Hotel Dunav- All Inclusive

The only good thing is how close the hotel is to the sea. The food is cheap and tasteless, the pool is a joke, and the garden isn't looked after. There's no entertainment or even music anywhere in the hotel or by the pool, and nowhere to sit and enjoy the evening. Worst hotel I've ever stayed in in Bulgaria.

The food is alright, but it isn't varied, so expect much the same most days. The drinks are badly mixed too. Staff understand little or no English. The bedroom is poor and feels that way. The bathroom fan switches on by itself, and the noisy, badly installed thing sounds like a VW 1,4 TDI. Some balconies are very narrow with hardly any legroom; a few are slightly better, but still poor. The hotel is okay, but I wouldn't stay long and would strongly recommend finding somewhere better.

The beach was the best part, with lots of supermarkets and restaurants nearby and only a 10-minute walk from the hotel. I regret choosing the all-inclusive option here. I barely touched the food, only had water and tea from the bar, and didn't use the pool. The pool itself was fine, but too small for the number of guests. Unless you get there early, you won't find a spot. The gym has just a few machines, enough for a warm-up but not a full workout. The room was poorly cleaned, with dust everywhere and dirty bed sheets. There was only one power socket, far from the bed and connected to the air conditioning, so charging anything meant giving up the A/C. There was no blanket, only a sheet, and I get cold at night regardless of the weather. With the A/C on, I was freezing, and reception had no spare blanket. The drinks were poor too. The wine wasn't chilled, just served at room temperature, and dry wine was the only option. The whisky and gin were the cheapest. Nearly everything came in plastic cups. I understand all-inclusive brings lots of people, but one person must use around 10 cups a day. Imagine how much plastic that adds up to. The main restaurant was just okay, with nearly the same food each day, some chicken, fries, and salad. But the “Italian pizza & pasta” was a nightmare. The pizza was half raw and oily, and the spaghetti came in a PLASTIC CUP with hot sauce. I didn't finish either. The grill was in poor shape, not clean or properly kept hygienic. I saw staff pour water on it the next day to “clean” it. I felt very uncomfortable with the staff. Maybe it's Bulgarian culture, but people didn't smile and there was no “hello” or “goodbye.” During meals they kept taking plates while I was still eating. A few times I got up for drinks and came back to find my food gone, even though the plate was full and I'd left my phone beside it to show the table was still taken. Staff carried stacks of plates by hand, without a tray, touching dirty dishes and glasses. They'd return from the kitchen within seconds to clear tables and food areas again. I can't see how one person could wash and dry their hands properly to OHS standards in that time, especially when they were doing it over and over.

We stayed all-inclusive during the summer holidays and had a really great time. The hotel was clean and safe, though a little farther from the sea, about a 10-minute walk, which wasn't a problem. Staff were friendly, kind, and always there for us. Drinks were unlimited, so we tried everything, and every drink was good. Our favourite was their “Balkan” drink. The food was great too, although about 80% of it was the same each day and the rest changed.