Hotel Lira

The staff were kind and polite, but that didn't make up for how poorly maintained the place felt. The bathroom hadn't been cleaned properly, with hair and dirt that weren't ours, and there wasn't a bin in the room or on the balcony. The TV only had a few channels. Cleanliness was the main problem, and it was well below an acceptable standard.

We've eaten here twice, though we haven't stayed overnight. Both times the staff were really friendly, and the food was good quality with plenty of choice and very generous portions. Prices were reasonable too. There’s indoor seating and outdoor tables on a quiet street, which made it a lovely place to eat.

The location worked really well for me: the beachfront is about a 5-10 minute walk, Lidl is roughly the same distance, and Action Aquapark is around 15 minutes away. I went to the water park on my last day in Sunny Beach. The tourist markets by the beach are overpriced, so I’d shop farther inland where locals go. Lidl wasn't overpriced, though prices were still a little higher than at Lidls in Portugal. I paid £229 total for return flights and seven nights with breakfast, and I was happy with what I got for the money. I travelled just before peak season and got back the day before writing this. The hotel itself is small compared with nearby places. The rooms had steady internet and a fridge and freezer, and the lobby had cold and hot self-service water. The cold water saved me buying drinking water, and I used the hot one for instant noodles and soup at night. A microwave in the room would have helped. Breakfast was decent but could use more variety. I wasn't comfortable with cleaners coming into my room in their shoes, moving my things and taking things away. This happened less than 24 hours after check-in, despite my asking them not to clear the room. I didn't need it cleaned so soon, and it felt like an invasion of privacy. I kept my cash, phone and ID/passport in a pouch when I went out. I'm not accusing any of the cleaners, but you never know, so I wouldn't leave cash on the table.

Customer service was poor, and they leave luggage on a sofa in the lobby. Booking through the website says to wait for confirmation, but none ever arrived for me. When we turned up, they tried to charge double and gave excuses for why they couldn't confirm the online reservation.