Basically one can't deny Sofitel Ponte 16 has an attractive location and appearance that entice lots of guests. But its front desk service is hilarious! I wasn't noticed, neither by the agent nor the hotel, that no twin bed room was available until my arrival. In the end, no upgrade, no extra bed, and the staff was just trying to convince me it's a sober fact that I had to sleep with my companion (fortunately that's my sibling whom I was travelling with). I complained, and what the GM gave me was nothing more than apologies. Basically their explanation is that a twin bed room is a special request that may be not possible to offer in the end. If you really fancy Sofitel, make sure the room type that you order is available and be ready to no compensation in the end in case of anything bad.

But be neutral, the decor is really attractive. English speaking staff are really nice and hospitable. But some of the Chinese staff seem a bit unprofessional. It's winter so I didn't try out the pool, but the gym provides comprehensive facilities and nice pool view to make your workout very delightful.

My room is a luxury riverview one, what you can see outside the window is a dirty river and stains on the glass.

But the collection of LOCCITANE shampoo etc. is really good. Can't believe a hotel can offer such a nice hair conditioner! :P

I stayed a couple of days at the Sofitel in Macau at the end of last year (2008). After reading their reviews on TP, I booked my the room directly through their site and got a fantastic deal.

I was very pleased with my stay. The hotel is ideally located 5 minutes from the city center / Largo do Senado. This high rise hotel offers some great and modern amenities (Gym, spa, restaurants, business center, casino etc).

The rooms are at the Sofitel are beautiful, very comfortable, nicely decorated and offer a great view of the bay or the river as well. The bathrooms are fantastic with large bathtubs and a flat screen TV. Definitely a top notch hotel and an excellent choice!

I really enjoyed my stay here. First, the location, on the edge of the historic center, means that many sites (Largo de Senado, St. Paul's) are accessible on foot. Also, many good local restaurants and shops are located in the streets right across from the hotel.

Inside, the hotel lobby has all the glitz and shine you'd exepct from a Macau casino. The casino itself is on the small side, but that's an advantage for me. Given all the great food options in town, I didn't eat in.

The rooms are a decent size (mine had a huge bathroom). I wouldn't bother with a water view as you look out onto a rather non-descript stretch of China. I'll pick the more colorful city view next time. Room was new, clean, well-appointed. There were some nice touches that weren't completely thought through, like the under sink nightlight that is most welcome in the middle of hte night, but also leaves the wastebasket in a soft and lovely glow, or the plush, oversized bathmat that you have to move to open the door to the toilet..

Gym facilities were pleasant and airy vith a view of the pool, there were nice amenities in the changing room and the steam and sauna were good too. A special mention goes Archie on to the gym staff who offered a couple of personal training tips and was on hand with water and towels whenever needed.

There is a little room for improvement in concierge services. Despite there being several people behind the desk, they had trouble with more than a couple of requests at the same time, even simple ones like providing maps or seats on the shuttle to the ferry. They hadn't heard of some of some of the new hotel restaurants (admittedly there are quite a few) and when I got to the one restaurant that I asked them to book, there was no reservation for me. (Whether that was the hotel"s fault or the restaurant's, I'll never know.) They had trouble giving me directions to the museum houses on Taipa, a well-known site. But the hotel is still very new, and I imagine service will improve with time.

Booked 2 nights at the Sofitel Macau on the hotel website at a rate of $150 CAD a night, including tax/service fees. Room was spacious and newly furnished. Very attentive service and nice amenities (Nice bathroom with shower + tub + L'occitane products), also included turn down service in the evening.

Free shuttle from Macau Ferry Terminal (as expected - all major hotel runs free shuttle). It's about a 12 to 15 mins ride, depending on traffic. Frequent shuttle service to the terminal and also to the Chinese border gate (North).

Brand new finishing. Also, the ventilation is quite good so you don't get the smokiness of other casino hotels in the lobby/common area. Very nice pool and pool-side restaurant, overlooking the river / Delta region..

I don't think this hotel is as busy as the others (Grand Lisboa, Wynn) because it's a bit further out. However, it is a really short walk from the main attractions (within 15mins to St. Paul Ruins, Grand Lisboa, etc) and I definitely prefer the "quietness" it offered.

Minor issues during our stay (light switch/fuse stopped working briefly, room key timed out) but they're both resolved very quickly. Hotel staff also apologized profusely and immediately offered late check out. Overall the service was really great.

Throughly enjoyed our stay!

This is the second time I live with Sofitel. First time was the Sofitel in Amsterdam. Sofitel at Ponte 16 is a very typical Sofitel. Clean room, big bed, very nice bathroom with full set of amentities (comb, shower cap, L'occitane shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, etc), LCD TV, hair dryer, iron, etc.

Free shuttle from Hong Kong - Macau Ferry Terminal is available to Ponte 16 & it takes about 10 minutes. You can use the ferry terminal as a hub as there're free transportation from there to hotels such as Venetian / MGM / Wynns. Big hotels I've mentioned also got free transportation to many other places. You can save quite a lot of taxi money if you use the free transportation smartly.

Sofitel at Ponte 16 is in walkable distance with Ruins of St. Paul's & Macau Museum. It's very convenience for those who wanna buy souvenirs such as BBQ sliced pork or giner candy as all branded shops are near to St Paul's.

If you wanna have an easy & relaxing trip, Sofitel can be your option. If you wanna feel the glamouring side of this "Sin City" (well, I just mean Casino, Casino, Casino), you should spend more to live in the famous hotel with big casino & shopping arcade.

We have stayed in Macau many times but this was our first time to try the newly opened Sofitel. I was a little bit worried about booking as I was concerned that being so new they may be having some teething problems but we were pleasantly surprised.

Our room was very nice with an amazing king sized bed and beautiful bedding and towels. Everything was so new and clean. the bathroom featured a large tub as well as a powerful shower and top end toiletries. We had the city view room, which from the 13th floor gave us an amazing view and we could see St Pauls, the Lisboa and Macau tower. in my opinion a river view might not have been so interesting.

The service at the hotel was excellent and we were very impressed by one staff member called Red who went out of his way to come across the lobby every time he saw us to see what he could do to help us.

Breakfast was nice and we enjoyed a cocktail in the bar.

The location was perfect for us as it is easy to walk in to the centre of Macau. We took a taxi to the Venetian which cost under $60.

We did use the casino but only because we had some promotional chips. If you are into gambling there are much nicer places to do so than here.

We stayed as part of a hotel and ferry ticket package and felt it was worth what we paid. I will be looking out for further deals next time as I think it could be a bit pricey otherwise.

We hope to stay again sometime soon.

i really loved this hotel! everything is clean and the staff is super. everything you could ever want is anticipated even before you think you need it.

a little bit pricey but it's definitely worth it.

1. Getting there: We came in by air. Took a taxi from the airport. Costed about 80 Patacas. Having traveled around China and other parts of asia quite a bit, I think overall it was quite expensive for the distance. But for convenience sake, it was the only way. For those with plenty of time, you could take the free airport bus to The Venetian, look around The Venetian, then take another shuttle to the ferry terminal and then change for another free shuttle to Sofitel (shuttle stops are next to each other).

2. Hotel admin: Check-in / check-out was really quick, simple, hassle-free. Staff spoke English rather well, seeing as it's not their first language.

3. The room: This really made the trip. Definitely luxe. We had a room with the river view (overlooks a river separating Macau with Zhuhai, China) which was amazing. If you can afford it, pay the extra. It's so much more prettier than the city view. Too many old, crumbly, greying buildings and tenements. The bathroom has all the added extras that may not be necessary, but makes you feel happy =) although I must say that sitting in the bath, watching tv is a little overrated. Last thought, the carpet was really nice and plush.

4. Room amenities: The tv is hooked onto a dvd player with usb ports. Score!!! I downloaded some sitcoms to catch up with, thinking that I'd have to watch them on the little notebook screen but HELLO big tv screen =) They supply really nice comfy bedroom slippers. They also supplied, for your use, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, umbrella, and torch. Tea and coffee provided in the room, though the Nescafe Gold was sour (not fresh). I've been hooked only jasmine tea since I've been back from Macau and Hong Kong.

5. Restaurants: I am not at all adventurous with food so I always eat at the hotel's international restaurants. This one was regular but nice. A good selection of Chinese, Japanese, Southeast Asian, American and Continental fare. Though not much seafood on the days I was there. I was quite happy with the sushi station, cheese board, dim sum, soup, salads and dessert. Hubby liked the sashimi. I'm not adventurous enough to try sashimi... Their coffee was an absolute Godsend. It tasted so good and looked so good.

6. Location: 10 minutes walk from the town centre. We did most of our sightseeing on foot. You'd be surprised how walkable Macau is. Best thing is when you step out of the hotel, you're about 5 minutes from where it's all "happening". All the eateries where the locals eat at. The squares where the locals meet their neighbors. Photography enthusiasts that we are, we had a field day, getting in the midst of the locals. But you'll have to take the free shuttle if you're going to the ferry. And to Taipa or Coloane, take a taxi, or, you could take the shuttle to the ferry, and then hop on the Venetian shuttle and voila! You're in Taipa!

7. Casino: Noisy and smoky. Mostly from mainland China. Not my cup of tea. For a more "refined" time at a casino, perhaps The Venetian?

8. Pool and gym: Pool was pretty, but small. Nice view during the day. The gym looked quite good, as hotel gyms go. But don't quote me on that. I didn't actually set foot inside... Too busy eating the dumplings in the restaurant :)

After reading the hotel's own description of this hotel and a number of reviews we felt sure this was the place for us to stay.

Generally the hotel was OK, the rooms were very nice and of a very high standard which really is what you'd expect for a hotel that only opened its doors in August.

Within an hour of being there our shower flooded the bathroom, maintenance appeared quite promptly and "repaired" the problem however within minutes of turning the shower back on it flooded again - after some arguing with reception we managed to change rooms. So once the room was changed there was not problem at all with the actual accommodation. It was clean, new bedding and towels every day with excellent maid service. Only issue with the room was that there was a charge for the internet which is unusual in China.

Our main issue was with the hotel facilities - the webiste stated there was a spa and a shopping arcade both of which were not open. There should have been 2 outdoor pools only one was open. The pool bar which was supposed to serve drinks and snacks was closed, the all day dining was A La Carte or Buffet no light snacks at all.

The Casino was awful, very smoky, dirty, no dress code, frequented by what seemed like locals (some of which looked as though they hadn't had a wash in months), at one point we even saw someone spit on the carpeted floor! As for the entertainment it was a joke, not very professional for this standard hotel at all.

The general location of the hotel was very good, walking distance to all the main attractions of the area and taxi's were cheap.

Generally the hotel staff were pleasant, friendly and helpful but there one or two that spoilt the standard for the hotel.

Potentially this could be a great hotel once fully operational - would I stay there again ?? no sorry it did put me off, this hotel definately needs to step up a few gears to compete with the increasing number of hotels, packages, etc that are appearing in the ever growing Macau.

Great accommodations with excellent service. Most of the staff spoke English and were able to direct us to local restaurants, make reservations, and arrange cabs. We felt that we were treated like VIP guests. The beds were softer than others I had tried in this area. We did not dine at the hotel, but did have a fantastic coffee service in the lounge. Also, we did not visit the casino, but it looks like they are adding additional floors (2nd and 3rd) to be opened soon.

The newly open Sofitel Macau sits at the top section of the old city of Macau and withing walking distance to the city and the Wynn, MGM and Grand Lisbao casino's all about 10 minutes walk from Sofitel.

On arrival to the hotel our Taxi stopped at the bottom part of the hotel's casino entrance and the porter who was there to greet us asked if we would prefer to go up the ramp to the front of the hotel or take the escalator up to the hotel which we did, the porter was both friendly and helpful.

Arriving into the gracious Sofitel lobby we found it to be large and impressive with all the usual bling and glitter that the newly opened 5 star Macau hotels offer, the reception staff greeted us with big smiles and a very warm welcome. Check in was quick, professional and welcoming.

Our porter brought us to our room and explained in detail all the sections of our room that we should know about, he also briefed us on the restaurants, swimming pool, health club and casino.

The room is decorated in dark brown mahogony wood and pastel light colours, its was tastefull and inviting. We had the twin room which came with king single beds covered with comfy doonar's, the room has a large plasma tv on the wall, study table, bathroom with seperate bath tub and shower plus all the usual 5 star room amenities.

Breakfast was a true delight, as the hotel is French the usual freshly baked baguettes, French pastries, French cheese and even French pate was all part of the buffet, so was an extensive breakfast buffet which also came with breakfast desserts. The restaurant decor is simply stunning and Service, oh what incredible service, its all instant service at the Sofitel Macau.

After spending a few nights at the Venetian Macau, MGM Macau and Wynn Macau I can honestly say that the highlight of the Sofitel is the Breakfast, Hotels Decor and the incredible service.

Breakfast at the Sofitel is served 24 hours a day and after a very long sleep until Sunday afternoon it was so pleasurable to order room service breakfast served with all the fine linen and silver perfectly cooked and eaten while enjoy the panoramic view of the Macau River.

Dinner in the Mistral restaurant was good and the service, perfect.

Sofitel is the hotel that I enjoyed myself the most, the casino is not too big and the machines are mostly 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 cent machines which means US$10.00 can last for a while before its finished.

I also liked this hotel as the staff take the time to speak to you and make sure you are having a good time, don't get me wrong, this is a very busy hotel but as a guest the staff understand that you are on holiday and you want to be treated special and they certainly did that for me.

Only 1 very small grime, the beds in the hotel like most of the 5 star hotels in Hong Kong and Macau are a little on the firm side so please do not expect soft cushioning beds.

Would I stay at the Sofitel Macau again, YES, and I will recommend it to family and friends as a decent five star hotel located in the centre of Macau.

Thanks Management and Staff for a perfect experience in your hotel with ZERO problems during my stay.