Momini Dvori - Mehana and Hotel — Hotel in Bansko

Dining solo, for starters I ordered shopska salata with a 100mm glass of Straldjanska Muskatova rakia, my very favorite Bulgarian grape brandy, which I drink all the time and consider quality-wise on a par with Johnnie Walker Black Label.

Instead of the expected fine aperitif, I received a glass of throat-burning bottom-of-the-barrel moonshine. I immediately returned it, explained why, and ordered draft beer instead. (Next time you are in Bulgaria, ask a native speaker the meaning of the word shliokovitza / шльоковица.)

The waitress was young, timid and clearly inexperienced. Along with the beer, she brought to me for verification purposes the distinctive green Straldjanska Muskatova bottle, to which I could only say: “Yes, this is the correct bottle, but not the drink I got.”

I enjoyed my salad, which was very good, and the pork shish, which was excellent. There were no issues with the beer, either.

However, while I was eating, two cats were ferociously attacking each other—could that be love?!—in the immediate vicinity of my feet and the piercing yowls startled me twice before I decided to shelter myself and my food indoors.

My hope was that as I was very visibly bringing my beer and shish inside, the waitress would take care of the rest of the food. No such luck: the staff were all gathered chatting in the back; several glances came my way, but at that hour I was clearly invisible.

Eager to save the remainder of my salad from feline marauding, I hopped back outside and brought the plate back but did not touch it any further because during my brief absence the rest of my bread (purlenka) had swiftly been dragged away by one of the cats. A moment of inattention and there comes contamination!

I was now standing up, upset and glowering indoors. The distressed stature of my 150 lbs frame attracted the waitress and after I related the catscapade to her, she responded: “Those are not ours.” I was then immediately handed the check with the words: “You have to pay now but you can stay if you want.”

As you can guess, the rakia was included in the total. I politely handed the check back, asking for the BGN 6.40 to be removed from the bill. Within 30 seconds a threatening-looking woman (the proprietress?) came to me with these exact words: “Why don’t you want to pay your check?”

I explained.

She raised her voice.

A threatening-looking man (the proprietor?) followed suit and berated me for being cruel to the waitress who was now responsible for covering the BGN 6.40. Patiently and politely, I shared the opinion that the waitress bears no responsibility for the possible accident of a bottle of counterfeit liquor finding its way into their fine dining establishment.

He raised his voice.

I explained.

He walked away and came back with two bottles of Straldjanska Muskatova, one sealed and one opened (allegedly the bottle my drink came from.) He then very strongly urged me to perform a test to verify the virginal equivalence of both. I declined. He insisted. I politely demurred as I had no inclination to engage in a liquor tasting in a clearly hostile environment.

The two bottles walked away together with their master, and at this point I worried the management was going to call the police on me. To my relief, the corrected check came back and I promptly paid it. The waitress seemed as distressed as I was, and I slipped her the difference of BGN 7, not so much a tip, but money to cover the petty fraud, as I was quite sure the noble restauranteurs were going to hold her responsible for it. I am also fairly confident it was not her fault I was served...

This was a rather disappointing hotel or guest house in a brilliant location. It has a great deal going for it, but unfortunately, the people running it are well behind the times. I hope this feedback is helpful because you could have an absolutely fantastic place operating with some extra effort and a more open attitude. The room: had a double bed that was simply two large singles pushed together and unsecured, so we slipped into the crack in the middle when we snuggled up. The room was not very clean and actually smelled stale on the first night. There was no kettle or cups until we asked for them the following day. We chose this place because reviews suggested it was good value, On closer investigation, many of the positives following the very poor reviews had the feel of false ones. (I see the pattern of wording, weekly, in my work, in the UK). There is a better way to boost your reviews if that was a strategy you were advised to follow. And you could easily do it. The food was an issue, too. My Bulgarian breakfast the first morning was different as expected and pretty passable. My partner had an omelette. It arrived in the frying pan, which seemed quite rustic/traditional at first, but the omelette itself was simply OK. The following morning, my partners cheese on toast looked and tasted OK. My English breakfast was again a frying pan meal but was more or less swimming in water from the tomatoes and the frying oil. I'm sure there was something traditional and Bulgarian that you were trying to present us, but it was poorly produced and didn't taste great. The mushrooms were dried out. Next morning we went elsewhere and our omelettes were very tasty indeed. On the service front. Anton met us very late at night and spent time getting us sorted for parking nearby, helping us with our cases. It was apparent that the guest house was more or less empty. When we met other staff the following morning. Service was given, but there was no attention given once food was served. There was no enquiry to see if we needed anything more to drink or to see if the food had been enjoyed. You are sitting on an absolute goldmine here, and it would take some effort to turn it into a welcoming place to stay. I'm sure you could do it easily in a few weeks if you get some advice from a hospitality expert locally. You could turn it around in a...

I stayed at Momini Dvori for a week and was one of the best places I have been to in Bansko.The hotel and the restaurant were designed in the traditional old bulgarian style thet made me feel very happy to be back home.Food was outrageous,very delicious and big portions, rooms were clean and super cosy, staff was friendly and accommodating according to your needs and preferences. There is also Free Wifi and a Free shuttle to the ski lift.Dilqn is the receptionist and will make sure that everything goes well during your stay at Momini Dvori.Thanks Dido. I only have a couple of things to note to the owner. The restaurant staff was great as I have mentioned above, but they need to work a little bit on their speed when taking orders and to actually take the drinks first and then food etc.The same when serving it, drinks should be served speedily so the restaurant guests only need to wait for their food,while enjoying the drinks.

Big thanks to Rado and to the waitress with brown hair, in her early 20’s that gave us an excellent service during our stay.Thanks to the owner who is the chef of the restaurant and prepares the amazing food with his family.

Despite the little notes I had, everyone was very welcoming and there to help you.Overall my stay exceeded my expectations and I would definitely come back at...