Kings' Valley Medical & Spa Hotel — Hotel in Kazanlak

Unpleasantly surprised by this place considering all the hype I’ve heard from people.

The bad: Overpriced for our experience From the first minute in the hotel we were greeted with additional changes for pretty much anything. Not a complete list but the big examples being: =There are 12 changing stations for electric vehicles by EVN. We were surprised the EVN app showed them all as available. When we asked where they are it became clear they are in the underground parking which you have to pay 10 € extra for, before paying the EVN station for whatever energy you use. But okay… = Going to dinner ( which you pay extra for when booking btw) all the food is great and ofc alcohol is available from the bar. However the machines for water, juice, coke etc which are in the hall are not working aside the times for breakfast. But ofc you can order water or soft drink from the bar and pay for them again. = They have a spa which is kids free on the positive but the salt room is locked. Available at an extra cost by the half hour … of course = There is a teens zone with a few games available like pool, table tennis a claw machine and some arcade game but take a guess… they are all working only if you insert coins. So the hotel has games available but only as a trap for parent to have to pay more. Even mountain cabins have free pool with the unlocked table. But this hotel was trying to squeeze out as much as possible apparently. = The last drop for us was the Bar. It’s over all a nice experience there with events or DJ occasionally even. However, the menu has just liquors and wines, which is fine by me. As we were ordering we asked if they have another one for cocktails and the answer was no… but our colleague can make you some… So a random guy comes in and tell us five cocktail names of mostly classic cocktails but ofc if you want to know what’s in them you just ask. We tried some but imagine our surprise when the bill is just the items from the printed menu that supposedly went into the cocktail. At the end we had very overpriced cocktails even on the scale of a hotel bar. And that is ofc trusting that the cocktail mix had the most expensive ingredients on the existing menu…

So if the hotel doesn’t offer cocktails, why is the personnel offering cocktails. Pick an approach and have a full menu transparent to the quests or correct staff from offering to make any.

The good: = THE FOOD BUFFET was amazing! Absolutely delicious food every time. I found myself looking forwards to dinner to see what dishes would be served then. Everyday was a different selection and the desserts were out of this world. 10/10 = The hotel itself is huge and you can def see the project spared no expenses on it. = The rooms are very very spacious with some having huge terraces and quite large bathrooms as well. = there is a small airport for small planes and they offered lessons if anyone gets bored of the spa. = The amount of pools there are. Two child ones and one swimming pool inside with four jacuzzis. All working in winter ofc

= Of the outdoors pools one is open with heated water but they have three more available which would make is amazing in the summer when the outdoor bar is also open.

Overall: For a hotel claiming such high status, it’s is unacceptable to shamelessly try to find any possible way to get additional money in. It’s not the workers fault that the process was defined like that for them but I imagine they take all the blame as the face...

This is a great place to spend a couple of days, but be very cautious ! We booked a Christmas Special Package that included breakfast and dinner as well as access to the spa facilities. We paid 810lv for a 2 nights stay. After two years in service the hotel is still like brand new. The rooms are in mint condition, nice and large. Ours didn't offer any view but that was OK. The sheets, towels and everything in the room was of high quality materials. There was an Nespresso coffee maker. My only remark is that the mattress was too firm. I guess the hotel management have done their research and that is what they picked. Another think that I noticed is that the infotainment system is not user-friendly and it was set to French. The food was amazing throughout. No comments there. Excellent variety and choices. Alcoholic beverages were expensive for Bulgaria but still a lot cheaper than New York. There are three reasons why I am leaving 3 stars.

There's no access to free drinking water. Guests are cornered to purchase bottled water for about $5 for 700 ml. That is totally unacceptable in my school. A 5 star hotel should provide access to drinking water. There is a free water fountain during breakfast. They promptly shut it off at 10 am. That's it. You have to buy water. No alternative options. There were two 700 ml bottles of water at arrival. We were told that those will not replenished. I find this to be a huge flaw, but that could be due to the Bulgarian mentality (In Bulgaria they charge for everything, such as bread, water, toilet use and often they offer a limited number of toilet tissue). Recently, I stayed at Nayara Alto, a 5 star resort in the Atacama desert. There was a water fountain on every floor as well as free bottled water. So, no excuses there !

Lack of control and rules-enforcement in the Spa and in the dining area. It was MADNESS !! Kids were running and yelling all over the place. There was one lifeguard who appeared to be heavily sedated. He was glued to his phone. Children were jumping and screaming in the water, fighting and spraying like crazy, and there was no one to say a word. That in a 5 star hotel is absurd and totally unacceptable. An unattended group of 6-7 year old kids were screaming and playing in the GYM. How is a 7 year old allowed to run unattended on a treadmill? Also, how are guests allowed to throw towels and "reserve" lounge chairs? I saw a guy who got 6 towels and simply went up to the lounge chairs he liked, and reserved them for his friends for later. That shouldn't be allowed at a 5 star hotel. The situation in the dining area was just as bad. Toddlers playing and screaming, jumping and running around the tables and not a single comment by the management or the staff.

The room attendants didn't make our room on the second day. I had to go to the lobby and request the room to be turned over. I was told that they skipped mine because they were prepping rooms for arriving guests. That was the most ridiculous and unprofessional explanation :)). Anyway, they arrived immediately after my request. That was at 3 pm.

I am a well travelled individual and those flows do not pass unnoticed. You should do better if you claim a 5 star grade.

3 to 4 star is a...

The hotel itself is gorgeous, spacious and well appointed. We had a great experience and will definitely recommend it to friends.

STAFF: The reception staff was super nice and friendly even the cleaners are super nice and caring when you meet them. Exceptional service at SOFRA restaurant.

CLEANLINESS: The rooms, the spa and pool area and the hotel overall are immaculately clean. Great job to the management team and the staff for keeping such a high standard! We travel around the world and King's Valley really stands out!

ROOMS: The rooms were very spacious,clean and comfortable. I don't think I've stayed in a bigger room and the bathroom was huge. Loved the walk in shower and the design.

FOOD: We had the chance to sit at SOFRA restaurant for dinner. The menu offers a great selection of traditional dishes with a super nice twist and beautiful presentation. The staff was so attentive that we almost felt like celebrities. The atmosphere is really cosy and authentic. Our dishes came out really quickly as well. I wish we came back the following evening.

We wanted to try all the restaurants so we chose to sit at ALBA the next evening. The atmosphere is beautiful and calm however 2 servers seemed to be preoccupied with all the tables at the time we were there and the wait for our food seemed a bit long for our expectation. The Milanese Cutlet was very good. The other three dishes we picked were good but nothing spectacular.

TRAKIA buffet: The Buffet breakfast is plentiful. huge choice of whatever you can imagine and everything was delicious. A lot of people at breakfast at the same time (it was a long weekend) but staff was keeping up replenishing in no time. Perfect organization! It was a great surprise when we saw all that variety in included breakfast. A lot of places are offering only some of the basics. So this is definitely a game changer and we highly appreciated it.

POOLS and SPA: I could be more grateful for the large semi-olympic pool. Thank God it was there to burn some of the calories after all that tasty breakfast. You have a personal button to order drinks and food from Vitalis bar. So smart and convenient! The other pools are warmer and I saw a lot of people and kids using them as well. The jakuzzis were nice too.

The SPA / Relax zone was really well equipped with different saunas,showers, ice room and tepidarium although only 4 heated beds for the full hotel seemed like not enough at times.

My only complaint is I wish the hotel enforces a little more the spa zone etiquette after all it is a spa hotel and people come from far away for the SPA experience to relax and getaway from the loud city. Maybe if there was a sign at the entrance to warn people to keep conversations low and phones out of that area as you can't really relax when other people in the spa 'hallway' and inside the saunas are discussing their lunch choices or use the saunas to catch up with their friends.

It wasn't a deal breaker for us and we had an amazing stay overall. Looking forward to having another opportunity to come back maybe in the summer when the weather is nicer

Keep up the hard work with the...