Admiral Hotel - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - Aug 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Jo Manchester
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
August 2006-Just came back from golden sands it was a great holiday.
The admiral hotel was beautiful big marbel floors in the reception and the hotel was very very clean and well presented.The food in the restaurant was ok very clean but a little repetative although better than what I expected!There was a good selection to choose from.The swimming pool was nice and clean although you do need to put your towels down very early in the morning otherwise you just can't get a sunbed we had small children and had to set our alarm to get up and go down to put towels down if we intended to spend the day by the pool.The staff in the hotel was not the most helpfull but i feel this might of been a language barrier.The lifeguards by the pool were helpfull and quite a good laugh although be warned they are on the make, they were charging hotel guests money for the sunbeds when they are free a few people got quite anoyed with them and be warned they will try to sell you fake dvd cd ect.
Goldend sands resort is a lovely place there is somthing for everyone the nightlife is there if you want it pleanty of nightclubs the PR Admiral looked the most exclusive ,if you have children there are a few bars that do some entertainment The Rocks did an Elvis show it was great fun! they also have two big boucy castles and a bungee and a few small rides to keep your children entertained whilst you can have a drink and relax while they play there are tables right there so you can see them.The Irish bar was a good place to go for a beer and they had a singer on most nights.As for the restaurants I would recommend the Gibralter and the scandanavian steak house.
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Admiral Hotel - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan Holidays - August 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Nigel - Manchester (30,40)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
First time to Bulgaria and we will definitely go back again next year.
Flew on Airbus with Balkan which was fine (masses of leg room near centre of plane-front seats looked pretty tight)Resort was really nice but dont expect traditional Bulgaria - This is not it!Staying at Admiral was a pleasure could not have wished for anything better. If that is out of price range try to get accomodation near beach as it is a bit of a walk uphill to some hotels. Had room on high floor overlooking the pool and beach - standard of fittings was excellent and hotel food was quite acceptable. Two sunbeds and umbrella on beach cost about £9.00 a day, but they are very comfortable. Staff from a beach snack bar near to the hotel come around and serve food and drinks on beach - Pizza and kebabs were good afternoon snack. Good luck getting sunbed at the hotel, I put towells down early one morning and one ignorant German couple had left them on the floor and were on our loungers - words were said but to little avail.
Best restaurant we ate in was the Gibraltar (near to Admiral Hotel), steaks there were superb and so was their speciality dish - not just that but all meals came with a free drink. Only bad meal we ate was at The Kingdom and it was expensive! Weather was fine if a bit cloudy, but this gave a welcome break from the heat at times - we still got nicely tanned!
I did feel a bit harassed at times by shop workers and restaurant staff as I was walking down the street but after a day or two you get used to just ignoring it or turning them down point blank.
Went to Varna one morning for shopping and hated the place very run down, and saw lot of beggars in street, not just that but shops were nothing special.
Overall we had a fantastic holiday there and cannot wait to go back. People there were nice and it was cheap. Almost forgot the selection of larger/beer available was good all very drinkable, but dont expect real ales.
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Admiral Hotel - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: Balken Holidays - July 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Julie stone Leicester ( 40,41, 36,14)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just arrived back from goldensands july 2005, could not fault the accommidation the hotel was excellent, free sun beds at the pool but believe me you have to be up very early to get one as the germans hog them. In total in our two week stay we only managed to get beds one day so be warned.Food was good for the first week but after that it became boring all the same mostly aimed at germans, so we decided to eat out for the rest of our stay. There were plenty of good restuarants to choose from the parmey grill great for burgers,pizza, and salads the scandinavia did excellent steaks and the the service was great and if you just wanted a snack then we went to the sky bar on top of the hotel sirena where you could have full english breakfast,heinz beans on toast,pizza, or even yorkshire pudding the staff there are very freindly and helpful.
I would have to advise against going to the kingdom restaurant as the food was shocking, swimming in fat and very small amounts of whatever you chose.
I think the resort could do with a bit more entertainment in the evening although we did enjoy the night at the rocks,great atmosphere with an elvis impersonator had a real good laugh. Most of the shows that are on are repeated night after night which does become boring after you have seen them all once. My 14 year old son really enjoyed the go-carting which is right down the far end towards the harbour the price was reasonable as well.
Great holiday all round going back to sirena(mostly english guests) 2006.
Now i'll leave you to come to your own conclusion.
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Admiral Hotel - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan Holidays July 2004
Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : John & Sue Hays Co Durham
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Been to Bulgaria 4 Times but 1st time to Golden Sands we were booked into the Kempinski Grand hotel but found out it was not finished so changed to the 5 star Admiral,pleased that we did hotel in a central location with the beach and pool just across the road its advisable to get a pool sunbed latest 7-30 as they are free and go quick.
Hotel is lovley great rooms and food quite good and hot for a Bulgarian hotel but is repetive.
Loads of nice restaurants and bars near by would recomend the Scandinavian Steak House just outside and also Sinbads for a night out.
Also loads of shops for cheap bargins.
But be warned at approx 2pm it can rain solid for 4 hours at its worst so take a brolly but when its hot its HOT.
Also by the way ignore the brochure picture its not green it looks a lot better.
To sum up lovley hotel hot food nice resort very cheap.
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Alan Mac Hpotel - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: Balkan - 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Pauline _Gainsborough
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
This was a last minute booking.
This hotel caters for Airline Pilots, in a different section to where I was situated.
I was on a landing with kitchen staff one side, bar staff the other, and their children above me.
On the first night a patio window was broken being only paper thin glass, Im not surprised.
The room was circ 1960 Butlins.
I have not qualms about the staff who were very good but a little short tempered as they were run ragged, thats not my fault, Im on holiday.
One couple refused to go to their room and remained in reception, they were later repositioned in the Airline pilots area, which I did see and it was spectacular accomodation, but too late for me.
I would go back to Bulgaria but not to this hotel, it wasnt a relaxing atmosphere.
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Hotel Ambassador - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: balken august 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : alison betteley 42 58 59 58
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
after being in bulgaria for the third year running we were very dissapointed to say the least.
we were told last year that the pool would be made easier to get in to i.e not wobbly steps but an actuall stairway to make it easier for everyone, we were also told the restaurant (joke) would be better the food you can just about take for a week but no more the food and the set out is unreal its set out all over the place sweets then meals then soup etc, there is nothing to tell you what it is there is a very very minimal amount of english food, if you eat out you can get almost anything so why cant the hotel cater a bit more for our choices.
needless to say enough is enough we wont be going back there foe reveral years if at all. finally to top it of ivan at the bar has left jordon was there for one week, so the great atmosphere at the bar is dying as well
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Hotel Aphrodita - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours August2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : 49,40.15,13
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Well all I can say is we are glad to be home.
The hotel itself is very nice, clean and friendly. The hotel has an awful lot of rooms with poor views so dont unpack if your unhappy as they will do all they can to accomidate. The breakfast isnt up to much so dont be to dissapointed. We personally didnt like where the hotel was situated, right on party street whre you have to walk day and night whether its the beach you want or the main tourist area.The road is full of girls pestering you with leaflets and people dragging you into restaurants, you cant get away from it. They seem to charge what they want in Bulgaria they think we have money so try to rip you off everywhere you go, and dont argue with them they turn nasty(wouldnt even say the wine was corked).
The place itself is very built up and full of tac very Blackpool with sun. Anyone with teenage daughters dont let them out of your sight they try to get them into the clubs at only 13 and 15. And your husbands well the prstitutes all over party street may take a shine so keep your eye on him.
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Hotel Aphrodita - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: Balkan Holidays- Aug 06
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : 14,35,36,14,41,42
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hotel Aphrodite is a very well maintained and clean hotel.Its staff are very friendly and speak good english allthough the hotel has no entertainment what so ever which lets it down quite badly its as though they cant be bothered.The rooms are very good clean and modern.
The food on the other hand is a bit naff they seem to cater mainly for the germans at meal times rather than the english.There is no entertainment during the day ie pool games just music playing day in day out.The pool is a decent size but very raley noticed it being cleaned.You have to pay for your sunbeds every day and also pay for the use of the gym and sauna facilties which should be inclued in the price of your holiday.The hotel itself is bang smack in the middle of all the night life which is great for young people but not so good for familys.The surrounding area is full of prostitues at night one time i was walking down the main street with my partner and he was approached with me at the side of him which was just unbelievable.On the second week of our holiday we discoverd that a room on the lower ground floor of our hotel was being by prstitues taking men in and out all the time fortunatley this did not bother us or spoil our holiday.
The resort itself is mainly for young people and not familys its just bars after bars and resturants nothing for the kids and to be honest you get sick and tired of the local people working outside these bars handing out flyers every where you go.The local beaches are fantastic when the weather is good and the weather is not all that good as we discovered on our second week windy rain and very cloudy.On the sea front the areas are a lot better and much cleaner the hotels are amazing and most important there are no prostitues but still not a graet deal to do.Unfortunatley Golden Sands is a place that me and my family will not be visiting again.
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Hotel Aphrodita - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: Balkan - August 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : 42, 40
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Looks like I have the honour of the first review of this new hotel, so here goes.
Basically, it's good news all the way.
Location is about 10 minutes from beach and actually on Party street, but don't let this put you off - it's sort of laid back and you don't get any noise or disturbances. Try and get a room overlooking the pool, it's better than the ones overlooking the car park! The hotel is excellent, the staff very polite and helpful. The rooms are spacious (relatively), clean and modern (well, new of course). Everything advertised was there, ie air conditioning, minibar, TV etc, (but don't expect Corry or Eastenders, English channels are very limited). Very good maid service (with clean towels) every day. We only had breakfast but this was OK, with a fair amount of choice (although the same choice every day, I'm afraid). Pool is nice, one big plus is no 6am scramble for the beds, the hotel gets round this with a small charge of £1.20 per bed (brollies free), an excellent idea in my opinion. Slight hiccup when a contingent of youths arrived half way through the week and promptly laid territorial claims to the pool, but fortunately they rarely surfaced before mid-afternoons (hangovers, presumably). It never ceases to amaze me how an entire nation's youth can be so arrogant, loud and obnoxious!
Thr resort itself is brilliant if you like Blackpool and Benidorm but don't expect any local culture. We're peasants and found loads to do, an excess of drinking holes virtually all with some sort of entertainment. Most are honest and cheap (although prices have more than doubled since I was in Bulgaria two years ago), but beware a few tend to add bits and pieces onto your bill - it's usually the waiters who tell you how much, instead of giving you a written bill, which they're supposed to do. The Dolphin (on the front) is very bad for this. The worst one was the Dallas Country Club - don't go near this, not only was the wine overpriced but they stuck £12 on my bill (for 2 of us) for "the music". We simply demanded to see the boss, he hadn't come 10 minutes later so we just wandered off and left what we thought was the right amount. For an entertaining evening, get a roadside table at the bar opposite the hotel and watch the h**kers - they hang around in droves and virtually molest any poor bloke on his own (they're quite harmless really, it's just funny). Lots of interesting items in the multitude of shops that you don't see here, the ones selling knuckledusters and flick knives were a revelation!
Best way for money is to take English notes, better rate of exchange than here. Cigarettes are a lot cheaper on the plane or at the airport, rather than in the resort, which was unusual. And Varna airport categorically DOES accept leva (at least in the snack bars we went in). Have a nice time.
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Hotel Aphrodita - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : 13 15 40 48
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Well arriving for the first time in Golden sands was dissapointed with the attitude of the hotel staff. We were unhappy with the room as we were looking out onto the carpark and road which was vey noisy, they eventually after two days of shoulder srugging moved us to a pool view we were on the bottom level but it was ok.
Morning arrived and after a buffet breakfast of frankfurter sausages uncooked scrambled egg cold pizza as ther english section we headed out to the pool.
We had to pay for sunbeds every day and if you want a good spot you have to get up early for it about £1 per bed. The rooms were cleaned and fresh towels changed every day. The hotel was always in darkness at night nothing was lit up you couldnt even have your balcony light on. The bar at the hotel was always empty because it was uninviting and miserable.
We found alot of young gangs of german lads staying at the hotel which meant between 4am and 6am every morning they were drunk diving and screeming in the pool no management ever stopped this. The music was also vey loud round the pool and they allowed them to drink with their bottles in the water.
Aphrodita back onto Pary Street which they dont tell you in the brochure you have to walk this street every day and night to get to the beach or the main part.
The street is full of prstitutes at night gangs of youths on booze organised parties and girls permanantly pestering you with leaflets it drove us mad. Bulgaria wasnt for us paying to use toilets in bars and resterants and being told you have to pay for food which was unacceptable was not my idea of luxery .
We couldnt wait to come home.
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Hotel Aphrodita - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: Balkan
Resort Rating: No rating
Accommodation Rating: No rating
My/Our Holiday Review:
Can anybody help? I have booked to go to Hotel Aphrodita Golden Sands next Whitsun 0,7. Cant find any reviews. If anybody has been there will they write comments to let me know. Good or bad. Many thanks.
Liz (birmingham).
P.S any comments on the weather in late June.
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Astera - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: Thomson Holidays
- Aug 2007
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Rohan - Surrey (54 - 21)
Resort Rating: Below Average
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The hotel is very nice, big rooms and pretty clean,however in the evening the hotel bar is used by prostitutes and on one occassion the bar was very busy so they helped out serving drinks !I cannot recall ever coming across receptionists that are so rude.
The food both in the hotel and outside is appalling,usually cold,poor quality.There were six of us and we were never served meals all at the same time.We found Parmy the best by a long way but only discovered that the day before we were leaving.For a parasol and two sunbeds on the beach cost around £10 for the day and you will have to pay to use any toilet even if you re eating/ drinking in the bar Do not get a cab unless you have checked how much it should be with your rep, a trip to Varna cost us 57lev and it should be 20lev we also witnessed screaming matches between other tourists and cab drivers due to overcharging.
Shops in Varna do not put prices on items, they ask where you come from and price accordingly.In general the people are rude,weather was bad only two sunny days out of seven the rest of the time was thunder ,lightning and heavy rain.The place is seedy and everyone is out to get every last lev.
The best advice I can give is just don't go.
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Astoria Palace - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - August 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Caroline - Liverpool (37)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was my fifth visit to Golden Sands in 3 years.
The Astoria Palace was a clean and tidy. The food is the restaurant was basic and aimed at the German tourists.
If you visit Golden Sands, go to La Bomba (the bar near to the Astoria Palace). The foods lovely and the staff are really friendly and are a lot of fun.
Golden Sands hasn't changed much over the past three years - it's still wonderful. It's still really cheap to eat and drink and nothing is too much trouble for the Bulgarians - they really are friendly people and very lucky to live in such a beautiful country.
I hope to see you all in June and August next year
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: balkan holidays -july 2007
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : ewan 34,33,6,2
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
after booking this holiday i found out about holidays uncovered and some other sites and read all that was said about this hotel and thought oh dear what have i done...but after arriving at this hotel i found it to be very good.
90% of the staff i found to be very helpfull all you have to do is talk to them. food was good always hot and we always found plenty to eat (and i am a fussy eater). the pool was great and the slides are great for the kids but get down early for the sun beds the germans like to book them at dawn but this didnt stop me from getting them just toss there towels to the side.
resort fantastic lots to do for the kids.
went to varna on the bus its easy and cheep just under 2 levs so dont bother with a taxi they rip you off.lots to see there.going back next year....
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: Thomas cook june 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : cathy massingham(33,31,7,3)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The hotel atlas was very nice,lovely rooms(we were given a free upgrade to an appartment on arrival which was fantastic)everywhere was amazingly clean,the cleaners more than deserve their wages.However,the rest of the staff are USELESS and thats being kind to them,a grunt is as good as we got all week and a smile is out of the question.It seems that everything is too much trouble for them.
The food was the worst i've seen or tasted anywhere in the world by a long way so we ate lunch and dinner elsewhere on all but the first night which was a shame as we went all inclusive.The set up for all inclusive guests also needs sorting out,aside from being treated like second class citizens you can only use certain bars at certain times of the day.This was highlighted when we wanted a drink by the(very nice)pool,we had to go inside to a very poorly stocked bar even though we were sitting right beside a large poolside bar!this was reserved for paying customers only.you also have to sign for every single drink or ice cream you have so they can check that you are an all-in guest,isnt that what the wrist bands are for?Outside the hotel we really enjoyed ourselves,plenty of shops,bars,restaurants etc,and they were all really friendly and helpful and the food and drink is very nice and very cheap. the beach was great,golden sands is a true description and the water is lovely and clear and very shallow so it was perfect for the kids.
Overall we had a fantastic time in bulgaria and would recommend it to anyone,we would certainly go again.However,unless they sort out the staff and the food we wouldnt stay at the atlas.
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : H.D. 70, 43, 12, 8, 42, 65, 12
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We are very disappointed with the Atlas hotel. The all inclusive package is a waste of time, we are treated like second class citizens. The entertainment programme is very poor, the food is terrible. Drinks are very limited, long queues at the bar, the bar shuts at 10.50 pm. The rooms are spotlessly clean and so is the rest of the hotel. The reception staff and cleaners are very friendly, however bar staff and restaurant staff are ignorant. Pool area ok, children's club is good, 2 sessions a day, morning and afternoon. Golden Sands is a really nice place, plenty to do, and still cheap.
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: Co-op travel - Sep 2006
Opinion submitted in April 2007 by : Manchester (21,27)
Resort Rating: Below Average
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Flight - We travelled with Balkan Airlines. The plane had about 40 people on it, the cabin crew were very rude and practically threw the food at us. The plane was very old ripped seats & carpets.I couldn't wait to get off the plane.
Hotel - The hotel Atlas itself was stunning, big clean rooms with a sea view, We arrived at the hotel in the early hours but there was still a porter there to take our luggage to the rooms. The food was awful, cold & bland, we only ate twice at the hotel. The drinks were ok, apart from Diet Coke was not included in the all inclusive!!!
Resort - Erm... Awful on the nights we did eat out we found the staff in every restaurant very rude and the food was as awful as it was at the hotel. We ended up living on Mc Donalds! There were alot of 'ladies of the night' on the main street from the hotel. On the first night one took a dislike to me and knocked into me and said something in bulgarian which i presume wasn't a comliment. This was very scary & intimidating, every night after this i worried walking down the street, which you shouldn't have to do on holiday luckily nothing else happened.
We only went to Bulgaria for 7 days and 5 of those days it rained and there was not much to do in the resort so we spent most of it in the hotel room reading.
I would definitley NOT go back to Bulgaria.
Sorry this review is so negative but there is nothing good to write home about, Apart from the porter of the hotel who was very friendly. :(
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
July 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Steve and Pauline Waller Blackpool (over 40) and 3 16 year old boys
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Iwould like to recommend 2 restaurants in Golden Sands:- Staria Dab (near to the Admiral) Excellent food and service and if you ask for your food hot HOT is what you get.The ice cream cake is to die for and costs about £1 for a large portion. Another worth a visit is Kritvia Lipa. Excellent food and friendly service. Coffee and Cake £1. Watch out for the Belly Dancer complete with snake. Also worth a mention is Mickey Mouse (adjacent to the Marina Hotel)They do a mean L Lasagne. Dont visit the Dolphinarium. It has been opened since 1984 and by the looks of it hasnt had a lick of paint or a change in format since. The only time we were ripped off.
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: Thonson July 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : 22, & 22
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hotel:
The hotel (with Spa) is lovely. It was always clean and the people there were always friendly. Our rooms were spotless and very nice.
The food at the hotel was not nice at all! We only ate there once and didnt like it so the rest of the week we ate out. That was the only downside to the hotel.
Resort:
The resort is nice, however a bit ruff! We didnt find much to so there during the day other than go to the beach. At night time there is alot going on till the eary hours of the morning, great for younger people!
Trips:
Not many trips to chose from,and the ones that were on offer werent that good. We went on one trip which was a long coach ride to Sunny Beach. We found this trip too long and not that interesting.
Overall it was a nice holiday. Great for people who wanna relax and just lay by the pool and the beach, but not so good for younger people and those a lil more active! Had a ok time but wouldnt go back!
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Going Places Direct) Going Places - july 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : katie simpson -25,31,04
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
On arrival of the holiday when arriving to Atlas we were greeted with a porter who took our cases to the room ,the rooms are beautifull and big and good air conditioning systems , although the showers are not too great ..they are if you have a shower in the morning or afternoon but night the hot water seems to go but we was told it was cos we were high up on the 5th floor .Cleaners work around your selves excellant high standard of cleaning !
As for the restaurant i would not eat in this place it was very german orintated catering for the germans ...with only one toaster on a breakfast time which you had to let the toaster go round at least 3 times before your toast went brown ...and the germans tend to push in front of you ...there needs to be two of you at the toaster to prevent this from happening ..one toaster for 600 guests ? all bratwurst sausages ...or smoked sausage ...no english food ...apart from chips !
No drinks with evening meal included you have to buy your own drinks !
sunbeds not good either have to have your towel on your bed before 8am really to get a place round the pool ..so we spent money going to other pools ...but you can find great pools round the beach and less crowded.
You have to watch the bar at Atlas as the prices change on drinks they charge whatever they want and is expensive same money for a pint as home prices ...apparantley you can get cheap drinks in the resort but we didnt find the place that cheap we took £800 and spent it all and could of spent more ..only going on one excursion to see the dolphins which cost for a family of 3 about £70 that included the taxi fair but we still thought it was expensive for a 30 minute show !
We did not go to the water park as we got told from friends who we met over there that there was not many slides for my son who is 4 yrs old ...and was expensive also !
We was going to go on the boat and the pedalo boats on the beach but the sea was too rough to do any water sports ...but if the sea hadnt been rough the beach would of been great !beautifull clean beach gold sand !
Kids club at the hotel was not great it was all german even the reps could not speak much english and the disco was all german songs on a night my 4 yr old was singing german by the end of the holiday haha ! but if your not a german kid you get pushed out a bit i found !
I was worried about mosquitos but i did not come across any bites or mosquitos i did not have to use any repellant at all which was a good thing .
you can pay 55 lev for a saftey deposit box but we found at the end of the holiday you dont get this back its just a payment and once paid thats it for your two weeks so dont rely on getting that money back ! this was £21 which you wont get back !
The germans did run this hotel really with everything ...entertainment , food , sunbeds, and reps .....but the hotel was clean and the rooms clean ..but we did end up eating out most nights ..as we got sick of eating cheese sandwiches and chips ....
The resort has plenty to do for the kids ,bumper water boats,trampolines,ferrice wheel,horse rides,quad bikes,slides in most pools.
Weather we had about 5 great days of sunshine the rest was windy and over cast for the other days which i guess was a downfall of the holiday in a total of 14 !
prsttutes are everywhere this did not bother me as long as your not a single man going there your ok ..they dont bother you if you have a child with you or a woman on your arm ..but if you walk on your own beware they will grab you but they did not cause any problems with the holiday at all really although there is alot about !
If the weather would of been better and the sea calmer im sure this place is a great place for familys and if it was a bit more english friendly ...apart from the points i pointed out this place was a ok holiday for sitting round the pool when weather good and you can get a bed .
Oh last point if you go to macdonalds watch out they rip you off left right and centre they just give you super large everything ask for meduium or small if you want that as they can charge you one day a big price then another day the price different for the same orders ....and very salty .
Childrens slides need to be watched there is a life guard sat at the edge of the pool but he does not pay attention you need to supervise the kids as my little boy got hurt on them as there is two slides and when crossing the pool to get out when landing they can crash into each other and believe me there will be a accident here one day my son hurt his ear through this so you have to tell each child when its safe to come down .
Apart from this the place is great if more english oriantated .
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel May 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : STUBBS 47, 42, 11, 7
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just returned from Hotel Atlas, the hotel is lovely rooms are spotless and very modern. The pool is kept clean every day. The food in the hotel was very poor stews most days and a lack of veg with regards to children's choice that was also poor it was so poor we eat out every night.
The entertainment was ok a show every night and activites during the day, my children loved the pool and the slides.
The hotel had easy access to the shops,resturants and a 10 minute walk to the beach which was lovely.
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - Sept 2005
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Anna Dixon - Newcastle (27, 29)
Resort Rating: Poor
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
I will start off by saying we would NEVER return to Bulgaria once was once too often.
We chose this holiday place for our honeymoon and have not forgotton how bad it was, not exactly the memories you want for your honeymoon.
The Hotel was clean but the food was atrocious, undercooked and inedible considering we were half board we could not eat here every night unless we wanted food poisioning. Walking out on a night time was even worse constantly pestered to go in to the restaurants on the street and felt unsafe as prstitutes lined the streets this would not be a good holiday place for families.
The beach was ok but have sunbathed on better dangerous pier. Cannot think of any good bars/clubs as did not venture very far from Hotel. There is one good cocktail bar just before you get to the Hotel Shipka I would recommend this for a couple. Trip to Varna with Hotel taxi was a disaster over priced and could not locate the shops he told us about be wary of pickpockets as they can be children. We started with a 9 hour delay wish we had never taken off but when coming home we thought exactly the same as the plane could of fell to pieces at any time, ripped carpets seats would not stay in on place strong smell from toilet (use your imagination) and no overhead storage I felt like the pope when I landed I had to kiss the tarmac.
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: August 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Sarah Morgan (47, 15, 14, 12
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
We had never been on a package holiday before and dont think we will be doing it again.
On arrival in Bulgaria the airport in Varna is really small which makes it very cramped for tired passengers.
There are bugs everywhere, so remember the bugs repellent.
When we got to the hotel are first impressions was that it looked very clean and tidy. However, as we went to our room we found that there was only a double bed and a single bed ( there was 4 of us!)We phoned reception and a mattress was put on the floor with a wollen blanket!The hotel also had a bug infestation (they wernt poisoness so the signs said!)
The walls are very thin and everthing can be heard- next door, down the hall and underneath.
Our room was on a balcony looking on to high rise garden that no one was allowed on to.
The dining hall was quite big, but had to get there early to get a table. Waitresses were rude and unfriendly.
The food was DISGUSTING. The meat was left out on the counters along with the salds. We all had food poisoning for 24 hours. My sister was so bad she had to go on a drip in the hotel doctors room.
The beach was brilliant. Plenty to do and the umbrellas were cheap to hire out.
The activites organised by the reps were expensive- better off going to the beach for a no frills deal.
Overall a good holiday plenty to do on the beach and surrounding towns. food and drink- very expensive.
Would not recommend the Atlas Hotel though- Big dissapointment!
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - August 2005
Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : Smithson - Glasgow (59, 49, 33, 32, 3)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The hotel is extremely clean, no sooner did a blemish appear than there was someone there to polish it off. If you want a sunbed that is in the sun most of the day then you will have to be up really early. No matter what time we got up at (as early as 6.45 am)the best beds were gone. The rooms in the hotel are spacious and again spotlessly clean we even managed to get a sea view without any extra cost. The food is average, nothing to write home about, we could have found something to eat every night however I would have struggled to find anything for my son (3). There was a children's food area however, the food for them was cold and lacked variety. We went out for dinner quite a few nights and found ourselves in Mama Mia's where we found one side of the restaurant with the younger waiters very entertaining and they were very friendly and helpful and also very good with my son. My whole family would recommend a steak from here as they cook it in front of you so you know exactly what you're getting.
The resort is lively, there are plenty of things to see especially if you like people watching, there are plenty of shops, pubs and restaurants, the only drawback is that there are plenty of touts with leaflets for all the pubs and restaurants who try to give you flyers every 10 feet.
The hotel is situated behind a main street in the resort where there are prostitutes, my husband was approached twice however they never came near if he was with me or my son, it only happened if he was walking slightly ahead or behind and it only took a simple no thankyou to get rid of them.
Overall we had a good holiday, the weather was fine, it was even quite warm at night. We will probably go back to Golden Sands in the future, but I think we will try to stay in a hotel a bit nearer the beach, such as the Admiral Hotel as carrying all the things a 3 year old requires for the beach up and down the hill was pretty tiring.
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan Holidays ( July 2005)
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Elaine & Tommy - sheffield ( 53, 56):
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
The hotel was spotless & the staff were friendly& polite, at every meal there was a wide veriety of choices, some of it was cooked in front of you. Our room was just like the picture in the brochure, the air con. is a god send as it was hot, the maid was fairly old but did an excellent job, we couldn't fault her. The only gripe we have is the price of the drinks in the hotel bar, but there are plenty of bars about, we went to one on the next street down with a guy called Dian singing live every night, he was good. We are going back next year and know we will not be disappointed with the hotel,food, beaches or the people.
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan July 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Karen, Rob, Rebecca and Lucy. (39, 40, 9, 5. )
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This is our 2nd year at the Atlas it was very good last year but it has improved this year . We arrived at approx 2.30am were told we had been upgraded to a suite. living room, bedroom 1 bathroom with bath, shower, toilet, sink and Be day. 1 bathroom with toilet and sink. Nice balcony with side sea view. Food this year was very good we did eat out sometimes as the food was a bit repetative. The cocktails in the hotel bar are good I would recomend the Port Atlas its got the juice of a fresh lemon in it and is sour but scrummy.
there is a good cocktail bar just down from the mimosa hotel called the Angel wich does 2 for 1 all night on the beer and cocktails ( I think its 1st drink only )Which is very good. also the restaurant next door to the Angel is Excellent. The men are outside giving out 10% off vouchers.
The rock bar down the road from the angel and opposite is brill.
All in all another great holiday in Golden Sands. Hopefully we will be back again next year...
Forgot to say kids club was great ( according to the kids )
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - July 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Nicola Wason (31,26,24,34,7,7)
Resort Rating: Below Average
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hotel was very nice although caters totaly for Germans.The food was very poor chicken uncooked.Breakfast was continental although you had to que for up to 25mins to get anything.At the pool there is a sign that said resevation of sun beds is forbidden. So we didnt do this on arrival we went to the pool at 7.45am to find not a sun bed available we complained and were told to sit at a table.The next day 4 Germans couldnt get a sun bed and while we were in the pool the hotel staff removed our towels and gave the beds to the germans. My advice glue your towels to your sunbeds or pretend to be German. All the entertainment in the hotel day and night is sung and spoken in German the kids club is only for German kids.
The resort is Ibiza but twice as bad every second step you take you get a leaflet for the Muppet Bar or Bonkers or people trying to pull you into their restuarant my advice just say maybe tomorrow and they leave you alone.The locals were nice, beach was lovely well worth a visit.It is very cheap to eat out most places are clean. There are a lot of ladys of the night although they dont approach the men if a female is with them, but out alone they are all over them. I enjoyed my time but would not return until they updated the planes which are 30 years old and are bog standard I enjoy flying but they scared me when they shook on landing. My advice try Bulgaria if you dont mind Germans.
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct - June 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Emma Cumberbatch - Hertfordshire (21,23)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
I was concerned after booking my holiday in Golden Sands at 1st as I had read quiet a few bad reports, I found when I got there none of the reports were true as the hotel and resort were lovely. The hotel was amazing compared to hotels you get in Spain and Greece, you definately get more in Bulgaria for your money! The rooms are very spacious and kept very clean.
I was concerned about the weather at first as the first two days we got there it was raining and cold (we went 9-23 June) so definatly take a jacket and long trousers! The weather did get better and it did get very hot, the weather is very tempermentle - one minute its very hot then all of a sudden the clouds come over and its rains for the rest of the day, we had 4 days of rain it two weeks.
The food in the hotel is average, the chefs cook up the same meat every night, chicken/pork. The food is very safe to eat - never raw. They have a selection of salads, hot/cold meats, veg (the veg was always cold and very hard). The waiters/waitresses in the hotel are very slow, you might not get ask if you would like a drink. Its cheap to eat out, roughly about 45 levs for 2 starters, 2 mains, and a bootle of wine (about £17.
Overall Golden Sand is a Lovely resort.
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan Holidays - 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Cyril Greenacre 45,42,10
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Excellent hotel whith regards to the room,s and cleanleness and most of the staff however lets start at the begining the airline which was bulgarian air was to say the worst airline we have ever flown on the food was the worst and the stewards and stewardess well you,d think they had lost a fiver and found 10 pence
We landed safley in Varna at about 12.15am as did 2 other flights the 2 carosels with the luggage could,nt cope neither could the staff our "reps" decided to throw all balkan air luggage off the carosels(good idea however they forgot to tell balkan airs passengers) as the 3 flights could,nt get through customs as I,ve said the staff could,nt cope there was no air conditioning it was stiffling and tempers were getting raised we eventually found our luggage thrown beside both the carousels under other cases we got on our buses and off we went hoping things could only get better
got checked in every thing looking fine rooms were really good probably the largest room we have had on a package holiday and very clean as it was the whole 7 days we were there the food in the resteraunt was the worst for choice we have ever experienced and even if there was something that you liked the look of the tea plates supplied were far to small which meant you had to wait for more food to be cooked 1st night as an example I chose my vegatables then waited 20 min for the meat to be cooked consequently cold veg not acceptable at all so i complained only to be told well get another plate and some warmer veg great customer relations and it was much more the same as the week progressed so we decided to eat out in the evenings at least we had a wider choice and it was how a meal should be.
There is no nightlife in the hotel after 10pm you have to make your own. Downtown well if you liked Blackpool 20 years ago you will have a great time far too much tat and copy gear and all they want is your money and as much as they can get these people have no scruples the best thing about our holiday in Bulgaria was the weather and the fact we were only there 7 days it was the first time we all could,nt wait to get home and I think that is a terrible statement but true roll on October and were off to a proper holiday destination Cyprus or Majorca
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays September 2004
Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Peter Seedhouse-Tamworth Staffs (51,49,24 and 22)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
After all we had read re the hotel Atlas and Golden Sands we were a little concerned, but none of those concerns turned out to be real.
The flight was very good and on time.We arrived at Varna early in the morning so got to the hotel in the dark, but first impressions were excellent. The rooms are much larger than what you normally get and we even had walk in showers. The rooms were cleaned throughly every day and towels changed whenever we left them in the shower. Our rooms were at the end of a corridor sowe had a large balcony which was great for sitting out on in the evening. I would rate the rooms we had as superb. They were air conditioned, had a fridge, plenty of wardrobe space and TV with some English speaking channels
We could not fault the food. There was always lots to choose from and always ebible. Yes there were some things repeated, but we always found plenty to eat both for Breakfast and Dinner. Whilst we were at Golden Sands there was a virus going round that gave some people tummy trouble, but that was (in my opinion) nothing to do with the hotel food.
Some of the staff in the Dining Room were not always that friendly but if you smiled at them and spoke they responded and lightened up. We found a waitress who was great and by the end of the holidys was finding us a table in her area and called us Mom and Dad.
All the areas of the hotel were spotless and the cleaners were always out clearing up any litter etc.. Even if a leaf blew off a tree they were out to clean it up as soon as it landed.
The pools (one inside and one outside) are indeed a bit too small for the size of hotel although this did not bother us as we spent our days on the beach which is only a 10 minute walk away even if you walk slowly. Atlas (along with a lot of other hotels)is up a hill, so coming back from, the beach took longer than going to it, but that gave us an excuse to call into a bar/cafe of which there are plenty.
The beach is brilliant, very clean and there are lifguards around all the time. Going into the sea was no problem as the sand slopes down to the sea.
There are plenty of places to eat and drink and they are all relatively cheap. We had a meal out for the four of us with wine and drinks and the bill came to about £30, so even if you do get "bored" with hotel food its cheap to eat out.
The Chinese just down from the Atlas was great, the portions were very large and if you go there have one portion of rice for two people and there will still be plenty.We were also told that the Indian Restaurant known as the Taj Mahal was good as well. We had a brilliant meal at the restaurant just round the corner (towards the Admiral hotel)from Sinbads. I cant remember the name
We found out that if you go to the Casino at the International (you cant miss it as its right on the front) and show your passport to join the casino, you can get free food and drink. We did not eat but the drink was free and you did not need to gamble if you didn't want too, but playing the slot machines was fun.
There have been comments regarding the prostitutes and yes they are there, but not once in the 14 days did they approach us. This was because we were always in couples. Men not with a female did get hassled though.
Golden Sands is just a resort with no sign of Bularian Life so if that is the sort of thing you want, you will need to get out and about. We went to Varna a couple of days and taxi travel is fine and cheap. You can go out and about by bus, but we heard that pickpockets operate on these so avoided them.
All in all we had a great holiday. We wanted somewhere to relax during the day and go out in the evening for a walk/drink/club if we wanted. Golden Sands gave us just what we wanted.
The Atlas is a great hotel and I would recommend it. The only problem with our holiday was that we had to come back to cold and wet England
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct - Sept 2004
Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Bernie Ross - Birmingham (4 over 40 and 13year old )
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
just come back from a lovely week at Golden Sands, two days of cloudy weather but had a nice trip to Varna and shopped.
found the resort very clean,
Hotel spotless, rooms massive, was upgraded to an apartment i was very impressed.
so cheap, will go back again.
the beach in Golden Sands is clean and plenty of opportunity to get food and drink.
look out for the girls of the night it can cause a problem for the men in the party they have no shame, (the girls that is)
good choice of holiday you will certainly not spend all the money you take with you,
just remember 1,lev = 36pence
you can get a pint of lager for 2levs - 72pence fantastic.
for information only at september 04
exchange rate was £1.00 = 275
(nearly 3lev)
have a good time !!!
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan 20th July 2004 -2 weeks
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Mark Mellars-Cardiff 39,34,34,32,28,12,7,3
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We booked our holiday with Oakley Travel, our operator was Balkan Holidays. After all we had heard we were quite surprised the Aeroplaneswere fine, the food consisted of cold meat cheese and a roll. No duty free on the plane and no alcohol although plenty of free soft drinks.
We arrived on time to Varna, the airport was small but fine. Hotel Atlas was really nice, we arrived after midnight and the porter took our cases to our rooms leaving us to get a nice cold beer at the 24hr bar. The rooms were really nice, clean and spacious. The hotel restaurant could get a bit busy at popular times however if you could go to breakfast early prior to 9am or to evening meal after 8-8.30pm it was far more civilised.
Some of our party ate out as they were not impressed by the food however with small children it suited us, there was always something for them and us to eat. If you do miss breakfast the english bar in Hotel Sofia did proper beans on toast.
The resort itself is very commercialised,busy and some parts are quite noisy with many gang's of 18-30 drunk scandinavian boys. However there re many nice bars and restaurants along the front, the Muppet bar was good for a laugh. The Bulgarian evening in the forest was a good trip also the Aqua Park which is 10 min walk away is excellent value we spent the whole day there, the kids had a fab time, food and drink inside very reasonable, although many steps leading up to the entrance. In the 2 weeks we were there only one of our party was approached by a Pr*stitute, they were not as prevelent as we were led to believe.
Overall a good time was had by all.
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan july 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Rob and Karen Pinder - Durham [39, 38, 8, 4]
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
Just returned from 14 days at the Atlas Hotel in Golden Sands.
The bad points - we had to come home after 14 days.
What a great holiday the hotel was excellent the staff very friendly. The kids club was brill 10am until 12noon then 3pm until 6.15pm and they came back fed. There was a kids playground right next to the restaurant so you could eat your meal and keep an eye on the kids at the same time. The kids reps Lucie and Tanya were really good our kids loved them.
Rooms were very clean towels changed every day the maid was lovely. the rooms sleep 2 adults and 2 children so you dont have to pay the family room suppliment unless you want an absolutely huge room. the kids sleep on a sofa bed but there was nothing wrong with it. the pillows were like bricks if you have any neck or back problems, take your own.
there is even a phone next to the toilet.
Food - after reading other reviews about the hotel on this and other sites i thought that we would have to eat out but i was wrong. The breakfasts were very nice eggs fried boiled scrambelled. pancakes were made while you waited. there was sausage bacon fried bread, a selection of cheese, meat jams, fruit, yogurt,danish paistries, breads and plenty of tea coffee and juice.
The evening meals were ok but they did get monotonus after the first week but eating out is dirt cheap.
there were some great bars one of them was next to a fabulous indian restaurant i cant remember its name but there was a guy playing rock music every night he was really good. The Amfora on the sea front is a good restaurant if you want sea food but the crabs and lobsters are in the tank then the chef comes and picks on out to cook.
there are bouncy castles for the kids.
The water Park was excellent but more expensive than we thought. Its 25lev each to get in even for our 8 year old. small kiddies are 8lev. The food inside is cheap though.
food on the plane out and back was very poor and don't hang on to any lev to spend in the airport as they only take euros, dollars or stirling in the duty free or the coffee shop (only in the souvineer shop, which is all overpriced cr*p!) have some thing to eat in the resort before you head off home.
We had a great holiday and will DEFFINATELY go back to the Atlas...
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Atlas - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan holidays - june 2004
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Jill H.P. - Northamptonshire
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
flew with balkan airlines, old planes but arrived ok. arrived at atlas and was very pleased, nice hotel only built last year. 24 hour reception and bar(very handy), but watch the bar staff they round every thing up to nearest lev or seem to get the prices off the top of there head.
the rooms where very nice but you all sleep in the same room if a family, rooms,hotel and grounds kept clean daily.
food was ok but very repetative(pork, veal and chicken), a few people said that they did'nt like it and they ate out, but i think they were expecting english grub.
the resort itself was ok very hilly and one big building site when we were there.
if you do eat out mama mias, chinese(next to golden lion pub)very good, loads of grub for price.
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Hotel Aurora - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan sept 2005
Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Jacky Edwards - Brecon (45 45 19 20)
Resort Rating: Poor
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The hotel was clean and tidy, the staff were very friendly, the entertainment was none existant, the 3 swimming pools were not over crowded at all in fact they were empty, which i think was due to them beeing so cold ( im surprized that there was not ice floating in them) the music was loud in the indoor pool,( i know this as our room was above it and they dont seem to have a off switch to their music system) The off switch was found at the start of the second week when iwanted to strangle the night porter. the food was boring did visit the shops alot (to buy toilet roll) as the food had a habit of escaping from your body in gushes (top and bottom) by third day i was in tears wanted to come home.
tried to book a few excursions, the rep wanted us to go on bulgarian evening we didnt want to go so from that day on we was told every trip was full or we were too late, which we new was wronge as other people booked the trips after us.anyway my son took 2 months to recover from the virus he picked up there,(we think it was from the sea) and we will be going back to PORTUGAL where we have had many a good holiday
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Hotel Bolero - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: Thomson Holidays
- June 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Tony Joan & Emma 45,44,11
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just returned from this hotel and had a fantastic time, The hotel was one of the best we have ever been in they were constantly cleaning everywhere. The rooms were very spacious maids came in every day and mini bar was stocked regularly. The food was lovely 3 restaurants to choose from they all had plenty of choice even our 11 year old found something she liked for a change! We liked the Argentinian one best. The pools were lovely a bit cold but nice to cool off, lovely health spa with massages etc. Most of staff were very helpful, entertainment wasn't up to much but the animation team tried very hard. The resort was lovely and very cheap! Plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from if you wish to go out.
Would recommend Forest night out trip, well worth going and my daughter loved the dolphinarium. Will definitely be going back to this hotel and resort.
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Hotel Bolero - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: July/Aug 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Jill Owen - Rotherham (53,50,19 & 17)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Having received a letter from Portland Direct informing us the hotel wasn't finished, we packed our bags to fear the worse!
Having arrived at the hotel we found that we had landed the best room ever! The rooms are spacious, beautiful fittings although the decorations were a bit rushed. Most of the rooms have a pool view. On our second week the Spa was open(this was the only part of the hotel that hadn't been finished when we arrived).
We ate at the Argentinian restaurant for most of our meals as it was more casual than the main restaurant (evening meal had to be booked for this restaurant during breakfast). Food was very good, there were always numerous chefs cooking steaks, pizza's and roasts.
We found that all the staff were friendly.
The animation team were great with everyone, most of them could speak 3/4 languages and they spoke to everyone. Mitko always wanted to remember your name.
The team had to do the evenings entertainment, having only started doing this at the beginning of June they weren't that bad, perhaps another season and they will get it right, but who cares the kids seemed to be happy and the adults just refilled their glasses.
There's plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas, but if you want to sit in a certain place you will have to take your towels down at about 8.00.
Golden Sands is very busy and the hotel is situated away from Party Street about 15-20 minutes walk so it is peaceful all day.
For teenagers it's paradise, On Party Street there's karoke bars, night clubs and MacDonalds. Our girls really did enjoy themselves. A crowd of us (parents and the animation team) went down one night with the kids just to let them know that we did all this once, but it was a bit too noisey and we (the parents)staggered back to the hotel at around 2.30.
Having see the other hotels I think the Bolero is the place to stay.
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Hotel Bonita - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: balkan july 07
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : stuart mcvey 39,36,8,6
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
hotel okay,clean,helpful staff,maids in daily,small pool,sometimes we used one across road THE MARINA no charge,
on B&B, breakfast repeatative,good location next to beach,8 min walk to party street,same to centre of beach
plenty of shops around,good all round.
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Hotel Bonita - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: balkan holidays - Aug 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : hellen 38, dave 41, steph 10, nathan 4.
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hi. We stayed at the hotel Bonita in Golden Sands and although basic and there is no entertainment in the hotel itself, the hotel is spotless and the staff wonderful, also the maids who never touch your things. The lads in the foyer were always playing with my little fella especially KoKo who gave him swings round.
The whole area is bouncing night after night in all the bars and clubs but you get used to the noise and find sleep easy. The breakfast is catered around the Germans but eating out is cheap so English breakfasts can be had.
The best by far bars to go for friendliness and food are Mamma Mias Steak House, The Friends Bar both of which are in the main area and there is an English owned bar called the Vectis Tavern but run by the Bulgarians. This was the place we most favoured because they did bacon bagettes.The manager in here is lovely, everything is cooked to perfection and it is english food or near as it could be to it. They had a live group on every night that were fantastic. We will miss all at the Vectis especially the warm welcome every time we walked in. The Vectis is along the road by the huge casino.
Going on the Pirate Adventure is a day out not to be missed by anyone young or old. It is well worth it. Don't be shy, have a go. We also went on the Balkan Fiesta night which was a good night out and I would reccomend it. Both of these trips were under £20. each for adults.
I must just add that when we went to Bulgaria 3 years ago the prices have shot up threefold but it is still cheaper than most other places and it is only because the euro is on the way in. The people are just as lovely and welcoming as ever except at the Exotic bar along the road out where they couldn't raise a hello let alone a smile all the time we were in there.
All in all a very good holiday and I look forward to going back.
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Hotel Bonita - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan Holidays - Sept 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : M Priestley (39 42 15 13)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned from bulgaria stayed at Bonita hotel it is on the sea front with great views,hotel very clean and tidy,breakfast o.k if you like eggs and german sausage or fruit,beds are hard and pillows are like stones this was the only down fall to the whole holiday.
Resort not changed from last year very clean and friendly people.
Still lots of bargains to be had,but for how long once they go into the E.U only time will tell,a must is mama mias go see ali baba and sinbad great food great laugh great night.Muppets is a good laugh too.
Went on day trip to the Danube, went to a traditional house first this was good with local fire water and dancing then on to a small church after that we went on a horse and cart ride this was good the kids loved it,then we stopped for dinner and some more dancing this was also good,from there we went to the Danube river what a let down to the whole day,the river is dark and merky and nothing to see on the river banks at all,from there we went to the centre of this small town and dropped off for 3/4 hr it felt like we had been dropped off in the Bronx we all headed for the nearest bar and stopped there until time to go,glad to get back on the coach,the day will be remembered for the horse and cart ride alone,this was booked thrugh Balkan holidays
went on the fiester night this was good and well worth the money as much food and drink as you like
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Hotel Bonita - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan Holidays - 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Hardy Family 38, 35, 15, 12, 7
Resort Rating: No rating
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hotel was clean staff friendly & helpfull.
Breakfast was fine the only thing I missed was real milk as they only used dried milk. Our son missed his bacon sandwich, he did try eating out for this one morning but was not impressed and had a upset stomach afterwards as did his dad Mama Mia dont go! You could only buy uht milk in supermarkets too. The little shops under the hotel are just as cheap as the bigger ones. Also the mini bar in rooms are just as cheap as the supermarket in golden sands. Not varna everything is really cheap 50p packet cigs 15p beer they are more expensive in resort. The room we were in felt small as we had an extra bed in it. The one our boys had next door was ok. I could not of slept in the extra bed but our yougest did. Not much space to put clothes just dont take many! You may need a jumper for late evening sometimes.
Plenty of things to do
Water Park
Only bad point if a thunderstorm suddenly brews up they will close the Park watch your bbc world weatherforecast (only english channel on tv)or ask one of the porters. Also they dont refund if you just walked in. We did not have that problem some did. 26 lev per person over 1.2
We used mini bus 1 lev outside hotel worth it as it is up hill. you could walk back or bus dont use the horse and carriage as they have to stop at the police checkpoint and can go no further which still leaves you a good 8 min walk.
Beach
parasailing
pedal boats
banana rides
jet ski
Massage
Quad bikes (evenings)
You can pay for sunbeds 9 lev per day or lie on the beach part next to the sea. The beach is a bit of a squeeze cant play games on it only in the sea. Our first week we spent at the beach but after a big storm the seconed week there were jelly fish so our yougest would not go in the water.
Boat trips
full day
half day
evening
fishing trips
pleasure
Crazy Golf
This is fun but it is not very well signposted It is next to some mini quads for kids and a bungee jump for mad people.
The entrance is between some shops a little further along. It gets busy at night try when it is to hot as it is shaded by trees. only 4 levs for kids.Nice little restaurnt selling nice cakes and you can see the kids playing golf or at the other side watch them on Quads 6 lev 16min or 2 lev 4 min
Trains
If you stay at the bonita dont bother getting the first one its a short walk 5 mins 2nd get on & stay on it takes you along to the harbour, Outside show area and a go cart area for adults. On the 2nd train you will pass the golf.
Kids show
This was on wed night at cocktail bar at sofia free 8pm our daughter had fun played games face painting ballons be aware parents join in. My husband and the boys watched tv in the Irish bar underneath football!
swimming Pool
Hotel pool is tiny go up the road about 25 metres on the left and use the admiral pool. Bar serves food too its nice staff friendly too. 4 lev for a sunbed with pad. Small area for toddlers
Eating out
Never had a bad meal the lighthouse was the most expensive but very good
Airport Varna take euros not levs as a very high exchange rate. so take some euros for the airport on return.
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Hotel Bonita - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : bedworth 49 &51
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
HOTEL BONITA very clean plenty to choose from at breakfast good selection.safe deposit box small charge.air con free.nice friendly staff.excellent location 5 mins walk away from the hundreds of 18 - 25 year olds but close to beach & shops.must eat in resturant on the corner opposite bonita, great value.lots of germans.we enjoyed our holiday.trish & keith.
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Hotel Bonita - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Tony-Shipley (41,37,13,9,2)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
The resort was one of the best we have been to,with a wide range of shops and everything from food to cloths was very,very cheap you can by top make trainers (nike shox) for about £16 and we had 3 large pizzas,5 portions of chips and drinks for £15 thats not bad at all.
Now for the hotel-it is very clean and the rooms are large.There was not a lot of food at meal times and if you wasn't there first the was gone so you had to wait. The food was very much to the german palate and not the english.The breakfast was not up to scratch,I had toast every morning because salad,cake,and german sausage was not to my taste.The meat at teatime was either snake or rat but very tasteful and everything was warm not hot so the chips was greasy and the potatoes.
The pool was about the size of a bath (4 people in it and it was full)and it was not cleaned everyday so my kids wouldn't go in it.
Overall the holiday was enjoyable but it looks like another country next year.
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Hotel Bonita - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - Sept 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : gerald anderson- stanley50 ,51
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
left newcastle on 10/9/04 on time
settled down for the flight(no bar last year) but suprise this year bar & duty free. dont this make time fly (oops)
flight smooth cabin crew great in and out of varna in no time smooth on to coach arrived at hotel bonita at around 1500very quickly upto room.this we found to be as last year clean,tidy (great view on floor 13)but as last year limited clothing space but not a problem,mini bar ,tv,phone.
quike shower,change and out for food etc
made way across road to the gerana restaurant friendly staff as usual food xcellent little duo and then bulgarian dancers first night and doing bulgarian dancing(again)bed around 2300,quiet on a night so great nights sleep assured
beach golden& clean 5 lev for sunshade
lifesavers still get you anything
bars aplenty arabellas-mamma mia in fact not a bad one.
if you stay at the bonita turn up away from beach towards the sofia at the russian bar there will be a mini bus book your trips there with albena she is xcellent nessebur a must-village&country brill
taxi to varna 30lev there & back great day out shopping cheaper than golden sands.
food & drink cheap as chips as thy say in golden sands 3 meals and drinks around 30 lev pint 1.80lev dearest 2.20 spirits cheap martini & sprite 3 lev.
oh and breakfast in bonita was buffet style was great,staff in hotel very nice in fact bulgarians are GREAT people try and say good morning etc in bulgarian they love the effort
role on next year (go now before they join eec)
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Hotel Britz - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: Med Hotels - June 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Cheryl Packham - Wales (11 in party ranging from 61 - 8)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
THE STEPS!!! Nobody can holiday in this hotel without mentioning the steps. There are over 200 steps from the resort front into the hotel itself. Not so bad going down but a nightmare coming back up! Call in to see NIKI at the bar halfway to revitalise yourself for the rest of the struggle.
The hotel itself is very clean with maid service every day, mine lined up all the shoes in pairs, picked up my sons dirty clothes, folded them and put them away. she got a big tip!
The food is awful, catered for the germans who take over this hotel, not very warm, repetitive and unedible on occasions. The rep insists Bulgarian food is delicious.
No entertainment as such, music is played via a cd player in the bar, 2 video games for kids, the nightclub is always empty.
Beach is excellent, although the sea is not very clean, go beyond the harbour to the cove, but beware the bottom half of this is a nudist beach. The bars all around here are only 1 lev a pint, with soft drinks 0.80.
Go for a trip in the car on the sea, it is awesome, 10 levs for 20 mins, ask for a drink, he gets you a cold one from out of a freezer in the boot!
Albena the next resort on is a lovely trip, the resort is beautiful, market running through it, plenty of activities for kids along the beach front, go karting with an excellent instructor for the kids, a road train through the resort, it costs 2 levs on the bus. GO THERE!
Party street is an experience in itself with the prozzies, but the atmosphere is great and the place is jumping! Different places by night and by day!
Prices on stuff not as cheap as we expected but there are still bargains to be had! ENJOY!!!
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Hotel Britz - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan June 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Martin, Olwen 47 46
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
there is a long long hill climb to it, didnt count the steps but must be over 100 phew!!!
Beach clean enough with lots of seating area to choose from.Lots of places to eat throughout the daytime and evening, but do take care to watch what you are being charged for as many waiters are not so honest. If you buy jeans/clothes do ask price before you try them on and inspect the items.
All in all a good resort.
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Hotel Chykia - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan Holidays July 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Brown - Falkirk 24
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
I am just this minute back through the door of my home back in Scotland and I can honestly say I've never been so glad to get back from a holiday! Even although I am exhausted I feel compelled to write this review to try and explain the utter disgust I have for Balkan Holidays to even contemplate letting ANYONE stay in HOTEL CHYKIA!
My partner and I, after a stressful time at work and saving up for a relaxing holiday, we were allocation on arrival and promised something "CLEAN AND BASIC"- TOTAL JOKE!!!!
We arrived at the hotel at 5am on the 3rd of July. At first sight, it appeared not too bad (perhaps this was because of our very long and tiring journey) but in the cold light of day it was nothing short of an eyesore!
Upon entering the hotel we could smell a damp and rotten odor and found this smell to get worse when opening the door to the "room" or "cell" as many of the people there called them. The long corridors of yellow doors facing shuttered windows (which only reminded us of the bars of our prison cell) soon dampened the holiday spirit we had when landing. I know it seems as if it can't get any worse. but it does. after laughing hysterically then soon realizing that it was not a wind up, I burst into tears. The beds were damp, there was mould and damp all over the dirty bathroom, the holiday clothes my partner and I spent £100's on were supposed to go into a tiny space smelling of dry rot. The walls of our room were filthy and the room had no privacy with only a shady piece of cloth being used as a curtain.
After a night of sleeping on the beach towels we brought we soon complained to the rep. He listened to what we had to say, spoke to the hotel manager and said we'd be moved into a new room. This didn't happen and instead the manager told me he'd resolved the problem, when we went to see if the room had been demolished or if indeed the "HOW CLEAN IS YOUR HOUSE?" team had been in we were shocked to see the manager had put CAR AIR FRESHENER into the wardrobe. So instead of smelling like dampness and dry rot we'd smell "mountain fresh". However after talking to the other guests it was clear that NO rooms in this hotel were suitable, the long walk through wooded areas with no lighting and very unsafe roads to the beautiful resort of Golden Sands were far too much for us to handle and after three very long and upsetting nights, we moved after giving BALKAN HOLIDAYS ½ our spending money into a lovely 3 * hotel near the beach (BONITA).
After filling a complaint form in and showing photographs we had of our room the Balkan Reps said the hotel is basic but clean. Perhaps they can explain the reasons for so many moves from this hotel and the report of someone even going back to the UK after seeing their room!
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Hotel Dana Palace - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - September 2006
Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : Lisa - 19, 23
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
This was our 4th time in Bulgaria and we thought we'd try a different hotel - The Dana Palace. We got it as a cheap late deal so weren't too fussy over what it was like. In general it was okay - location was fine, about a 10 minute walk to everything. The walk out is down hill so coming back its all uphill so wouldn't really recommend for the less able.
Staff were friendly and the hotel was generally very clean. Although our hotel room was not as clean as it should of been. This was the only problem - the bedding smelt really damp and this is something I hate and it definitely wasn't nice! It didn't get changed the whole time we were there.
And the other problem was the bathroom which was quite disgusting. There is no shower cubicle its just a shower head in the corner with a curtain (absolutely minging) that pulls round. So when we had a shower the whole bathroom was flooded out with inches of water because it didn't drain quick enough. We therefore had to wait half an hour after each of us had a shower before we could use the bathroom again.
We are not fussy people and we love Bulgaria its a great place and the Dana Palace is good accomodation - but the lack of cleaning in our room was undeniable.
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Hotel Dana Palace - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: First Choice - June 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Ian 34
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
June 14 for 1week
HI, I booked last minute holiday with first choice very helpful. THen i read alot of negative reviews reagrding THE hOTEL.and this made concerned and i thoughT oh no! what have i done.
So my Expectations were lowered, but i can u tell when i got to the hotel i was blown away fantastic great atmosphere very very nice staff, Clean room huge bed clean Bathroom i couldnt fault it. Only 10mins walk to town but helps burn the alcohol calories the night before. Beach is amazing and clean superb. Dont worry i didnt see any pickpockets even though i took almost every security issue into account, dont worry just be sensible dont wave money around etc.
The weather was fantastic, Food boring but it is the only holiday that ive had without having stomach problems, so well pleased. Hotel Breakfast is a laugh i just had cofee and egss etc, gets you through until lunch. Lunch went to LIons pub where u get huge discount on every thing until 4pm amazing. Nice atmosphere. I also went there for Dinner too has i could trust the food!
YES I DID LOOK AROOUND AT BULGARIAN FOOD BUT IT LOOKS UUCCK, I DID TRY SOME OTHER PLACES BUT DID REALLY KNOCK ME OUT. I MISSED MY OWN COOKING.
The only thing i found with Golden sands in June is the night life is too quiet for me has i like it buzzing and loads of people but it was quiet. but having said that it was a geat holiday to chill out, met loads OF friendly Bulgarians, they really easy to get on with.
Best Karaoke bar is Monkeys has you sing many songs! not like the other one were the woman takes over. sHES A MUPPET. aVOID.
And our rep paul was 1st class coming to hotel every other day making sure everything was ok. But dont bother with Bar crawl its boring full of kids etc. AND TH TH FREE DRINKS ARE ONLY SHOTS but its cheap just dont expect too much. THE LAST STOP IS GOOD! has you end up in Night club without the kids. LOL!!
Even given a Courtesy room on day of leaving. So to sum up mega i would recommend highly. Would i return to Bulgaria again no has i always try a differnt county every time, but get there before they join the EU. Go on book a holiday you wont regret it its nice and cheap and great place to chill out.
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Hotel Dana Palace - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thompson June 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Danks and Graydon 47, 50
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just returned from a weeks stay at Dana Palace Hotel and I would like to place some POSITIVE comments.
We found the hotel exceptionally clean, the staff friendly and helpful, no hesitation in trying to resolve problems. Tha bar staff were also fun and friendly and very prompt with service.
The room was nice and light and big. The beds VERY comfortable and clean. The room maid service was really good, clean towels daily and cleaning too. Plenty supply of toilet roll to!!! She couldnt do enough to help us.The bathroom was cleaned daily also and had a hairdrier installed which was a bonus.The air con worked well and even with the balcony door open!!! The mini bar was cheap although we didnt use it but having the fridge was great to store some food and drinks of our own. There are no tea/coffee making facilities so TAKE A KETTLE!!
The pool was lovely and clean and the two poolside bars were operational all day. The sun beds were plentyful and the life guard really helpful in making sure we had all sunshades etc.
The breakfast was good and had plenty of choice, toast making facility too and even the tea was nice!!!
The hotel is not far from the beach if you takee the route down the 'steps'. It was also quite when it needed to be at night!!
All in all i can give a very good recommendation for this hotel and found nothing to complain about at all.
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Hotel Dana Palace - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
june 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : steve,kathy (35,32,15,12,9,5)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned from bulgaria with my husband and kids and had a great time.The hotel doesnt deserve the bad reveiws some give it and we found that any problems we had was dealt with and so was other peoples.
The bathrooms was clean and overall so was the whole place including
the pool and bar etc. the hotel is situated up a small hill and we didnt
find this a problem but the fragile may have a problem. Staff was nice
all beit one or two and the weather is changeable but was told this is
usual for june.We flew with Thomson Holidays
and this went great with no delays
either way except for lots of turbulance on the way back and had to
remain seated with seatbelts on but again they dealt with things well.We
was told about many bulgarian horror storys mainly thefts but we never
heard of any in our 2 wk stay.
Loads of places to eat and cost around £50 pound for 6 includi8ng drinks and starters,main and dessert, try the havanna or buffalo steak house. I dont think the shops was very good they mainly sold cheap copys but very shoddily made.The beach is lovely and clean and a pleasure to swim in on a hot day.
The only bad thing about bulgaria is the guests there, not to mention the language from some familys 5 year olds it was awful and i felt ashamed to be british. We did meet some really nice people though and had the best time ever.
Would we return? Yes but to a hotel that cheap guests cant afford. (sorry to be honest)
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Hotel Dana Palace - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- Sept 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Victoria and Matt (28, 36)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was our first visit to Bulgaria, and the resort of Golden Sands was just excellent - we'd love to visit again, and would definitely recommend it. However the same cannot be said of the Dana Palace Hotel, which we wouldn't recommend to our worst enemies!
The flight out...
Our flight was from Newcastle and uneventful. Our flight arrived on time to the small airport of Varna, but our cases took about 1 hour to be released. The transfer to Golden Sands was relatively quick at approx 30 mins and Dana Palace was one of the first drop off's.
The resort...
The resort of Golden Sands was excellent and definitely one of the best we have ever been to, with miles of lovely golden beach, hundreds of bars and restaurants, and all in a nice green setting of hillside trees. The resort is quite commercialised, so there was plenty to do and see for a fortnight's holiday. There's also plenty for the kid`s to do alongside the sea front - horse rides, small quad bikes, trampolines, hair braiding, pottery painting, mini-train, go-carting, bowling alley, mini golf, karaoke bars etc.
Initially I was concerned about the weather, as the first two days were showery and cloudy (we went 01/09/2005- 15/09/05). However, the weather did improve, and it was pleasant to be able to lie in the sunshine without baking to death (midday included), and we actually came home with better tans. In the evenings the temperature really cools down, which was pleasant to go for a meal and drinks without melting, and cool enough to get a good nights sleep too (but I would recommend taking long trousers etc for the evenings).
There are hundreds of places to eat and drink around Golden Sands, and they are all relatively cheap. We ate out every night for between £7 and £11 - this was for two main meals, plus a bottle of wine/ or 2 beers.
In the bars, the cocktails were between 4-6 levs (approx £1.50-£2), and local beer was priced between 30p and £1. Bottles of Branded Spirits (Smirnoff, Jack Daniels etc) were expensive at about £18 or more for a bottle, but the local spirits at only £2-£2.50 per bottle are just as good.
All toilets, even when using bars and restaurants charge 50 "stotinkies" (which is about 15-20p) for their use, with an old crone at the doorway to take the money and distribute loo roll and paper towel! A bit cheeky when the majority of toilets leaked all over the floors - please be careful where dropping your trousers!
Speaking of which, pr*stitution is legal in Bulgaria however it's only visible after 9-10pm at night, and even then it's only around the main street by the `aptly named` Bonkers nightclub.
The Ladies Of The Night don't seem to approach men with their partners, and we actually saw it as a bit of a tourist attraction! Don't be put off, as the main street by Bonkers nightclub can be avoided if required.
Despite the amount of people out on an evening we didn't see any rowdiness, street crime or trouble, and we felt very safe in resort.
The entertainment in Golden Sands is mostly ok, and plenty of the bars and restaurants have shows and singers, although the duos are very similar at banging out the same Eurovision style pop songs in their pigeon English.
There is the usual pestering to buy things/go into restaurants/take taxis/accept leaflets, but a firm no always works. The wide range of shops sell everything a holidaymaker could want, and if you like your labels, fake designer wear is the backbone of the economy in Golden Sands - just leave plenty of spare space in your suitcase for bootleg watches, bags, tops, jackets, dvd's! You name it they'll copy it, an it's all very cheap!
Diesel, Nike, Dolce & Gabanna, Adidas etc is available in almost every shop, and at really good quality.
For myself, I bought two Diesel hooded fleeces for £10-£12 each, a bracelet style Cartier watch for about £3, a sparkly silver Dior watch for about £4, and a large leather purse/wallet for approx £6.
For the house, we bought a huge "wooden" tortoise for approx £7 (would have cost at least £20 in the UK), a large modern hand painted glass vase for approx £7, two "wooden" ethnic faces/masks for the conservatory at about £3 each, and a gorgeous handmade photo album bound with twigs and leaves for approx £5.
Matt bought a large Diesel sportsbag for approx £4, a pair of Oakley sunglasses for approx £3 , two Diesel vest tops for approx £6 each, and 4x 1ltr bottles of spirits (vodka, 2xamaretto, chocolate liquer) for a combined total of approx £10!
By European standards you know you are in a former communist country, so providing your expectations are not too high, then you should have a great time. The Bulgarian people are relatively poor - their standards of living are below those of westerners, so things may seem a bit rough around the edges. However, the Bulgarian tourist industry is still growing with huge new hotels springing up all over, so I think standards and service will improve greatly in the coming years.
It's not the place to go for local culture, or to meet local Bulgarians, but if you're looking for a relaxing beach holiday with cheap food and drink then Golden Sands would be perfect
In the future, we would like to visit Sunny Beach, but would personally never book any hotel below a 4* rating (as all hotels are rated to Bulgarian standards, by Bulgarian people).
And you get what you pay for, so the few extra quid spent on accommodation would be saved by the cost of living, and Bulgaria does have some really nice plush hotels.
A little word of warning for people with mobility problems - all roads and pavements in Golden Sands are very poor, and the whole resort is set on a hillside. Therefore I don't think Golden Sands would be suitable for wheelchairs, people who use a stick, or for anyone with walking difficulties.
The resort is also great for gamblers, as there are quite a number of casinos.
The hotel...
However, the Dana Palace Hotel was really disappointing. We were dissatisfied with the dirty unhygienic conditions, the poor state of maintenance, and the lack of Customer Service.
The Thomson Holidays
brochure states the Dana Palace Hotel has been recently
built. Although this may be the case, it is in a worse state of repair
than much older hotels. The corridor to our room on the 4th floor was in
darkness, because seven out of the 10 wall lights were not working. The
corridors were constantly thick with smoke, due to hotel cleaners
sitting around smoking. The lifts seldom worked correctly, and doors
would open and close three or four times before eventually changing
floors. On several occasions the lift was Out Of Order for days at a
time.
The general condition of the bathroom was unacceptable. It was dirty, unhygienic and never thoroughly cleaned throughout our two-week stay. The WC constantly leaked all over the bathroom floor (the smell on a morning made your eyes water!). The shower curtain was black with mould, and the wall tiles around shower/bath were never cleaned throughout our two-week stay.
The bedroom was a reasonable size for 2 people, with plenty of wardrobe space to hang and store clothes. There is a mini-bar containing drinks and snacks at the supermarket prices (not the rip off prices you will find in an English hotel mini-bar), and a TV. However the surfaces of the bedroom units were constantly gritty with dirt, and there were spillage marks to the front of the cupboards from previous occupiers, which were never cleaned off throughout our two-week stay.
The bed base was broken and the ends of the wooden slats were smashed so would not stay in position. Also, the bed sheets were too small to fit the mattress, and too small to stay securely tucked in - therefore every morning you woke up on the bare mattress which wasn't pleasant!
The air-con in the room was inadequate, as room temperature remained the same even when aircon had been working for several hours. The rooms didn't include any tea making facilities either. So make sure you pack a travel kettle, cups, cutlery, etc.
The restaurant should have been better. We were B&B for a fortnight, and there was a daily shortage of cutlery & crockery - our breakfast was spoilt/cold every day due to these shortages.
The canteen only served breakfast until 10am, which for us was too early. Especially when, if food/drink ran out after 9.30am it was not replaced, and staff were very unhelpful when this was brought to their attention.
The tablecloths in the garden area were always dirty/unhygienic due to spilt food/drink, and the dried in food attracted a constant stream of wasps, flies etc.
However there was always food to our liking, and certainly enough to choose from (cereals, fruit, breads, cakes, eggs, sausages, bacon etc), so we never went hungry. We ate breakfast 12 mornings from the 14 days we were there, and never had any stomach complaints. We just wish breakfast had been served until 11am, so we could have had a lie in.
The room had an average sized balcony, but the condition was generally scruffy and dirty. On our very first evening there, we accidentally dropped a couple of peanuts whilst enjoying a nightcap - those peanuts were never cleaned up during our fortnights stay!
The balcony railings were loose, there were paint spills to the tiled floor and balcony railings, and the Patio table was black with grime and never cleaned throughout our two-week stay - I rested a book (page side down) onto the table, and the pages came back striped with black grime!
The Thomson Holidays
brochure states the distance to the beach is approx 400m,
but neglects to say it is down a dangerously steep and badly lit road
that is in a hazardous state of repair! The hotel is set towards the
back of the resort, which on the plus side means it is away from the
main bustle. On the bad side, it does take a good 10 minutes to walk
down the steep uneven path leading into the resort.
The Dana Palace swimming pool was dirty with unhygienic grey water and floating scum and debris. The Jacuzzi did not work for 13 days out of our 14-day stay, and some of the tiled area surrounding the children's pool had collapsed into rubble - very unsafe for children.
Reception Staff at the Dana Palace were not interested in helping resolve problems. We complained on two separate occasions expecting the staff to log our problems. However Reception told us they couldn't help, saying we would have to come back later - there was no Customer Service at all.
Many other guests had complained to the Thomson Holidays
Holiday rep (us
included), who acknowledged there were problems at the hotel, and that
management were aware. Several of the guests we spoke to complained
about bad food and upset stomachs, although we had no problems
ourselves.
Another word of advice, dont go half/full board. The food at the hotel doesnt have a great deal of choice and is rather dissapointing, also there are loads of great restaurants around the resort.
The departure...
On the day of departure, we had to vacate our room by midday, but for an extra 30lev the room could be kept on until our coach collected us at midnight. However, at 6pm they rang our room to tell us the room had to be vacated now, and not midnight as expected. This was annoying as the hotel's standard rate for a single room was only 30lev per night (as advertised in the reception), but they were charging us 30lev for only 6 hours. I pointed out that if we knew we had to be out by 6 then we would have booked a single room until the coach arrived and not kept our room on, but again they were not interested.
The coach ride back to the airport was rather eventful. The airport is a little small with limited seating, so we ended up sitting on the floor, as even the windowsills were full. The plane was delayed by a couple of hours due to a thunderstorm, which is one of the worst I have ever seen, with lightening every second and water on the main roads deep enough to submerge the wheels on cars. The coach driver even pulled over on the hard shoulder for a while, due to fear of driving any further. This thunderstorm resulted in the airporting springing leaks everywhere and the incoming planes having to divert to another airport. The information boards didn't get updated at all either, so we were left in the dark (literally, due to a power cut). When we eventually boarded the plane, we were delayed for another 45 minutes due to the airport staff putting all of our cases on the Manchester flight, and vice versa, so this needed to be unloaded and reloaded.
Summary...
We had a great time in Golden Sands and didn't let the hotel spoil it.
Would we go back to Bulgaria? Yes, without a doubt, but next time we'll go either self-catering, or to a 4* or better hotel. We'll also take an empty suitcase for all the bargains!
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Hotel Dana Palace - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - September 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : John & Allyson (50, 46)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have been before and thought we'd try a different hotel.
The Dana Palace hotel.
Where do i start? the resort is good lots to do, water sports, miles of sun beds on the beach, loads of shops, as many trips as you can fit in, in your stay, prices are very reasonable (cheap). No need to go any thing other than B.B. Plenty of places to eat, loads to choose from again cheap, good value for money.
The hotel, now we come to the bit that matters.
The room, clean and tidy when we got there, then it went down hill, after 5 days the dried water marks on the sink were still there, so the sink had not been cleaned, the floor in the room had not been swept or moped as there was a leaf on the floor for 3 days, the bath room extractor fan had at sometime been broken and now was a hole in the wall, being a wet room if you needed to go to the toilet then you were still wading through shower water sometimes 15 minutes later. The shower curtian base was brown and there was mould around the bottom of the tiles in the shower.
The balcony door lock was broken, we asked for it to be fixed, the second time we took the rep, duty manager and another member of hotel staff to the room after they insisted it was fixed to show them it wan't. When it was fixed and we locked it on goin out the maid decided to leave it open, so she did go into the room!! The fridge was dirty and had hair on the door shelf. When the towels were changed we had to go to reception at night to ask for some as the maid forgot to leave clean ones.
The pool water was green and i only saw the attendant clean it once, that was the day after the a rep came and took a water sample. The pool area was not cleared until the next morning, you would find plates cups, glasses from the day before still on the floor, when you went to get a sunbed after breakfast (10 am)
The dinning room air conditioning vent was dripping and mouldy, it was covered after compliants with a piece of card, this after a day was water stained, the one further down in the same sate was left uncovered.
We saw the Balkan rep made our complaint and asked to be moved, who also said when asked that complaints were getting more in number as the season went on. We paid for the move, the difference between the two hotels and a admin charge, the hotel we went to "The Bonita," what a difference in everyway.
Am i booking Golden Sands for next year? yes already got the dates and price,, hotel? Bonita i think.
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Hotel Dana Palace - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan 27th august to sept 10th
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : angie steele - stoke on trent 48,46,15
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
places to eat mama mias, the zlatna kotva bbq, scandinavian steak house. sinbads for a great night out with entertainment the balkan fiesta night is a must as much as you can eat and drink plus entertainment for £17, this was our 2nd visit to g/sands a lot has changed some for the better some not so. all in all we had a fab 2 weeks
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Hotel Dana Palace - Golden Sands
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkans July 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : June and Gerald Rafferty [52] [56]
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review: