Park Hotel RAYA Garden — Hotel in Veliko Tarnovo

We had an amazing 3-night stay at Raya Garden Restaurant & Hotel, and it was truly a fantastic experience! 🌿🏡 From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with warm hospitality and excellent service. The hotel is beautifully located, offering stunning views of Veliko Tarnovo and a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere.

Our room was clean, comfortable, and well-equipped, making our stay very pleasant. The highlight was definitely the restaurant—delicious food, fresh ingredients, and a great selection of traditional Bulgarian and international dishes. The outdoor terrace is the perfect spot to enjoy a meal with a breathtaking view! 🍷🍽️

The staff was friendly and attentive, ensuring we had everything we needed. Whether you’re visiting Veliko Tarnovo for a romantic getaway or just looking for a quiet retreat, Raya Garden is a perfect choice. Highly recommend!

If you’re staying at Raya Garden Restaurant & Hotel in Veliko Tarnovo, there are plenty of activities and attractions nearby to explore. Here are some great options:

Historical & Cultural Sites Tsarevets Fortress (1.5 km) 🏰 – The most famous medieval fortress in Bulgaria, offering stunning views and rich history. Don’t miss the evening Sound & Light Show. Trapezitsa Fortress (2 km) 🏛️ – Another historical site with breathtaking views and ruins from the Second Bulgarian Empire. Samovodska Charshia (Crafts Street) (1.2 km) 🎨 – A charming street with traditional crafts, handmade souvenirs, and cozy cafés.

Monuments & Viewpoints Monument to the Assen Dynasty (1 km) 🏇 – A powerful tribute to Bulgaria’s medieval kings, offering one of the best panoramic views of the Yantra River. St. Peter and Paul Church (1.8 km) ⛪ – A beautifully preserved medieval church with impressive frescoes. Mother Bulgaria Monument (1.5 km) 🇧🇬 – A historical monument in the city center, surrounded by parks and cafés.

Outdoor Activities & Nature Gurko Street Walk (1 km) 🚶‍♂️ – A scenic street with old Bulgarian houses, perfect for a romantic stroll. Baldwin’s Tower (1.5 km) 🏯 – A reconstructed medieval tower inside Tsarevets Fortress, offering fantastic views. Yantra River Walk (nearby) 🌊 – Enjoy a peaceful riverside walk and take in the natural beauty of...

Let's start with the bad; the location is dreadful! The hotel is right next to a busy main road and miles away from any of the attractions in the Old Town. If you choose to walk into the Old Town, be prepared for a long uphill walk back, in the dark!

The staff: the receptionist greeted us with a few grunts when we arrived. Our rooms keys were handed over in silence and we went to find our room. When we went into our room, the room stank of cigarette smoke. We went back to the receptionist who grunted at us a few more times, disappeared for 5 minutes and then gave us different room keys. No apology for the smelly room at all. The 'new' room still smelt musty.

The rooms: tiny, tired, old, smelly, dirty, stained and grim! There was no air-con in our room, it was a warm night so we had to have the windows open. The bug screen had holes in it, so within minutes our room was full of bugs. The carpet on the floor was full of big stains. The 'bathroom' was a joke! it should be called a bath-cupboard! No room for a shower tray, the shower-head is directly above the toilet so you have to shower with a toilet directly up against your legs!

Now we go onto the VERY bad! Safety: in an attempt to make the place look fancy, they have put carpet on the walls and a thin plastic film on the ceiling of the corridors (see picture). This has turned the corridors, the only escape route, into a fire death trap! But worse than that, this hotel also does not have a fire detection and alarm system!!

We were booked to stay for 3 nights, we left after just 1!

Stay here at your peril, and be treated with contempt by...

I spent 2 nights at this property. I saw the pics of the great views over the city, so I was thrilled to stay at the hotel. The great views from the lobby bar and the conference room are the only positive thing to mention about the property. All the rest was…very disappointing: small room with No wardrobe. Chilling experience in May (there was an electric heater left in the room); the mattress was the most torturing one I had came across. |Door is locked by a key 🔑 from both sides. Very inconvenient as well. |Bathroom was the real….s*it/surprise: tiny with a shower over the toilet. Inconvenient and disgusting….to make things worse, the hot water was not available at any time, as it was heated by a heater😬. |I wouldn’t recommend staying there. The only nice thing is the view, so you can visit for a...