Royal Hotel
Szálloda Speciális Fogadó Ulitsa Han Omurtag 11, Varna, Varna, 9028, Bulgária
15 Photos
Room Features
- Íróasztal: Yes
- Háztartás: Yes
- Biztonságos: Yes
Contact & Hours
Ulitsa Han Omurtag 11, Varna 9028 Bulgaria
Nearby Attractions
Reviews (3)
Looks great, until you uncover the problems.
This hotel is very conveniently situated within a short walking distance of the Railway Station, shopping streets, museums and galleries. It's located in the Greek Quarter of Varna. At first glances, this hotel looks pretty respectable... But, when one looks deeper, over and above the nice decor, you discover some bad and annoying issues. The Baroque decor, is clearly there to impress, but, sadly, the novelty soon wears off. The reception area is somewhat unusual, with a Baroque desk, instead of the usual enclosed reception area, that most hotels have. That said the area behind the desk, looked a little cluttered and untidy. There is a small lift to the upper floors, but stand clear of the sensor on both sides, or the door will refuse to close - it caught us out! We were assigned room 302, which had two balconies - albeit very small, which increases the price of the room, so you need to consider whether this is worth the money. The views from the balconies were pleasant, overlooking older archetectually appeasing buildings. The doors to the rooms open with a conventional key, to which the locks did offer some security. Electricity is controlled through a card in a slot. The room size is not the largest I've seen, but adequate and had a table and two chairs, along with a chest of drawers. The lighting is very bright - too bright for some, even with only the bedside lamps. There were two chandeliers on the ceiling, each, with six working bulbs. Wall lamps were each side of the bed, with two bulbs each and a further two wall lamps were situated opposite the bed. The furniture is repro wood / Baroque, which is not everyone's liking, but, looks pleasing and does the job. The floor to the room is unusually tiled with narrow, rectangle, ceramic tiles, which give a light / beige wood effect. The tiles are somewhat cold under foot, so bring slippers. The decor is white, with one large picture above the bed. The bed was dark teak wood, probably constructed in Indonesia. I'm not a fan of these beds, as they creak when you move and this one certainly did creak. The matress was comfortable, but there was only one pillow and it was too soft for my liking. We asked for extra pillows, as there were none in the room. There were two duvets (one for each person) on the bed. The bed clothes were fresh and clean. The television was a latest Samsung and was around 48 ", mounted to the wall, for good viewing. WiFi signal was good and Internet access easy, with WiFi details on a slip of paper in the room's information book. There were electric sockets both sides of the bed and also a single standard USB socket, along with light switches. There was a Fulitsu air conditioner / heater on the wall above the entrance door - we didn't use it, but it looked new and presumably worked fine. The room is on a curved corner of the building, overlooking streets and a neighbouring restaurant, hence there was some noise, although not particularly intrusive, as the streets are not main roads. There was a fridge / mini bar, which was well stocked, with wine, beer, spirits, water, juice and soft drinks. The wardrobe was a large Baroque free standing unit with two mirrored doors. Inside were 9 wood hangers, two lower shelves, with a small safe placed on one. First appearances of the bathroom, showed that the basin and toilet had been recently replaced. The toilet had a slow glide, closing lid. The seat had been mal-fitted and overhung one side of the toilet pan, although it was secure. An instruction label of how to install the toilet, was still attached to the cistern. The flush worked well. The basin had a single brass mixer tap, that dispensed water well. The shower was, sadly, in poorer condition. The shower hose had a significant leak, behind the shower head. That said, it didn't affect the water pressure, to which the pressure was good. There was a shower curtain, that was necessary to flatten onto the water barrier on the floor, to avoid water escaping into the rest of the bathroom - so long as you do this, water will stay in the shower! Upon taking a shower though, within a couple of minutes the water in the shower area floor, started rising indicating a block in the drain. The water kept rising and I had to abort my shower early, to avoid flooding the bathroom. The water took nearly 15 minutes to drain away, after which I used a tool to remove the drain cover. Underneath, was a plastic float, that was filthy, coated in brown slime and mold. I did not dare remove the float for health reasons. Clearly, the cleaners or maintenance staff, do not clean and bleach the drains - truly disgusting and the worst I've seen so far, in any hotel in Varna. Worse still, the door handle had lost its retaining screw and came off in you hand, so we were unable to close the bathroom door - not great, when you want privacy! We notified a staff member and she rectified the shower drain herself (probably not her job to do so, but very appreciated nonetheless). She also brought us extra pillows and said she would ask for the bathroom door to be fixed - bravo! On the ground floor is a small café / restaurant. This is a very pleasant place to have a drink or meal. The service is impeccable and we couldn't fault it. Breakfast at this hotel, is payable on arrival, (it isn't possible to pay for a room including breakfast on booking). Each breakfast cost 12 Leva (current January 2023). The breakfast is taken to order and is served at your table. We had two large plated breakfasts, two espresso coffees each and a juice. We both enjoyed our breakfasts and the coffee was excellent. In the basement is a spa. This spa has a steam room, sauna, heated tiled beds and a jaccuzi, along with two showers and a water butt drencher, that tips cold water over you after a sauna. The spa is not included in the room cost and 40 Leva per person extra is payable for two hours of usage. There is also a massage and therapy room, that has a menu, that offers various treatments at different prices. My wife had a one hour facial, which she said was excellent, which cost 45 Leva. The spa doesn't really have a changing area, but there is a WC, which can be used to change in if necessary. We changed in our room and used the lift to the spa. There are four lockers, but only three had keys and, oddly, there were two keys with number 1. The showers, sauna and steam room, hot ceramic beds, all worked satisfactorily and were very clean. We did not test the water butt. The jacuzzi takes a bit of working out, as the operative panel buttons are not that intuitive and there were no instructions, however, after five minutes, we worked it out and started it up. The temperature can be altered to suit. But, be warned. On the bottom of the jacuzzi is a suction pump inlet, that is very fierce - I put my foot on it and, in theory, it could either break a foot bone, or long hair could get jammed, pulling you under the water, which could cause drowning! So, when using the jacuzzi, use it with extreme care. I would not say it is suitable for children. The ceramic beds heat to your suiting; there are tables between the beds, for phones etc, there are USB and electric sockets for charging. The spa was very clean. The decor, is once again Roman / Baroque style, with beige wall tiled and tile floors. The floors are slippery when wet, so bring with you, non slip flip flops. Signs by the beds warned you of this. No robes are supplied and you must bring your towels from your room. Presumably towels are available to people not staying in the hotel, wishing to use the spa. We were offered a glass of complimentary tea, which was very much appreciated. The hotel would appear to be an independent hotel, that has a long history in Varna. The building has archetectual beauty. The hotel appears to have around 15 rooms. Small hotels of this size find it difficult to compete with larger chain hotels and so, have to charge for extra services, making them less attractive. However, what I would say is this, that the three main criteria a customer wants from a hotel are: a very comfortable bed (including bedding) affording a good night's sleep, a good bathroom, including good shower and toilet (some may want a bath as well) and a high standard of cleanliness. The next four criteria are, sound proofed rooms, a decent reliable WiFi signal, good TV and good balanced lighting. Offer these seven things and your customer will be happy. Over all, our stay was good, but could have been improved, due to the initial problems, which were, indeed fixed quickly.
Not preferred option for a tourist
Location is not the best since it's some distance from the beach and park. Parking is on the street Hotel is a little outdated Quite small bathroom for a suite. Poor A / C. Dozens of tv channels, also many international (which is not common in Bulgaria). Breakfast served to table, good value for money.
Excellent
The hotel is stunning and very classy. Excellent location about 10 minutes walk from the harbour and the centre. Would definitely stay here again. The staff are very friendly. The room decor is excellent