We were staying for three nights in Bulgaria’s second city Plovdiv, at the three-star Odeon Hotel.
The website appears to feature all the eight rooms, and we were allocated 201 on the second floor. Whilst there was a lift, it was so tiny it only took two slim people without luggage, and we went up one by one.
The spacious room had a king-size bed, two pillows, two cushions and a spare in the wardrobe. It was prettily decorated with a blue floral wall paper on the bottom section of the walls topped with a border which matched the carpet. The oak furniture included two bedside tables with double charging points and lights over the bed. Unfortunately, the light on my side stuck out and I had to be careful not to hit my head. A long bench at the bottom of the bed was ideal for two suitcases, and other facilities included an empty fridge, chest of drawers, wardrobe, TV, dressing table with stool, and an arm chair. Water glasses were provided and there was a water cooler outside the room on the landing. The AC and WiFi both worked well.
The poky bathroom only accommodated one person at a time. The basin was bizarrely enclosed in the shower cubicle so if using the mirror or basin after a shower, you were stood in water. However, it had reasonably powerful hot water and there were plenty of towel hooks. Although there were two hairdryers in the bedroom, the wall-mounted hairdryer was not near a mirror and the lead on the other was too short to use with a mirror.
Our balcony involved two doors, both with a slight step and a fly door. There were two folding chairs and a table, and a stupendous view over the Roman Forum. It wasn’t private with only a screen separating us from the next door balcony, but at least we only had one AC unit, whilst the other had six!
Breakfast, from 8am to 10am, was laid out in a side room off the dining room, but there was also a light and bright conservatory with tables overlooking the ruins. The female receptionist oversaw things and there was a good range of items: cereals and plain yoghurt, chopped melon and a large bowl of whole fruit, platters of cheese and meats, tomatoes and cucumbers with olives, scrambled egg and little sausages, hard boiled eggs, and French toast. There was a coffee machine and a large range of tea bags.
The hotel’s website boasted that ‘Our restaurant will surely surprise you’ – well it did, mainly because there wasn’t one, even though there was a list of ‘Dishes for refined tastes’. Fortunately there were several nearby restaurants within a short walk.
Whilst this was not one of the best hotels, the views were truly memorable.
