GRIFID Noa — Hotel in Varna

We booked this hotel from may 2024, we were attracted by the infinity pool and adults only area from the rooftop. Our holiday dates were 13-18th of july and the hotel was supposed to be one on 20 of June. One-two weekes before, being scared by reading other reviews we asked our travel agency if the hotel was oppened and how we will be compensated if some of the facilities are not completed. They told us that indeed there were some problems in finalizing the hotel,and we can choose from 3 compensation: to get a refund (in july when you cannot find anything else at a good price) to reschedule our vacation, or to get a free night with the mention that the skybar /infinity pool (adulst only zone) from the roof top will be available starting 15th of July, and that also the hotel will try to compensate for the unfinished facilities, like pool showers, pools bar, lack of furnitures etc. The hoteltold us that since the sky bar from our hotel was not finished yet we can acces 2 skybars from two 4 stars hotels they own (vistamar and encanto). I am writing the review today (18th of July) the adults only zone from the rooftop was still not oppened, so we think their treatment was not fair, we were lied by the travel agency (travel planner .ro) The hotel has so much potential but if you have to choose between this and the other 2 best resorts in Bulgaria (Wave, Reina del mar) you will regret if you choose Grifid Noa. The reasons are the following: The hotel is opened, pools/ beach also, so anyone from exterior can get to the pools to the beach since the lifeguards are not very effective in keeping them away and checking their bracelets. *The food options are limited and repetitive, the most annoying thing is that you have to order the drinks, and you do not have acces to soft drinks/beer by yourself, you always have to wait for a waiter, and when it's very crowded they will not be able to be very quick (normality). You do not have pizza/burgers/fruits/salads corners, you have some snacks on the main reustarant terace, which you cannot acces from inside, but the snacks and drinks are a la carte, and you have to wait for the waiter to bring you a menu, order, and then wait for the to prepare the snack (time wasting). *The area of the pools beach is limited and is pretty crowded, no water slides for adults. *Guests from other Grifid hoteles are allowed, so you can stai at 4 stars and come to this 5 stars hotel for the beach pools. *There are no activities like water polo, beach volley, water gym etc. *The animation team is very limited(few members, few activities). *The hotel requests payment for his parking (remember that this is a 5 star hotel with a costs of 400 euros per night) 30 leva per day. The drinks at the "so called" beach bar (behind the stairs and pools elevator are limited, firts day I have ordered an ice coffed and the guy literrally made a cofee and throw some ice cubes on it :)), 4 days later I can see that they received some milk, but still no cream, maybe they will learn to do it by the end of the season. The quality of cocktails are very poor and you can see differences based on the person who makes it. It is a bit frustrating because when you pay for 5 stars you expect 5 stars...

We chose the hotel mainly because it is new, it is a 5 star, it even has a premium label. Arrival in the morning around 9:30. We were given a bracelet and could have a late breakfast. The room was supposed to be ready at 3 pm, but in the end it was before 2 pm, but we only found out about it when we asked at the reception. The hotel employs a lot of people from Bali and other Southeast Asian countries, who are brought here by an agency. Unfortunately, Asians who are known for their hard work do not go to this hotel much. It should be noted that not everyone. In the hotel, especially in the bars, they know how to get to work. On the other hand, the room cleaning staff do not take much care of the room. When you have your room cleaned, you may find that the bathroom is in the same condition as when you left, including a towel on the floor (it was there on purpose as a test 😂). The beach is nice, it's even worse to look at all those buckets and cups that the monkeys clean up only in the evening, not continuously. There are only two showers on the entire beach, where there can be an estimated 500 people, and a box in the middle of the sand (so when you wash your feet from the sand and want to put on dry swimsuits, you can put sand in your dry swimsuits). On the beach, in the bar, a waitress named Boni deserves a lot of praise, one of the few who can do it and still laughs. Her Bulgarian colleague, who replaced them for one day, is a disaster, disinterested, disinterested, probably just walking around, so they put him there. The manager who would supervise the employees is nowhere to be found or is invisible. As for the food, 2-. Some good, some bad, it almost never changes, for example, outside in the restaurant it's the same every day. Some changes inside, otherwise it's always the same. Before the waiter takes your plates away, you have nowhere to put your dessert plate. You have to wait quite a long time for drinks during dinner and the waiter doesn't always bring what you want. Paper and pencil would probably help. If they got rid of the people who don't enjoy it and only employed those who want to work, the level would improve. Unfortunately, anyone who has ever been to Egypt or Turkey will be disappointed by the willingness, hard work and good mood of the local employees. 1/3 of the people really work hard, the other 2 look like they are there as punishment, including some Bulgarians. The big disappointment was the pools, which were quite cold at the end of August, including the paddling pool for children. We warmed up in the sea, which was about 25 degrees. There is a lot of waiting at the elevators, which everyone uses, of course. If you compare it to the other 5 stars we have been to in Turkey or Egypt, here it would be about 3 and a half, maximum 4. The advantage is that everything is new, but even then, for example, it was almost impossible to close the balcony door. The hotel looks nice from the outside, unfortunately the experience for the money was very below average. No one asked us for our opinions during the whole time. so this is the only way to...

We booked a 5-night stay at Grifid Noa, attracted by its closer proximity compared to the resort we've been visiting for the past five years and the fact that the hotel is new. We knew there would be an adults-only area, which was a key factor in our decision to stay here. As we reach the end of our stay, the pool in this area remains unfinished. Our agency informed us that it would open during our stay, so we thought it would be fine. We received an extra night as compensation for the hotel's minor imperfections, but honestly, it wasn't worth it. We might have been better off returning to the place we knew well.

Throughout our stay, we were constantly surrounded by noise and the sounds of children playing, as they were everywhere. The so-called adults-only pool is situated just 2 meters from the children's pool. Some loungers have no umbrellas, and others have broken ones. Many of the adults-only loungers are positioned under ongoing construction. If you're looking for peace and quiet, this is definitely not the hotel to choose, at least not until the adults-only section is completed.

I'm not entirely sure if the hotel's policy allows guests from other hotels to access the pools, but that was my impression based on the color of the wristbands. This resulted in overcrowding and made us feel deceived, as we paid for 5-star amenities that seemed to be enjoyed by guests from lower-rated hotels in the chain.

On a positive note, the rooms are excellent. We had a sea view room, which was probably one of the best hotel rooms we've ever stayed in. Both the room and the terrace furniture were extremely comfortable, making it a perfect spot to watch the sunrise if you're not heading to the beach.

The lobby is still under construction, and during busy times, the lobby bar struggles to serve guests promptly. However, all the staff members are very friendly and eager to help. The pool and beach bars, though seemingly temporarily set up near the lift shaft, efficiently serve all three zones.

Since the sky bar isn't finished yet, guests can visit another hotel in the chain for drinks. The first floor features an outdoor pool, a jacuzzi, and an indoor pool to cool off after the beach. There are also saunas on this floor, with the large one offering panoramic sea views.

The restaurant serves tasty food, though there were evenings when the food was cold, even though we arrived at the start of dinner service. Parking is available for a fee in the underground lot; otherwise, you'll have to manage parking on your own 😁. The animation programs are nearly non-existent at the moment.

In conclusion, while the hotel's staff is exceptionally kind and helpful, Grifid Noa currently has many drawbacks. Hopefully, by next year, it will be fully equipped and provide a much-improved...