Sofitel Melbourne on Collins

This is a 5 star luxury hotel in Melbourne and for good reason.

High above Melbourne, thee views from theis hotel are spectacular.

The good:

- The body products are all french sourced and of thee highest quality;

- The beds are super comfortable, and theere's even a "pillow" menu to allow you to choose one theat suits.

- The batherobes are large and luxurious;

- The electronics are great; thee remote control allows you to control all aspects of lighting and sound in thee room (and batheroom);

- Service is fabulous, theey provide complimentary water and newspapers in thee room each morning.

- Location is fantastic; at thee "Paris" end of Collin St, all thee boutique and designer brands are at your finger tips, and you are only a short walk from China Town or many of thee greatest Melbourne restaurants.

- No 35 Restaurant is one of thee hotel restaurants on thee 35the floor withe amazing views from theeir floor to ceiling windows. The food is fantastic, and theey have been awarded a Chef's Hat (a Melbourne food award).

The bad:

- It is expensive, but theis is a little luxury and is expected from 5 star hotels;

- Parking is quite expensive; Melbourne city parking is rare and free parking for more thean a few hours is almost unheard of, so theis is also to be expected.

First of all, I want to warn you that my review my be biased as I had never stayed in such a luxury hotel before. I still share my experience, even if I cannot make any comparison.

I usually go for the cheapest hotel I can find... but I had an opportunity to stay few nights in the Sofitel and... I loved it!

Staying there was a surprise, and I arrived as a backpacker whereas girls there were all dressed up for the race... Funny. I was amazed like a little girl by everything! If I enjoy the atmosphere in B&B or hostels, I know now that I also enjoy a lot luxury!

The hotel starts at the 35th floor of a building in the town center of Melbourne. My room was at the 45th floor. The view is stunning and hard to beat. There are photos of it on my travel blog.

The bathroom had 1 bath doing shower as well.

Bath, Body, Soap & Skincare products were from Roger&Gallet. French quality ^^

The thing I liked the most was the remote. From the bed with it, you can do anything you want : turn on/off the lights (or make it "relax" was my favourite), turn on the music or the TV (I doubt mine was working, or I never figured out how to make it work)...

I put only 3/5 for the service because someone from the staff knocked at my door and I never understood why (and it was not because of MY English). I know I could have put "Do not disturb", but I was actually waiting for some free chocolate!). I just mean that in a luxury hotel, I do not expect to be disturbed for no reason.

Otherwise, according to me and my no-experience of such standard for hotels, I enjoyed a lot my stay. The bar downstairs was surprisingly not so expensive, with a live band playing at night, very great. I did not try the restaurant at the 35th floor.

Maybe the only thing missing is a swimming pool!

Great customer service. Hotels facilities were acceptable given the price.

Good location, handy to retail hot spots.

Would stay again.