Apart Avalon

We were told Avalon was a four-star hotel when we booked, but by the time we arrived it had three stars. You could see the three remaining stars on the roof beside the large Avalon sign, with an empty space where the fourth had been. It may have been removed after a recent inspection by the Bulgarian tourism department. From what we saw, three stars seemed right. The rooms, pool and bar all felt cramped, as if everything had been squeezed into tiny spaces. The restaurant was tidy and the food was okay, though it seemed to use the cheapest ingredients and there wasn't much choice on the daily menu. Most guests had all-inclusive tickets. Sometimes, if I wanted wine, I had to find a waiter and ask them to turn on the dispenser because it had been switched off. That was pretty discouraging. At the pool bar, the bartender seemed to try to serve as few drinks as possible to all-inclusive guests. He did give me what may have been the world's smallest beer, about 70 ml in a little plastic coffee cup. When I asked for another drink, he told me to put money in the large jar on the counter marked "tips" first. Some employees were a bit rude and acted like they didn't care about their jobs, and they hardly spoke English. I imagine their pay may have been cut after the hotel lost a star, which could explain why some seemed sour. Still, the restaurant staff were nice, helpful and friendly, and smiled a lot. In the end, Avalon wasn't such a bad experience. Cheers!

The owner had us wait 30 minutes to be picked up at the bus station, then another 30 minutes in the hall before taking us to a different room from the one we'd booked. The location itself was fine, around a 10-minute walk from the center of the "movida".

The building owners are in a dispute with a service company whose contract they ended, and guests are being inconvenienced by it. Our room had no TV or internet, despite both being advertised. I felt the total price was too high. After I spoke with the owner, I got a partial refund.

The room had everything I needed, and the price was very cheap. The hotel is a little way from the center, though not too far, and it has a perfect swimming pool. Very nice hotel.