Hot Springs Medical & Spa Hotel — Hotel in Razlog

The booking app exclusively asked me if I need a parking spot reserved (to which I said yes). Arriving in the hotel and asking where to park, I got the answer "down or up the road, on the bank, wherever you find yourself a space". To my question about the reserved space they told me that everybody parks however they can.s || The very next day we left for a daytrip, and when we got back, the whole place was taped with warning tape, and we were told to park in a construction site, the entrance to which was a steep, downhill dirt road ramp, which is a good 150-200 meters away from the hotel. Later, we understood that the hotels parking (and entrance) is host to some bicycle championship. This was in no way conveyed when we reserved, nor when we arrived, because if we knew about it, we would've picked a different spot for our weekend altogether. ||Needles to say, until the end of our trip, our car was shoved in the wood scraps and dirt of an active construction site. ||Also, I should probably note, that we had a tpms sensor error on our way back, and now our car is going to get a rear tyre repaired. I could only speculate that the issue of the screw puncture is due to our car manouvering at a construction site. ||Enough about parking. |Food and beverage:||The hotel boasts that the food they cook is artisanal and prepared with locally sourced products, from their own farm. The products may be sourced locally (we did not tour their ranch), but the recipes or cooking was nothing to write home about. I would rate the food preparation and qualities average, having eaten a lot tastier meals at places with a lot less pretences. And a lot cheaper too. ||Drinks are not included in their half board dinners (breakfasts have a drink selection included), and we payed some 4 leva for a single coke, and 4+ lv for a single bottle of water. On top of that, a 7% service fee is charged, if you can get the attention of a waiter during dinner, which is a task by itself. ||At our hotel room we found 2 bottles of water as a compliment, 4 sweets on the pillows and a couple of not-really-fresh apples.|| There also was a Lavazza capsule coffee maker, with six pods is present, as well as a loaded minibar. A single coffee from a capsule will run you 2.90 bgn though, so... Price/quality shock for a coffee lover, but I guess its a theme across the board there, so - be noted. ||Facilities:||The hot water in the pools is supposedly mineral, but so heavily chlorinated that swimming was a challenge even with glasses on. ||The windows separating the indoor and outdoor pool were not cleaned during our entire stay (3 nights/4 days), and were hard to see trough in the bottom 1/3rd from dried hard water deposits from the splashes. ||There were really large spots in the pool, where the tile joints were black, and in the kids pool there were little black stuff floating. I only hope they were just junk and not living organisms. ||However, the pool area left a lot to be required in the cleaning department. ||I can't really discuss in depth the thermal area, which I only passed trough one of the days alone, since kids are not allowed in there. What stood out though, was the size of everything in the spa area, which during the afternoons felt cramped with people everywhere. ||The kids have only one indoor pool to play in, which is no more than 7-10% of the whole water area, and when 4-5 families go there, it's literally impossible to use it. ||There is a kid centre too, but the rules say that, and I quote: "Parents are responsible for their children, and should monitor them at all times during their stay at the child centre" which kinda beats the purpose of having such centre in the first place, doesnt it? ||But wait! There's more... ||We found out (from the pamphlet in the room) that the restaurant which serves dinner and breakfast has a "casual-elegant dress code" to which the guests should abide. ||There was a woman, which had breakfast, every day, in her lingerie, and a silk kimono on top. Another one was in her jammies everyday. People had dinner in flip-flops and speedos. Casual elegant indeed. ||Personnel didn't mind though. No one objected or looked twice. ||Children running around screaming, throwing stuff around, yelling.. . Parents minding their own phones like nothing is happening. Casually elegant staff turning a blind eye, and the days roll like that. ||Nothing luxurious or premium about that experience in my honest opinion. And I remind you - after that, you're going to your car in the dirt 200 meters out, while passing with your whole family and bags in front of a triumph arch with cameras and a spokesperson, who announces teams, winners, sponsors etcetera. ||Horrendous experience. ||You're still reading? ||OK, I will tell you about the water pressure in our bathroom. To summarise - I've seen water pistols with stronger stream. It took ages to wash oneself, and due to the hardness of the water - it takes extra time to wash any soap you might use. ||The second night our son had a little mishap and one of the duvet covers got a tiny bit wet. We asked for it to be exchanged, and it was taken by the staff. Sadly, - it never returned, so for the remaining time me and my wife shared a single cover (it's a one person size). ||I can go on about it, but my visit was a clear cut for me:|Thank you, but no, thank you. Our weekend at the hot springs cost us around a 1k euro in total, which are (and will be in the future) better spent in...

The booking app exclusively asked me if I need a parking spot reserved (to which I said yes). Arriving in the hotel and asking where to park, I got the answer "down or up the road, on the bank, wherever you find yourself a space". To my question about the reserved space they told me that everybody parks however they can.

The very next day we left for a daytrip, and when we got back, the whole place was taped with warning tape, and we were told to park in a construction site, the entrance to which was a steep, downhill dirt road ramp, which is a good 150-200 meters away from the hotel. Later, we understood that the hotels parking (and entrance) is host to some bicycle championship. This was in no way conveyed when we reserved, nor when we arrived, because if we knew about it, we would've picked a different spot for our weekend altogether.

Needles to say, until the end of our trip, our car was shoved in the wood scraps and dirt of an active construction site.

Also, I should probably note, that we had a tpms sensor error on our way back, and now our car is going to get a rear tyre repaired. I could only speculate that the issue of the screw puncture is due to our car manouvering at a construction site.

F&B:

The hotel boasts that the food they cook is artisanal and prepared with locally sourced products, from their own farm. The products may be sourced locally (we did not tour their ranch), but the recipes or cooking was nothing to write home about. I would rate the food preparation and qualities average, having eaten a lot tastier meals at places with a lot less pretences. And a lot cheaper too.

Drinks are not included in their half board dinners (breakfasts have a drink selection included), and we payed some 4 leva for a single coke, and 4+ lv for a single bottle of water. On top of that, a 7% service fee is charged, if you can get the attention of a waiter during dinner, which is a task by itself.

At our hotel room we found 2 bottles of water as a compliment, 4 sweets on the pillows and a couple of not-really-fresh apples.

There also was a Lavazza capsule coffee maker, with six pods is present, as well as a loaded minibar. A single coffee from a capsule will run you 2.90 bgn though, so... Price/quality shock for a coffee lover, but I guess its a theme across the board there, so - be noted.

Facilities:

The hot water in the pools is supposedly mineral, but so heavily chlorinated that swimming was a challenge even with glasses on.

The windows separating the indoor and outdoor pool were not cleaned during our entire stay (3 nights/4 days), and were hard to see trough in the bottom 1/3rd from dried hard water deposits from the splashes.

There were really large spots in the pool, where the tile joints were black, and in the kids pool there were little black stuff floating. I only hope they were just junk and not living organisms.

However, the pool area left a lot to be required in the cleaning department.

I can't really discuss in depth the thermal area, which I only passed trough one of the days alone, since kids are not allowed in there. What stood out though, was the size of everything in the spa area, which during the afternoons felt cramped with people everywhere.

The kids have only one indoor pool to play in, which is no more than 7-10% of the whole water area, and when 4-5 families go there, it's literally impossible to use it.

There is a kid centre too, but the rules say that, and I quote: "Parents are responsible for their children, and should monitor them at all times during their stay at the child centre" which kinda beats the purpose of having such centre in the first place, doesnt it?

But wait!

We found out (from the pamphlet in the room) that the restaurant which serves dinner and breakfast has a "casual-elegant dress code" to which the guests should abide.

There was a woman, which had breakfast, every day, in her lingerie, and... There's more, but Google doesn't allow...

Noisy kindergarten circus! If you wish for a relaxing getaway, this is not the hotel to visit, because it is a family hotel and this means there are LOTS of kids of all ages there. Go somewhere else for peace of mind.

The kids run around everywhere in the hotel: in the restaurant around the tables they chase each other and scream and shout. In the bar lounge the same: they run around and scream. One cannot have a normal bar lounge experience. The kids are also screaming and playing with balls in the spa area. The only place where it is a normal hotel experience is either in the spa pool outside (during winter time when the kids are mostly inside) or in one's hotel room.

Most of the parents don't control their children's chaos and allow them to make lots of noise and disturbance. When complaining to the bar keeper, he said that there is nothing he can do and the parents should be the ones to do something. I complaint at the receptionist too and the person said that he'll do something, but after a while of continuous noise, we went back to the hotel room for peace and quiet.

The restaurant's food offering has decreased in both quality and quantity since our previous visit in March 2022. They also offer no free water to drink so one has to order for paid drinks. Every breakfast buffet is exactly the same and after six days' stay, this makes the breakfast experience dull.

Our hotel room's carpet had large stains on two places.

We paid 400 leva per night and such poor conditions as mentioned above, especially the noisy chaotic kids, are unacceptable.

The wifi Internet speed in the room was 1Mb/s and sometimes even as low as 600Kb/s. (see the photos) This means that it was impossible to stream a film as it was too slow. One had to use one's own cellular connection with a WiFi Hotspot to stream films or wait until midnight when the kids and other people are asleep and not using the Internet and then the speed was at 2.5Mb/s.

The New Year's Eve entertainment was a not that well planned. The restaurant opened their doors at 8pm and we received dessert at 23h30. During dinner time, the entertainers were too loud with their talking and also the music. A few guests took breaks between the meals and relaxed in the bar lounge for less noise and only returned when the next course of meal was served.

The bar lounge is also way too small for such a large hotel. There are simply not enough seating for people in the lounge.

Generally speaking, this hotel has a lot of potential and if it could bring back the quality from the past, it would be worth a visit. The way it is currently, especially with the myriad of noisy kids and expensive price for lack of food quality and quantity, there are surely better options somewhere else.

One thing that stood out as a positive is the hotel gym. It has all the equipment one could wish for in a hotel gym. See the photos.

As there is nothing else to do around the hotel, one either uses the gym, be in the bar lounge when kids are having a meal or are sleeping, be in the outside spa pool (during winter) or be in...