Hotel Royal Park Reviews

arrived at the royal park at 3am very tired as had two young children. hotel looked very impressive and the reception was very grand when we entered. it took about an hour to get to our room key. thje recptionists were not a happy bunch, i think more of them on arrival and departure.

our rooms were very comfortable the bathroom lovely and large and always plenty of hot water. We paid extra for the kids den which was not really worth the money. Only one english channel. Went for breakfast next morning loads of eggs and greasy bacon. From then on the food was horendous i have never eaten so much salad in all my life, the choice of food was terrible just pork and chickien in different sauces, no childrens menu. so glad we only went for a week because if i had to eat all that for another week think i wolud rather have starved.

The pool and beach were lovely. first choice reps were very helpful. Especially when we had to complain about having to get up at about 6am to get sunbeds. The water park next to the hotel was really good it was just opening as we were leaving. The boat trip was good as is the water park in Sunny Beach, shopping in Bourgas terrible they sell all the same things.

would i go back? definately not would i recommend ? not a chance.

On arrival the Royal Park Hotel was very impressive. The reception area is very grand and we were greeted with a packed lunch and water in the fridge when we arrived (which we were very greatful for since our flight times were pretty dreadful!).

The room we had was lovely - very clean and spacious and the air conditioning was a god send as the weather was very hot when we went (30-35 degrees every day - perfect sunbathing weather).

The hotel is situated right on the beach which is fantastic and the beach is lovely and very clean. The only problem, as with most places these days, is that you had to be up early to bag a sunbed! This got quite tiresome, as many selfish parties were reserving
ridiculous numbers of sunbeds then not turning up until very late in the day!

The food at the hotel is pretty dire to be honest. The hotel restaurant is like a canteen and, being a vegetarian, I struggled to find anything to eat other than soggy chips and cucumber! My boyfriend is not at all fussy about what he eats and even he struggled to stomach most of what was available! My recommendation would be to catch the bus to Sunny Beach (costs 1.80 levs = about 60p) and eat there. We ate all our evening meals here and had great choice of restaurants and lovely food and extremely cheap! Another tip, I wouldn't recommend queueing for the Sunshine a la carte restaurant as it was basically the same dire food as the main dining hall but with less choice! On a more positive note, the pizza bar is great for lunchtime snacks.

Sunny beach is great for shopping. Loads of cheap fake goods, but excellent quality fakes! Shopping here is half the price of the shops in Elenite holiday village, so definitely worth making that 60p bus ride!

Most of the staff at the hotel are nice.Some appear quite abrupt especially the reception staff, although you can understand it as they seem to get a lot of grief from holidaymakers who take advantage of the fact that the holiday is all inclusive and become very selfish and demanding of the staff. A little politeness goes a long way here!

In summary, the Elenite holiday village is ideal if you want some rest and relaxation in the sun. The resort does have all the amenities you could possibly need, although it is worth venturing out to Sunny Beach for food and shoppping! If it wasn't for the food at the Royal Park Hotel, I would definitely go again.

Have just arrived back from a two week break at the Royal Park and can't wait to book to go again. We had a brilliant time! The sea view that we had booked with our room was stunning and the suite couldn't have been more spacious, clean or comfortable.

The maids as we had read beforehand really do work very hard and clean morning noon and night.
The food in the hotel restaurant was a little ropy, however there were 3 other restaurants that made up for that and a barbeque that was on every night (the fish was delicious.
Swimming pools were cold to begin with but you soon warmed up in them and the weather I have to say, was a little unpredictable however the rain was warm and didn't dampen our holiday at all.

We hired out a car for a few days and took a drive up to Varner, which to be honest was more like London, a big town with lots of cars on the road and little else to offer (our personal opinion, however south of Elenite was Nessebar a small fishing village, great for souvenirs and sitting down relaxing with a beer!
Didn't see the need to go on any trips by First Choice and to be honest felt they were a bit of a rip off anyway.
One thing we did find however were that (Germans particularly)felt that they were of a superiority and did not seem to know the words please or thank you and that jumping a queue for food or drink was their right, we found that a lot of them were tipping bar staff early on so that they were served as and when they wanted!!
Sunny Beach is also a must,it's handy to know however that n the beach side of it drinks and food are more expensive, if you go across to the other side a beer is only 0.90 lev (about 70p)rather than 5 lev (about 2 quid). The bus from Royal Park to Sunny Beach is 1lev 80 each adult (about 60p)and kids are free, it picks you up and drops you off outside the hotel gates. The bus ride was fine on the way out, on the way back a bit squashed but it's not a long journey and there were many seats, available after a few stops anyway.

The kids club was brilliant and my 7 and 8 year old loved it. They were taken out for a whole afternoon 1 till 6, games on beach and dinner in a restaurant for about a tenner each (only special trips were payable) other than this it was free with 2/3 sessions a day including evenings up to 11pm. Couldn't complain at that!!!

If you want to go somewher that's safe for your children then look no further,The complex is full of things for the kids to do and yet enclosed just enough for you to spot them in less than a minute, which my two children took full pleasure in, security 24/7 on the main gates meant that no child could have gone out and for the first time I felt that my children were safe enough to have a wander on their own without me with them all the time.

All in all a teriffic holiday and can't wait to get back there!!!

Excellant value for money holiday. Most of the faults from 2004/2005 seasons have been remedied.

Still bit of a scrum at mealtimes in main restaurant but if you are patient and pleasant with both staff and others you will get there. Do take the time to find out when/where food available at all the various eateries! We ate everywhere on site except at the Royal Bay, no particular reason! Generally, food ok. Drinks ok too, not watered! Did'nt see dolphins, no wasps, the odd bee, loads of ants and very little flies. Only other wildlife, birds! BIG seagulls!

Animation hall very smokey but staff generally try very hard! Do tip the staff, a few leva goes a long way here! Pools cold but hey when it's hot you want them that way. Cool at night. Do go to Sunny Beach, 20 leva for taxi at main gate, everything incredibly cheap/fake but shop around. Do take the boat to Nessebar, 20 leva per head but worth it, more fake shopping upon arrival and everyone back home should get a present! There is a water park being finalised just next door which should add to available activities. Health Spa on site also good value and a must if the weather turns bad or you want to treat yourself.

Children enjoyed the all inclusive nature of holiday and saved us carrying cash around all the time. Safety deposit boxes 7 leva per day and if you get keeping your room after 12 noon when booking out will cost 5 leva per hour but can only be kept til 6pm. Thes both must be paid in advance. You will get 250 leva to £100 on site but 275 leva (approx)in town but listen to reps advice re changing money in town. We found sterling cash(new notes)were accepted without passports.

Would not put anyone off going here if they get a good deal!!

Marks out of 10:

Hotel - 8
Location of Hotel - 10 (right on the beach!)
Food - 6
Things to do in resort - 5 (gets a bit boring after 2 weeks!)
Weather - 8 (in the early 30's most days)

After reading loads of reviews about this hotel I was worried that we might have made a huge mistake!! Please don't worry if you are going here, it's not that bad!

If any of you have received letters from first choice regarding the building work near the hotel, you can be assured it will not affect your stay at the hotel, and if you venture off the complex you will see that the whole of Bulgaria is a building site!!!

The Hotel is very clean, if fact there are so many cleaners it's unbelievable! The rooms are a lovely size and the views overlooking the sea are stunning. The pool areas are large with plenty of sunbeds, but we spent most of our time on the beach mainly because my 3 year old refused to go in the pools as they were freezing! Can't blame him really, they were cold! But it didn't stop us braver ones having a dip once a day! The sea was slightly warmer, but we did spot several jellyfish so we did not swim, but loads of people were and I didn't hear of one person being stung. There was jet ski-ing/wind surfing/pedeloes/kayakas and a banana boat at the beach if you wanted to use these.

If like me your main concern is the food, on the whole it was good, I wouldn't say great, but we did manage to get several really nice meals. We found the best places to eat in the evening were the Nessebar Restaurant and the Sunshine (which is the a la carte, you do need to book this one on the morning you want to dine there). In the buffet restaurants there was plenty of choice but sometimes it was hard to make a proper meal, ONE WORD OF WARNING CHECK CHICKEN IS COOKED PROPERLY BEFORE YOU EAT IT AS THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE ABLE TO COOK IT PROPERLY IN BULGARIA! Also please remember you are in Bulgaria and not England so don't expect English food! I heard so many people complaining, I felt like telling them to go to Blackpool next year!!! I can't believe people go ABROAD and expect it to be just like home, surely thats the whole point of going abroad!
Breakfast-the same as most places I have stayed in, with the usual choice of bacon/ eggs/ potatoes/ beans/ tomatoes/ cereals/ breads/ cheese and cold meats.
Lunch-choice of pizza/ kebabs/ hot dogs/ sandwiches from various locations around complex (be prepared to queue though espcially for kebabs from the rather grumpy man near Talyana- has anyone seen him smile!)
Evening meal-loads of choice, chicken/ pork/ fish/ rice/ chips/ veg/ salads/ soups etc.

We did not use any of the kids clubs but they did seem to be well organised and the kids seemed to be having a great time, and they had organised activities morning,afternoon and evening. Also we never went into the Animation hall in the evening because it was packed! but they did have a good selection of entertainment going on in there.

We did not venture on any of the organised excursions that first choice were putting on as they just seemed really expensive, but we did go on the boat to Nessebar which was lovely and we managed to see dolphins in the sea which was the high-light of the holiday. We also ventured into Sunny beach, which was great if you like to visit Blackpool in the sun, but it's not somewhere we would have gone back to. One thing though if you are buying souvieners get them from Nessebar or Sunny beach as they are half the price of the gifts in Elenite!

Well thats about it, I think. If you are going to Royal Park hope you have a good time, I'm sure you will as long as you are not excepting a piece of England in the sun, you are going to BULGARIA!!!!

Overall a nice holiday, weather was fantastic so that was a bonus loads of sunbathing and chilling on the beach, highlight was definitely watching the Dolphins in the bay every morning from my balcony what a sight!!

Hotel looked very nice. Well decorated and furnished, lovely reception just watch out for the slippery floors, within minutes of arriving I nearly went ass over tit and there were no signs up to warn me. Hotel room was really lovely, linen changed every day as well as towels, maids tidied rooms and definitely earned their tips.

Cleaners are everywhere no wonder they are always cleaning they are over staffed and employ anyone for the £140 they pay them a month!! My partner gave a really old cleaner 20 lev tip and she was gob smacked, she acknowledged us for the rest of the holiday and always made a fuss around us to show her appreciation goes to show what a poor country they are!

Resort was fine for families but for the 4 of us youngsters (17,18,20 and 29) was little to do in the evenings, people are right when they say the animation hall was like Butlins could not agree more, but it was always packed in the evenings and people sounded like they are having a good time. Irish bar is a place we preferred, you had to pay for drinks (Not cheap) but at least they weren't watered down or flat. They played decent music and you could go up to Goncho (The bar worker what a star) and request a song and he would play the whole album for you. Murphy's bar which is the all inclusive pub was like a gritty underground pub in London, no windows dark dingy and looked dirty (we realized that this was just the way it was decorated) drinks the same throughout the complex on all inclusive, no Pepsi light, only if the pump breaks then they will serve it as they have to buy a mass amount of Pepsi in bottles to accommodate for the broken pumps. Drinks on all inclusive very poor, vodka was cheap and nasty all soft drinks where flat and warm.

Now to the food, first off im not a fussy eater if its eatable and looks and smells nice I will have a go, thing is food didn't look nice didn't smell nice and personally didn't taste nice, serving oily fish with scramble egg is not my thing, and putting green herbs in a French croissant is not my thing either fatty bacon and cold soup to name a few. Loads of meat on offer thing is if you get down there late all the meat is gone and your left with the sauce and contents no one else wants, waiters clear tables as soon as you sit down. One coffee machine which creates a huge rush in the morning people Q from across the room.

Snack bars on the beach are fine, chicken kebabs really tasty and I got a bit of a craving for them, pizza ok, strange toppings but Pizza is pizza, Hot dogs also available if you walk up into the village. We used the restaurants which were on offer the BBQ restaurant was fine, really nice grub and a lovely evening as they play music and you sit by the beach (Once again look out for them Dolphins in the evening). The Bulgarian set menu in the A La Carte was fine, waiter service so really chilled out and relaxing!! (Personally if you want decent food get up early and book the restaurants and the buffet is really poor)

Really liked Bulgaria though, people are generally friendly and happy to help, everything is so cheap, diesel jeans from £4, Diesel, Replay, Von Dutch, Guess, any make you can think of available in jeans, tops, jackets etc. Belts really nice, diesel boxers £1.25p. Lacoste jumpers £8, Perfume (most does smell the same £4.) Every thing so cheap you almost cant believe it. DVDs £6 Cds £3 worth a look as they have all the new cinema films. I got so sick of shopping in the end and im a women, every time you walked into a shop the owners tried to make you try something on and wanted to show you what they had a few times I almost snapped as you just want to be left alone to look. Sunny beach is more of the place to go for youngsters we had some really great nights out here Taxi from hotel 20Lev and if you make a bargain with the driver you can get back for 20Lev instead of the normal 20. Sunny Beach full of people who want a good time, nice bars with music and cheap drinks if you stick to the local stuff. Millie's bar a must we had a great night there.

I would go back to Bulgaria but not for another 3-4 years when food has improved and building work has calmed down (at the moment they are building everything and anything) but it's a place I can say I have been to, and yes I would recommend. Weather made it for me, as well as the dolphins.

I would not return to this resort as the staff were very unfriendly. There were cleaners everywhere but none actually cleaned the rooms. I did see a hoover but only in reception as our rooms were not hoovered all week and there was sand all over the room for the stay of our holiday. The food was terrible, very little choice and mostly lukewarm. I would recommned that you eat in the restaurant in the middle of the resort if you are AI as this is better than the hotel and you can use it with your package. There were power cuts throughout our stay and this is seemingly a regular occurance but the staff did not supply us with drinks or food during this, mainly at lunchtime.

I will not carry on as it is all negative. All the faults I had read previous to going were still there.

Firstly the accomodation was lovely, the hotel is absolutely spotlessly clean and you literally fell over the maids. We had a Kids den which consisted of a second room divided by a curtain that contained a bunk bed and a sofa bed, a TV and you could borrow a PS2 from reception (with a deposit of £40). The bunk beds were too small for teenagers, if you are over 4ft tall then you won't fit it. My eldest ended up on the mattress on the floor and my youngest couldn't sleep in there either as it was too dark, but he slept on the sofa in our room.

Not much entertainment at night unless you have young children so take a pack of cards! There was some adult entertainment but you had to buy a ticket (all inclusive remember!)

Food was reasonable as long as you're prepared to mix and match then you won't starve.
Drinks was terrible, the wine (red or white) is like vinegar. The other alcohol available is very basic and not on show so you have to ask and the bartenders have very little english, but if you can speak Russian or Polish you will be fine!! Soft drinks were always running out so you would end up with fizzy water. Tea and coffee came in a plastic cup and was very hot (ask for a large one and then you get it in a beer sized glass). For an all inclusive holiday, we had to buy our own drink which I think is unacceptable even though it is less than £2 for a bottle of wine and about £3 for a bottle of liquer from the supermarket, if it is that cheap surely it can be supplied at the bar!

Sunny Beach is nearby but is very much like ";Benidorm"; go to Nessebar it is much more like an old town, although even that was made to look old. The bus ride is only about 60pence each to either. The reps couldn't care less about our complaints probably because they've heard it a thousand times before.

The accomodation is what saved this holiday otherwise I would have asked to have been moved or flown home. The hotel is set in beautiful surroundings and while we were there a water park was being finished off next door. Which as I understand is free to quests this year, but next year there will be a charge, and guess what you have to pay for your drinks at the bar!!!

The pizza bar and chicken kebab restaurant at the beach was ok, but the guy serving the chicken probably can't remember himself the last time he smiled and the woman serving pizza with her attitude you would think she is paying for it herself personally! But it tasted good so we stocked up there before going the restaurant at night. The beach is lovely, and the pool is good but a little cold so brace yourself the first time you go in. Be prepared to start saving yourself a sunbed around about 7am.

The Royal Park hotel in Elinnate is just simpley fantastic we hwent there for a week and had a brill time heard a lot of bad reviews of the place before we went but no problems what so ever .
If you are looking for English food and service then stay in England go with the flow and you will love if like we did will deff go back in a few years

When we arrived at the Hotel we were very pleased with the decor and it looked very plush even the room I was very pleased with. (I had booked at two bedroom suite as my dad came with us and I didnt want him in a room on his own). Furniture was limed oak matching bedlinen and curtains all very tasteful. The weather was lovely for the first 5 days then rained for the last two, I didnt really mind I thought we were quite lucky.

However the food was not to my or my husbands liking even dad who is very easily pleased said that it wasnt up to scratch. The best meal of the day was breakfast even then you had trouble picking out bacon with any meat on it. It was pure fat. The pizza hut on the beach only made one topping which was cheese tomato and shredded green peppers on top.

If you wanted to dare take a pepsi or lemonade anything sugary onto the poolside or beach then you were invaded by wasps. Very scary for the children!! I was ok with a white wine they left me alone.

If you wanted to order a drink from the bar the barmen were very reluctant to serve women men were given first priority so you had to be very assertive like waving your hand when you know your next
in line EXCUSE ME!!!! I had to shout then they would give me a sideways motionless glance. That seemed to do the trick.

Ah well you may find you may enjoy this holiday I cant fault the beach or the layout of the hotel I just wish the food could have been a bit more better.

Would I go back? No theres always another new destination to go to.

Enjoy!!

I have just returned from this hotel and i can honestly say what a superb hotel in every way the staff are very friendly the hotel staff are helpful and well the cleaners deserve medals they never stop cleaning from morning till night and after they are wonderful.There was always a good selection of food ranging from cereal,fruit,omlettes,full breakfast,toast and jam ,croissants that is just for breakfast, there is soup and main meals for lunch and a variety of meals for tea vegetarian ,salads and soup with bread rolls.there are snacks all through the day ranging from pizza,hotdogs,jacket potatoes or sandwiches.kids love eating all the ice cream they can and pepsi all day and night. The rooms are very spacious and cleaned everyday with a super shower miss that.

Overall if anyone is thinking of going to this hotel you will not be disapointed

Beautiful hotel, we had a family room with kids den and sea view which was a large room (we would have prefered it if the kids room was a proper room rather than part of the same room) we had a playstation (£40 deposit and leave passport with reception), fridge, telly and hairdryer in room.

Weather was poor we only had 4 proper days of sun and there isn't much for adults to do when the weather is bad.

Kids club was excellent and the entertainment teams at the Royal Park and Elinite Village were very good.

Wasps are a very big problem if you drink at any of the outside bars there are swarms of them everywhere including in your drinks.

Food was ok (you can use restaurants at royal park and elinite village also pizza, chicken, hotdogs and 3 extra restaurants opened in the evening) but we all had tummy bugs. They did send questionnaires out to see what they could improve so it might be better next year.

Drinks readily available, included were - pepsi, fanta, 7up, hot drinks, beer, vodka, brandy, whisky, rum, gin. People took advantage and were drinking GandT's at 10am !!! Plenty of places to drink but they got very full and sometimes it was hard to find a place to sit in the evenings.

Swimming pools were good but extremely cold most of the kids just paddled as it was too cold to swim. Beach was good plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas to use.

There were animals around the resort a deer, peacocks roaming around and a monkey, parrot and rabbit in cages.

Trips into Sunny beach were difficult for a larger family - we squeezed into a taxi (20 levs from royal park but be careful coming back from sunny beach - ask how much before getting in or they put you on the meter which came to 32 levs) second time we went on the bus absolute nightmare they squeezed everyone in like sardines and left the door open at one stop (1.8 levs each way including kids and babies) they only run around 8 times a day. Or you could have got the hotels courtesy bus (10 lev each return) or water taxi (20 lev each return).

Prices in resort were more expensive than in Sunny Beach for things like hair braiding (double the price) and food.

We won't be going back to Bulgaria. If this hotel had been somewhere else and better run it would have been fabulous.

After reading previous reviews about this hotle we were very reluctant to book, but i am pleased to say that we were all glad that we did.

First thing to remember it is Bulgaria and not Spain, do not compare them as they are 2 very different countries.

The Hotel: ABsolutley fantasic, the rooms were spaicous and extremely clean, we asked to be put on the same floor as our family and they did so without any problems. There are plenty of bars and one main resturant which are kept as clean as possible by the hardworking staff. Some of which worked over 12hours!Entertainment hall on the small side so you needed to get there early if u wanted good seats for the kids. The pool was freezing, but as it was fresh water there were no chemicals in it and very safe for children.

Food and Drink: We had no problems with the food at all, some of us are a little fussy and foun dit difficult on some days, but if u asked them nicely to do you something for yourself or your children they would do it for you as quick as possible. As mentioned below you were limited to 2 drinks per order but this did not stop you from going back straight after for more, yes there were queues but the staff worked as hard as possible. Remember to ask for a small shot as there shots fill half the glass and can be extremly strong.

Staff and entertainment: All the staff worked extremely hard for long hours, they were pleasant and always wanting to chat to you. The entertainment was good and the staff worked hard to including the reps, who were always around if u needed them. The only problem was on rainy days there wasnt too much to do.

A few tips,

watch out for the wasps, they love the sugary drinks
if u have small children make sure u ask for a plug for the bath as there werent many in the hotel and the showers were pretty powerful
ask for small measures
if u dont mind using the steps use them rather than the lifts

overall we had a brill holiday, yes the hotel wasnt oustanding, but for the price i would definately go back again.

recently returned from our hols was first time to bulgaria and we had an great time - which must be correct as just re booked to go back next year.

people state that the hotel is unclean - this is not true, one of the cleaness hotels i have ever stayed in.

the food is good with an large choice available.

BREAKFAST : the only problem - so dont exspect an full english as beans . bacon . and sausages were awful -however if you visit sunny beach pop into atol bar as you can get 1 beer 1 cup of tea and 2 full english breakfasts for 11 lev which works out less than £ 4.00 TOTAL

NOTHING WRONG WITH OTHER MEALS

plus you can eat in other places ie bbq and bulgarian etc

please note that even thou in most brochures it states that drinks served to midnight - free drinks available to 1 am in irish bar in hotel : level 0

bus fares to sunny beach were 1.80 lev which is arround 60p and from sunny beach to nessabar bus fare is 0.60 lev which is approx 20p

WILL WARN YOU NOW **** if you are in nessabar do not take noddy train back to sunny beach as it drops you off 2 miles from sunny beach shops/bus stop*********

HERES THE IMPORTANT PART - SHOPPING IS CHEAPER HERE THAN TURKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

T SHIRTS FROM 5 LEV

PERFUME FROM 7 LEV

IF YOU WANT ANY OTHER DETAILS PLEASE EMAIL ME FOR PHOTOS AS WELL/

THIS HOTEL IS ALSO ONE FOR ANIMAL LOVERS BUT WONT SOIL THE SURPRIZE??????

PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT THIS HOTEL IS MAINLY FOR FAMILIES SO DONT GO IF YOU DONT LIKE KIDS.

As so many others, had seen last years reviews and was rather doubtful, but the Hotel was impressive and spotless. The room for the 3 of us was large enough, nice balcony and bathroom, and rather better than we expected. The lobby bar was busy during the evening, but the staff worked as quickly as they could, and the only large queues built up when the entertainment finished.

The Irish bar was a suprise (no Irish beers, no Irish theme, in fact the only Irish part was the name!) but quiet early evening, and a break from the kids.

As mentioned in earlier reports, for a peaceful drink during the kids Disco (same songs, same repartee, etc) Paco's bar 200 yards from the Hotel was well worth the walk, and with beer at 1.25 lev (about 45p) not going to knock a hole in the holiday money. Amazing what can be built from wood and welded angle iron!

Hotel food was very 'works canteenish', but they do cater for large numbers. The three separa