Sofitel Mumbai - a little bit of Paris, a little bit of Mumbai...

Back in times of King Louis XIV, an interesting ritual was initiated in Paris which later gave the city the name Ville Lumiere (city of light). This was the time when the concept of street lighting didn’t exist and so at sundown, all outdoor activities stopped and people preferred to stay inside. The Candle Ritual lit up the city, allowed people to feel safe in dark and this led to an increase in nighttime outings and fun. When you are at Sofitel, located in the heart of Mumbai at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), you can also experience the same ceremony with a modern touch to give visitors a Parisian feel to the city.

An installation lamp at Sofitel BKC

Candle Ritual is just one of the few global initiatives which bring customs from the parent country of Sofitel, France, and introduce them to the host city. Let’s just call it melange, and you will get a taste of it right from the time you enter and are greeted with ‘bonjour, namaskar’ by everyone at the hotel. I must mention that it feel different, and nice :)

I spent one luxurious weekend at Sofitel Mumbai, the only Sofitel property in the entire country, on their invitation and loved every bit of it. Here is a review of my stay.

Just to give a quick overview about the hotel chain, Sofitel is a French luxury hotel under Accor Hotels and has a presence in five continents with 120 properties across 40 different countries. The first hotel opened in 1964 at Strasbourg, France and in 1995 Sofitel joined the Accor groups of hotels. There is only one Sofitel property in India, and that's the one I visited :)

Design and details

True of it’s tradition of luxury and design across the world, Sofitel Mumbai was designed by renowned French designer, Isabelle Miaja. Coming from Paris, Isabelle has now relocated to Singapore and continues to design projects which break barriers of creativity and explore melange of form and expression.

The lobby at the hotel

Sofitel is no different and it’s easy to get a feel of Parisian mood, with an Indian touch. So while you will see a plush French sofas with beautiful motifs, you will have them complimented with intricate Indian stupas on the side. It’s lovely to see the melange of such diversity and it happens so seamlessly that you don’t even notice it, unless someone points it out. I find designs really impactful when they occupy their space, yet never intrude. Miaja manages to do it here, yet again.

Food at Sofitel

Melange is something you experience not just in space, but also in the food that you eat. On the ground floor you have the Artisan cafe which lets guests experience the authentic Parisian palette with epicure, patisserie and chocolaterie. Unfortunately for a vegetarian like me the food options were limited, but I made up for it by gorging on the delicious chocolates which are made in-house using cocoa sourced from south of India.

Breakfast time at Pondicherry Cafe :)

Kathiawadi thali at Tuskers

The melange of food is truly complete when you visit Tuskers, the vegetarian restaurant on the first floor. The restaurant is a brainchild of chef xyz, who I had the pleasure of eating my Gujarati dinner with. He is quite unlike any other chef I have ever interacted with - he speaks in chaste Hindi and so down to earth. We spoke about his struggles, about working in small eateries in Mumbai and Surat and finally his rise to the head chef of a restaurant in a five star hotel in Mumbai. The food stories made my dinner even more delicious, and it also made me realise how much diversity there was in the hotel and how there was something for everyone. If you are a Jain, this place is perfect for you as most food here is prepared keeping in mind their needs, and ingredients like ginger and garlic are added only later on.



Then there is Pondicherry cafe, the all-day dining restaurant with live kitchen. The good news is that it’s open 24 hours in a day, so if you get food cravings even after mid-night this is a place to go to! By the way, there is both Indian and western food, and there is also a private chamber in case you need some space for a group business dinner.

Rooms at Sofitel

My room was exactly how I thought it would be - perfect! With so much care taken for everything else, this was no surprise at all. Just like most other trips to any city, I spent much less time in the room, but it was always a perfect place to take small breaks while I explored the city and also the hotel.

My room at Sofitel

Location of Sofitel

As I mentioned, Sofitel is located in the business centre of Mumbai right in the hear of the city at Bandra Kurla complex. This makes it an obvious choice for business travellers. In fact a lot of care is taken for long distance travellers and there is an actual spa treatment which helps them get over the jet-lag easily.

View of BKC from my room early in the morning

However, weekends see a completely different kind of visitors - families who simply want to relax, eat good food, swim in the pools and basically pamper themselves. All of these are from Mumbai and Sofitel their vacation home :)

The pool at Sofitel

Practical details

Room rates

Rates are available on request.

How to reach

Address:
C 57 Bandra Kurla Complex
Bandra East Maharashtra 400 051
MUMBAI INDIA

Here's a map for directions to reach the hotel.



How to book

Check out the availability of rooms here and book accordingly. You can also book it through multiple other online booking portals.

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Disclaimer: I was at Sofitel Mumbai on invitation of the hotel for a review. All the views expressed are unbiased and based on my own experiences.