Hotel Park Hotel Kavkaz

I came away with mixed feelings. The setting is beautiful, and our standard sea-view room let us watch dolphins from the window. Booking directly was easy: pay one day in advance and the rest on site. We got off at Abbat train station, about a 10-minute walk away. The square has shops, cafes, a pharmacy, and minibuses to Gagra, while the seaside park is close enough for a walk. The hotel itself looks good compared with how it was a few years ago, but the grounds are small and there is little to do at night. The disco ended at 9 PM and the bar stayed open until midnight. There are bars in both the hotel and on the beach, with the same prices and selection. We tried poultry and coffee on the sand and liked them. Check-in was after 2 PM. They sent us for lunch and then handed over the room keys. The room was small, as advertised, but generally clean and new. It had a kettle, safe, and hairdryer, with an iron on both floors. Robes were supposed to be provided. We had none at first, then received one that was not clean, followed by another in the evening without a belt. The towels were faded and poorly washed, not white at all. Beach towels were available, but over 14 days ours were changed only a couple of times, partly and only when requested. The maids did not offer this themselves. Bed linen was poor quality, slipped around, and bunched under the mattress. The mattress was uncomfortable and moved on the bed. Rain came through our window, so we covered it with a curtain to stop the room getting wet. Reception did not seem to know about it. The room was cleaned, perhaps vacuumed once or twice, though I didn’t notice. We asked for an earlier cleaning, but staff appeared right after we returned from lunch. They removed trash, replenished tea and sugar, and left two 0.5 liter bottles of water, although sometimes no water was provided. Linens were changed once, despite the stated four-day schedule. The dining-room food was fairly good, and wine came with lunch. We drank the white, which was only so-so, while we disliked the red. The problem was the dining-room service. Everyone rushed for plates, and at lunch we often had to share a table. We started using the paid bar on the second floor, where prices were reasonable. Tables were poorly cleared, and plates, forks, and mugs often ran out. It was so dark that it was hard to see the serving area. Plates were chipped. By the second week sweets disappeared, though fruit and vegetables remained. Watermelons and melons were the only fruit we really liked. The cafeteria manager stayed on her phone and ignored complaints. Sometimes food was gone by the end of lunch. There were many pensioners who took large portions and food away, so queues were constant. A hotel doctor was available, though I didn’t use her. Baths were advertised, with a bus three times a day to the clinic. If you had contraindications, they offered no alternative and still required payment. The clinic doctor was rude, and they showed no interest in free treatments, even though baths were included in the voucher. I never returned there. Entertainment included water aerobics, yoga, one beach bonfire, a disco until 9 p.m., and live music at the beach restaurant twice. The hotel was attractive, but its beach was small, with few umbrellas and very few loungers, though more stood around the corner near the pool. Security guards stayed on their phones and paid little attention. The pool was nice but deep, so children need watching. There was no real children’s area, only a small place to stand. The missing railings at the pool entrance were dangerous because someone could fall. The waterfall did not work. The pool closed at 8 p.m., earlier than I sometimes wanted. Showers and changing rooms existed, although many guests walked back to their rooms in robes. Another hotel was being built on the property. There was also a coastal hotel that looked like a former camp. I would not recommend booking a room there.