“The great advantage of a hotel is that it is a refuge from home life.”
The Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Hotel is a hotel that has proven to offer that said refuge. I had booked a one night stay with the wife, in one of their famous Luxury Club Millesime rooms. The lobby was an open-air affair, with high walls littered with beautiful lanterns which design was a true French-Arab flair.
The staff were diligent and efficient with their smiled “Bon Jours” all around. Check-in was seamless, and in within 15 minutes, we were in our room; granted, our room was a long walk to the end of the hall of the 2nd floor, but definitely worth it I might add. Read on to know why!
The other 50%? The bathroom. Now this hotel deserves another segment dedicated to it because it is one of my favorite bathrooms of most of the hotels that I’ve gone to. Now I know, why should something as trivial as a bathroom be so important? Because in order to truly relax in a true refuge, one must relax in a bathroom, however, one must. A large beautiful bathtub with a window that opens into the bedroom, two French sinks enclosed in beautiful marble with windows to let the sunlight in, a separate room dedicated to the toilet and bidet, and a shower room that has a rain shower head. One has not tasted sweet luxury until you stand under that shower. My only tiny gripe, which I’m sure resonates with my fellow hotel trippers, is the lack of the famous hose next to the toilet. Sure, the bidet can do justice, but it's an Arab in me that yearns for it I suppose!
Being in the luxury club millesime rooms, meant we had access to the club lounge room which was absolutely divine. It has a priceless view encompassing the garden, pool, and beach while having set refreshments throughout the day to make sure that no thirst nor hunger pang goes unnoticed. The staff there take extra care to make your stay comfortable beyond compare and my special thanks to Renz, Praveen, and Sylvania, who has always attended to our needs in all our visits.
We had dinner at the hotel’s Asian restaurant, Wok, which mainly focused on Vietnamese cuisine. Superb decor, and food to make your taste buds ignite. The green curry and the Alaskan crab was scrumptious. The staff, most notably, Anne and Giezel, were true amplifiers to our dining experience, by being courteous and kind, timely and of course hospitable and funny. Even the head chef had dropped by to ask how our meal went, which our thanks felt never enough.
The next day’s breakfast at Saraya (the hotel’s buffet restaurant) was the usual foodie galore. A huge spread, with strong coffee to set you right in the morning. Definitely, one of the best hotels breakfasts around. We also sampled the beach and pool later, which despite the sunburn, was a fun experience.
We managed to get a late checkout at 4 PM, and we left sad yet happy. Sad, that we had to leave, but happy to know that we are definitely coming back again.
Most people would think, what a waste it truly is, to spend away our money to go to such a hotel like this one repeatedly when we all have the same amenities at home itself. But when you live a life working all day long, hitting deadlines, doing chores and cleaning house, don’t we a deserve a refuge that offers all the same amenities at home and even more without worrying about anything at all? I believe Sofitel manages to make it happen. It manages to make life, as their brand says, so Magnifique.
Photos and Review by Khaled Ismaeel
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