Imperial Palace Hotel — Hotel in Nesebar

Falsely Advertised as 5*

Would not recommend this hotel and it definitely impacted our perception of Sunny Beach, Bulgaria and its people.

We arrived at the hotel at 4:30AM where the receptionist stopped half-way through checking in to tend to other guests who seemed as though they were familiar to the hotel and didn’t resumed with us till I told her to. She was very unhelpful and the bellboy with her was rude especially when I had to come back to reception after our triple room had not been provided with a single towel. We had to ask multiple times the next day before we just found a maid’s cart next to our room and she gave it to us. They also assigned our two rooms in separate buildings altogether despite booking on the same reservation which we thought was absurd and we could see all the spare room keys that were only being collected the next day that they refused to swap with (we weren’t the only guests who dealt with this problem across the week). The sofa bed in our room for the third person was unsleepable as there was a metal rod where the sofa seat ends and only when we complained were we given a mattress to put on top. The shampoo and shower gel was inconsistent / non-existent between rooms.

The food was not very good and lacked flavour, variety and authenticity. To make matters worse, the hotel was obviously overbooked so it always took us 5 minutes of lurking to get a table and even then, it was a table too small for our size party. The drinks aren’t very good (admittedly it’s a cheap all-inclusive) and that’s probably because the soft drinks they use are so heavy on flavouring.

The elevators take absolutely ages to arrive, going to other floors when you call it whilst it says it’s on your own floor so we ended up having to take the stairs almost every time. Luckily we were only on the 3rd floor as opposed to 7th but even then, it was exhausting and frustrating.

Also, it’s worth noting that the sun beds on the section of the beach directly outside the hotel are not free of charge and the ones by the pool are reserved by guests with one piece of clothing, who then kick off a fuss if you take it after them not being there for hours. I haven’t been to many all-inclusive beach resorts in Europe but surely that behaviour is unacceptable.

On our penultimate day, our rental car was towed as we had to park on a road outside the hotel (note that road signs are rarely placed along the road but instead at the ends). This would not have been a problem if the hotel parking attendant had let us park in the hotel car park where there were plenty of spaces but instead stated that it was full when we could see it wasn’t.

To top this all off, we had an awful experience with the hotel spa run by Ali Baba. After my dad had raved about his experience, my sister and I wanted one too. To summarise. They had booked us in when they really didn’t have available staff and got greedy; the worst part being their attempt at stalling whilst they waited for staff instead of being upfront. We were left with face masks on that we had to wash off ourselves after 35 minutes of our supposed 90 minute sauna / scrub / massage / facial experience.

Throughout our stay, we kept asking to speak to the hotel manager who we were informed was either not working or in a meeting. Even on the last day, we didn’t even meet them but instead the Guest Relations Manager who asked us how our stay was as we checked out. We definitely gave her a piece of our mind. The expectation would be that more senior staff will go about correcting / compensating for our complaints throughout our stay proactively and on their own accord as opposed to us having to find them; even then, we never actually had that.

It’s a shame that those people who are front of house (e.g. receptionists) have a worse attitude and ruin it for those who actually keep the hotel running (e.g....

Extremely Disappointing!!!! — Nowhere Near 5 Star Standards

Where to start? This hotel was a DISASTER from day one. The kids’ entertainment was left in the hands of an older man while the actual animators were too busy flirting and taking shots at the bar which is beyond unprofessional. The evening “disco” was a joke, playing outdated Tina Turner songs and even “Sex Bomb” during a kids’ event, which is wildly inappropriate and isn’t right for a KIDS disco.

Dinner service was chaotic, with guests pushing and behaving rudely, and staff doing nothing to control the situation. I even got shoved and yelled at by a guest for patiently waiting in line and I was “in her way” and the line “doesn’t mean anything”. My family and I would grab food from the heated/warm selection and it was cold. The food was the same recycled options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day. There was zero variety, and worse, several people in our group ended up with stomach aches for days. Also, it was a struggle finding tables available and cleaned for every meal.

The hotel rooms were filthy. Housekeeping didn’t leave enough towels, and after going to reception, we had to wait over an hour to receive more. Despite multiple requests, our sheets were changed once during the stay. Cleaning staff would knock during the hottest part of the day, exactly when you want to rest. We asked them to vacuum the carpet because it was covered in crumbs and dirt when we arrived, only to be told the hotel doesn’t even have a vacuum, just a broom. Now what is that?

The “all-inclusive” package was misleading. There were only six drink options, and every bar had a limited selection. Despite being promised local (Bulgarian) alcohol, there was none. Drinks frequently ran out and weren’t restocked until late in the evening. At the beach bar, beer was the only alcoholic option. Worse still, even though we paid for beach chairs and umbrellas in our package, we were only allowed to sit from the sixth row back. The front rows were “reserved” for those who paid on the spot.

The snack bar was supposed to provide food throughout the day, but between 4–6 PM there was nothing available. Communication with the staff was nearly impossible, many of them didn’t speak Bulgarian (in Bulgaria!), and most didn’t speak English either.

Entertainment was appalling. On the second night, it was two forty-something twins screeching karaoke, genuinely hard to sit through. Meanwhile, a visibly drunk man wandered around the resort daily and even passed out in the lobby on multiple occasions. This is not a safe or appropriate environment for families. Even worse, we witnessed bartenders at the main pool bar serving alcohol to minors, absolutely unacceptable and had me worried.

To top it all off, the WiFi barely worked in the rooms, making it difficult to relax or even check messages.

Overall, this was not a 5-star experience by any stretch. If you care about cleanliness, safety, and even the most basic hospitality standards, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere!! SO many...

Disappointing and downright unacceptable for a so-called 5-star hotel

Where to even begin? This hotel was a complete disaster from day one. The kids’ entertainment was handled by an older man because the actual animators were too busy flirting and taking shots at the bar — shockingly unprofessional. The disco music was a joke, with outdated Tina Turner songs and even “Sex Bomb” played for little kids, which is wildly inappropriate.

Dinner was a chaotic mess, with guests shoving and acting rude, and staff doing nothing to manage it. The food options were copy-paste every single day for lunch, dinner, and breakfast — zero variety, and to make matters worse, it made my entire family and our friends sick with stomach aches and diarrhea.

The hotel rooms were extremely dirty, and when they “cleaned” them, they didn’t even leave enough towels. We had to wait over an hour after going to reception just to get some fresh towels so we could clean up after coming from the beach. We also requested sheet changes twice and they never showed up. Room cleaning tries to come in the middle of the day, exactly when you want to rest from the brutal heat, making it impossible to relax. Additionally we asked for room cleaning to vacuum the carpet because when we checked in the floor was covered with crumbs and dirt, we were told they don’t own a vacuum and only a broom.

The “all inclusive” package is misleading at best. There are only six drink options, and each bar has a limited selection. Also, it was advertised that there would be Bulgarian alcohol, there is none. They constantly ran out of alcohol or juices, and wouldn’t refill until the night was almost over. At the beach bar, beer was the only alcoholic option, which is pathetic. On top of that, if you paid for beach chairs and umbrellas to be included in your package, you can only sit from the sixth row back — the front rows are “reserved” for people who pay in the moment, even though we paid too.

They claim food is available all day thanks to a snack bar, but between 4–6 pm there is absolutely nothing open. And how is it acceptable that most of the staff cannot speak Bulgarian in a hotel located in Bulgaria? Even if Bulgarian wasn’t spoken, English was also not spoken too. Communication was basically impossible.

Entertainment on the second night was two forty-year-old twins screeching karaoke, which was genuinely painful to endure. Meanwhile, a middle-aged man staggered around the resort completely drunk every day, even passing out on lobby couches — how is that remotely safe for families with children? Worse, bartenders at the main pool bar were actually serving alcohol to minors, which is completely outrageous.

Finally, the WiFi was terrible and barely worked in the room, making it impossible to relax or even check messages.

Overall, this was absolutely NOT a 5-star experience, and I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere if you value safety, cleanliness, and basic standards of...