The visit
A member of the Accor group, Le Sofitel Impérial, Mauritius is located at the Flic en Flac beach on the west coast of Mauritius. Renovated in 2000, the hotel provides holidaymakers with a spacious hotel (191 rooms) and an experienced level of service.
Location
The view of the peak of La Morne Brabant (in the South) and spectacular sunsets make the Sofitel a special place to be. The west coast of Mauritius, which is on the Mozambican Channel, is protected and less windy than the east coast. Le Sofitel Impérial is one hour from the airport and is relatively central for visits to various tourist attractions (e.g. Chamarel, Grand Bassin, Port Louis (all 45 minutes by car)).
Atmoshpere
A feeling of Asia permeates the Sofitel Imperial with its pagoda roofs and ponds. One point to note is that the suites area of the garden (where we stayed) is very intimate and has views on the surrounding mountains.
Rooms
Majority of rooms rooms are ocean facing and looking across the palm garden. The buildings of the Sofitel Imperial have a maximum of two floors and are fully integrated into the landscape.
Beach
The Sofitel Impérial beach is situated between the beaches of the Taj Exotica and the Hilton. It is a large beach with fine white sand and the lagoon provides a protected area for swimming. The coral reef is easily accessible as the water is not too deep in the lagoon. One morning we even saw someone on horseback enjoying the stretch of beach.
Activities
Of the 400 staff members at the Sofitel Impérial, the entertainment team are very important without being overpowering. All traditional activities (pétanque, volleyball, pedal boat, kayak, water skiing …) are free of charge (there is a supplement payable for diving). A special mention here about the outside gym, a good way to exercise while enjoying the landscape. Finally, we enjoyed the management cocktail where all staff members (including the director) introduced themselves thereby making themselves familiar to all guests from the beginning of their stay.
Service
The standard one would expect from Accor coupled with a Mauritian smile.
Food
The French chef at the Sofitel Imperial is in charge of the main restaurant. He is French and it shows… in the buffets which offer a large choice and which are very well presented. We liked the presentation of hot dishes sitting on charcoal. There is also a Chinese restaurant at the Sofitel Imperial with its own chef… who is Chinese!
Cleanliness
As it should be.
Value for money
The Sofitel Impérial is an upmarket product. You would have expected a large number of business travellers but there aren’t any. During our stay there were even clients staying for 4 months at the hotel and they had been doing this for several years. The Sofitel Imperial also organises weddings (a German couple got married during our stay).
To point out...
An 18 hole golf course in Tamarin will soon be accessible to Sofitel Imperial clients.
For families
A mini-club is available for children from 4 to 12 years. The babysitting costs at Sofitel Imperial are one of the most attractive that we have seen in all the hotels that we have stayed in (ca. 6 Euro for three hours during the day).
Recommended for...
- Those who love seeing the sun set on the Indian Ocean
- Those who want to use their Accor fidelity points in the most idyllic setting.
