Hotel Balada

The staff deserve 10 stars. They were always smiling and greeting us, even though they seemed extremely tired. We had a great vacation, staying 8 nights in August. The hotel is ultra all inclusive, but I’d compare it to a 4 stars hotel in Bulgaria, not the 5 stars hotels there or in Turkey. It’s also much cheaper, so the prices aren’t comparable. Our room was spacious, clean, and cosy, with a partial or full sea view. The bathrooms worked fine but need investment. I appreciated the toiletries and that the bath towels were replaced whenever we asked. The three elevators couldn’t keep up, so we took the stairs, and the restaurant also felt undersized when the hotel was full. There was enough food to choose from: two main dishes changed daily, pork and chicken grill, fried food they semi-prepared, three garnishes, 4-5 types of salad, pizza, and fried fish, sardines, almost every day. The donuts and sponge cake were very good, as was the watermelon. There was free beer and TEC juices, excellent cocktails at the pool and lounge bar, Coca Cola, sprite, and a self-service espresso machine and ice cream available any time. Kids had pool animation and activities, including face painting. The pool and playgrounds were wonderful and clean, and there was a gym. The beach was very close, with soft sand and crystal clear, warm water. I was worried after reading previous reviews, but having stayed there, I’d say they’re untrue or come from unrealistic expectations. The main drawbacks were some other tourists’ bad manners and spoiled children left unsupervised. They could improve the meats at breakfast, air conditioning in the dining room, and artistic programs in the evening, and invest in the bathrooms. The hotel has potential to become one of the best on the Romanian seaside.

The pool was nice to look at, but the water was cold too. The room had what we needed, including towels, a hair dryer, a balcony, and a fridge, though the mattresses should be replaced with more comfortable ones. Toiletries were lacking: for a 2-nights stay for 2 persons, there was only enough shampoo and shower gel for 1 night, 1 person. The food was good and varied, but breakfast was very crowded since it ran only from 7:30 AM-9 AM. Check-in starting at 18:00 was quite difficult, and it’s the latest check-in I’ve seen so far. The hotel itself isn’t fancy, but it also costs less than higher rated places. Our stay was ok.

I won’t repeat this experience. We began our vacation arguing about parking because there were no free spaces. The staff acted like we’d stolen something, and the rooms felt old and worn out. There was no shower curtain, and a room booked with a sea view might only give you a glimpse of the sea from the balcony. Don’t come here, go somewhere else, preferably not in Romania, because the second “fun part” starts on the beach, as you’ll see if you don’t trust me.

The shower had good pressure and temperature, but the cabin was flimsy and missing a panel. The old look and feel of the hotel really stands out, and our double room was two twin beds pushed together, with quite old, used sheets, one of them not quite clean or maybe stained. There’s no internet in the rooms, and they weren’t ready for the breakfast rush. There are no baby amenities like a high chair in the restaurant or a cot to rent, which bothers me even though it isn’t specific to Balada. Some rooms get at least a little sea view, while rooms _07, _08, and _09 on each floor get the full view. The placement is great, and the meals are okay, but there’s constant music, even at 4am. Downstairs, the bar charges for milk by portion, and there’s no decent sized cup of coffee with good flavor. The beach sand is hard and not very fine, though that’s outside the hotel’s control. Beach chair rental companies have taken over most of the beach, so if you don’t want to rent one, you have to stay quite far back. Funny, that’s how many stars the hotel has...