Sofia Balkan Palace

The location made getting around so easy. The hotel is right in the city center, at Serdika metro station and close to the main sights. Our rooms were huge, the beds had excellent mattresses, and housekeeping came daily, leaving little chocolates each afternoon. We also had Clarins shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion. Breakfast had plenty of variety, with fresh food constantly replenished. The staff made the stay especially lovely. When we arrived, Vasilis, a very friendly Greek guy, greeted us with a smile, took our luggage for storage until the room was ready, and walked us to reception. There, Anastasiya was the warmest receptionist I’ve ever met, always kind and ready to help. She upgraded our rooms and arranged for us to get at least one of the rooms we’d booked earlier. Traveling with older parents who have mobility problems, that was a godsend. Seeing Anastasiya’s warm smile each morning made our days more fun. It felt as if every wish had come true. We felt special and had such a wonderful stay. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all the hotel staff and management. We hope to visit Sofia again soon and stay at Sofia Balkan Palace, and I hope our sweet Anastasiya will be there to greet us!

We had to wait in the breakfast queue for 40 minutes to get a table after joining at 10am, so go earlier. The breakfast was good, though I’ve had better at the grand royale hotel when I stayed in Bansko. The allergen labels are there, but I doubt the danish pastries were labelled right: it said no milk, even though they smelled buttery. The pork sausages were also marked as milk-free, but I had a slight allergic reaction. Service was good. A technician came to replace the battery in our door lock when we couldn’t get into the room. The room had handy automatic lighting and curtains. The bathroom was amazing, with a lit makeup mirror, luxurious shower products, a fixed shower and rainfall overhead walk-in shower, plus a large mirror and basin. A couple of things let it down. The sheets were okay, but the duvet itself was just a thin brown blanket, more like a mat or rug than anything luxurious. The air conditioning was stuck at 22°C. We could only play music through Bluetooth, since the TV wouldn’t screen mirror with any of our devices. It had live TV only, with no online sites such as youtube.

We stayed three nights with family in a family suite. The location is perfect, right in the center, at a subway station, and within walking distance of everything. Staff were friendly and helpful, and a pleasure to talk to. We celebrated two birthdays during the stay, and they left us a slice of cake, cookies, and a bottle of champagne. The room was very big and nice, with great views, but felt a little bare. There was nowhere to put clothes except hangers, and the huge bathroom had no hangers at all, which was odd. The main room had a huge meeting table but no small dining table with regular chairs, so the furniture could use an upgrade. Breakfast was huge and included almost everything. Great value all around.

Everyone on the team was friendly and ready to help, and they even let us leave our luggage at the hotel after checkout until our late flight. The rooms were comfortable and felt pampering, and breakfast was excellent. It’s a wonderful hotel in central Sofia, a short walk from the main attractions and very close to the train station. A great place to stay.