffer in style). Unfortunately, our bags stayed in the standard room, presumably enjoying their own holiday. The check-in wasn’t done, so back we went to our favourite pastime: waiting for the same staff member to remember us.

Spa day — or not: Our free 30-minute spa voucher was a charming gesture, except the spa was fully booked for our entire stay. We discovered this after 15 minutes of trying to locate a spa staff member — eventually flagging someone down like a taxi on the highway.

Transportation troubles: We booked a taxi tour. The buggy to take us there never arrived. So we walked. Late. In tropical heat. Great cardio, terrible holiday planning.

Room features: Our phones don’t work. The sauna is broken. The hot water is somewhere between “lukewarm” and “cold drizzle in a British spring.”

Culinary chaos: As a coeliac, I enjoy a daily game of Russian Roulette at the buffet — because the signage only labels gluten-containing items, leaving everything else a mystery. Ordering food is like applying for a bank loan — multiple calls, multiple people, and still uncertainty at the end.

Breakfast was a highlight, if only for comedy value. For four days, I tried to order poached eggs. I used Google Translate. I showed photos. I considered interpretive dance. I got boiled eggs every single time.

We also tried to swap the beer in our welcome package for champagne (my friend is pregnant, I’m gluten-intolerant), but this was apparently not allowed. So instead, we simply… got nothing. Cheers.

Skinny lattes? Not available… until one day they magically were, sitting there in full glory at breakfast like an exotic bird returning from migration.

Pool bar surprise: We sat in the pool area with furniture and a table, ordered welcome drinks, and waited 25 minutes — only to be told you can’t eat or drink here. You know, where there’s… furniture… for eating and drinking.

Final verdict: So Sofitel Mauritius is beautiful in photos, but in reality, it’s like staying at a luxury hotel run by a committee of goldfish. If you enjoy waiting, guessing, and embracing the absurd, you’ll have the time...

It was our worst stay in Mauritius. I planned a surprise honeymoon trip with my husband which went completely haywire. We booked a private villa with heated plunged pool, garden space and beach view half board at Rs28,000. When we were brought to the villa, we were told one colleague would come to give us all information needed on the facilities and services available. We saw to our dismay a dirty and cold plunged pool. We switched on the TV and there were no channels. "No signal". We waited for one hour and Noone came. We tried calling the reception but the line was constantly busy. I went to the reception and they advised the butler would come in a few mins. The receptionist then said the pool gets heated 'on demand', which is so funny as noone really told us that we should ask for a heated pool - the villa we booked should have a heated plunged pool. The butler then came and was as shocked to see the condition of the pool. We then asked that we get a late check out because it's been more than an hour and we are still struggling with the basic functionalities of the accommodation we booked. But in vain. Then the pool started working, of course took some hours to heat- noone called to say they switched on the heating we only got to know when we went to the pool area 2 hours later. Still a dirty pool. But heated now. But nothing done to the TV. At 6 pm we went to the reception again and they asked us to go have dinner whilst their colleague would look at the TV. We would be sorted when we would be back. We came back at 8 pm - 2 hrs later. And still no signal. I sent an email to the Reservations Team that night explaining my frustration. No response from the team there. The next day morning the pool was cold but after breakfast there was a team who cleaned it. I called the receptionist and asked them to heat the pool again. And she said it takes 24 hrs to heat the pool. The previous day it took a few hours but suddenly would take 24 hrs. Why would the hotel not inform their client the pool takes x hrs to heat and the request need to be made before - instead of just putting it out as a headline heated plunge pool? So we pay for all the basic functionalities but they come with conditions that were not told. There is no compensation from the hotel and the staffs just ask "did you have a nice stay?" As a tick box. If you say you don't, they would say "we hope to welcome you again". Weird. I also have the names of all the personnel who made the stay this horrible. I intend to also publish this on media and Google maps. Whilst the place has a lot of potential, our stay was the worst experience...

SO Sofitel Hotel in Mauritius: A Wonderful Stay for Families

As a diamond Accor member, I booked the SO Sofitel Hotel in Mauritius without reading any reviews, as I trust the Accor chain so much. After booking, I went online to explore the activities and read some reviews that gave me a very bad impression. However, after visiting the hotel, I realized that those reviews were unjust.

The Staff: The staff at the SO Sofitel Hotel were exceptional. They were always going above and beyond to make sure that we had a comfortable and enjoyable stay. For example, the chef was happy to create special meals for our 9-month-old son, and the housekeeping staff was quick to address any concerns we had.

The Amenities: The SO Sofitel Hotel has a wide range of amenities that are perfect for families. These include a free water activities , a spa, and a variety of restaurants. We especially enjoyed the dolphin swimming excursion, which was one of the hotel's recommended activities. One note, however, is that the bathroom amenities were unbranded, which I found to be a bit awkward for a Sofitel hotel.

The SPA.

Very nice steam room, hot tub and cold tub. A long list of massages, facials, and many more.

We tried the yoga and Riki which we found wonderful. The instructor was so knowledgeable.

We also tried the body scrub and two different massages which we found so good with very reasonable price.

This for the hotel managment:

Please ask your marketing team to review the Video material which the Arabic language writings need to be reviewed big time. It was funny. Every the SPA menu is translated to horrible English e.g it’s Says main course menus and starters like if I’m going to a restaurant.

The Food: The food at the SO Sofitel Hotel was excellent. The buffet is different every day, and there is something for everyone to enjoy. We especially liked the Mauritian night buffet, which featured traditional Mauritian dishes.

Overall: We had a wonderful stay at the SO Sofitel Hotel in Mauritius. The staff were exceptional, the amenities were perfect for families, and the food was excellent. We would highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a great vacation.

Thank you to Divya, Raj, Krishna, Samuel Robin, Krishna, chef Vinaye, and everyone else at the SO Sofitel Hotel for making our trip so memorable. We will...