Sofitel JBR Review – A Luxury Dubai Hotel

Sofitel JBR Review

Sofitel JBR Review

When it comes to luxury hotels, Dubai boasts over a hundred properties, which does make it difficult to pick a hotel when you are booking a your first trip to Dubai. I’m a big fan of the Accor hotel brand and their luxury brands such as Sofitel, Raffles and Fairmont. This helped me to narrow down the search from over 100 down to 8 hotels. I opted to stay at the Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach (Sofitel JBR), simply due to it’s location; the beach is a short walk away, it’s also near Dubai’s most popular promenade ‘The Walk ‘and the marina/downtown area were both just a stone’s throw away. Sofitel JBR Review

Sofitel JBR Review
The view from The Walk leading up to the Sofitel JBR Sofitel JBR Review

Check-In

On arrival at the hotel our bags were swiftly taken out of our taxi by the bellboys and we were escorted to the reception area for check-in. As my flight from Colombo arrived to Dubai in the morning, I had requested an early check-in when booking and this was granted which was a pleasant surprise (it was 9am at this point). The check-in process was swift and my room was upgraded from a superior room with a side-sea view to a luxury room with a full sea-view. A nice touch was being presented with a cold glass of lemon and grapefruit water while the check-in process was taking place – much needed after not drinking enough water on the journey from Colombo.

Sofitel JBR Review
King Sized Bed (this time I took a picture before jumping on the bed!)

Room

The Luxury room was approx. 36m squared, with a king-sized bed and a blend of French and Arabic décor. Upon entry I had to do my usual mini jump on the bed, I love Sofitel’s ‘My Bed’ and the comfort that it provides. The centre of the desk in the room lifted the reveal a local travel guide, writing equipment, room service menu’s and information about the hotel. I loved the fact that this secret compartment decluttered the room (until I unpacked!)

Sofitel JBR Review
The view from my terrace of the promenade and the beach.
Sofitel JBR Review
Part of the bathroom, the wooden doors on the left slide open, which I found handy as I could watch the news whilst having a bath!

Another highlight of the room was the large balcony overlooking the ocean, it was great to have such a large balcony to enjoy my morning coffee whilst overlooking the ocean. Sofitel JBR Review

In the bathroom the usual amenities were present; a large tub with shutters that you could open into the room (I admit I did open the shutters to watch BBC World news during a bath), a separate rain shower, bidet and Sofitel branded dressing gowns. The toiletries provided in the room were by Lanvin, and had an Oud & Rose fragrance, quite different to what I’ve experienced in Accor hotels but something I did love the scent of!

The daily turndown service was fantastic, my PJ’s, slippers were neatly laid out on the bed, with a chocolate and the offering of a camomile tea to help aide my sleep. The team that looked after the room did a fantastic job every day, with the room just as clean and tidy as it was when I first checked-in.

sofitel JBR Review
Lanvin Products Sofitel JBR Review
Sofitel JBR Review
The hidden away items in the desk….
Sofitel JBR Review
Sofitel entrance area, with the pool area above.

Food & Beverage Options

The hotel has two main dining options Plantation and A.O.C. French Brasserie, two bars The Hub and Infini Pool Lounge.

I enjoyed breakfast on three of the four days at the A.O.C. French Brasserie; the breakfast consisted on lots of options from continental breakfast options, to hot options such as veal bacon, sausages and eggs cooked to order. My favourite were some of the local options, enjoying Shakshuka, hummus and various breads first thing in the morning. The hotel’s breakfast also catered for the health conscious with a vast array of fruits, yoghurts, smoothies and gluten free breads. There were fresh jams every morning, and honey straight from the source. For those of you with a sweet tooth many options cooked to order such as waffles, crepes and pancakes! I’m not sure how I managed to resist that for my breakfast visits! Sofitel JBR Review

Sofitel JBR Review
A little tray of treats alongside a note from the manager at Sofitel JBR were left in my room on the first night. Much appreciated!
Sofitel JBR Review
The jams available every morning, I was a big fan of the Plum Jam!
Sofitel JBR Review
Fresh Honey!!!
Sofitel JBR Review
A small selection of gluten free cereals and breads
Sofitel JBR Review
A fantastic selection of smoothies, yoghurts, fruits and other treats.

I also visited the A.O.C. Brasserie on the Thursday night for Rib Night! Lots of great options again on rib night, I loved the chicken wings and the pork ribs all washed down with three stunning glasses of wine! I did use room-service on one last night after drinks with a friend, during which my club sandwich was delivered promptly at 3am alongside a generous portion of French Fries! It was much needed after partying the night away in Dubai.

One thing to note, if you haven’t pre-booked breakfast reception will present you with a voucher that discounts breakfast from 90AED down to 70AED, worth using if you require it. We opted against booking breakfast at the same time as our room as we were not sure of our plans during our stay in Dubai.

sofitel JBR Review

Sofitel JBR Review
The main attraction of the Rib Night!

Miscellaneous

Alongside the fantastic service by the room/restaurant staff, the team by the pool and in the lobby area/concierge provided service of a high standard, always willing to go the extra mile. The Concierge team were helpful in reconfirming by brunch at The Atlantis, recommending vegetarian friendly restaurants for my sisters as well as providing maps and directions to popular tourist spots.

Raj’s Final View

Having stayed at Sofitel’s in France, The UK, USA, Australia, Vietnam, Thailand and Morocco I’ve generally got high expectations of the Sofitel brand for their reputation and service. The Sofitel Dubai JBR certainly met these expectations, it was in a convenient location that met all my needs, the food was fantastic at breakfast and the dinner I experienced, the team at the hotel were attentive at all times and happy to go the extra mile to make sure you were comfortable. With this being my first visit to Dubai, I think I know which hotel I’ll be staying at the next time I visit the Sofitel Dubai JBR! I hope you enjoyed the Sofitel JBR Review!

My stay at the Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach was paid for by myself, the upgrade and Rib Night dinner & drinks were both complimentary, however all views are my own. Pictures are my own unless stated.

Sofitel Jumeirah Beach Website, Sofitel JBR Twitter & Sofitel JBR Instagram

2 Comments

  1. February 27, 2018 / 8:32 am

    wow very nice article you have posted its help me a lot thanks for posting and keep posting great stuff