Orient Express Hostel

For a one-star hostel I expected much worse, so I was really happy with the stay. My friend and I were there for just one night, and the room felt cozy and welcoming. The bed was so soft and comfortable that I fell asleep straight away. We also used the oven and air conditioner, and both worked great. :)

The best part of this stay was Jordon. He speaks good English, has traveled a lot, and was extremely pleasant and understanding. He helped us a lot and dealt with the other guests in our apartment, who were noisy and smoked constantly. There was also a woman at reception who handled registration. She seemed to sleep there too, spoke little English, but managed okay. The hostel is near the ladies’ bazaar, but locals told us, and we observed, that the area has many refugees and migrants and is prone to high crime rates. The building was very run down and dirty, with smells of sweat, decayed food, and cigarette smoke. Other guests kept smoking indoors despite the non-smoking sign, so I had to open all the windows and doors several times to air things out. The walls aren’t soundproof either. We had inconsiderate neighbors blasting music late at night, which was miserable. The owner, RUMIANA, was obnoxious, rude, and unhelpful. When I told her guests were smoking in the apartment, she said there was nothing she could do because she wasn’t the police. Later, I made a second booking on booking.com, and she was nasty because she wanted me to pay her directly so she could avoid the commission. I’d stayed three nights and needed three more while my motorcycle was being serviced and my belongings were there, so I had no choice but to remain. I asked Rumi if she could offer a better price than the online rate, but she repeatedly insisted I pay the same amount I’d paid on booking.com, which offered me no benefit. She just didn’t want to pay the commission. During the 3.3 Sale, I managed to book a private ensuite room in the same hostel and got good cashback. I’d first been in a twin room with a shared bathroom. She was furious and confronted me for booking through the website. Given her attitude, I couldn’t be bothered explaining booking.com’s cashback policy, and just asked which room to move to. She then claimed there were no rooms available and said I had to stay in my twin room with the shared bathroom. That was a complete lie: booking.com still showed at least two ensuite rooms, and I knew there were rooms free on another floor. I hope Rumi gets barred on booking.com for trying to avoid paying commission. I also want to point out that booking.com and Google have mostly poor reviews from international travelers, many of them about Rumi. On Google, Rumi has replied to some reviews and seemed very rude. The only good reviews lifting the hostel’s score appear to be from local Bulgarians, and I suspect they personally know her and are helping her with positive reviews.

This was probably my worst experience on booking.com. The photos didn’t match the room description, and both the hotel and reception were dirty. Walking in felt like entering a garbage room, not a hotel. We’d booked and paid for a room with two beds, but were offered one old bed beside a dirty kitchen instead. When we asked them to sort out the room we’d reserved, the owner showed up and spoke to me in a completely unacceptable, boorish way. She made racist remarks about me and the other guests. We spent a lot of time dealing with the hostess, and she never apologized for the inconvenience.

Really nice rooms and good amenities.