B1 Downtown Hotel

Staff were polite and helped us check in early. The hotel is right in the city center, within walking distance of everything. Our room was basic, but adequate for a one-night stay, with very few amenities: just liquid soap and shower gel. There was a kettle, though the coffee cup was cracked and shouldn’t have been given to a guest. Still, it’s a stayable place.

The housekeeping team from Nepal were polite and hardworking, and cleanliness was very high. The breakfast setup was also good: you get a 9 Euro voucher, with plenty of healthy, tasty choices. Double-glazed windows kept out the car noise from Stamboliyski street. Serdica metro and baggage storage are conveniently close, though the immediate area is mostly fast food, a couple of okay grill and rice-chicken places, and a döner kebab spot. If you want quality restaurants, expect at least a 20-minute walk. The hotel has potential and looks beautiful, but management lets it down. The manageress, and possibly some staff, openly vape, and the smell is strongest in the lobby and reception. I noticed a vaping smell in hot air from the AC on the third floor, though it wasn’t an issue on the fourth. Rooms facing the back courtyard should be avoided because of noise from the AC outlets. There’s also nowhere to hang coats or towels and very little storage. I stayed for five nights in early February in two different fourth-floor rooms, and the WiFi was extremely poor, the worst connection I’ve experienced anywhere in the last five years of frequent travel across dozens of countries in Asia and Europe. On a second stay in mid-February, the WiFi worked fine in a third-floor room, so the issue may be on the fourth floor or higher. There was also a checkout mix-up: the male receptionist said the evening before that I could leave at 12:45 instead of 12:00, but at 12:03 the next day a woman, perhaps a receptionist, called to say checkout time had passed.

The staff were very friendly, and I appreciated being able to leave my luggage before check-in and after checkout. The location makes it easy to walk to several neighborhoods, and several metro lines are very close. My first-floor “city view” was really a street view, although the windows did block the car noise. The room had plenty of space for clothing, and it was modern, nice, and efficient. I kept hearing random plumbing and AC sounds. Toiletries were also sparse, with only shower gel and hand soap. I’d gladly stay again.

The rooms are nice, if not big, and the hotel looks new. The breakfast setup was a bit unusual but acceptable, especially since Green Deli café is a good option. Excellent location, and I’d recommend it.