Our five-week, self-guided tour of Bulgaria started and finished in the capital, at the four-star Sofia Palace Hotel.
The hotel was only a 20-minute drive from Sofia airport, and check in was slick. The receptionist, who’d told us she’d lived in London for twenty years and missed the weather, provided a city map and restaurant recommendations. Our flight had been delayed, and we were hoping the bar would still be open for a much needed G&T. Unfortunately it didn’t have a bar either open or closed, so we raided the well-stocked, reasonably priced mini bar of gin, and in the absence of tonic, Sprite.
There are 28 rooms, and ours on the first floor (107) had a comfortable king-size bed made up of two singles, each with an empty single duvet cover, and one pillow, with the actual duvets and a spare pillow in the wardrobe. There were bed side lights, tables and charging points, a wall mounted TV, long shelf, and a tiny safe impractically located at the bottom of the wardrobe. Complimentary tea and coffee making facilities and bottled water were provided. The air-conditioning was difficult to fathom, so once we’d successfully set it, we didn’t switch it off. On return, we were allocated the same room, although this time it was made up as a twin, and as it was now cooler, the duvets were in their covers.
The poky bathroom had a shower over the bath with powerful hot water, which gushed so fast the glass screen couldn’t cope, and the floor flooded. However, there was a shaving mirror and good hairdryer/mirror combination and although complimentary toiletries were provided, there was little space for our own.
Breakfast, served 7.30am to 10am in the modern ground-floor Gusto Café Bar, was a casual, self-service experience. A fancy coffee machine dispensed a range of drinks, but as we discovered, those involving milk were pre-sweetened, so we stuck to espresso adding hot water and cold milk. A second machine more successfully dispensed four varieties of chilled juices. There was a good selection of Bulgarian yoghurt, cereals, fresh and dried fruit, along with platters of meats and cheese, salad items, a red pepper dip and cream cheese. There was also all the components to make a full English breakfast. However, for me the best part was several variations of appetising savoury cheesy pastries, along with doughnuts, a bread basket, toaster and jams. All in all, it was a very good affair.
Despite a sign implying the independently owned café was open to non-residents from 7.30am to 5.30pm we were told that following the Covid pandemic, it now only served breakfast. The website therefore requires serious updating as it still suggests there is a Ramana Restaurant, garden (possibly a tiny paved area on the street), Lobby Bar, Relax Café Bar and Room Service. However, there was a first-floor conference room and fitness room in the basement.
Initially we thought the location, at the end of a quiet narrow road, looked a little seedy and run down. However, we quickly discovered there was easy access to all the main sites. And best of all was a German bierkeller directly opposite where we ate several times because it was both reasonable and convenient (see separate review of eating out in Sofia).
However, we anticipated more in the way of services from a four-star hotel, and on our last day, when we had to check out at noon and were not being picked up until 6pm, there was nowhere to relax. This prompted my partner to quip it might have four floors, but it was not four star.