Where to Stay in Kuala Lumpur? Check Out the New Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara

The 1st ever Sofitel in Malaysia, Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara opens its door last August at Damansara Heights, with 312 luxurious rooms within the 8.5-acre integrated development by GuocoLand Malaysia, comprising two luxury condominium blocks, two corporate office towers, the hotel and a lifestyle mall, DC Mall. I always notice Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara whenever I drive between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya.

So last weekend, Big Teddy and I had the chance to check out this relatively new 5-star KL hotel for a weekend staycation, a break from the usual weekend routines. When we arrived at the hotel lobby, we immediately noticed the attention-grabbing giant hanging sculpture, Hidden Legends, which has thousands of cradle like folds where within each fold are hidden animals such as mouse-deer, crocodiles, butterflies, monkeys, tigers, birds and frogs. I was told that this sculpture took inspiration from the tradition of storytelling in Malaysia, known as Cerita Dongeng or literally animal fables. It was such an amazing piece of art to marvel.

Also, behind the check-in counter, there’s another piece of wall art that shaped like Malaysia’s national flower, hibiscus, using only thumbprints from local children. Even before I checked into the room, I could feel the artsy vibe throughout the hotel.

The Room

Check-in was swift and we were quickly ushered to the Club Millésime for the welcome drinks and a quick tour of the hotel. Room types ranging from 43 to 105 square metres, all the guestrooms feature the signature bedding concept by MyBed™, wifi and a selection of premium in-room amenities by Lanvin and Hermès.

Our room was the Prestige Suite, which is 60 square metres with a king bed and separate living area. Other luxury amenities include 2 55-inch TV, Nespresso coffee machine and TWG tea bags, Hermès toiletries, bathtub and separate rainshower, his and hers basins.

I absolutely loved their signature MyBed™, which gave me a great night sleep in the firm mattress and silky smooth linen. According to Sofitel, this bed is available for sale too so maybe when I have a bigger bedroom in future I’d consider buying a lovely hotel bed like this one.

Club Millésime

As all the suite rooms come with the access to Club Millésime on the 22nd floor, we took full advantages of the benefits. Some of the Club Millésime highlights include evening wine tasting canapes and cocktails from 6.00pm to 8:00pm, afternoon tea/ Le Gouter from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, ala carte breakfast from 6:00am to 11:00am.

We were constantly pampered by the attentive team at Club Millésime whenever we were there. The ala carte breakfast was a nice touch and my Eggs Benedict was perfectly cooked with high quality smoked salmon. Big Teddy loved his omelette too, which we would expect so from a French luxury hotel.

So SPA

The in-house spa, So SPA was just opened 3 weeks ago and this is probably the most beautiful spa that I’d ever been too. Being the true luxury hammam Spa in Kuala Lumpur, you can choose to treat yourself from a relaxing hammam session, enjoy steam therapy in the sauna, or even indulge in a massage – Malay, Chinese or Indian – all infused with French expertise.

While Big Teddy had just 1-hour of their So Relaxing Massage, as he would get restless if the session is too long, I had the 2-hours So Hammam Ritual which included a luxury hammam session and 1-hour full body oil massage. It was such a wonderful and pampered experience, as the therapist was so well trained and precise. (Detailed review of So SPA is here)

SoFIT Gym and the Swimming Pool

Being a luxury hotel, the in-house 24 hours gym, SoFIT gym is equipped with state-of-the-art Technogym fitness machines. I kept fiddling with the touch panel which is connected to internet and TV channels while I was working out in the morning.

Meanwhile, the swimming pool has a lot of sun lounger and 4 pods to chill by the pool. Big Teddy was hoping for a lap pool for serious swimmers, but this swimming pool although is of decent size but more casual in nature. Nonetheless, we did spend some time chilling and reading in the pod just before we checked out on Sunday. The pool staff was very attentive and sent us mineral waters even though we didn’t ask for them.

Dinner at Kwee Zen

Kwee Zen is the all-day dining restaurant at the hotel, which serves arrays of pan-Asian dishes with a gastronomic French twist, either ala carte or buffet. We got the try the sumptuous dinner buffet spread when we were there. My favourite was the cold seafood selections where I got to choose from flower crab, snow crab, lobsters, tiger prawns, scallops and oysters. I think I devoured 2 plates of the seafood before moving on to the main course. They were having a limited time only Australian meat selections where you could choose your favourite cut of the meat and let the chef cook just the way you like it. Also, I liked the Indian food corner and found the curry dishes were cooked perfectly with tender meat and flavoursome taste. The dessert selections were quite overwhelming too but I had too much food prior and only settled for a gourmet ice cream instead.

Price for standard buffet lunch is RM124 nett per person and standard buffet dinner is RM138 nett per person.

Lunch at Wan Chun TIng

Wan Chun Ting, literally means the Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion in Chinese, is the in-house Cantonese and Imperial cuisine restaurant. The restaurant is elegantly designed with high ceiling and beautiful Chinese wooden carving partition screen. It also has a specially made oven for their signature dish, Peking Duck, roasted over lychee wood to infuse a lovely fragrance to the duck.

Since there were only the 2 of us for lunch, we only ordered some Dim Sum, Soups and the Peking Duck (RM168) where they separated the crispy skins and the meats to be served in 2 different courses. I loved the Peking Duck dish and I’m glad that we don’t have to go all the way to Beijing (where I spent 2 years) just for this famous dish. (Detailed review of Wan Chun TIng is here.)

Other Dining Options

Nizza, a French Riviera looking restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine is also available for dinner, but we didn’t get to try it as it was booked for a private event. Other dining options include Le Bar, the lobby lounge which serves light meals, Afternoon Tea or a typically French goûter (snack), or the Sofi’s Deli which serves healthy baguettes, ciabattas, paninis, sandwiches and salads.

Getting Around

Strategically located midway between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya within close proximity to Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara is within walking distance to the Pusat Bandar Damansara MRT station (complimentary shuttle is provided too if you don’t like to walk) and 55 minutes to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Car parks are also available for those who are driving, which is shared with the shopping mall, DC Mall with a daily rate of RM10 for in-house hotel guests.

Final Thoughts on Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara

Being the 1st Sofitel in Malaysia, Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara is definitely a welcoming addition to the buzzing luxury hotels scene in Kuala Lumpur. Also, this was my 1st Sofitel experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Their service level was great and the quality of the hotel’s finishing is high standards. There were some minor issues though, i.e. some premium TV channels like BBC and Fox Movies were not loading and occasional jerky tv streaming was a little annoying, but I was told that the hotel is aware and will rectify such issues. I like the fact that  Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara has a nice spa, great restaurants, 24 hours gym, exclusive club access where we could truly enjoy without even getting out from the hotel. At the end of our weekend staycation, we felt totally pampered and rejuvenated, not wanting to go back to work the next day…

If you are looking for a luxury hotel in Kuala Lumpur, check out Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara. Room rates start from about RM400 a night, this hotel offers a different experience from the usual KLCC or downtown Kuala Lumpur hotels, with a French twist! 😉

Have you stayed at a Sofitel before? Tell me your experience too!

A big thank you to Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara for hosting our staycation. As always, all opinions are my own and I only recommend services that I’d personally use.

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