Hotel Bulgaria

The room was comfortable and had what we needed, with robes and slippers provided. The reception and room decor were nice, and our cleaner was polite and came in every day. But the stay didn't feel relaxing. At night, the room stayed too warm even on the coldest setting. Opening the window brought too much city noise. Cigarette smoke was strong throughout the hotel, apparently because smoking is allowed in rooms and the casino. We also had children screaming and climbing over the bar seats while my partner and I were trying to enjoy a cocktail. A school group of around 30 teenagers was there too, banging on doors and messing about by the lifts. They all came down to breakfast together, and the noise made the dining room feel like a school lunch hall. The spa was a letdown: the pool was cold, the jacuzzi even colder, and two saunas were marked out of order. Breakfast was mediocre, bland and seemed to use cheap ingredients. The chicken sausages tasted gross, the hash browns were more like odd cheese croquettes, the beans were cold, and the bread choice was poor, just small slices of cheap processed bread. The coffee was bitter too. We booked because of the high score on booking.com and the spa photos, but parking cost €15 a day, which felt overpriced when staying at the hotel.

The hotel is centrally located, but the staff were awful. They were very rude and showed no respect for customers. They wouldn't let cars park outside and directed us to the covered parking, which costs 15 euros a day. If the staff don't change, I can't see myself recommending this hotel.

For about five years, we sent our guests here when they came to town, and we'd come ourselves for breakfast to start the day. Guests used to pay 20 leva per person. Now I've learned the breakfast price has gone up to 40 leva. I understand the move to Euros, but doubling the price in the process feels completely unethical. I won't use or recommend this hotel again.

The location was perfect, the view was stunning, and the lift was quick even to the upper floors. We loved the pool, sauna and gym, and breakfast had loads of variety and was excellent, though we sometimes had to wait a little for refills. The staff were incredibly helpful. We arrived late after the kitchen closed, and they still cooked for us. Towels were replaced daily. A couple of things could be better: the open parking spot is on a central pedestrian street, so the car isn't protected, and some spilled coffee near the air conditioner hadn't been cleaned. Still, we had a wonderful stay and would definitely come back.