Sofitel Barú Calablanca

Sofitel Baru exceeded our expectations. We love to stay at Four Seasons or Fairmonts when we travel to Hawaii, and while nothing can beat the Hualalai on the big Island, this hotel is on par with the Maui Four Seasons (we even had an occasional little beach side treat brought by). Since it had just opened occupancy was low, but that was heavenly for us as we had our choice of beach chairs or pool side cabanas and the staff were incredibly attentive. We felt like we had a private resort almost to ourselves and LOVED that. The food was excellent at each of the restaurants, and the breakfast buffet was as well, a wide variety to choose from and beautifully layed out. We appreciated alternating between restaurants each evening, and finished off each night on the rooftop bar. The setting is heavenly, large white sand beach and so peaceful and quiet. The infinity pools looking over the beach are lovely. We appreciated the decor throughout, so much attention to detail, and the rooms were spacious and the beds very comfortable. Our rooms were in one of the buildings closest to the beach with unobstructed beach views. We took advantage of the scuba diving through the hotel activity center, we are all certified already. We loved diving the sunken boats and art installations, just a 5-7 minute boat ride from the hotel. For sure try to come and go by boat, we took taxis from the airport when we arrived and the ride was long and on gravel roads for the last half hour. The boat back to the city when we left was so much nicer! The other hotel we had looked at was Las Islas, and we swung by there another day when our dive boat picked up a diver there. Given we were traveling with two young adult children, we were so happy to have ended up at Sofitel rather than Las Islas which would have been too small and quiet for our family. Followed this with a few days in the old city and it was a perfect holiday!

I have spent a wonderful 4-day stay at Sofitel Calablanca and can’t recommend it enough. From the moment I arrived, the staff was incredibly attentive and kind, always willing to assist with a smile. The premises are beautifully maintained, and my room offered a breathtaking view of the pools and a pristine beach. My mornings were made special with early strolls along the beach, followed by delicious breakfasts at Cala Blanca restaurant. I must extend my heartfelt thanks to William and Juan for their impeccable service; they truly made me feel welcomed and at home. A special mention must go to Yuris Torreglosa from housekeeping, who ensured our lodging was neat and comfortable every day, she is no doubt a great asset for Sofitel. The thoughtful touch of red fruits tea each day was a delightful treat that added to the overall excellence of my stay. I leave Sofitel Calablanca with nothing but gratitude for their wonderful work. The warm hospitality and attention to detail made my journey a truly memorable one. Thank you to all the staff, and I look forward to my next visit.

Sofitel Staff—- I wanted to give a huge shout out to all the staff at the Sofitel. We stayed Mar 6-10th for my husbands 45th birthday. It hit all our bucket list items. Relaxing, comfortable, clean, safe and beyond gorgeous. The first night, March 6th, we did the Mystic Beach dinner. It was such a magical night. Our waiter and private chef (I didn’t write their names down but they need a big shout out) they did a phenomenal job. The food was epic-able. Excellent choices with the wine selection. We’re still talking about the salmon, and beet rose salad. They made my husbands birthday dinner such a special evening. Thank you! We had so much fun with the music, food, and wine. They worked so hard in the wind to make it perfect, which it was. We had breakfast included with our stay. Our breakfast staff Osvaldo, Ana, Brenda, Said, and Orleans helped us every morning. Smiles on their faces. They helped explain the local fruits and foods, and offered good recommendations on how to eat the local food. Great customer service. We really loved our morning staff. They started the morning off right. Osvaldo asked every morning how our snorkel tour went, how the bike tour went, how we’re enjoying ourselves. He was so personable and we loved chatting with him every morning. We did the rooftop bar for cocktails and tapas. Emerson was knowledge and appreciated good food and cocktails as much as we did. He had great recommendations and was very personable. We enjoyed our evening because of his above and beyond service. For lunches we loved the Bahia cuisine. The ceviche and tar tar were so delicious. We loved the selection of the cocktails at that bar the best, especially for the pool. We loved the botanical with vodka. Victor, David, and Hernando went above and beyond making our lunches and drinks perfect for us. Hernando went above and beyond with service when he was busy and brought the drinks to us at the pool so I didn’t have to wait at the bar.

The property is incredible, a large but quiet complex with a beautiful private beach and high level of services offered, staff is extremely kind and food quality is good. Highly recommended for a quiet and relaxing stay!