Eleganza Hotel

We were left looking for another hotel at midnight with our baby, after my husband felt uncomfortable and a bit scared during check-in. We found the Atlantic hotel right next door. It was much more welcoming and a higher standard, with a 25 m2 room, for a few more euros, though it was still cheap. We’d planned to stay one night after driving a long way from France. I waited in the car park with our sleeping baby while my husband went in to check us in. The woman on the phone spoke very poor English, which was hard to understand, but she confirmed a double room and quoted a price in euros. When we arrived, she refused to accept euros because we were in Bulgaria, saying so in an aggressive, harsh tone. She was not polite and left us with a very unpleasant first impression of Bulgaria on our first visit. The welcome was extremely poor. I gave one star because zero wasn’t an option.

We had a good breakfast, comfortable beds, good internet, and the hotel has its own restaurant and parking. The city view was okay too. We took a junior suite for one night while in transit, and it was more than enough for the whole family. It’s not far from the Sofia ring road. I can recommend it.

We were tired and the parking situation was frustrating. We’d looked for a hotel with secure parking and a 24-hour reception because we arrived late. The lot was full except for one small space that our Audi couldn’t get into, because the other cars were parked badly. They told us to leave the car in front of the hotel, but that didn’t feel safe. After trying a few more times, we managed to squeeze into the small space. The room smelled bad and didn’t feel clean. There was no shower gel, and the terrace was tiny, with two air conditioning units taking up the whole space. I didn’t like it for what we paid.

I really liked staying at Eleganza Hotel. The room was cozy and clean, the staff were helpful and friendly, and breakfast was tasty. There’s a lovely restaurant and garden where I could relax. The location made it easy for me to get to both Vitosha Mountain and the city centre. I think it’s good value for money and would recommend it to anyone visiting Sofia.