Sofitel on Collins | Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
As
much as we love to travel, we’ve comparatively done very little of
Australia. It only came to our realisation recently that the other
travel bunnie and I had never been to Melbourne together!
So
the opportunity came when we learned that the Melbourne Museum is
currently hosting the Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond style
exhibition and with the other travel bunnie being a devoted Bond fan,
we knew that there was no excuse for us not to go.
When
it came to deciding on the accommodation in Melbourne, our first
choice would be the Crown. And no, not because we are gamblers, but
because of the fact that the Crown Entertainment Complex holds so
many great restaurants that we want to visit, such as Nobu, Spice
Temple and The Atlantic just to name a few.
But…
When
we got married, we were given a gift voucher to use on any Accor
hotel (the perfect wedding present for travel bunnies like us,
really) and the voucher was set to expire at the end of the month, so
having weighed the available options, we picked Sofitel on Collins.
Interestingly, Sofitel is actually the partner hotel for the
exhibition.
Some
of you may know that over the years, the other travel bunnie has
completely turned me into a hotel snob. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t
think price is always a good indicator of quality. I’ve never been
a believer that all five star hotels equate for five star experiences
and I personally love boutique hotels with a unique touch, be it
great service or fabulous designs. I convinced the other travel
bunnie to go for the Classic Room at the Sofitel as I had no great
expectations and truth to be told, I didn’t really like the
interior of any of their rooms.
For
an entry-level room, it’s a lot bigger than I had imagined. The
spacious room comes with a business desk as well as two cushy lounge
chairs. Our room also provided views to a rather green side of
Melbourne through their floor to ceiling windows. The marble bathroom
and the closet in comparison are slightly small. On the first night
of our stay, there was a private party at the Atrium Bar and let’s
just say that the room doesn’t have really good sound proofing.
All
the negatives aside, the location of Sofitel is fantastic. Known for
its location on the Paris end of Collins Street, the hotel is close
to the shops but it was also within walking distance to a number of
the restaurants that we visited. Also, after long days of eating and
walking around, we found the king size Sofitel MyBed
to be extremely comfortable and relaxing.
During
our stay, we rented a Mini Cooper S for our day trip along the Great
Ocean Road, and we found the valet parking at the hotel to be
extremely convenient and efficient. Our car was always ready for us
at front of the hotel on the drive way.
Also
to the hotel’s credit, the check-in and check-out process was quick
and friendly, in true Sofitel fashion, we were always greeted with a
warm “Bonjour”.
Although
we won’t be staying at the Sofitel on our next visit to Melbourne,
I still think that the Sofitel is a classic hotel that offers quality
accommodation in a central location. Its price tag is surprising
quite reasonable for its five star status as well.
Bunnies' travel notes:
Bunnies’
Room Number: 4025
Number
of Rooms: 363 including 52 suites
Swimming
pool: No
Check-in/check-out
times: 2pm and 11am
Price:
$295+
Hotel
Stars: 5
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