Victoria Palace Reviews

Victoria Palace is a beautiful looking hotel. My daughter was entranced by the leopard pelts on the wall on the safari bar!!! Hotel is kept very clean and we found the food to be very good. Staff were mostly friendly, but to be fair we did have a lot of ignorant people staying at the hotel and I don't think I could have been overtly friendly to them myself. Only complaint would be the shortage of sun loungers by the pool. This was not helped by the very selfish families who would reserve 8 loungers at 7.30 am and then sit with one person until the rest showed up at 2 - 3 in the afternoon. I am embarassed to say it was all the brits that were doing this. The hotel did it's best to stop the practice. But be warned if you want a lounger you will have to be up by 8am or they have all gone. Beach is just across the road and loungers can be hired for 6 leva a day.

I would def go back to the hotel but I wasn't very keen on Sunny Beach. Felt the resort had a very sleezy undertone about it. The locals are only interested in getting as much money as they can from you. You can not walk down the prom without either being harrassed to go into the bar/restaurant or being handed leaflets. Even the scantily clad girls were giving out leaflets for whatever club the worked for to my 14 year old son.

Beware the water park. It is just up the road and they do a free bus pick up from the back of the hotel. Your safety does not seem to be a worry for them. They were serving all drinks in glass bottles and glasses around the pool area. Lost count of how many people slipped and hurt them selves on the very slippy tiles and pool bottoms. Found a used condom at the edge of one of the pools, they were advertising 2 for 1 cocktails outside all the bars on big posters with the lovely names of blow job ect, right next to the kids cocktails!!! Also included in the music that was blaring was the Frankie song F you right back, but not the radio version!!! Just the stuff you want your 10 year old to be listening to!!!

We stayed in Albena 4 years ago and I would go back there, but not Sunny Beach. i am sure for young groups/couples it is a great resort but I would not say it is for families.

Had a great holiday will return next year.

Hotel is very luxurious. only down side no entertainment or kids club. Sunbeds a nightmare, you have to be up at 7am to get one , only for the manager to come along at approx 9-10am and remove your towels if you have gone in for breakfast. As a result only had breakfast once as a family. Before we went we were told bulgaria was very cheap. Yes the drink was. But be careful the waiters in all bars take their own tips or add on extra items you havent received!!!!. We spent a lot of money considering only eating out 3-4 times as we ate in the hotel. Which would lead me to believe our hotel safe was tampered with as it was only a key and not a code. Always check your change and make sure you have change for the supermarkets they go mad if you hand them in large notes (20 lev which is aprox. 10 Euro) if you are only buying a couple of soft drinks.

Most bulgarians very friendly. Stalls plentiful selling fake goods, nice shoes and runners. Dont listen to people telling you to go to bulgaria with an empty suitcase and buy all your clothes over there!!! unless you want to wear t-shirts for your holidays. Always ask for a reduced price in shops/stalls they usually reduce their prices. Beware of the mosquitos we were bitten alive!!. Locals never seem to be bitten!. For people with babies, bring your own nappies as nappies are dear compared to at home (pampers 18 pack 16 lev about 8 euro.).

All in all did enjoy the holiday. Returning next year and will stay near the resort centre. We will also book our flights and hotel ourselves not with tour operator. bulgarian air- very reasonable flights. Just one more thing I dont think it is as cheap as people make it out to be, you hear you can get a meal for two and a bottle wine/beer for 12 euro!! and a pint for 60cent we did not find any bars or restaurants with these prices!. Actually paid 14 euro for a bottle of cheap wine!!. By the way I was informed by a scottish holiday maker that the bulgarians dont like the IRISH- this is not true(what a cheek!)

I would say that if you are going either stay in private apartments or a four star plus hotel.

i went with my daughters just for a weeks break, i read all the reviews before i went and i was very worried,i even contemplated changing to a differant hotel.how glad that i didnt, itwas amazing,it was great in every way,the hotel was very grand, anyone who is going to victoria palace do not worry, you will love it, the only thing was some of the bulgarian people were quite moody. {so what}.

Just returned from Victoria Palace and thought I'd add a review while its fresh in my mind.

Was wary about this hotel after reading some of the reviews. We flew with Balkan Airlines, wasn't too impressed with this, very old planes that dont inspire much confidence! Service on board was poor. Landed in Bourgas and we thought we had stepped back in time by about 30 years, complete farce!! Over 2 hours to come through passport control and retrieve our luggage.

We then boarded our coach and travelled to our hotel and we were very impressed with the service on our arrival, smartly dressed bellboys greet you and take your luggage, we checked in and were given a goody bag, banana and croissant and bottle of water. The hotel is absolutely stunning, you will be so impressed as it is gorgeous!! Rooms very spacious, we asked for pool view but were given 3 rooms on side of hotel, didn't bother us. Only 1 wardrobe in room though but did have some shelves, no drawers.

Next day was the most horrendous storm which saw water pouring down the walls in lobby and in restaurant, the hotel basement was 3 ft deep in water with fire service pumping out all day, streets knee deep in water, people wading along. Our rooms become flooded after water from flooded balconies seeped through, carpets in the entire room were soaked, quickly dealt with by machines sucking up the water. We made our own fun having drinks in our room. Weather returned to glorious sunshine next day or so.

Food ok is about all I can say, something for everyone but not by british standard and not very hot, loads of desserts, sometimes you need to find cutlery and a clean table but we just got on with it. Lots of nice restaurants nearby. Impossible to get a sunbed, my hubby got up most mornings about 7 to lay out towels but then pool man started removing these after one hour, we complained as loads of folk from other hotels use victoria palace, security went round asking to see folks room keys and the place nearly emptied!!

Not the best nightlife, quite a few bars but nothing speacial going on, streets crawling with beggars, gypsies, people exploiting animals. Never seen so many shady characters, pimps and prostitutes in my life. Lots of the usual stalls selling fake designer goods, some quite nice! Beach is fabulous with all the usual water sports, visted waterpark which was ok too. We did have fun most nights but felt very unsafe on the walk home, would not return to Bulgaria although would recommend hotel.

This was our first time to bulgaria and I can honestly say this was one of the best places we have been to.I never really fancied bulgaria before as I am really fussy about where I go,but I had a great time. I was there with my husband and my friend and her husband and we had the time of our lives.

victoria palace is out of this world,it really was like walking into a palace.the rooms were spotless with leopard skin carpets.the maids were in every day with clean towels and were always cleaning. I was worried about what the food was going to be like as I am a really parky eater but I througly enjoyed it. You got some people moaning about the food saying they had upset stomachs but the same ones were in the dining hall every day.The first night we arrived there it rained heavy but then the sun .. tcame out the next day and it was very hot.The nightlife was excellent and there was plenty of pubs to suit everyone.The beer was VERY cheap as well only 1 LEV (about 30 pence) for a pint of beer. It was also very CHEAP to eat out,with lots of nice restaraunts.

We went to the gypsy night which we really enjoyed and had a excellent night with good food and wine which was included in the price.We are going back in august 2006 with the same couple and my daughter and partner and grandson. It will be my daughters 21st while we are out there and cant think of a better place to help her celebrate. Hopefully my son and his girlfriend are coming out as well.Next time we go we are staying in the Fenix Hotel which is at the other end from where we were staying this time but there is still a lot of Bulgaria we have not seen. We went on a lazy day yacht cruise which was really relaxing.

Also you must go on a Bulgarian Village trip,We went by taxi and the driver took us to a house which was owned by a member of his family,the taxi drivers name was Sonny and what a friendly young man he was.While we were there we we served a meal and wine and then it was time to get dressed up in Bulgarian clothes which was good fun.All in all this holiday was excellent value for money as you just cant spend your money it is that cheap.The bulgarians are really friendly people and cant do enough for you.

I cant wait to go back next time and have a GREAT HOLIDAY.

Just returned after 2 wonderful weeks in Sunny Beach. Must admit having read some reviews was a bit anxious as to what we would find. Should't have worried one bit!!

Hotel is luxurious in every sense and we found all the staff to be very friendly. There are various times you can eat in the restaurant so it doesn't take you long to work out the best time that suits you and your family to dine. We opted to go between 5:30 and 6:30 where adults each got a free glass of wine and kids free juice so if you don't have kids avoid these times. We also found the food to be really good as well and had no complaints what so ever. We did however eat out quite a lots as well because the restraunts were also excellent and prices were very reasonable.

The only thing we found to complain about was the weather. Weather very changeable from extreme heat to terrible storms and flooding! For the first time visiting Bulgaria we were very impressed. We found it to be great value for money and plenty of things to do. Would advise if going on any excursions to check out the local operators as we found First Choice to be almost twice the price. Restraunts and bars are plentiful with happy hours going on all the time with floor shows and entertainment in most places every night. You do have however to pay for the loo and to be honest they aren't the cleanest of toilets!

All in all we had a superb time and would not hesitate to recommend both Victoria Palace and Sunny Beach as an excellent holiday choice.

Well i have no complaints about the hotel victoria palace, it was very clean, cleaners were always cleaning the reception area. The rooms were very spacious, clean and airy, However Staff are not very friendly in the hotel, supermarkets or shops.

The restaurant within the hotel however was not quite what i was expecting. The food was very basic and most of the time cold, the waiters/waitresses are so rude! I prefered eating out, as everything is so cheap. I would recomend La Bannana cafe, it serves excellent pizzas.

All in all it was a very nice holiday, the weather was great most of the week, i would actually recommend this hotel and defenitly sunny beach resort.

Flight - Flew with Balkan Holidays Airlines. No frills and unable to eat the plane meal however OK for the price we paid.

Airport - 8 flights arrived in at the same time at Bourgas Aiport. It took 2 hours to get through Passport Control and retreive our cases. No trolleys available. Absolute nightmare at 3 am in the morning!

Resort - very busy, plenty of bars and restaurants although we struggled to find a decent place to eat in the whole week we were there. The food on a whole was plain, unappetising and of poor quality. We had a great steak one night at Friends (near Victoria Place hotel) however when we returned there for a second meal it was completely disgusting! Arizona seemed the best of a bad bunch. Resort as a whole was very large. Beware of children riding scooters!!A trip to Nessebar is recommended where it is much more traditional and less busy and touristy.

Hotel - we were staying in the newly built apartments attached to the hotel. The apartments were clean and of good quality however very close to a nearby Kareoke bar which belted music out until 3 am in the morning. We changed apartments after the 1st night due to the noise as our 3 year son was unable to sleep.The staff in the hotel moved us quickly and with no problems. The hotel itself is very extravagantly designed and we could not fault the staff however we did not eat there.

Had been to Golden Sands in 2005 - prefered it there as it was more relaxing. On the whole Bulgaria is very cheap especially eating out however at the end of the week we were glad to get back to England to eat some decent food! Think if we returned we would stay in Nessebar.

Well thought i had to write an up to date review for Victoria Palace as seems that due to so many poor ones being listed no-one has visited there since 2004! After booking the holiday then checking the reviews after (probably a stupid thing to do?!) was really worried about the holiday but thought i would go with an open mind. Both me and my boyfriend really enjoyed the resort.

Sunny Beach itself is a very good resort, plenty of shops, bars and restaurants. Beach lovely. there are two parts - a paying part nearer the water, then a free zone at the back. Both me and my boyfriend thought this was fair enough. If you did choose the paying part this was 6Lev per day (approx £2 per day). Mostly visited beach front bars which were still good value for money (favourite bars - Fiesta Beach Bar, on the front, good fun bar with entertaining bar staff! Eskada beach bar, on the front, again fun bar! Spider Bar, in the resort centre, BOGOF on all cocktails, lager and wine, bought 4 glasses of wine and 4 pints of lager for less than £4 english money!!!!

Favourite restaurants were the 'Friends' restaurant located at the side of Hotel Victoria Palace. Excellent value for money and lovely food. Also visited the Chinese restaurant directly across from the hotel on the main road. Again lovely food and excellent value for money. Also visited another restaurant on the resort centre think it was called 'Casino' very much like a BBQ restaurant. My boyfriend had the veal and bacon which he said was lovely and again excellent value for money.

Also went on two excursions through cosmos - the trip to Nessebar which was fantastic. Rep walked us through the old town talking us through the old places of interest. Very interesting!! Other excursion was a day trip to Varna including a trip to a dolphinarium. Good day. Quite a few beggars in Varna but just walked straight past them and no further trouble. also approached by men asking if you want to ex-change money DO NOT DO THIS EVER. Only use the CROWN exchanges when changing money. Would recommend taking english money then exchanging in Bulgaria as you get more for your money. If not plenty of ATM's throughout bulgaria.

The hotel itself was very, very spectacular looking. Massive chandelier as you walked in the entrance! Rooms huge and maid service every day - making your bed/s and clean towels every day. We went half board. Plenty of choice for breakfast - toast, full english, breads, cheese and meats, fruits etc. Also plenty of seating, only once had a problem getting a seat and this was because it was raining really badly outside therefore unable to use outside seating. Understandable really. Food warm, however if you felt it was to cold there is always a microwave to use. Evening meal had plenty of choice - again the food wasnt red hot but wasnt freezing cold by any means. The hotel also has other choices called 'flexible dining' which means you can change your evening meal for either 'A La Carte' evening meal or a 'lunch time meal'. This worked out really good as we changed our evening meal for lunch time meal then ate out at night - there is really to many restaurants throughout the resort not to go out and try which are also excellent value for money (on average meal for 2 with 2 courses and 2 alcoholic drinks each came to about £15 in total!!)

As other reviews state there wasnt enough sunbeds for all staying in the hotel but if you get up at approx 7am take your towels down to reserve then you will have one or if not the hotel is bang on the beach front so you can use the beach - not that much of a big deal as some previous reviews state.

Overall excellent holiday. Food and drinks unbelievably cheap and very tasty too! The bulgarians are friendly. Resort has something for everyone. Hotel lovely. Would def recommend visting bulagria - my only regret is not learning some of the lingo! Oh and make sure you try a chicken Kebap - best ever!!!

We arrived at the Victoria Palace not knowing what to expect of the resort or the hotel having read many mixed reviews. All I can say is WOW!!!! I can't fault the hotel at all.

We were given a suite for the 4 of us (2 adults, 2 children) which was absolutely enormous and very luxurious. The decor is to the individual taste ... I loved it, even though I couldnt have it in my home I thought it was fabulous for a hotel decor. I honestly dont see what people find to complain about, they must want everything and more!! The staff were great, the place is spotless...always seeing maids cleaning everywhere. The only gripe I could possible have was that the restaraunt wasnt very child friendly. My kids are very fussy and eat with their eyes I'm afraid so we ate out most evenings. Breakfast was fine tho cos they liked everything there. I agree that it did get busy at peak times but we usually ate at about 8.30ish for breakfast and I noticed that it got busy for dinner around 9ish. We were so impressed with this hotel that we have already booked up for next year and we only arrived home yesterday!! We were told that June can be a bit tempramental as far as weather goes. We had 2 storms and a bit of cloud so we're going back in July nxt year. Just one last thing ... when we were there last week one of the guests there was Sting (he even done a little performance but we missed it unfortunately :-( ...) and we were told Anastacia is due to visit there within the nxt few weeks. So to all those people who complain ... if its good enought for the likes of 'stars' then it should be good enough us!!!

As for the resort, I liked it at the end we were because it was peacful. I think it could be a bit loud right in the centre. The shopping is FABULOUS ... I spent a fortune on fake designer stuff and the quality is really good. ALso do not miss Nessebar ... what a beautiful place!!

After reading reviews prior to going on holiday I was a bit worried to say the least, however the holiday proved to be an exception to all these bad reports.

Sunny Beach itself it not really my cup of tea but has something for every age group and interest.

The hotel was had a 5 star image and was truly grand. The reports about the food have me puzzled, what are these folks used to I ask myself - our family all enjoyed the food and as for people moaning about the buffet restaurant why did they not try the A la Carte option which was great and very underused, usually there were only 3 or 4 tables used when we were there and you got a free glass of wine or soft drink for the children when you dined early which suited us. We only ate out once and that was just for a change.

As for the staff they were very friendly and particularly good with the children and made such a fuss of them.

The sunbed issue was the only problem and if people would only stop joining in this practice then everyone would be able to have a sunbed at sometime during the day, its the people that cause the problem with their selfish attitude. Due to the layout of the sun terrace there is no way there could every be enough sunbeds for each person in the hotel.

There weather was a wee bit of a let down however did not spoil our holiday at all.

All in all a good family holiday and people should keep an open mind after reading these reviews. Try the Victoria Palace the surroundings do make you feel special and I am sure you will find the food very nice as well - try the A la Carte.

Just back from our holiday in The victoria Palace and it was Glorious i actually couldnt fault a thing appart from Jose the Bartender he is a bit picky as to whom he serves but what are people saying about the hotel being bad it was the best holiday we have ever been on and the thing is, is that i have already booked to go next year the rooms are very very spacious and the pools are fantastic not to mention the beach being soooooooo close we were hardly in the normal pool because the sea was so close but i must say It is a defnite for all people to go and see how superb it is

Victoria Palace very impressive looking in brochure and first sight on arrival. Rooms were very spacious, bed sheets rather on the small side. No hot water between 5pm - 7pm, Breakfast and dinner was a shambles, no routine present just a free for all which made us eat out even although we had paid for half board. Food not the best of standards, cold by the time you hunted for cutlery, salt/pepper, and of course a table. Sunny Beach full of bars, shops, just the usual tacky resort set up. Prices in bars and eating places vary and the Arizona Restaurant had to be the best food I had eaten the time I was there.

Many mixed reactions on Bulgaria as a holiday resort, I certainly wouldn't return. Cheap looking pr*stitutes in every bar and street, and they don't think twice about propositioning the men in front of their wives/girlfriends. Be careful when using taxi's, the prices varied for the same journey on a few occassions. Only change money in a bank. Be prepared to pay for the use of toilet facilities when in bars and restaurants. Prices of sunbeds on the beach are ridiculous, if you take a parasol then this is extra too.

All in all I would not make a return holiday to Bulgaria. Thankfully we were not alone on our opinion of Bulgaria.

On first impression the hotel victoria palace looks fabulous. It has a very grand entrance and the maids clean around constantly. The bar on the ground floor is ok, the bar staff can be a bit moody at times and have a habit of ripping people off, which both me and several other people we talked to found out. The bar on the first floor is much nicer with views out over the sea and the bar staff on that floor seem much friendlier. The prices in the hotel are quite expensive, especially in comparison with the bars along the strip where you can expect to pay about £3 - 4 for 2 cocktails or around £1 a pint in most places. The people are very pushy, especially in the shops and beware of people with alligators, snakes and even bears who pounce on you for photos and won't take no for an answer. The food in the hotel was ok, typical hotel food really but at some point we all had a touch of food poisoning but this wasnt neccessarily from the hotel.

Trying to get beds around the pool is virtually impossible unless your up at a stupid time in the morning. We all just bought lilos which were more than adequate or went into the hotel next door and used theres! Beware of eating things like hot dogs and kebabs from the stalls around as the food is left out all day in the sun and often looks bleached so no doubt eating food like that will make you ill.

All in all the holiday was on the most part enjoyable, but I dont think they are as ready and accepting of tourists as in other places and the hotel ( in my opinion ) may have links with the mafia. VERY POSH cars outside which are checked every day with mirrors for bombs, big burly security guards blocking off the very top floor and literally rugby tackling anyone who tried to go up there as well as guarding a few locals who happened to be staying in the hotel and who always had minders with them. We were also informed that someone was killed on the steps of the hotel in a drive by shooting which makes you feel slightly apprehensive whilst staying there! Although I have to point out that we never experienced any trouble. I dont think I would go back to bulgaria again

As a Travel Agent I have travelled to many places but the Victoria Palace tops the lot it is every bit as glamourous as it looks I had a day in the Spa with the full works massage, facial etc what a fantastic way to start a holiday the food and the accommodation most definately lived up to my expectations and the beaches were beautiful and extremely clean.