Grand Hotel & SPA Primoretz — Hotel in Burgas

We stayed here for 2 nights at the height of the summer holiday season.||||We drove our car up to the front entrance, where we were welcomed by 2 members of staff, who took care of everything, including parking the car in the hotel's own garage (we didn't pay extra for the parking, by the way) and unloading our luggage from the car. It was a perfect start.||||The room was a sea-view room (that was all that was available at booking time!) and for just 2 people it was huge, with a big and very comfortable bed. Everything was very clean, including the fantastic bathroom. It seemed to us that the style of decoration was rather typical of Bulgaria, with a lot of dark wood. This is not in any way a complaint, however. The room has a minibar, which we used to cool a couple of our own things, and it was very effective. The minibar prices are what you would expect, although compared with western prices they are not expensive.||||The room has its own balcony with a small table and a couple of chairs, and we made use of this. It was glorious watching the moon rise over the Black Sea.||||There are separate bathtub and shower cabin in the bathroom, and we were stocked up with some nice bathroom products every day. The shower itself is worth mentioning: it is a very big rain shower, very nice to use.||||Now there was one thing about the room that wasn't entirely satisfactory, and that was the aircon. It was very noisy and it didn't seem all that effective at cooling. It did of course manage to cool the room to a comfortable level compared with outside, but if you want really cool you're going to be disappointed. Also we couldn't do anything about turning the noise down because the controls seemed to be broken. I'm sure if we had told the hotel about it, they would have done something, but it didn't seem worth it.||||Also there are no tea/coffee-making facilities in the room, which is unfortunate. It definitely would be a positive addition. Nor is there any way for you to iron your clothes if they've been crumpled from spending too long in a suitcase.||||We didn't use the restaurant, but with breakfast being included we did take it, and it was excellent with a wide range of choices that certainly tempt you to eat more than you probably should! You can eat as healthily or as unhealthily as you like.||||The swimming pool is really good and is kept at an excellent temperature - certainly no shocks in getting into the water. Also you can get beach towels from a member of staff at the pool whenever you need them. Unfortunately, though, loungers etc. can be a bit difficult to get. It seems that some people just leave their towels on the loungers when they leave the pool area, making the loungers unavailable for anyone else; or perhaps they intend to come back later. Either way, it's not really fair on everyone else.||||One other thing that didn't go quite right: before heading out one evening we decided to get a couple of coffees from the lobby bar. We ordered them and sat, and waited...and waited...and waited. Eventually we just had to tell them that we needed to leave and to forget about it. I could see that they were quite busy but it was surprising just how long it could take to make 2 coffees. On returning later the same evening we did manage to get them in a much shorter time.||||The hotel has its own private beach area a short walk away, with umbrellas and loungers. We spent an hour there and used the beach bar but it was quite windy, and with such a good swimming pool there wasn't much incentive to use the beach.||||The staff at reception were very friendly and helpful and were able to call a taxi for us one evening. However on checking out, they did not ask if everything had been satisfactory; this would have been a nice gesture.||||I would like to mention in particular Svetoslav who unloaded the car and helped to take us to our room. He is an absolute gentleman. Also Valeria in the lobby bar for her service.||||Despite the small negative points, we were very, very happy to stay here, and we're planning to go back next year and to stay longer. Looking forward...

We stayed in the Grand Hotel and Spa Primoretz for four nights in October, which is very definitely out of season, but our stay was no worse for that. The hotel is grand in setting as well as name. It sits inside the Sea Gardens, actually a large wooded area which stretches from the edge of the port north along the promenade to the start of the serviced beach area.||The public spaces of the hotel are spacious and well set out. We opted for a large double room which was in effect a suite size, 60 square metres and felt very relaxed as a result. |The decor of the room and some of the public areas comes from an era of dark wood and paintings of questionable taste. The style is old-fashioned, the sort of old-fashioned that might have been old-fashioned when it was new. Predictable for the era in which the hotel was built but perhaps not for when it was renovated.||Entry to the spa came as part of our room rate, and was appreciated. The spa area has an indoor swimming pool, a steam room, a sauna and an aroma sauna. The pool however was kept at as cool a temperature as I’ve ever encountered in an indoor pool. Bracing. The rest of the spa however was fine. The aroma sauna is small but well designed, and the ordinary sauna was at a good temperature, whereas the steam room was underheated.||Reception staff were helpful and reliable. We asked for a takeaway breakfast on our departure, because we were catching an early train. It was provided, and fresh, and was available exactly when we had asked to collect it. ||The ordinary breakfast was a mixed experience. The cold cuts and fruit and all the other items provided were of a good quality. The ‘hot’ food wasn’t.. .hot. Each of the containers in which the bacon eggs and beans were kept had an independent electrical control, which seemed to guarantee that the heat was switched off for long periods. Basically the hot food was cold, and therefore both unappetising and a disappointment. This is a very simple matter. A more vigilant management system would recognise the issue and deal with it, or rather prevent it occurring in the first place. It was out of keeping with the values which the hotel espouses and largely delivers on.||The Grand Hotel is a solid representative of its class of hotel. It is well situated, being at the end of the long promenade area, and literally next to the western end of the very extensive port, cranes visible from the inland-facing rooms. It is also less than a ten minute walk to the major city bus station and the train station which are next door to each other, so transport links are nearby and easily accessed. It therefore has the location and the feel of a beach and city centre hotel at the same time.||All in all our stay was as we had expected. It was relaxing; we found the hotel a good place to stay for a first visit to Burgas. The style of the hotel is from a previous era, but it is well maintained and staffed and...

Disappointed and dissatisfied - very surprised this hotel is rated so high and has such a positive feedback. Decent and delicious breakfast choice Bathtub (with lowered shower) along with shower cabin in the bathroom Outside pool temperature is spot on: not warm, not freezing - just perfect to chill after the sun NOT a "first line", whole 200-300 meters walk to the beach belong to public municipality, not the hotel The entire building smells cigarette-smoked inside out They save money on everything - the motion sensor lights in the hallway are super dim and not well operating - you literally have to walk into the darkness Unimaginable, yet there are NO ceiling lights in the room. The only light you can get is from the sun or bedside lamp No direct bedside sockets. Some are obstructed by bed shelf and are used for a lamp My confirmed "very large single bed" was actually two small ones installed together with no single mattress on top - I literally got sucked in-between them at night. Because I was afraid to get into the middle I could not relax - sleep quality ruined drastically on a vacation (Cannot imagine a loving couple sleeping together on this "Very large single bed") My inquiry about it via my official booking channel was ignored The pillows are ultra light and thin Bed mattress ultra cost saver - not comfortable Despite "luxurious" marbles and golden colour interior, the building is very aged Wi-Fi may suddenly disconnect which happened quite frequently - online gaming becomes absolutely impossible I am 188cm tall, the toilet seat was very high for me - I was able to reach the floor with toe tips only The bathroom may smell fresh one day but have a strong sewer-like odor the next. The outside pool area is often crowded with children shouting, splashing, and crying. Some parents behave as if they have more entitlement to the space than other guests. Pool rules, such as no jumping, are not actively enforced by staff. Many birds fly over the pool, drink from it, and frequently leave droppings. Unfortunately, these are not cleaned overnight, and the sunbeds are often soiled in the morning. There is no music or visible poolside service (drinks or meals) available Only one safety handle is available for entering the pool, which could be insufficient for guests with limited mobility. This might be not true but after my room was cleaned I had a feeling they would only make my bed without changing the sheets and beddings because everything...