Sofitel Dalat Palace

This is the lobby of the Sofitel in Dalat. I talked about their mirrors here, but I want to post more shots of the public areas. As Domino's manifesto said--"copy from homes you like"--lets add hotels to that too!

This is one of the function rooms in the lobby with dinner/lunch set up for 10. Notice the paintings on easels as decor. They weren't done yet when I peeked because the artwork was just scattered all around the room, some still on the floor. Unless that was intentional!

 I like the effect of the double drapes. The contrast of elegance in a countryside setting is what attracts me to this.

I want to put sheer curtains from my living room to the powder room. The interiors of the Sofitel public areas were charming specially when candlelit at night--but I think they were taking this "traditional" thing a bit too seriously. For example the bathrooms of the guestrooms were only equipped with bathtubs and not showers. The men were not too thrilled.

I was also surprised to see that the rooms were not air-conditioned, and they weren't equipped with ceiling fans (they had chandeliers). If it wasn't that cool a night in Dalat,  you'd have to open the windows so it wouldn't be too stuffy. But they had no screens!

The Sofitel is high on tradition, but not too high on comfort. The Mercure du Parc next door is also managed by the Sofitel group.  Although it also has no aircon and rooms can get stuffy, you can ask to an electric fan and they'll provide an antique-looking one. (I guess you could do that for the Sofitel too)

 

 The Mercure window also has no screen and from the looks of it, you're not encouraged to open it

The prices are almost a third of the Sofitel so of course the room is much simpler but at least it has a shower stall, even if it's the same one as the bathtub. 

 Mercure bathroom

Oh, the spa treatments at the Mercure also cost much less. We had massages at both places and we preferred the service and prices of the Mercure. So if you're looking for a basic good deal, go for the Mercure, but if you are looking for romantic ambience, then it's the Sofitel Dalat Palace.

In front of the Sofitel