Imperial Palace Hotel & Spa

Our stay was going reasonably well until checkout day, when the staff and service took a sudden turn for the worse. I had to get to the paid hotel parking, which isn’t actually at the hotel. There are three parking areas, and I didn’t know that. The driver assigned to take me there didn’t ask or explain anything. At an open field full of cars he said, “I can drop you here.” I told him that wasn’t where my car was, and he angrily asked if I was getting out or not. I didn’t want a scene, so I got out and may have shut the door a bit harder than usual. He immediately started swearing at me, drove off, then came back and sped close past me, apparently to show he was angry. I returned to the hotel and waited for a “manager” to hear my complaint, while my wife, two kids and our luggage waited outside. When I finally reached my parking spot, I found a scratch on the rear bumper from another vehicle. The same manager and staff wouldn’t cooperate or seemed concerned. They said they couldn’t do anything. I asked about security cameras and was told there weren’t any. The parking is a paid service and was supposed to have surveillance or protection, though it seems that may only mean preventing the car from disappearing altogether. Other guests had reportedly also had cars hit in “their parking lots.” I’m attaching photos of the parking staff member and my scratched car. The location is excellent, and the master chef was kind, which is why I’m giving two stars. Most staff were rude and didn’t speak foreign languages, and some apparently didn’t even speak Bulgarian, though a few were polite and caring. The room was average. Towels were changed regularly, but the floor wasn’t cleaned once and the bed linen wasn’t replaced during our seven nights. The dining tables were all sticky, with surfaces peeling from age. Food was decent but could have been better, and the restaurant was too small for the number of guests, so there were queues at the entrance. The pool had debris and other objects in it and was very cold for mid-August. The spa was mediocre at best. The whole place feels old and run down and needs a major refurbishment to match its claimed standard.

We were charged for the first night and an additional tax even though we left immediately, never used the facilities and never went to the room. We didn’t even make it that far because the experience was so bad. The pool area was crowded, messy and dirty, with no sunbeds available. The dining room looked filthy, and the food was cold and badly cooked. We found hair in it and couldn’t bring ourselves to sit down properly, let alone eat. From the moment we arrived, it seemed clear that basic hygiene, professionalism and hospitality weren’t a priority. When we tried to raise our concerns, the manager was arrogant, rude and dismissive. This was the worst hotel experience we’ve had, and it felt like a scam. I wouldn’t recommend booking here.

The room itself was fine, clean, and the towels were changed daily. But the pictures on the website look like they may have been taken years ago, and the cleaning elsewhere left something to be desired. The dining room was hot because the air conditioning couldn’t keep up. The biggest issue was the food, which was the same every day. The building looks beautiful from outside, but arriving left a bitter impression.

I can’t see how this place has five stars. It felt like a robbery of our money, and we’ll never come back. The staff didn’t speak English despite all the tourists, and the food was disgusting and unhygienic. There was very little choice, the same dishes every day, and even leftovers from lunch were served at night. One meal’s chicken still had feathers on it. All-inclusive was only true on paper, since there weren’t enough pancakes for everyone in the morning and there wasn’t enough food overall. The pool didn’t have enough sunbeds either, and they were uncomfortable. Everyone I spoke with was complaining about the food. A very bad experience.