Hotel Aktinia - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: first choice - july 2007
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : kevin lindsay (42)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
aktinia hotel is not a 3 star ,maybe a 2 star at best,food was the worst i have seen and the worst choice,there was hardly anything to choose from.bar was open 24 hours but you had to wake the barman late on that was if you could find him,the reception staff were so unfriendly,prob the only plus point of hotel were the cleaners,they always had a smile and the rooms were kept very clean.there is a very good and cheap mexican restaurant next door to hotel well worth a try.After a 15 minute walk down to main strip(in 35 degrees it is very tiring towards end of week when doing it 2 or 3 times a day)there is plenty to eat drink or just to walk about.We ate a few times in Maestro bar happy hour from 6 onwards worth a visit.the beach is superb and very busy so go early,if you can stand the heat all day,the only downside is the beggars and thieves who seem to come out after dark so hold on to tight to your pockets.
Places to visit are nessibar just 5 mins in bus , khans tent is a must,57 lave (£23) each but food and drink are free all night and entertainment is first class,all in all sunny beach was a very enjoyable holiday which i hope to visit again soon just not in aktinia hotel
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Hotel Aktinia - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : scott - sunderland ( 43,40,15,11)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Prime Location to the excellent beach.
Hotel is excellent with very pleasant and helpful staff.Rooms Very clean and compact.Pool area smaller than advertised but never crowded.
Small train ride into center at a cost of 2 lev per person.
Food in Hotel not of a great standard or variety but you must try and if needed eat out as it is very cheap.
Expect delays either in bound or out bound as it is organised chaos from the bulgarian end.
Overall an excellent location and holiday.
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Hotel Aktinia - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: Med Hotels August 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Kaye Stoneley (48,43,18, 17,16,15
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
This hotel is listed as a 4 star, how on earth it got the stars beats me.
The hotel was miles away from the resort resulting in quite a hefty taxi bill. The large pool was small and sunbeds around the pool were 3levs which with seven of us over 14 days added up the bill again. The food in the hotel was vile, even a coffee couldn't be salvaged at breakfast which was disapointing. If the hotel was rated a 2 star it would have been adequate as some of the 4 star hotels in the resort are fabulous.
Sunny Beach is a fantastic resort if you like to party 24hour bars are everywere. Our five teenagers were in heaven and we thought we were teenagers anyway. We found Tropicana one of the best places to eat maybe the only place that serve the food hot! and you get starter before main course every other place seems to bring it together or after your meal. The beach is great some fantastic people work in sunny beach we will be going back, but carefully chose the hotel for location and standards.
Almost everyone we spoke to said hotel food was rubbish wherever they stayed so with the vast amount of eating places it may be better to stick to room only if you can and save your self from tummy bugs.
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Actinia Hotel - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan Holidays June 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Pat Smith - Bradford (53.56,61,60,49,21
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
Hotel is a little out of the main resort but thats not a critism in fact its a bonus! Our first visit to Bulgaria turned out to be a delight but hurry if you intend visiting as the resort is growing at a rate of knots and I think that will be sad -friends who visited last year could not believe the amount of new hotels and development but admitted that new hotels were badly needed as the standard previously had been a little iffy. No longer there are some top class hotels.
I checked this site for good eatery ideas and can say a big thank you for the advice Billys Bistro is a great experience and very reasonable-wine buffs try the Kadarka it is superb. Tropicana is for the brits who like a british atmosphere and chips-the Marbella on the main street heading north just out of the centre from the Globus is again a great eating place but sadly only 3days before our holiday was over we discovered a small square just a short walk from the hotel heading south and a restaurant called the Amphora- the sizzler was a treat and for those who want it the Karaoke bar at the back was good fun and it only takes about 10minutes to crawl back the the 24hr bar at the hotel,however,though a hard choice my favourite was the Old Anchor in Nessabar. A definate place to visit. Nessabar still has some of the old charm of cobble streets and a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Despite horror stories about Balkan Holidays with the exception of the chaos at the airport on our homeward flight they were great - the trips are a bit pricey but well run -one exception a video of the trip to the Bulgarian Village was blank!! I will take that up with them.
One other word of warning if you do the Istanbul trip be prepared for a very tiring 2days its hectic -we are glad we had the experience despite being ripped off by the money exchange guy at the Turkish border -beware make sure your courier is with you. All in all a great holiday give it a try but before 2007 when they become members of the EU.
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Hotel Aktinia - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice/Medhotels.com - 2004 / 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Chris - 34
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was my 1st time in Bulgaria and had an open mind about the place. If compare it with mainland Spain, Turkey, Greece, Canaries it beats them hands down.
As a single traveller I find it better to book the flight and hotel separately as then you dont pay the single supplement. Total cost for 1 week incl transfers came to £230 4* Half Board.
Sunny Beach itself has developed into a modern, busy development the same as Benidorm, Playa De Las America's etc. Plenty of Hotel, shops selling fake clothes, souveniers, restaurants, bars, etc. But if you go outside Sunny Beach to places like Nessebar, these are quiet, traditional places away from the nightlife.
Warning, the place has got so popular the Airport cannot handle it! It took 2 1/2 hours from when we landed to leaving the Airport, but trust me it is worth it.
I stayed in the Aktinia Hotel which is about 15 mins walk from the Centre of Sunny Beach. Its good as its fairly quiet although it is on a main road. The Hotel is not a 4 Star but a very good 3 Star. The people that work their are very very friendly, place is kept spotless and doctor, bar and shop open 24 hours. Food in the restuarant is not amazing. If you want good food, go to Krim Restaurant in Nessebar, good food, nice people.
The thing thats set Bulgaria apart is its so cheap! I spent £100 in a week! Drinks cost around 50-70p for a pint, glass of good wine, cocktails £1.50, a meal around £4.
I would simply say Bulgaria has something for everyone and if you have been to Turkey, Spain, Greece, definitely give Bulgaria a try, you wont be disappointed and will get a lot better value for money!
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Hotel Alba - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- Aug 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Speller Family - Bucks (45, 16,14,11)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Was a bit dubious about the country, resort and hotel after reading varied reviews.
We stayed 2 weeks half board and the hotel was very good. Maid was very sweet, towels changed daily but bed linen weekly. Air conditioning worked well and was needed. Rooms large and clean.
Restaurant - food varied and plentiful. As much as you can eat. Soups/salads/hot food (about 5 different varieties)/ fruit/desserts/tea to choose from. Second week food exactly the same as first week! Flies on food were a problem but we worked on the basis of not taking anything from the top!
Gym overstated - a dingy room that smelt of damp and a few machines that looked ancient.
Good idea to do a few trips as you're not really seeing the real Bulgaria in Sunny Beach.
We thought the resort was very well equipped. Plenty of bars, restaurants and much to do like golf buggies, electric scooters and the beach has varied water sports. Everything very cheap compared to home! Could all change when they join the EU next year. Also the resort is not overcrowded.
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Hotel Alba - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - June 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Sunny Beach Pete 52
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
First stay in The Alba after 8 previous visits to Sunny Beach and I was a little disappointed that this 2 year old hotel had much that needed attention, although much was just my room rather than the entire hotel.
Air con was not working properly, and friends staying on a different floor had the same problem. Mini bar was never stocked or even plugged in during my entire stay, and at no time of day or night could I get enough hot water to take a bath. Shower ran cold after 2 minutes and 90% of the time I had to shave in cold water.
Pool was nice, but cold.
Breakfast was good with a wide selection and always plenty to go round.
Hotel doctor was fantastic as I did have a health problem that put me in hospital. (Nothing to do with the hotel I may add.)
Sunny Beach has certainly changed over the last 8 years and has grown from a scruffy little kid, to a petulant young teenager with attitude and it is a resort to match anywhere else in Europe now for nightlife, and for the best beaches if you like yours clean with warm sea.
All-in-all Sunny Beach was fantastic once again.
Alba ----- not quite as good as I had expected.
Sunny Beach Pete
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Hotel Alba - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan June 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : The Duffy's (43,41,3)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
HI Just back on frid from Sunny Beach, really enjoyed everything about the hotel and the resort.
Hotel lovely and clean, rooms a good size, maids in every day with fresh towels, which she sculpted into swans and left them on our beds, a nice touch. Found the pool area really nice, we went there every day as i dont like sand, my 3year old enjoyed pottering about in the kiddies pool, which could be a bit cold first thing in the morning, heated up later in the day, beds had to be booked before 10am or they were hard to get. the pool bar serves drinks at a really reasonable price and have happy hours on beers and cocktails, you can get a pizza for two delivered to your sunbead for 5 leva (£1.60) and baked potatoes for 4 leva.
We found the Condor resturant really nice to eat in and mega cheap(next to post office) The orion karioke bar is a good laugh but a bit dingy, Central cafe, Ali babbas are really nice for a few beers in the evening. The beach looked clean but very busy, bars around beach area also cheap and comfortable. Keep a few stinkies change for toilets. Lots of bargains to be had if u like fake goods. I took a bottle of diluting juice for my son, i had been warned that thier orange is very bitter, i just bought water and added the juice, no one bothered.
Phones at telecome building next to post office very reasonable, you get ages for next to nothing, dont phone from hotel and change money at hotels, we seen people being ripped off at booths.
Had a fb time will be going back again soon and would definately use this hotel again.
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Hotel Alba - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - JUNE 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Lynne, Ian + Ben 37,40, 3.
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was our second trip to sunny beach as we liked it so much last year we thought we'd have another two weeks this year.We noticed Bulgaria is getting a lot more popular now ,and the locals know it aswell, as all the prices had gone up.we were getting a good rate to the pound though so that made up for it.
The beach wasn't as clean as last year, every where you looked there was fag ends,(and I hate that)I wish people where more like me.I, (like many others)put all my litter in a little bag and at the end of the day put it in one of the many bins,its so easy!!
Anyway if you are going you are bound to have a great time as theres lots of bars with entertainment on and their very cheap to eat and drink.
The Hotel- I booked the Alba because of its location which was excellent.The food was quite good always found something nice to eat and the staff were always on hand to get you drinks,always very friendly,nothing too much trouble.
The rooms were of a good size and spottless.The maids where in everyday cleaning,and left fresh towels.
The pool area was nice,the sunbeds where gone by 9am (i suppose thats not too bad compared to some hotels!)anyway we didn't use the pool as it wasn't suitable for toddlers,there was no paddling pool.We used the hotel mercury which was great for all, plenty of beds (free) and the food at the pool side was nice.
A few niggles I had about the Alba where- in the brochure it said games room,-which is now smelly,staff bedroom.There was no billiard tables.No mini bar in room.And the so called childrens play-ground which I thought,swings,slide etc was actually a fair ground which I dont think was anything to do with the hotel.The so called gym was shabby.
The other restaurants mentioned eg cafe del mar, captain cooks.although conected to the hotel could be any other restaurant in the resort,cause you pay to eat there, as does everyone else,(if you get my meaning).Holiday overall 9/10 Food-8/10. Location 9/10. Hotel in my opinion 3*+. not 4* as stated.
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Amadeus - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: JULY 2007
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : SUZIE,DAVE, AND KIDS
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
we loved bulgaria, we had a 4 year old and 2 17 year olds with us. our apartment was lovely. the sun shone lots and there were some lovely restaurants.
the 17 year olds loved the night life.
the thing you have to take great care with are the taxis both the motor type and the bicycle, even if you agree on a price before the trip they make up thei own at the end and you have no option but to pay, the 17 year olds agreed a price on a bike taxi and at the end of the trip he doubled the price they said it was wrong he then pulled out an electronic cattle prod and some hand cuffs so they had to pay. so if possible try not to use them unless its an emergency.
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Hotel Amaris - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: Hays Travel - Sept 2005
Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by : Brian Liddle + Steve Beck - Darlington 69,50
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
Got here last sept weather fab hotel amaris was ok some staff helpful rooms very clean.towels changed and room cleaned every 2 days.dont get up two early no hot water till about 9. holiday and resort brill,this was my first holiday for 30 years + first time in bulgaria,i would go back any time but to a different hotel.bourgas airport not to good.did enjoy meals in condor vgood but chicken george next to conder, and the swan behind were better.sunnybeach gets alot cheaper well away from the beach,local drinks did,nt fault them.recamend bulgaria any time bendy buses very crowded but very cheep
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Hotel Amaris - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: balkan holidays august 2205
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : s mcintyre
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
went to the amaris on arrival basis in august 2005.the hotel was very nice and we got quickly through the reception area, as it was midnight by this time.rooms cleaned every day maids were excellent.
welcome party was good and our rep was superb. she was in the hotel at the same time every night to iron out any problems though we did not have any .
the staff could have spoke a bit better english, especially in the morning when you are asking for the likes of your breakfast and where is the milk for the first cup of tea,some mornings there was no milk or teabags.
pool was lovely and not to deep.was cleaned every night.the bar was at the edge of the pool and there was always someone by the pool ,this was good incase of accidents.
resort itself was lovely and cheap and great for a family holidays and people on a budget.
the road going to the beach was pretty busy and the pavements were quite high, could have been a problem for some older people
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Hotel Amaris - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan holidays-august 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : john mc dowall-47 jane mc dowall-46
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
hi
we started our holiday from edinburgh airport.arrived burgas airport to wait over one and a half hours in lines that never seemed to move.balkan holidays planes are ok dont know what all the fuss is.staff are very nice and helpfull food isnt great but good enough.
got to our hotelwhich is very nice helpfull staff few problems but soon ironed out its a 3 star hotel and i would recommend it to anyone.food isnt great in bulgaria but there are plenty of restaurants etc which can tailor for most needs.we took a day trip to burgas nice city,but beware beggars dont give them money they give it to a woman who gives it to a guy who later once collected takes it to a big black 4 wheel drive car (mafia)also watch your bags etc as pickpockets are prolific in centre of town.also con men who run out to clean your shoes then ask for too much money ie(20) levs each one? ordinary people are very nice and friendly.
varna is beautifull in the centre of town but the out skirts are old communist buildings dont let this put you off though because there is little of what we saw at burgas here.we went a daytrip to nessebar old town it is a beautifull place if you go to sunny beach take a trip there you will not regret it.
sunny beach itself caters mostly for teenagers hardly anything for my agegroup that we found unless you like dreaded kareoke.lots of day trips are available through the many tour shops but shop around for best prices.on our second last day we met the pr*stitutes my wife soon gave them a telling off.more beggars appeared and we saw the same guy collecting money,so must be pretty wide ranging as it seems to be everywhere.
all the beaches are great very comparable with spain if not as good as.so time to go home more lines at burgas airport it just cannot handle more than two planes at the same time,word of caution make sure you get registration slip to prove you were there or you will be charged 200 pounds ???
dont know why you just will,we enjoyed ourselves its a nice country and 95 per cent of people were great but just like any holiday you have to take care as a holiday is what you make it after all isnt it.ps kids will love it.
john
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Amfora - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: Hays and Jarvis - July 2007
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : becky- Southampton (23 and 24)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just got back from spending two weeks in the Amfora Hotel. We book last minute to an all inclusive but it really wasnt classed as all inclusive for the reasons that you couldnt get a cup of coffee or tea after breakfast till 2pm and ice cream is only severed for 2 hours. They say snacks are available but we only had pizza slices two days of 14 and the rest was pastry rubbish. The food in the resturant was below good if you didnt mind pink chicken and hard vegtables also it ended up being the same sort of food each night and we ended up eating out after we got belly ache.
There is no entertainment for the kids and there is nothing in the day for the adults or evening.
The rooms in the hotel was clean and tidy but there is NO air condition unless you want to pay for it and it was only limited too a few rooms it cost about 10 lev a day and fans cost 5lev a day.
you also have to pay for a secuirty box if you want one which are not in the rooms and these cost 5 lev a day.
The barmen work very hard and at the busy periods it was alond time before you got served because there is only one on. the bar shuts at 11pm sharp.
You can catch the train into sunny beach which costs you 2 lev each one way and the last train back is 12.00 you can walk which takes about 45mins.
sunny beach itself its packed full of bars and shops its really too busy in the evening. There is people there with live snakes and aligators if you want your picture taken with them.
Our advice is go B&B or self catering cos the food is cheap enough and drink.
The overall holiday was good only cos we had non stop sunshine for 2 weeks.
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Amfora Beach - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: balkan holidays - 2007
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : kev derbyshire
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hmmm after reading these reviews about the hotel and Bulgaria I was very afraid of what I may expect on my holiday.but fear not..the hotel must have sorted all problems that people experianced a couple of years ago.
Amfora is a nice CLEAN, basic hotel. Your room is cleaned daily, you will receive new towels daily. The public walkways are mopped almost hourly!! The pool has a new lining the water is clear. You are about 30seconds walk from the sandunes leading to the fantastic beach.the sea water is clear and very warm.
hotel Food was fantastic.be openminded if you want to go away to eat pie& mash you will be disappointed. If you want to go away to eat local food you will love the all inclusive buffet at lunch and dinner..many Bulgarian dishes to choose from. A big bonus is the large lunch window - from 6pm until 9pm so you are not panicking about getting back to the hotel if you are out and about.
I recommend borrowing one of their mountain bikes and heading off to explore.
The all inclusive bar serves local larger and cocktails - the larger is top stuff.but there is no music in the outside - Piter the barman is a top bloke he will be glad if you put your ipod and speakers behind the bar - especially if you play faithless!!!
The hotel is perfectly placed between nessabar old town and sunny beach with the noddy train running between the 2 towns. You can also walk the distance.a drunken stagger back from sunny beach will ensure your hangover wont be too bad. Not sure if I would want to stay in sunny beach as it madly hectic and happening.
The Bulgaria village is also a top night out (only £18 each).you will need to get involved with the dancing and drinking.but the food wasn't as good as the hotels.
Hotel is great for a week but I think I would get bored if I was there for a fortnight...i will certainly come back to Bulgaria within the next few years..just be openminded and you will love it.
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Amfora Beach - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: Thomspon September 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Ages 42
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
First visit to Bulgaria!
Plus points of Amfora is the location, the little train is great and arrives every 15 mins or less (be aware Sept or later the frequency may change.)
Negative points - to be honest its a little shabby and needs a bit of TLC and a lick of paint! Its a shame to have pay for Air con or a fan in a three star hotel these days. The carpets in the rooms needs taking out as they are stained and old. We were not expecting too much and would advise anyone coming to Bulgaria to go for a higher class hotel (there are some superb ones) or to go self catering. The only other thing I can really mention about this hotel was the barman (on the non-inclusive side) he was miserable and no matter how hard we tried he did not break a smile!.
We ate twice in the hotel (the food is edible but repetitive) and drank once (we were charged 11 levs for a Bacardi and Coke which costs average 5lev in town).
All in all its ok but nothing special!
Having said all that we were just looking forward to experiencing Bulgaria, and even the rotten weather (I have never seen rain like it) did not spoil our enjoyment. This is a great place and the people are friendly and try really hard to speak English. It works both ways though so make an effort yourselves! Nessebar is amazing and dont just go for the shops - go into the museums and find out about the history.
Go to Bulgaria with an open mind, its not Spain (well about 20 years ago), this is a poor Country trying very hard to get financially straight, if you want spotless beaches, no beggars and to pay £2.00 for a pint stick to Spain/Greece. If you want an experience, beautiful scenery and to learn about a new Country and pay 60p for a pint (and buy loads of cheap clothes, eat out for £3.00 a head - go to Bulgaria - walk the length of the beach, we will be back!
P.S. We felt totally safe and the only trouble there was from a couple of Brits!
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Amfora Beach - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: Alltours - August 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Janett - Berlin (Germany)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hey,
We, Janett and Susann, were guests in the Amfora Beach hotel of 09.08. - 23.08.2005 over the tour operator Alltours.
The stay in Bulgaria and in the hotel was super - the people in the hotel, the meal and also the place Sunny Beach were simply class!
We are two German girls and us had been noticeable that in Bulagrien many British were.
Liebe Grüße
Janett und Susann
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Amfora Beach - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
s August 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : tony 29 sharon31 logan 3
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
just back from amfora hotel good holiday but hotel not great.the hotel is very clean maid service every day we had ants in room no air conditioning which was a huge problem as i couldnt sleep very hot in rooms you can hire fans but there was none left and you had to pay for them they should have enough for everybody and be free.not too much to do for my 3year old at pool.
food in resturant wasnt good at all not cooked enough and just wasnt nice although we paid half board we went out for food most of the time it was cheap enough .in town the fat cat was good we had 2steaks and a burger 3drinks £8 lovely food and drink cheap here.also at night the hotel is noisey a lot of night life in sunny beach dont .
if you go down beach dont be tempted to go on the pod its a small inflatable bullet thing you go in it and get pulled by speed boat its dangerous my husband was on it split his lip pulled all his muscles he wasnt well after it had to go back to hotel and lie down for an hour our .dont think i will be back too soon
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Amfora Beach - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Skytours July 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : hazel Dinnen - Glasgow . 45 18 19 19
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was our first holiday to Bulgaria and my daughter and I were looking for a nice quiet location to relax and recharge our batteries. The boys however were looking for something with a bit more life!
Well we got it all.... the location of the hotel was such that it was quiet at night but just out the door and onto the beach, to get to town the little train stops directly opposite the door of the hotel and for 2 levs you got right into the heart of the resort.
The hotel itself is clean and well organised , what could be better than breakfast al fresco? The staff are lovely and our rep Catherine a credit to the company. So maybe the food wasn't that great but hey it's so cheap to eat out go B & B if you are a fussy eater.
We went on the lazy day cruise organised by the rep and what a fantastic day just drifting along sun bathing and listening to the cameraman giving us his knowledge of the area, lunch on the boat was a simple but delicious salad, with drinks and snacks included in the price, definitely to be recommended.
Bulgaria is an up and coming holiday destination and lets not forget it's not only catering for the British market we met some lovely people from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany who all mixed well and made the holiday all the more enjoyable. Sunny Beach is a fantastic resort for the whole family and reminds me of what foreign holidays should be all about, discovering new places cultures and people.
Yes do your homework be aware of rip offs but go with an open mind, relax and enjoy
We will definitely be back next year
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Amfora Beach - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Skytours - July 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Liz Graham - Glasgow
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Was initially disappointed that the hotel was not within walking distance to main resort but after a couple of days was quite glad as Sunny Beach is very busy.
Amfora beach was a nice hotel with friendly staff and a choice of edible food. They have a small children's pool or main pool which is 1.2m - 1.4m deep. Too deep for my daughter but you can pay to use nearby Kotva pool which is excellent. Kotva pool had lots of slides. Various depths to suit all kids.
The only thing Amfora Beach lacked was entertainment/activities. During a thunderstorm we were restricted to the hotel and kids were bored.
There are a few decent shops and restaraunts within the complex or you could get the bus or small train to either Nessebar or Sunny Beach for a bigger choice.
Night life in Bulgaria seems to be more restaurant/bars than just pub entertainment so I'm not sure if it would suit club 18-30 types. Although in sunny dreams restaraunt I did see lots of people dancing on the tables after 11pm
Food and drink is so cheap. Make the most of it before they join the EU in 2007. Bulgaria will be my first choice over Spain for a family holiday.
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Amfora Beach - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: Air tours - August - 2004
Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Marry (21,25)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We visit Bulgaria for first time. Arriving in Sunny beach we were accommodated in a hotel just in the middle of the resort. Then we moved to hotel Amfora. After few nights in the busy resort center we recognized that this is the best location for a holiday hotel.
Hotel Amfora was just across the road from the beach and was quite a walk from the town center which wasn't a problem as there was a noddy train each 15 min starting from the hotel door and bringing you to the center for £ 50pp.
On arrival we weren't very impressed by the way the hotel looked compared to others, but on entering the hotel was lovely, clean, with friendly stuff. On the bar the stuff was great, Nevena speaks English well and Savi prepares wonderful cocktails. Bell boy very kindly took our cases up to the room. No air condition but fans could be hired at reception. Well equiped and spotless rooms, the best shower I've ever had. Internet service in the hotel /£ 1.80 ph/. A great pool area with nice garden, the pool was surrounded by the hotel - a very quiet place!!! We didn't even need to go to the beach. Exchange your money ONLY in the hotel change desk, hotels usually have best rates and no commission. And also the boy from the change Sevdo was very, very polite. Visit to Nesebur is well worth it. Aqua park is a must. We tried Khan's tent - not very satisfied.
Good Bulgarian national food in one of the hotel restaurants /not in the main/, also we tried the chineese restaurant. Although there were different nationalities in the hotel, the breakfast was quite well prepared and not only for "germans". Very good service at the reception /24 h opened/, daily maid service. If you are looking for nightlife /like us/, then go to Lazur or Mania.We were there almost every night and we didn't get fed up with.
The beach was very close and the sea shallow and clean.
We recommend this to those who like a bit of nightlife, but not on their doorstep. After all: THIS WAS A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY. WE WILL BE BACK FOR SURE!!!
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Amfora Beach - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- July 2004
Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Stheven Smith (39,33)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
a very nice hotel in the southern part /quieter/ of sunny beach, just near nessebar. well furnished and very clean rooms, friendly personnel. nice girls working at the cash bar, exellent service at the reception and in the restaurant. good food - we had only breakfast. a mini-golf nearby, you can go to center of sunny beach with the train-each 15 min.
clean beach just 50 meters from the hotel. a very good bars - "elephant" and "cacao" at the beach near the hotel.correct change officer and very polite. billiard, tennis table, bykes and many other facilities in the hotel, 3 more restaurants around. a clean pool, not enough sun beds, a safe children play ground. The hotel is not at the center, but it's better and preferable for a holiday, as not so noisy like in the night-life area.
We recommend the hotel to all our friends and we'll be back next summer again. Thanks to the whole stuff in Amfora!!!
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Amfora Beach - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- june 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Nikie - Rotherham (49,49,48,46,28,26,10,9,4 ) ) :
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just arrived back from Amfora Beach in sunny beach and really enjoyed it.
The hotel isn't spectacular but it was clean and everyone was really friendly the downside is the hotel is about 3km away from the centre of sunny beach but there is a train that picks you up from outside the hotel and then back again which isn't too expensive but does add up over the 2 weeks. There is a a few more hotels around it, a mini golf, childrens slide, donkey rides ect, and a few restaurants, the best one being the kotva outside the hotel kotva which has an amazing pool with numerous slides, the kids loved it. The beach near the hotel is lovely which also has a few restaurants on it, jet ski's pedloes and a short boat trip.
The resort itself was brilliant, something for everyone loads of shops and loads for kids. The best place to eat by far was the neptun restaurant where they had a magic show for the kids everynight and the food was beautiful.
All in all a fantastic holiday even though my mum had her bag pinched and towels and trainers went missing from our balcony, so be vigilante.
We would definitly go back to sunny beach just not to the Amfora Beach as it was too far out, next time we go we would go to the hotel alba as it is in the centre and looks lovely.
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Amfora Beach - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: 2004
Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Hayley Lynch - 28, 24, 3
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We were really apprehensive about going on a holiday to Bulgaria, but
believe how surprised we were arriving there. We flew with Thomson Holidays
,
flight was fine, we were in the hotel at about midnight, the airport is
not far /about half a n hour/ ours was the first drop off.
The bar in the hotel was opened /in fact it's opened till the last cliens goes/. Good cocktails and drinks there, the prices are very good. Amfora is not in the center of Sunny beach, it's near Nessebur, but the walk to Nessebur is well worth it and there is a mini train from just in front of the hotel bringing you to the center for only 0.50 pp. Taxi will charge you about 2 p to the center and the same is to Old Nessebur /a marvelous place to visit/. Many restaurants, bars and discos in the resort. As we were with our small daughter the night clubs we not our places but a friends of ours told us that Lazur is a very good night place for young people. !!!Do not exchange money else apart your hotel. The rate is good and no commission.
Hotel Amfora was a lovely hotel , spotless rooms, a great pool area inside the hotel /not an indoor pool/. Extremely safe for children. A good garden area and children's playground. Breakfast was good enough for us /cold meats,cereal,toast, cheese,bacon, eggs,etc./. The stuff was very helpful, speaking english all of them, chamber maid service every day. Internet at the lobby /1.70 per hour/, you can rent a bike for 3 ph, play billiard or table tennis in the hotel. Mini market in the hoteland a good beauty center. At a very good price you can make a masage or manicure, a professional hair-dresser there.
The beach which is just in front of the hotel was clean and sea water limpid and warm.
We would definitely recommend this resort and hotel and something very important: We've never met nicer people then the Bulgarians - extremely welcoming and helpful.
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Aqua Marine - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: Thomson Holidays
- June 2007
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Rachel Thurlwell - Middlesbrough (18, 19, 19 )
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We found Sunny Beach very cheap to eat and to drink. Really liked Frankos bar which did karaoke and was one of the only Britsh predominated bars we found. It was a good laugh and the drink was cheap, 2 double vodka cokes for just over a pound. We also liked XL club(the one with the big alien on the main strip) and Lazur, although they were mainly Scandinavians we found them very friendly.
I would definately recommend staying away from the chicken as we found it not to be cooked properly and made us ill when we ate it.
We also found the hotel to be a bit far away especially walking home on a night although the train running to the centre was cheap. The staff were all pleasant and polite and the cleanliness was exceptional.
Would recommend Sunny Beach if you're looking for a cheap holiday.
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Aqua Marine - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: Thomson Holidays
- May 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Louise - East Sussex (42,36,39,34,13,13)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Burgas airport is fairly primative but functional, staff speak little English - or choose not to. haha.
The hotel was very clean and comfortable. Hotel staff very helpful and friendly, couldn't do enough for us as guests. Stelion the barman was good company for us all (men, women and kids) great range of food and drink within the hotel and the extras are so reasonable.
Good location for the beach (10mins walk) and the local "life" (15-20mins walk), this was good for us as we don't like being in the centre of the hub-bub.
Don't use the taxis or the exchange kiosks. Rip offs.
Keep 50cent on you at all times to use conveniences when out, even when purchasing food, some charge.
Buses are a great way to travel and explore very cheap, 70cent to Nessebar (the bargaining market). Look out for Billabong, Quiksilver and Animal t-shirts etc good quality (wash & iron well) 10lev each. Wooden carvings, bikinis, syrongs, ceramics all such good prices. You can buy the extra suitcase you need there too!
Wonderful soft sandy beach and clear water for swimming and snorkelling. Good choice of watersports at reasonable prices, jetski 20lev for 10mins.
We tried to sample local cuisine and found it rather delicious, such extensive menus, don't feel you have to stick to the English restaurants or food. Give it a go, they only want to treat you like Kings and Queens and make a huge effort.
When we were there it was between 26c and 35c, which was fabulous. Hot as Spain or Portugal for instance but at a fraction of the cost.
Great holiday, would do the country and resort again.
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Aqua Marine - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- June 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Gareth & Leanne - Belfast
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
The Aquamarine Hotel was only opened a few months before we visited and as a result the finish & level of cleanliness was very high. Its a relatively small hotel (100 rooms) and the week we stayed there was a good social atmosphere. There was never a problem getting a sunbed by the pool no matter what time of the morning or afternoon you went down, but this was really due to the mentality of the guests - none of that getting up at 06:00 to reserve a bed for the whole day.
The staff were all very pleasant and helpful, Ivan the barman is a very colourful character, popular with all the guests he'll talk for hours on any subject, including his favourite breakfast (cornflakes with beer).
The hotel is a short walk from the beach, less than 5 mins. It takes about 10 mins to reach the main strip but this is actually in the hotels favour - a lot of hotels on the strip have a very open plan terrace and pool which could be a haven for thieves, also the strip is very noisy & busy at night so its good to put it behind you when you've had enough. Outside the hotel is the main road on which you can get the bus to Nessebar or Bourgas.
The breakfasts at the hotel are of a good standard with plenty of choice, we also lunched a few times and were more than happy, however the one dinner we had in the hotel wasn't great. The prices in the bar are very reasonable compared to other places, a beer is 2 lev, a coctail 2.5 lev and the rooms have a mini bar which costs 3 lev for a beer not too bad at all.
In summary a great hotel, in great location, we wopuld recommend it to anyone
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Aqua Marine - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
oct 04
Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : john gillingham and jonathan gillingham 6 yrs
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
food is very good and very cheap beach is lovely resort is very modern and very large reminded me of magaluf without the lager lout mentality bulgarian people very friendly the only thing you have got to watch out for are the money changing booths PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THESE AS YOU WILL BE RIPPED OFF MAKE SURE YOU GO TO BANKS ONLY also ASK TAXI DRIVERS HOW MUCH YOUR JOURNEY WILL COST BEFORE YOU GET IN TAXI OTHERWISE THEY WILL ALSO RIP YOU OFF these were not isolated incidents we meet loads of people who succumbed to these cons
the hotel we stayed in was the AQUA MARINE which was spotlessly cleaned every day the only critism we had that there seemed to be something wrong with ventelation and the room absolutly stunk of smoke when we complained we were told to leave the door open of our balcony oh yes and one other thing when we checked out of the hotel was accused of having something from the mini bar which we most definetly did not the best place we found to eat was a place called yjannies
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Arcadia Apartments - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: July 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : 43,41,18,13
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
First time in Bulgaria didnt know what to expect, just as well really. Apartments were basic but clean. Swimming pool was too deep so anyone under 5"5 you have no chance of standing up anywhere. Kids pool is about 5 foot round. Lots of German teenagers there which were loud most of the time. Nice Irish people with kids there. Resort is like costa del Southend. Lots of restaurants and bars though and they were so cheap meal for four with drinks about £18. Shops are cheap but fake and every shop sells either bags and purses, clothes or lilos.
Nessebar is lovely although really busy at night. Watch your bags though, large bar in the middle is watched as a family we meet had there purse nicked and when they went back a few days later they say a thief in action as they were more vigilant.
No such thing as fresh milk here, I drank black tea as the milk was vile. Ice cream looks lovely and tastes nice as it goes in your mouth then tastes like puke on the way down. YUK!
If your looking for culture dont go.
Please do not pay to have your photo taken with the grizzly bear, this poor creature has been treated so bad by the gypsies. If you dont pay and they cant make an income they will stop using this poor animal.
A cheap holiday with a lovely beach but wont return.
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Arda - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - May 2006
Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Janet and Graham (53,52)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was our 2nd time in Bulgaria,the 1st being in Elenite.Having already booked b4 we read reviews on this hotel we were apprehensive. However we have had a great time. The hotel is on the south side of Sunny Beach and is a 10 minute walk to the centre, the walk along the beach is great and you don't get pestered. The hotel staff were excellent we couldn't fault the service and we were made very welcome, the rooms although basic were roomy and clean.The food in the hotel was good, but it is very cheap to eat out. The Lotus and the Old House are excellent as is The Four Towers in the centre.
We realised that we had gone to Bulgaria too early in the season as not many places were open in the area but it did not spoil anything. The weather was changeable the 1st wk sunny mornings overcast aft. but the 2nd wk was brilliant sunshine.
We will be recommending this hotel to our friends as for a 2star budget hotel we found it to be better than some 4star hotels we have been to.
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Arda - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan travel July 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : mr & mrs miller
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
hotel arda sunny beach ,july 2005, weather mixed, 5 days heavy rain, 4 days 90 degrees, 3 days, cloudy, resort ,food good ,and cheap along with drink and cigarettes, pr, annoying every cafe or bar has them along with every shop , you cannot stop at a shop without someone pestering you to buy something.the beach is clean ,water cold, although they are not private, if you do not take a sunbed 8 levs, you will be asked to go to the back of the beach, the resort is meant to be crime free,but you will be asked several times a day to change money by shady characters,
the hotel itself is basic the rooms though small are kept clean, the bar is small,but 24hrs, the pool is kept clean although cold, the hotel is very noisy with rave music from the neighbouring poolbar from 9 am to 12pm , the noise travels through the hotel from adjacent rooms and floors and we had to move room after 3 nights of little sleep,
the hotel caters for groups of young scandinavians 18-30 so you can imagine it is not going to be a quiet holiday , the staff are friendly to a point , the managment of this family run hotel were reluctant to take any action when some young danes started fighting round the pool area despite the protests of a lot of british holidaymakers, the food again is basic and better outside, to summarize, my wife and are no prudes but the hotel arda is best left for the 18-30 age group and not people wanting a quiet holiday we left the resort 3 days early totally dissatisfied ,paid £100 to go and had to pay our own taxi to the airport as the coach did not appear to pick us up, we made the plane just,
we will not be back!
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Arda - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: bulkan july 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by :
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
we stayed in the arda for 2 weeks and really enjoyed our hoilday, the hotel is clean. the food in the hotel is not great, i do not recommend it. the food everywhere else is nice and cheap. the staff in the hotel are friendly but be careful because my friend got her phone stolen! it rains quite a bit in bulgaria, we had 5 days of rain! apart from the bad weather we had a very good hoilday
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Arda - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: bulkan july 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : 45 56
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
WE are just back from a great 2 week holiday I have been before to sunnybeach and will be going back nexy year and taking my granddaughter the weather was not to bad the food good and cheap the hotel was good for a two star clean and friendly all the people were very nice
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Hotel Avliga - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook- Sept 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : M.Byrne Manchester
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We chose the best hotel as it was small and catered well regarding food as many people we spoke to from the larger hotels said the food was really bad and they were having to eat out even though they were full board. The hotel ony did B and B but it was good food . You have to eat as the other nationalities do and go for continental breakfast ,fruit , yogurt etc They cannot do british fry ups.
We did not have many bad meals except we tried to find a good chinese but gave up as all of them were rubbish. The tropicana also seems to cook everything in tons of grease and it all tastes the same from bacon to chips. The Mercury resteraunt on the strip were all the artists are is very good and quite cheap.The baked potatoe stalls are amazing.
The sun beds on the beach are 18 levs for 2 beds and a parasol for the day. The beach could be cleaner.If you are going late in the season it gets quite cold in the evenings and we strugggled to find any of the bars that were inside.Be warned that the toilets leave alot to be desired, take hand wipes as they dont seem big on washing facilities.Most of the people are friendly but they could smile more.
The bus to Nessabar which you get near the Hotel Kuban is only 50 stotinkis each. If you do Nessabar when you get off the bus get on the little train going up towards the top of Nessabar and walk back through the cobbled streets ,it is not as tiring.We enjoyed our holiday and the weather was brilliant and we even came home with some money left over
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Hotel Azurro - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: first choice- august 06
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : kay(,40, 48 ,55 ,61, 18, 18 ,20, 15)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
we all liked our rooms at the azzuro, bright and airy on the 4th floor, good air con, good shower. cleaners done a fair job.
pool could have been kept cleaner than it was especially after rainfall as twigs and leaves got left in it for a while. overall we were happy with the cleanliness of the hotel. one of our biggest moans were about the sunlounger, they were hard to get unless you got up early and lay on your towels you would not get one, i would say that 40% of them are broken,. they have mats to lay on the sunbeds but they rarely bother to get them out.most of the staff seem to be moody or indifferent to you, they dont seem to possess customer service skills.
For a place that is very cheap we seem to have spent an awful lot of money and this worried me and got me parronoid about our safe as i felt i could not account for all the money we spent, but i did not keep track of my spending so i am not making accussations.
we often used the hotel bar next door for a late drink because the bar was always tended by friendlier staff.
breakfast was okay.
hotel location was excellent, right on top of everything and transport was good for getting around everywhere.
sunnybeach itself is quite pretty, horse and carraige ride is nice and the little noddy train was good.Beach was lovely but we only went once because we were scared of the jelly fish.
Food was all edible but it was hard to get a good cup of coffee, the NATIONAL made nice coffee and a decent meal.
AUQUA PARK = GREAT DAY OUT FOR 29 LEV
PUB CRAWL = GOOD FUN FOR 20 LEV
KHANS TENT= GOOD NIGHT OUT 60 LEV
NESSABAR= NICE DAY/EVENING OUT (VERY PRETTY)
LAZUR NIGHT CLUB IS GREAT FOR THE YOUNG ONES.
WATERSPORTS ARE PLENTIFUL
CRAZY GOLF EVERYWHERE FOR ABOUT 9 LEV
Overall we all enjoyed this holiday and we would say most people would, weather was excellent for the first 11 day but then became rainy and cloudy on and off, so take the odd sweater just in case it gets chilly at night.
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Hotel Azurro - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - july 06
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : leeanne thompson - manchester 20,28
Resort Rating: Below Average
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
its was a nice drive up from the airport about 40 mins away, lovely views alot of country side, arrived at hotel azurro about 3:30am stood at reception for about 40 mins to get our keys rm 370 no lift to your floor and the staff are not very helpful just pointed us in the right direction rather than taking us. the room was very small no air conditioning and 2 single beds, so me and my husband (honeymoon) had to push the beds together, bathroom is disgraceful, we had a hole in the floor and one on the wall under the sink. The towels got changed every 3 days and for the whole two weeks we were there the sheets didn't get changed once, the cleaning staff are very unpleasent they dont say hello or smile.
The pool was absolutely ridiculous for the size of the hotel the pool is very small and not enough sun loungers, i got a sun lounger once the whole time, but spent most of the day on the beach, the view from the beach is excellent you can see the mountains of golden sands, the sea is warm and you can walk out for ages before it gets deep, its very clear and the sand is nearly white.
The food isn't up to much but there are plenty of restaurants to choose from, if you like steak i reccomend the steak house which is just behind the meridian hotel, the best steak i ever tasted, but dont go to hotel lotus for your meal its disgraceful, alot of places do happy hour on cocktails buy 1 get 1 free for about 6 levs 50 stotinkis which works out about £2.75ish and for you lager louts you get a litre of bulgarian lager which is very nice for 80p.
So to finish of i wouldn,t recommend you use this hotel its not really suitable for families or big groups, but if you go, DONT FORGET bug spray as i came home with about 15 mosquito bites and take a plug in to keep bugs away...
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Hotel Azurro - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook, June/July 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Laura 21, Paul 20 and Kirsty 20 - all from Glasgow
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
I was aphrensive to visit this hotel because of all the things that i read on this website, but now that i was there i can assure people the staff are very friendly will tell you everything you need to know - even the non speaking English ones try to make you feel at home.
One thing i will say though is that the hotel is SPOTLESS, me and my friends didnt see any daytime for about 3 days (self inflicted) and the cleaner actually asked us to either sit by the pool or sit in the verrandah so she can change out linen and towels!
We never made breakfast at any point during our stay so i cant comment on how the food was in the hotel itself but there is many surrounding restaurants that you can choose from. Restaurant Bulgara is perfect for food and i recommend you try the Bulgarian dish Kavarma (i think i spelled it wrong) it is a type of stew and it is delicious. Havana was amazing and very reasonable priced - its directly opposite the hotel at the rear entrance, also Franko's is great for food especially for steak - also i would say that this is the best bar in the whole island. The staff are the friendliest people that you will ever meet and they made my holiday what it was! The age range differs in this bar, but everyone dances with everyone - including the waitresses and the karaoke is always fun. This is the place that i met all my friends and i will never forget it! Franko's is situated behind the Meridan Hotel which is the orange building at the back entrance of the Hotel Azurro!
Other good places to go are the Viking Bar that is along the beach where you must try the cocktails Solero and Por*o, Bar Mexo that sets its bar on fire every so often during the night! The clubs that i visited that i found very enjoyable are XL (the one near mcdonalds that has an alien on the front of it), Disco Orange and Lazur which has a mini aqua park in it!
Overall i would not fault anything in my holiday from resort, to the people to the accomodation and i feel that if you were to judge what is written about this accomodation from this website (except the good ones) then you will be missing out. I cant wait to go back again, it was my best holiday ever!
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Hotel Azurro - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook AUGUST 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : IAN MCLEOD DUNDEE (47,42,43,53)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
hotel was spotless and the staff were very friendly,some of the staff do not speak english but try to understand you.
linen changed every two days,take your own toilet paper if you have long nails pool area great for adults and kids,hotel does not change english money only travellers cheques,good rate at the balaton hotel passed the reggata and on the left.
good meals in the azurro bar,regatta restaurant,out front door and turn left three hundred yards straight ahead good sing song and band could not finish the meals to much,also the havana restaurant, go to the azurro bar and turn right at the road and is on the left.
WARNINGS money booths,stay away from them do not sign anything till you get your money but do not even go to them.
BEGGARS it is up to you but i saw one little boy with a dog and another with a baby and you do feel for them till you see the mother hanging around and i swear she pulles out a wad of notes in front of us i we could not believe it so sorry NO MORE
DO NOT take grapes or plums or bananas from anyone as you would not like to know what they will charge you when you have eaten them.
CUSTOMS they charge you £40 for being over weight on luggage,so watch your weight.
do not carry excess amounts of fags, drink or perfume in your hand luggage as they will charge you for it and do you think for one minute they will phone your customs to let you through as you have paid them NO!!
drink cheap weather changable but good holiday great would go back tomorrow
watch out for electric scooters driven by all ages 6 to 16 dangerous
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Hotel Azurro - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Sunset Discounts) Sunset (part of First Choice) - May 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : John - Bath (38,35,17)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
After booking a last minute one week break to Bulgaria we were very nervous at what to expect and heard loads of horror stories of dirty hotels but staying at the Azurro couldnt have been further from this.
The hotel is spotless. Rooms are cleaned every day and the towels changed every 2 days.Linen is changed once a week I didnt find anything that I could complain about.
We stayed Bed and Breakfast but only used the hotel 1 morning to eat and there seemed to be plenty of choice.
The reps were friendly and very helpful We booked a jeep ride which was interesting but not what we expected It was a tour showing the history of rural Bulgaria very different from the hair raising jeep ride we had in Gran Canaria
The Azurro is ideally located everthing is within a few minute walk.It has pubs and restaurants just outside the hotel but the clubs etc are based about 5 minute walk away so no disturbed nights of loud music
A restaurant I would recommend for really friendly efficient staff and a great steak is The Corner Pub based just behind the Azurro.
We went to Millies which was advertised as a good English breakfast but I wouldnt recommend it the service was slow and the food was awful
There was quite a lot of building work going on in the resort while we were there but we went before the season really started and I dont feel it affected the enjoyment of my holiday at all. I think people should remember these poor builders have a job to do
Bulgaria is a beautiful place and the Azurro was great We will be going back again and if the Azurro was available I wouldnt hesitate to book it again. We had a great holiday and met loads of new friends British and Bulgarian
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Hotel Azurro - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - May 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Kealeys - Preston (31, 27, 2)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hotel Azurro is a good standard hotel however it does have its faults.
The staff are quite miserable and everything seems like a chore for them. Their grasp of English is pretty poor compared with the other bars and restaurants in sunny beach and they even try to short change you so be wary of this. Towels are changed every 3 days although ours only got changed once in our week long stay. Aside from this the hotel is ok. The pool is good and has a childrens section. There are loads of sun loungers which are free - some hotels in sunny beach charge a daily rate.
The thomas cook rep was non existent and fobbed us off when we complained that the tour event we went on was totally different to what she described. If you go to KHANs TENT, remember that it is not drinks free all night as the rep promises, just one bottle of wine!!! Also its not a fully traditional bulgarian evening. There is a little bit of this then the rest is like 80s cabaret music.
Sunny beach resort is full of good bars and restaurants and very cheap local beer, 60-80p per pint, eating out was very cheap.
The beach is very good and clean as is the entire resort.
There isn't as much to do for kids as I thought there would be but all in all, its a good up and coming place and still extremely cheap.
There is plenty of building work going on with new hotels being built but doesn't affect the holiday
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Hotel Azurro - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - may 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : peter senior swinton ( 66) jenny senior (63)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
arrived in sunny beach hotel azzuro,16th may,04.30am got up for brackfast at 09.30am.into the dinning room,to find nealy half of the holiday makers at brackfast were smoking, we went to see the holiday rep and she toled us she would see the hotel staff, later on in the day, the rep had spoken to the hotel staff and she was toled that there shoud be no smoking in the restourant/only on the balcony outside.
so down to the restourant the next day,to find pepole still smoking in the restourant,back to the rep and she went to see the hotel manager,and was toled that pepole was alowed to smoke in the restourant and there were ash trys suplyed.
so if you are a none smoker dont go to the azzuro hotel,
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Hotel Balaton - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan Holidays - 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Alex Lewis - Doncaster 38,33,15,9
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Dont expect the ritz, cos the ritz in aint. Although the hotel is in dire need of restoration dont let this put you off. The rooms are very basic and the carpets look like they have been fitted by a blind carpet fitter, but if its somewhere to put your head at night then thats whats on offer. The pool is better than average for those wanting somewhere for the little ones to swim with a seperate kiddies pool. You can change your money at a kiosk within the hotel that offer about the average exchange rate.
We found that the hotel mainly caters for German holiday makers hence the food being disgusting, but hey if you like that sort of thing then enjoy !!!. If you drink in the hotel bar they will over charge you. The booze is a lot cheaper in the numerous bars around the site. Look for the happy hours on offer you will get 2 drinks for the price of 1. If shopping is your game make sure you barter (they expect it) and you will always get a better price.
For the smokers buy Victory they cost about 1.60Lv thats about 58p depending on what exchange rate you get. If your a tea drinker TAKE SOME ENGLISH TEA BAGS and a travel kettle cos the tea over there is crap. Although we looked we couldn't find anywhere that sold english tea bags but you will get Nescafe coffee there. All in all the resort was very very cheap and we ended up taking more than half of our spending money back to England. It's very very hot and you can get burned easily.
The resort has many chemists so if you fall ill you shouldn't have a problem. One thing to watch for when your out eating and drinking, each time they fetch you a receipt check it because they will add what you ordered last time to the new reciept. DONT PAY FOR 3,4 or 5 RECEIPTS cos they add them all together on the next one and so on.
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Hotel Balaton - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - July 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Leeann Mulholland - Belfast (21,21,24,21,20,21,19,21,21,22)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
just back from sunny beach yesterday stayed in hotel balaton and would recommend it to anyone.
the ten of us went for two weeks and loved it as it has somthing for everyone. food in the hotel was terrible but thats our only complaint. the rooms were basic but clean and at night try to keep the noise down as we received 2 warnings.
the beach is excellent and has lots of water sports,restaurants and bars to fill your day. there is lots to do in the way of nightlife - be sure to visit lazur nightclub and XL disco. avoid the corner bar facing mcdonalds as it is realy expensive try cocktails and dreams opposite hotel balaton - food is great and drinks are cheap.
drink and cigarettes are very very cheap but try and stick to bulgarian brands(best cigarettes are victory lights) bottle of vodka works out at around £1.70 and cigarettes work out at around 30-40p
all in all will definitely be back next year as it was a fantantastic holiday.
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Hotel Baykal - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan-aug 2004
Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : 34,34,6,9,36,42,39,35,8
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
NOT LONG BACK FROM BULGARIA SUNNY BEACH absoultly great hotel was spot on nothing like it in the brocher was ten times better resort fantastic lots of thinge to do for adults and kids cheap drink and food cant go wrong going back again next year sometime try it its the place to be from the longtown crew?
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Hotel Baykal - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - june 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : david and helen (53,44 ) edinburgh
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
this was our first holiday in bulgaria we found it very good and very very cheap.it was only 40 pence for a pint of beer and to eat out a three course meal with drinks cost us only 12 pounds for both of us.we found the most reasonable place to eat most nights was next to the baykal it is called the REAL.
the hotel was very clean although the rooms were a bit small we found the staff to be very friendly.we were staying bed and breakfast and i can tell you breakfast was excellent every thing you could possibly think of was there hot or cold.
we would recommend this hotel 100 per cent.
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Hotel Belle View - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: may 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Denise & Kim Andrews
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Cant praise this hotel,its staff and the very high standards enough. The resort was lovely and so were the bulgarian people.There are loads of bargains to be found in Bulgaria the food and drink is very very cheap,there was only one downside to this holiday and that was comming home! although Bourgas airport is a nightmare but dont let that put you off you will fall in love with this beautiful country.
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Hotel Belle View - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook may 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : tracey,duncan ,36,43
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
just returned from bulgaria and was very suprised,the hotel was very good ,staff very friendly,food was excellent something for everyone,eggs cereals,pancakes,for breakfast ,evening meal something different every night including soup for starters,salad and cakes,fruit and ice-cream for dessert,please don,t be put off by the look of the food you must try it as it is mainly geared towards germans but does taste very good,rooms cleaned daily maid used to make different shapes with towels everyday,pool area very nice although we did find it a bit of a rip off having to pay 5 levs each to sit on the sunbeds as hotel shares the pool with hotel next door,as we were half board we only ate out once at a place called DJANNYS the food here is excellent and the portions are huge,you know it,s good when the locals eat there,bars we enjoyed were THE CORNER in the main centre and HOLLYWOOD SELECT near the front, prices very cheap, also the VILLAGE YARD does a good floor show which starts about 9 pm where you can just go in and have a drink,lots of stalls selling much the same clothes,shoes, cd,s jewellery etc.
found bulgarians to be very friendly, although only our first time we are already planning to go back before it becomes spoilt.
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Hotel Belle View - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) JMC - July 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : DOUGIE SHAW GREENOCK (42 ,43,13 ,12)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Stayed in the belleview july 4-18 . Hotel clean and modern ,safty deposit boxes avalliable at reception for 70 lev.We had booked for a suite but got 2 ajoinig rooms which was even better with 2 showers ,2 tvs 6 channels were english , air con for each room and sea views .Clean sheets and towels everyday.Food ok not great fresh pancakes made while you wait ,choice of 3 cerials ,and usal fry up ,cold meats fresh bread .3 course meal in evening salads ,soups 3 different dishes and omlet pizza and spagette each night cakes and ice cream .Sun beds where 5lv each use blue one they get the sun all day.Green beds loss the sun after midday .
The resort lots of shops selling copies ,cheap resturants getting more expensive than it used to be but still good value.plenty of water sports ,10m to beach.
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Hotel Belle View - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan - 2004
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Peter Davis - Salford (68,60,58)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
An excellent hotel, ideally situated to the north of Sunny Beach. The resort itself is getting very commercialised, a bit like a small Blackpool. The beaches however are great. Safe swimming and ligeguards always on duty, so ideal for kids.
The Hotel Belle View was 4 star. The food was average, but the rooms and other facilities were excellent. The towels were changed daily, bed lined changed twice a week. The maid service was top class. the rooms were cleaned properly everyday and your towels were arranged differently each day, a touch my wife appreciated. The room came equipped with T.V. telephone including one in the bathroom and a mini bar which was not dear to use. Eating and drinking still very cheap, but Bulgaria is expected to join the EU in 2007 and if they adopt the Euro, watch the prices rise.
No problem changing money in the Hotel. They change Travellers Cheques and sterling but if you take cash, make sure they are new notes. If and note is defaced in any way, they will not accept them. You still get people in the street offering to change money at "good rates" but it is not worth taking the risk. The exchange rate is good, cost of living cheap, so it is not worth being greedy.
I will go again to Bulgaria and try a different resort.
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Bellevue Beach - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) JMC - July 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Suzie and Paul (21 and 25) - Lancaster
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
This hotel is optimistically a 4*! We would put it more at a 3*!
The hotel is lovely and always clean. The staff were really nice and friendly aswell. The rooms were clean and the walk in showers were great! The hotel was right on the beach front. And most importantly the lifts play you great music!!!
The food in the hotel leaves alot to be desired. Me and my boyfriend will eat just about anything but we found it hard to find things we liked. There was a type of spaghetti on every night but we found that it was cold by the time we came to eat it! The breakfasts were better tho. A choice of cereals, toast, cheeses and meats, 5 types of bread, pancakes and a ALTERNATIVE version of english breakfast. The baked beans were absolutely discusting as were the sauces and the butter which was strangly floating in water! Definatly safer with the marg! We went and bought our own tomato sauce and so did many other british people!
If you dont like Germans this is not the hotel to be in! However you have to pay £2.50 per lounger per day for the sunloungers in the hotel and the pool is shared with another hotel. We thought this was all really cheaky but it stopped the age old tales of towels on sunloungers!!! The pool is really cold even in the middle of July! There is a lifeguard on all the time but we felt abit like he was there more to collect money for the sunloungers than to watch the people in the pool.
If you dont like snakes then look out! There was a man right outside the hotel with 2 huge snakes and a lizzard! It was abit disturbing to see them just brought in 3 large bags! We also saw a bear being walked down the middle of the prom, which was abit disturbing!!!
We went to bulgaria hoping for cultutre but all we got was a manufactured resort just like another spanish or greek resort! Sunny Beach is so commercialised, nothing like what I remember from 7 years ago! You are constantly getting hasseled to go into bars and restaurants! We hated that!
Our Rep was bulgarian and didnt seem to realise why we wanted to see culture. She obviously loved the way the resort was now! I will never go with JMC again! We had one trip cancelled and the other one was running an hour and a half late so we opted out of that! We did however go to Khan's Tent which is well worth a visit! We came back feeling abit annoyed that we had paid so much more for bulgaria when we could of just gone to spain!!!
The resort is the cleanest place I have ever been! Everything in Sunny Beach is fake except for their silver (925) which is the same quality as ours!! When you are walking down the front from the hotel to the resort (15mins walk) you seem to walk past the same stalls over and over again! Then when you get into the town you get the same again! The you can take the boat to the next village! That is cool but the village is full of people trying to get you into the shops, restaurants and bars!!
If you are wanting a beach holiday, with a fantastic beach, good hotel, excellent mini golf and cheap booze (60p per pint - £1.50 a cocktail which when on BOGOF was great!! Spirits especially wisky is expensive tho!), you are in the right place. If you want culture and history you should of gone 10 years ago and would try somewhere else!!
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Hotel Belleville - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) JMC - August 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Damien Thorpe - Sheffield
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Quite a bit to say about the hotel and resort will try and be as helpful as possible.
The hotel not to be confused with bellevue was really nice. Good size rooms which were very clean and cleaned everyday. Small balconies none of them overlooking the pool were a little on the small side with not much to look at. The staff were all very friendly and would do anything to help you. Special mention to the two taxi drivers who will happily take and pick you up from anywhere and not charge you the earth - ask reception if you don't see them. Be careful not to be conned by other taxi drivers - it costs 7 leva from the hotel to xl bar which is pretty much in the centre with the hotel taxi, we got charged double that on the first night. Feel free to haggle with the taxi drivers and never pay more than 10 lev if your coming home regardless of what they say about set fares, tell them you will leave it and watch them change their minds.
Food at the hotel was pretty good, never made breakfast but evening meal always had two soups, and numerous main courses pork steaks, stews, fish fingers, chips etc. The food is so cheap over there though so it is quite easy to pass it up in favour of eating out. You could easily get two main courses and a couple of drinks for about 25 lev which is just over nine quid or less. You are quite a way out from the main centre a good ten minute walk, easier to get a taxi. Pool was clean and sun loungers are free though there may be some competiton to get them.
The nearby beach is 400m walk really nice but quite a young crowd about with two bars playing loud dance music. Expect to pay 18 lev (6 quid) for two sun loungers and a parasol. For a quiter beach life head further up the coast. If you get chance go to the aqua park there is a resturaunt and plenty of slides to keep you occupied - the taxi driver will pick you up if you tell him what time. Nessebar is pretty close 16 lev in a taxi there and back - really nice little town lots of little shops to walk around and plenty of phot opportunities. Most resturaunts overlook the surrounding bays and are very nice. Not really much else to do there mind so get you shopping head on. Shopping in Nessebar and Sunny Beach much of the same stuff - pottery, knock off clothes trinket things nothing special - get your pressies from nessebar the stuff is a bit nicer - but be prepared to be watched like a hawk!
As far as bars are concerned we like rnb and a bit of cheese - Lazure plays rnb and dance and is the closest to the hotel, orange has different music on different nights but is a bit of a taxi ride away, xl disco plays rnb and commercial dance and keeps mixing it up. La Perla does good happy hours and cheap drinks - lots of scandinavians there. For a bit of british try millies karoake bar not english owned but full of brits wailing away. For food three places that stick out were neptun - beach side of hotel neptun and a place closer to the hotel alacarte at georges who do a cracking roast beef dinner! and HC Anderson who do a dam good steak!
Couple of words of caution both of us were bitten quite badly so take repellents and after bite stuff with you, also be careful what you eat some meals were a bit hit and miss and we both had poorly stomachs at one point or another - steer clear of ice cream!! Hope this was helpful
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Hotel Belleville - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook june 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : john 34 pauline 44
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
small friendly hotel family run. staff all nice especally steph a waitress there always happy. rooms clean and air cond.food ok but nothing to write home about drinks cheap in hotel only 65p a pint and spirts all large pours.pool was always cold but clean. sunny beach full of the same shops selling lots of fake goods from clothes to cd,s and latest dvd,s.lots of food places including 5 macdonalds. sunny beach is spain meets turkey but cheaper.
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Hotel Belleville - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (JMC Discounts) JMC-Oct04
Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Mike Ford-Gatwick(54)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This hotel has just completed its first full season,(Oct04),and will deservedly be full in 2005.Book it now if you want good clean rooms,a bar that never closes until you go to bed,a nice pool maintained daily,very large selection of buffet for the half-board option booked.
Forget it if you want kids clubs,although there is a kids room by the pool and some toys provided;forget it if you want to be on the beach..thats only 4 minutes walk away mind you..forget it if you want to be in the resort centre,its actually on the main road from Nessebur through SB to Bourgas.
Overall its 36 rooms should be full every week,its leased to JMC and the rep is Bulgarian so very helpful.Do the excursions to Khans Tent despite the price,and Varna for the shopping.Hotel for money exchange or taxi,not in resort as thats dearer.
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Hotel Belleville - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (JMC Discounts) JMC- June 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Steven Luke - Scotland(29,33,10,6)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
When we arrived at the hotel we were disappointed with the location,it is situated quite a bit out from the main centre, however once inside the hotel we were surprised at how clean and spacoius our rooms were. This Hotel cannot be faulted, it had only been opened for 6 weeks when we arrived so it was expected that there would be teething problem but the staff tried there best to please all their customers, there was no lengths they wouldn't go too to ensure everyones comfort.
The rooms are cleaned to a high standard daily, the food was good and all efforts were being made to ensure the needs of the British holiday makers were being met(bare in mind that this hotel has just opened). You will have to splash out on taxis to go into town, if you don't like a good 15 minute walk but the hotel taxi driver is excellent, speaks good english and is completely reliable(don't even consider any other taxis, you may get ripped off), or you could use the minitrain that runs every 10 min.across the road form the hotel, it cost approx 50-70 pence for the 10 min ride into the centre.
This Hotel is situated on the main road in a developing part of the resort, that was the only down fall, trying to cross that road was a nightmare.After a few nights in the busy resort centre we were glad of the hotels location.
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Hotel Belleville - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (JMC Discounts) JMC - 2004
Opinion submitted in Jan 2005 by : Doug Ratcliffe (Lockerbie) (42, 39, 14, 12, 8)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We arrivied in Bulgaria not knowing what to expect. We were very pleasantly supprised. The standard of the hotel was excellent and the staff ever so helpful. being such a small hotel (36 rooms) it was not long before we made new friends, and with the bar not closing until the last man/women retired there were many long nights full of laughter and occasional song. Mind you this was also accompanied in the morning with bleery eyes and late breakfasts, but then a quick dip in the pool (cold shock treatment) you were ready to head of into Sunny Beach to grab many of the bargins to be had.
The JMC rep was Bulgaria and spoke good English as did most of the staff. We did two excurtions, Varna and the Dolphin show in week one and Khan's tent in week two. Dolphin show great for kids and Varna good for those designer bargins. Khan's tent was also well worth the money.
We are hoping to go to Bulgaria again but this time we will be going skiing, to Borovets, where the JMC rep works over the winter season.
Can't wait!!!!
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Bellevue - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - June 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : stacy 24
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
the hotel was great and the location was perfect we went the end of june this year it rained for one day and the hotel got flooded and so did most hotels and the roads the next day it all cleared and it was a perfect holiday my parents loved it and want to go back next year loads to do for the kids bouncy castles fairs parks people say the food is not that good but we found we could make a meal every time and when we did have a meal out it wasnt as good as the hotels anyway so just make the most of it we went to khans tent my children aged 5 and 3 loved it a 4 corse meal and a great show people in the hotel very friendly
a very excellent holiday if the weather is good
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Bellevue - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: jmc/thomas cook - 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Denise and Kim Andrews 47 and 25
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
The Bellevue was fantastic,very clean the staff werre brilliant and very friendly and the food was quite good.Sunny Beach is a great resort with plenty to do for everyone loads of bars clubs and excellent restuarants.The Bulgarian people are very welcoming and cant do enough for you.It is also very very cheap out there. This was our first time in Bulgaria and we will definatly go back,it was by far the best european package holiday Ive ever been on.
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Bellevue - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- September 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Spence & Lou (28, 26)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hotel: On recommendation from this website I choose Bellevue (not to be confused with Belleville) and was very pleased with our choice, apparently we were at the 'posh' end of sunny beach (the north). The hotel was very clean and the staff were helpful, the room was reasonably spacious and the shower was great! We didn't use the pool as it was freezing (it was October, which was probably too late in the year), but it did look nice. Hotel food was just ok, but it didn't sound half as bad as most hotels in SB after speaking to others.
Resort: Sunny Beach is a very purpose built resort. Hotels are all close to the sea front and lined with stalls selling the same tacky souvenirs and fake designer gear; begging children also pester you. If you are just going for the beaches though you won't be disappointed, the white sandy beaches stretch for miles. However, just be aware of the jelly fish if you are intending to take a dip in the sea!
Don't expect Bulgarian culture in SB, there isn't any. However if you take the time to explore Bulgaria you will be pleasantly surprised, the further out you go the cheaper things are and more culture there is. The transport is excellent, buses/coaches are extremely cheap, do not bother with the taxis. We went to Plovdiv which definitely worth a visit, the coach is only £6.
Overall Bulgaria makes a great cheap one week getaway!
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Bellevue - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook September 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : George Wilks-Cheshire
Resort Rating: Poor
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Having made a first visit to this resort,it will be my last as both weather and food were disgusting.The hotel and room service were very good,but some staff were unhelpfull.The clothing and footwear were very cheap to buy,but if that is all you are looking for in a holiday,but politeness costs nothing,and that was,in many cases missing I,m afraid.
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Bellevue - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Balkan Discounts) Balkan holidays - Sept 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : john shaw-yorkshire (56-53-35-26-10-18months)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just arrived back 26.09.05 looked forward to this holiday for so long what a disapointment the hotel was very nice- clean the rooms were cleaned everyday bedding and towels changed regulary.
As for the food if you like eggs and hot dog sausages for breakfast you will be ok.For your evening meal chips pizza meatballs or spam fritters were always on the menu(not to my palate)we found the food disgusting,but we did find a nice place to eat(the flower pub)roast beef and yorkshires all the trimmings £3.99 and worth every penny.
Entertainment was none exsistent 1 man playing an organ every night.
The resort itself very cheap but nothing but lock up stalls for 6 miles.
Everywhere you walked there was snakes aligators or bears children and their mothers begging,prostitues accosting you even with your wife and family there.
Would certainly not recomend this resort or hotel, will not be going back to bulgaria.
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Bellevue Beach - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) JMC JUNE 05
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : CLAIRE, NEIL, 3 CHILDREN 34/35/9/7/4.
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
what a lovley hotel, resort fantastic, bulgarian people great,they try really hard to talk english, put love english people to bits.the maids were really nice always cleaning, must work 16hrs a day.the hotel stands next to the victoria palace,which you would thing it would overshadow it but in no way does it!
the staff are very friendly,always on call 24/7, the doctor on site speaks little english (but thank god we didnt use him!)the towels were changd dayly,(if left on bathroom floor)i dont know about you but when we go on holiday, we dont really do much cleaning and the room was qutie messy with 3 kids,but every afternoon it was back to how it was on day one!THE FOOD well its not all bad, the toaster takes about 10 mins per side,quicker if you put it on a sun lounger!!!the main food in bulgaria is veal, if you like veal youll love the food,nothing for children, apart from f/fingers one day,they were c**p.
the only real thing that let the hotel down and it wasnt the hotels fault was Germans,i have never really had anything to do with them before, but some were very rude- ignorant- apinioating. the hotel was made up of 40% brits- 60% germans.
a small tip when going into evening meal,have the right amount of money on you as,they automatically take tips, if your drinks come to 7lev- you give them 10lev note they keep it,(im not tight but i always thought you gave tips if you wanted to!)
this holiday was lovley,the hotel great,the weather fantastic,sunny beach exellent,clean safe, sea.already booked next year to go back just diffrent resort.oh nearly forgot the rep is nice but you dont see her much!the kids club,is non egsistant,only july august (jmc)there is a german run kids club they are really good they try there hardiest to play english games.give it a try you'll enjoy it its a reaaly nice hotel!
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Bravo Apartments - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: Club 18-30- June 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Sarah- Loughborough (20,20,20,22)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Got back from sunny beach a week ago and had a brilliant time. Having payed only £164 each we didnt expected brilliant things but we had a fantastic time! Flight times weren't brill but when we arrived at 4.30 in the morning the 18-30 reps did our welcome meeting there and then for us so we didn't have to get up in the morning. Our room was the best in the apartments(number 21)...we had a nosy at some of the others!We had to large rooms one with a double bed and a single and the other with a double bed and a pull out chair that was ment for a sixth person. We had a bathroom in each, a kitchen in 1 and an extra fridge in the other. Balcony was small but wasn't a problem.
We had a few problems with our room when we arrived (balcony door wouldn't shut and bathroom light went) but these were sorted out very quickly by Evo, hes kind of an onsite manager.
The pool area etc was really nice, bar staff were friendly and food and drinks were cheap.
The main strip in Sunny beach is a mix of bars, restaurants, jewellery and clothes shops and tattoo palours. We found a few very nice restaurants, Tropicana, La bamba, fat cats. Most bars have a happy hour at some point in the evening, best place to head to are viking bar, 2 for 1 cocktail in happy hour, 8 lev for both £3!!Some other bars along the beach also nice but cant remember the names!Clubs to head to are Disco Orange, only 2 mins from Bravo, Lazur and if you like live music head to Iceberg. We were a bit wary because isn't normally our seen but had a really good night!!Would definatly recommend some of the 18-30 nights...the pub crawl is a good one, especially if you arrive on the tuesday morning as it takes place tuesday night and shows you where to go etc. We also did the beach party on the saturday night. Having been told there was a 3hour free bar and bbq we expected weak drinks and poor food....but it was the best food we had all holiday and the drinks were so strong! The reps out there are brilliant...at Bravo the rep is Carrie and you will always see her around for a chit chat. Other reps are Mike and Ryan who are both brilliant aswell, made the holiday.
Overall Sunny Beach was much better than we expected, the apartments were brilliant staff were helpful and friendly and the resort is really good!
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Bravo Apartments - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: Balkan Holidays - Sept 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Four Chesterfield Lads - 24,24,21,21
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The flights with Balkan Airlines were certainly different, looks like they were built bout 100 years ago, inflight meals poor, but got us there and back which is the most important thing.
Sunny Beach resort i found to be similar to Blackpool, however very enjoyable. Its basically got a main strip along the beach front full of bars, restaurants and cheap clothes, tatoo parlours. All the hotels seem to be brand new and modern.
We were on accomodation on arrival and got placed in the Bravo Apartments rated 4 star. The apartment consisted of four rooms, a bedroom consisting of a double and a single bed, another bedroom with 2 single beds, a living area with leather sofas with tv and mini kitchen, bathroom poor due to open shower meaning floor really wet and dangerous. Bravo is like a mini village with lots of buildings in a square with the bar area and pool in the middle. The pool area is ok and the bar is average, however the staff are really polite and the prices are cheap as chips.
Overall really nice and enjoyable holiday met two great lasses from N.Ireland, you know who you are fun time girl Claire and Mrs Lova Lova Linda. Oh and finally make sure you pack mosquito repellent, cos they make everyone not happy and we dont want that!!
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Bravo Apartments - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: balkan august 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : kevin cole doncaster
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
the resort is very good but bravo apartments are very very poor.Are toilet had a leak for 4 days ,shower didnt work for 3 days room smelt that bad you coudnt sit in it. Staff didnt wont to know.
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Bravo Apartments - Sunny Beach
Operator and Date: Perfect Choice Holidays - August 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Garrett - Newcastle (37, 35, 15, 9)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Bravo holiday village is a fantastic place for families to stay. We stayed in Bravo1 which seemed to be the best of the complex,our room was a 2 bed apartment which was very clean and spacious, maids come in daily to clean your rooms and change linen every 2 days they are very helpfull and friendly.The bar is quite small but the staff are fantastic, I have to mention Diyan the waiter, always cheerful,despite working 8 hour shifts 7 days a week for the duration of the holiday season and remembered everybodys name.
The pool was clean, there is a lifeguard on duty from 9am-6pm although he spent most of this time sleeping and talking on his mobile!!The recepton staff leave a lot to be desired,very unhelpfull and if you persist on getting a answer to your question you are told NO UNDERSTAND although there english is very good.Heard a lot about the beggars but only saw 2 in all the time we were there. Go to old nessebar for the day it is lovley ind full of ancient history. The aquapark is just around