Hotel Elitsa

I learned that cheap can end up costing you. The church is nearby and rings every hour, day and night, once for 1 am, twice for 2 am, and so on. Inside, the rooms and bathroom were dirty, there was no hot water, and the toilet wouldn’t flush. The beds were old, cheap, and hard. Some lights didn’t work, while others flickered and made noise. Air conditioning cost an extra 10 lv, and the room got very hot. The walls are thin, so you hear everything.

We’d told the receptionist, who apparently was an owner, that we’d arrive around 21:00. He left a handwritten note in Russian that we couldn’t understand. The shower was awful: after about 15 seconds the hot water ran out, and the pipe was clogged. We were left standing in a disgusting pool of water, waiting for it to drain. The room description said there was a kettle, but there wasn’t one. We didn’t have the energy to complain that evening. In the morning, when we mentioned it to the owner at reception, he shouted, “I could have not let you in at all.” There was no free parking, no receptionist available 24/7, and no heating in the room.

The room was cozy, had a balcony, and was equipped with all the comforts we needed. The woman who welcomed us was kind and helpful, even arranging a packed breakfast for our early checkout. The hotel is near the lower end of the central pedestrian street, with shops, restaurants, and mini markets close by. There’s no hotel parking, but across the road is a reasonably priced public car park that’s free after 18:30. I recommend it.

The room door didn’t lock, and there’s no free parking despite what they advertise. The hotel and staff were horrible. The receptionist seemed to hate everyone before lunch, and herself afterwards! Good luck if you don’t speak Bulgarian, because she doesn’t understand other languages. You may not find her at reception either, since she can be outside smoking.