Hotel Kristo

I'm shocked. I've never stayed somewhere worse. We couldn't get anyone at reception to help, there was no hot water even after I left the tap running for 15 minutes, and we had no decent towel hangers. The windows didn't shut properly, so outside noise came through. A party with loud music went on all afternoon and evening, keeping us from getting to our room. They said it would stop at 11, but that wasn't true, and I was ready to call the police. When we sat down to eat, there wasn't an English menu. With this kind of behavior, I can't see how they can keep the hotel going for long.

I lived and worked in Bulgaria for more than 12 years and have never had an experience this bad. Finding the hotel was difficult, with no signs and an unmarked road to drive along. It was listed as having parking, but there was none. The bed was clean, everything else was dirty, dust was everywhere, the curtains looked like they hadn't been washed since the hotel was built, the air conditioning didn't work, and neither did the hot water. Thank goodness it was July. The food was worse than fast food, and even with breakfast included, I had to pay extra for coffee and water, so it wasn't worth it. I paid when I arrived. A man who introduced himself as the owner, "Dimitar", said he'd issue an invoice when I left. I stayed two nights but only slept there once because the owner's friend had a party all night. At checkout on Wednesday morning, 11.06.2025, the same "gentlemen" was hiding. As of 05.07.2025, I still hadn't received the invoice despite calling at least 100 times. Each time I got a different excuse: he was in Greece, the company's accountant was busy, a tax officer was inspecting, or 27 guests from Israel had just arrived. I don't understand how this kind of shady accommodation can be listed on Booking.com. It doesn't belong on Booking. I also heard rumors, after asking around, that these shady owners use the hotel to pull money from EU funds. If you have any other option, don't book here under any circumstances. There are nice, normal places and owners across Blagoevgrad. My mistake was not leaving as soon as I saw the first "red flag".

My stay was really pleasant.

Absolutely ridiculous to make people wait an hour for their accommodation when you know they'll arrive at 15:00. This is not serious.