Hotel Flagman Reviews

This was our 4th trip to Bulgaria and our worst, the photo of this hotel in the brochure must have been taken years ago and does not reflect it accurately!

Having previously stayed in hotels that were 4 star according to the brochure we were very disappointed on our arrival at this hotel, which was awarded a 3 star plus. On arrival the lift did not work the family room had a very damp, musty smell which they had tried to mask with an air-freshener. The bathroom was very small and in need of refrubishment as was the enire hotel. The staff did not go out of their way to be helpful and in fact it felt like we were a nuisance to them. They played music very loudly (dance club music)for us to enjoy whilst trying to eat our breakfast. Most of the guests were families or elderly people who I think would have enjoyed something a little bit more relaxing. The breakfast was no more than adequate and we had payed for half board but on the first night we arrived about 30 minutes after the dining room opened to find that there was no hot food left, we never went back and decided instead to eat out at the numerous restuarants around the resort all of which we found to be excellent quality and value.

The pool was in a very bad state of repair, lots of uneven slabs and broken plastic edging, an accident waiting to happen and the water was always cloudy, this did not seem to put of the staff who seemed to spend all their free time lounging by the pool.

The resort itself was lovely, with interesting little shops and bars lots of lovely fresh fruit and cakes! Everthing was really cheap. The beach was nice but busy with lots of fun stuff for small children. There was also a small fairground to keep them amused. Not much for older children though.

We decided to go on the jeep safari trip organised by Balkan and this saved the holiday as it was excellent. We shared our jeep with one other couple and had our own personal driver and tour guide for the entire day. We were taken to the Strandja Mountains and National Park which was quite beautiful. We visited an old village where the youngest resident was well past retirement age! We stopped for lunch at a small village which was lovely and picturesque.

We would definitely consider Sozopol again but would never stay at the Flagman again instead we would consider the Selena which we visited and is the same star rating as the Flagman but miles better.

We hope this paints an accurate picture for anyone considering booking the Flagman or should I say Faulty Towers!

This was our 2nd year in a row holidaying to bulgaria. Last year we stayed in Sunny Beach and decided to go for something a little bit more relaxing! We were not disappointed. Sozopol is only about an hour and a half from Sunny Beach but the 2 resorts are worlds apart.

We had originally booked to stay in Hotel Martines but were informed 3 weeks before our departure that most of the facilities in the hotel would not be open so we decided to move to the Hotel Flagman which was next door although we were not aware of this at the time. Although not as modern as the Martines, the Flagman was an excellent hotel. The staff were so helpful and friendly from the receptionists to the cleaners - in fact we did not see one miserable face during our stay. The whole place was kept extremely clean and our room was tidied every day.

The breakfast was good and provided a good choice so there was something for everyone to have unless you are really fussy. The only down side was that there wasn't a bar open in the hotel in the evening as the pool bar shut at about 7 but there were 2 bars next door which stayed open till late. The food in general in Sozopol was ok but quite repetitive - chicken and pork on most menus but hardly any beef or lamb although we did find 2 restaurants in the old town that did both. On the whole the restaurants and shops in the old town offer more choice but are slightly more expensive. Sozopol is very much cheaper than Sunny Beach. We went back there for a day and were paying as much as 3 times for a beer! On average a 2 course evening meal for the 3 of us with a bottle of wine and several beers cost us between £12-15. On our last day we had 1/2 a chicken, chips and small beer for £1.50 each. We only met about 10 other english people there and no english children but my little girl made friends with several russian and norwegian children and all the other people we met were very friendly.

Sozopol is a popular holiday resort for bulgarians from inland, russians and scandinavians and a few germans.English is not spoken by a lot of people although they do try to practice if they can speak some so ordering food and drink can be a little frustrating but you get there in the end. They also appreciate it if you try to speak some bulgarian - my little girl learnt to say hello, goodbye and thankyou and they were over the moon. We spoke to some people staying in the martines and they were really disappointed as a lot of building works were still being carried out so we were glad that we switched. There is not an abundance of things for children to do in the evenings but there are 2 small fairgrounds (but not very safe looking) and a bouncy castle. There are also horse and carriage rides to be had from the old town but agree the price before hand. Also be prepared for some rain - we had a thunderstorm the day we arrived and about 3 other cloudy days but when the sun did come out it is very strong.

In all we had a fantastic time and would recommend it if you want to see the 'real' bulgaria.