Hotel Spa Terma

We stayed for a week and felt right at home. The staff were great and worked with us even though we didn't speak any Bulgarian. I'd encourage anyone looking for a central location to consider this place, especially in late May during their Rose festival. Rose blooms spread through the valley, named after the destination perfume variety that's been renowned since Ottoman Empire times.

The hotel itself was great, very clean and tidy, and the girl at reception was helpful and polite. The pool area was well looked after too. Our spa day, though, was one to forget. We booked massages and face treatments for three people and were really disappointed. The beautician was late to every appointment, didn't apologize and was on the phone. It felt like she didn't want to work and just wanted to get through each treatment as quickly as possible. That was upsetting when we'd paid to relax and enjoy being in her hands. The massage was okay, but nothing special.

We had a pleasant day at the mineral water pools with the kids. The children's pool was almost 38°, and the larger one was at least 30°. The water looked quite clean. There’s a bar for hot and cold drinks, plus a kitchen that opens around noon with fries, BBQ sausages and grilled sandwiches. One downside, my son got two cuts on his toes, possibly from jagged edges somewhere on the pool bottom. Also, there’s no public transport close by. The nearest bus stop is more than a kilometre away.

The hotel wasn't open yet when we came, though both pools were. They were nice and the kids had lots of fun. The cafe food wasn't great and was a bit expensive, but you can get by for a day. Hopefully they'll improve it, that would make the experience much better.