Have just returned home after 14 nights on Denarau Island - the first week at the Sofitel and the second week at the Sheraton. I've stayed at lots of Sofitels and Sheratons and Marriotts and Hiltons etc (you get the picture!) for work so expected them both to be good - but the contrast couldn't have been greater. we actually expected the second week at the Sheraton to be the highlight but it was just awful (see separate entry). However the Sofitel really exceeded expectations - and in fact we ended up going back most days in the second week to enjoy the meals and facilities of the Sofitel because the Sheraton was so awful.
Our room at the Sofitel was a standard room - with the only disappointment being the tiny bathroom with just enough room for a shower over a bath and a toilet. It was a comfortable room and had a nice little balcony where we could watch the waves roll in and the torrential rain for a couple of days (yes it is the rainy season and not the best time to holiday in Fiji - will definitely be back to the beautiful Sofitel in the Australian Winter).
So what's so good about the Sofitel?
Where do I start - definitely the gorgeous staff who always made us feel like we were so welcome and did all they could to help us solve whatever problem we might have - they actually seemed to be glad that we were staying at their hotel and wanted us to enjoy our stay - in direct contrast to the rude and disinterested staff at the Sheraton.
Next would have to be the perfect variety of restaurants and bars - that were reasonably priced. We LOVE Salt for the best ever breakfasts and casual dinners. V is the perfect place for a special dinner - the menu is awesome. We also had the buffet breakfast at Lagoon first the first couple of days - complete with champagne (and constant visits from the birds). Our favourite quick breakfast/brunch was at the wonderful La Parisienne cafe - their chicken paninis and Lovely Lovotti berry smoothies proved completely addictive and had us catching the Bulla Bus their everyday as the Sheraton could not provide anything to match the quality of food and ambiance of the Sofitel.
The Sofitel's restaurant prices are totally inclusive of the 20% taxes - the Sheraton advertises everything exclusive of tax (presumably to make their comparatively expensive prices seem more reasonable) so there is always a big sting when the bill comes.
The Sofitel pool is fantastic - much better than the Sheraton's - and because it is much larger there are many more lounge chairs and a much greater likelihood of finding an available spot.
The Sofitel provides provides 30 minutes of free wifi per day in the public lobby which is great if you have iPads as we did - wifi is on a payment plan at the Sheraton. It would be great if the Sofitel offered free wifi in rooms - this would further cement them as a 5 star resort. It seemed a bit ironic that the Golf Club offered completely free wifi - just for ordering a pizza and a beer - when both 5 star hotels (that we were paying premium rates for) chose not to provide it.
Another comparison with the Golf Club is that it was the only place on the Island that provided access to the Sky Pacific Super Channel that was showing the Australian Open - neither hotel provided access either publicly or in the rooms. This proved very frustrating - and presumably is very annoying to other guests at various times of the year when world sporting events are taking place. It was particularly annoying given that it was raining most of the time which limited outdoor activities.
The Sofitel provides a guest laundry which we greatly appreciated. A very thoughtful initiative, that is no doubt appreciated even more by the many families with young children who stay there. In contrast, the Sheraton has no laundry and insists that guests pay huge sums of money to have their laundry sent out.
I could go on - but you've probably moved on the rest review by now anyway!
Suffice to say that I can strongly recommend the Sofitel - their management really understand the hospitality industry - and I can't wait to get back there one day.