AluaSun Helios Beach – All Inclusive

We came at the beginning of May, and nothing was open, so I wouldn’t recommend visiting that early in the season. The staff were lovely and helpful, the food was good, and the rooms were nice and clean. We’ll probably come back a little later, when everything is open.

The beach was amazing, so we ended up spending most of our time there. The hotel was in a great spot near the beach and nearby streets, though the pool was much smaller than I expected from the misleading pictures and often crowded with children. The hotel itself was fine, service was good, and staff were helpful. Our room was decent, with air conditioning that cooled quickly. But the water was cold most of the time unless you showered early in the morning or around 5-6pm. We were on the bottom floor near reception and the bar, so it was noisy and we could hear everything. We’d booked a room for afternoon sun, but tall buildings blocked it, so we got none. I’d definitely choose a sea-view room instead. The gym was disappointing. The treadmill didn’t work, the squat rack needed oiling so moving the bar was impossible, and the multifunction machine was in poor shape. It had ropes instead of cables, and they didn’t glide well, so there was no resistance on the return. I made do with a few dumbbells from 1-10kg and plates from 1.25kg to 20kg. The buffet was okay, not amazing, but there was probably something for everyone. It got crowded, so you had to arrive right at opening or late to avoid the rush. The music was loud, too. There was a different buffet each day, which was nice, while breakfast stayed the same and was okay. The free cola was diluted, and cocktails and other drinks were very strong. Some of the afternoon entertainment was fun. We liked the quizzes, music bingo, and movie quiz, and families with kids seemed to enjoy the other activities. For the price, I think we got our money’s worth. We had an enjoyable stay at this all-inclusive hotel and aren’t complaining.

The bathroom was in very poor shape. There was no shower door, so the floor flooded after each use, and there was a constant sewage smell. At one point the hallway outside flooded too, with no warning signs, which created a serious slip hazard. We also had ants in the room throughout the stay, upsetting and unacceptable, especially with children. Our sleeping arrangements were inadequate: the “double bed” was two singles pushed together, and the sofa bed was so short my feet hung over the end. The balcony was filthy, sticky, covered in insects and leaves, and unusable. We couldn’t even leave towels out to dry. We paid extra for a sea-view room but got a ground-floor room with a tree blocking almost all the sea view. That was clearly mis-sold. There was also a locked connecting door to the neighboring room, which felt unsettling and compromised our privacy. No water was provided in the room, and sometimes it wasn’t available even at reception. On a family holiday in the heat, water should be freely available, not restricted. We booked through Jet2 Holidays for a family trip to Aluasun Helios Beach Hotel in Obzor, Bulgaria, and the experience was extremely disappointing from beginning to end. It didn’t match what was advertised, fell short of basic comfort and hygiene, and involved clear health and safety issues. For the price and the trust we put in Jet2, it was a very poor experience.

The rooms were really spacious and clean, and I liked how well things were organised. The food was very good, and the staff were friendly and kind. A really nice hotel. I’d recommend it and would definitely vacation here again 🙂