Hotel Alba - All Inclusive

The animation team kept everyone entertained day and night, and the food was delicious. The rooms were clean, too. We had a great all-inclusive stay in Sunny Beach and would happily return.

In general, it's a very nice hotel, with food and drinks included and two swimming pools. The staff were very friendly, and the location is right by the beach, with shops just a stone's throw away. My room was clean but a bit dated, more like the 2000s style. At least that was true of the room I had, with things like warm-toned lights still in use.

The room was acceptable, clean and generally fine, though it had a few minor defects. The bigger problems were the restaurant and how things were run. Meals weren't varied, the meat seasoning didn't suit our young children, and grilled meat was often burnt. Soup choices were limited to at most two and weren't available every day. There was only one serving station for each type of food, so the queues got very long. Seating was also inadequate for the number of guests. Finding a table was an adventure, then we could wait 20 minutes for food while the kids lost patience and cried from hunger. The schedule felt rigid and unfriendly. At breakfast one morning, even though service ended at 10, staff literally asked us to leave at 10:12 because they had other things to do. Guests should be able to finish eating calmly when food is served until 10. The dispenser soft drinks were badly diluted and often ran out, leaving just water in the cup. Restaurant staff rarely smiled; most seemed very young and unmotivated, as if they didn't want to be there. The children's pool was another disappointment. At 11 one day, it was suddenly taped off without explanation, and we had to tell our kids they couldn't use the slides they'd just been enjoying. We chose this Sunny Beach hotel for a family vacation with our two children, aged 2 and 4. Although the room was decent, the poor organization, low-quality food and staff attitude ruined the holiday. We won't return or recommend it, especially to families with small children.

At first we were skeptical because the taxi driver and others warned us about the hotel, but we made up our own minds. The staff were excellent, helpful, fun and always in a good mood. The animation team was great, involving everyone in lots of competitions and keen to get people participating. There was enough food and a decent variety throughout, though it got crowded sometimes. The owner even brought watermelon when we asked. Pizza, burgers, cocktails and snacks between meals kept us happy, and there was something for everyone. Our room was decent, not the prettiest, but good enough, with great AC, a proper bath and fresh towels. The hotel was clean and the room was cleaned daily. The pools were nice, with a few small repairs needed, nothing out of the ordinary. The kids' pool was perfect. Hotel Alba, thanks for an awesome vacation!