Your rating of this hotel:
7.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms:
5.0
Service:
5.0
Cleanliness:
5.0
Food:
5.0
Amenities:
6.0
And so in order.
We rested in Albena from 06/05/2013 to 06/22/2013 three of us (me, wife and daughter)
We got to the Minsk airport along the Gomel-Minsk highway. It is almost all under repair, the speed is 70-50 km. It took 5 hours to get from Gomel. So take that into account.
At the airport, you can go up to the second floor using the escalator, but with suitcases and a small child it is very problematic. The flight was delayed for 2 hours (as I was later told: this happens often with charters). We flew for 1 hour 55 minutes, passport control at Varna Airport passed quite quickly (in 15 minutes): 4 passport officers for our entire plane.
We were met at the airport by a representative of the transfer company. We were taken to the hotel for 40 minutes (we were only taken to Albena and our hotel was the first).
At the reception we were met by the guy on duty (since we arrived at 23-30). He gave 3 paper bracelets (how they didn’t fall apart during the rest - I’ll never know), the key to the room. We were lucky, there was a 2nd floor (the balconies of the 1st floor were level with the ground). We asked about dry drinking, gave 3 dry drinks (tomato, peeled cucumber, 2 cheese sandwiches, an orange and a bottle of 0.5 liters of water). Then he helped bring things to the room. I had to give him $ 10 for this, because there was nothing smaller (by the way, change a small amount of money at the airport so that there would be no such problems later).
The room was like a number. Standard treshka-economy. We have not seen anything better in Belarus.
Something did not work on trifles: the balcony door did not close (the handle was not fixed), the mosquito net was half torn, the shower holder was broken. Yes, the shower is a separate topic for conversation: a niche in the wall approximately 1.5x0.8 m in size, a 15 cm side from below, and all this is closed with a curtain. The faucet in the washbasin was so noisy that when the child was sleeping and we turned it on, the child woke up. Then another handle from the door of the room began to crawl out.
But all problems are solvable: at the reception there is a book of defects, where they write down the problem and the number. The next day, it is solved (although I made the balcony door myself).
Rooms are cleaned every day, towels are changed 2 times a week, bed linen 1 per week. If you need something else (to better clean the room or do what you need according to the list), then leave 1-2 leva, and everything will be done in the best possible way. Yes, and under the beds for 17 days of rest was never cleaned. And, most importantly, turn on air conditioners only in case of unbearable heat: the filters there have not been cleaned since they were installed, so that the infection there can be the most diverse.
Now about the infrastructure: Buildings 3-2 floors. The reception is modern, but the rooms are old renovated. There is a game of getting toys on the resepshine - do not play it in any case - spend a lot of lions, but do not pull out a single toy (the clamp grabs the toy, then it lifts it and opens the grip). In general, it is broken in the right direction. Near the repshin there is always a bottle of water (in which we constantly replenished our water supplies), from which you can only drink from glasses, but we brazenly collected it anyway (1 lev per 0.5 l is too much). There is also a bar, which is open from 10-00 to 24-00, but after 23-00 everything in it is paid. Chips in it, too, for a fee.
The dining room is called "Orchid Restaurant". The name of the restaurant is because the waiters take your dishes. And so is the buffet. There was no more children's table, so it took 5 minutes to walk around to choose what to eat for the child. But there is a choice for everyone - to whom it is more harmful, and to whom it is more useful. Upon arrival, everything was prepared very tasty. But after the Orchid Park opened (they also ate in our “restaurant”), the number of people increased and the cooking became worse - the meat was not fried almost all the time, what was done at the barbecue appeared for dinner. Potatoes in the evening - warmed up after dinner, etc. In general - more people, worse food. Yes, and more people - more arrogant. In the beginning, almost no one took out food from the dining room, but the further they went, the more they began to take it out. No one scolds for this, but they cast unfriendly glances.
There are 5 pools on the territory: the upper one - 0.6 / 0.45 m, then the middle one - 1.45 m, and at the bottom with the fungus turned off - 0/1.0 m, entertaining for children with a slide - 0.45 m, and more one swimming 1.65 / 2.0 m. The warmest were 0 / 1.0 m and 1.65 / 2.0 m, cold - 0.45 m. We never bought in it. During our stay, the pools were never cleaned. Although bleach was sprinkled every evening.
The animators are all very nice guys and girls, but the animation is so-so (every week the same contests, every day the same music).
There is also a paid massage, for the cheapest you will give 15 lev / 15 min. Everything else is 2-5 times more expensive.
The territory of the hotel is located in a park area (count in the forest). It was very similar to our some sanatorium. But the most important thing is silence. During the rest, only in the neighboring Magnolia after its opening, music was blaring until 24-00, but even then, only 1 time. And so the music subsided around 23-00, or even earlier. Somewhere before June 20, the evenings were cool (we even bought sweatshirts). So take that into account too.
The descent to the sea is right behind the hotel. Going down it is easy, but going up is hard. But with a small child by the hand slowly you don’t even notice. Every hour from the hotel there is a shuttle bus, which is not very convenient. But from 17.06 the bus began to run every half an hour (see the people came). Don't confuse shuttles with trains. They run every 20 minutes. It costs 3-4 levs for an adult, 2-3 levs for a child.
Our sun loungers were right behind the ARDO supermarket, very nice. In the early days, a sunbed could easily be taken in the 1st row, the sea was so cold and there were few people, but the more we rested, the more people and the farther away there were free sunbeds. In recent days, we came at 9-00 and occupied sunbeds in the 6th row.
The beach is very wide (250 meters), clean. Every night it was cleaned by a tractor (hours at 22-00 / 23-00, which pleases - our Belarus). If there were algae on the shore, they were promptly removed. Every 100-200 meters there are rescue booths on which flags were hung: red - you can’t swim, yellow - not recommended, green - you can.
About the water temperature - the entire first half of June was rainy (it rained steadily in the afternoon, and even a real downpour), so that what was heated during the day cooled during the evening. During the first 2 weeks I swam only once (although there were walruses). The water temperature in the morning was stable 16 degrees. It feels warmer (when I swam, it felt like 22-23 degrees). However, since June 15, stable hot weather has been established (at the beginning of 30-32, and then comfortable 27-28). Yes, they are much more tolerant of heat. They have a heat of 32, as we have a heat of 22-24. For 2-3 days, the water warmed up so much that already in the morning it was 22 degrees on the rescue booth, right in the Crimea in mid-July. Since the sea is shallow, after lunch it became as warm as in the pool. About the depth of the sea - it is not as shallow as they write about it, for a child of 2.5 years old it is of course deep anywhere, and 10-12 years old - you can find shallow places.
A pedestrian road begins from the ARDO supermarket, on which there are a lot of roller shutter restaurants, etc. You can safely bargain in all roller shutters. They discard 1-2 levs. This is where you can have fun. It is always fun and noisy here until late at night.
To eat in a restaurant costs 80-100 lev, and it is modest and without alcohol. So food in Albena without ALL INKLUSIV is very expensive.
In June and September, there is a promotion for the Orchid Hotel: 5 restaurants for free: Loco Poco meat restaurant, French restaurant on the 17th floor of Dobruja, Ti Amo Italian restaurant, Tex Mex Mexican restaurant, and Calliope fish restaurant. We visited the first 4. (1 dinner and 1 lunch per week). Food - everyone has their own needs. But free for 1 person: 1 salad, 1 appetizer, 1 main course, 1 dessert and water, the rest is for money. But that was enough for us.
Regarding the openness of the territory - this is not entirely true, you can walk anywhere, but there are some restrictions - on the slide of the Flamingo Hotel it is written that the slide is only for children living in the Flamingo Hotel. The Flamingo Grand territory is fenced with thujas 5 meters high, so you won’t see anything behind them.
Cool slides near the Dobrotitsa hotel and on the beach not far from the Malibu hotel (it used to be called Slavyanka). A slide on the beach near Kaliakra. This is from the nearest. Oh, yes, a small hill near the Orchid Park hotel (behind the tennis courts near the swimming pool 1.65 / 2.0 m).
Now about the prices. The exchange rate at the Euro hotel is stable 1 € = 1.86 leva, 1 $ = 1.39-1.42 leva. So definitely go with the euro. At the post office, the $ rate is even more fun 1.35-1.40. If you really want to save on the course, then drive to Balchik, with the cost of round-trip tickets 5 lev, the exchange rate in their banks (starts after 500 meters after a fork in 3 different directions) 1 € = 1.95 lev, 1 $ = 1.45 lev . And this is without commission. Prices in stores are about the same as ours. Some a little cheaper, some a little more expensive. But baby food is very expensive there, so purees, cereals, etc. bring better with you. Their medicines are also more expensive than ours. But, if there is a prescription from a doctor, insurers will have to pay for a check from a pharmacy.
Near their bus station (automountain) a new Lidi+ supermarket has opened. In it, prices are 15-50% lower than in other stores. But it takes about 20 minutes to walk from the hotel to it. So not everyone goes there.
About mobile communication. Of course, it is best to take a local SIM card. In Albena, it is advertised in full, and you can buy a Viva-com SIM card. However, he is expensive. Calls to Russia are BGN 0.19 for fixed networks and BGN 0.35 for mobiles. It’s even worse with Belarus: they don’t have an agreement with us, so the call will cost 1.52 leva (it’s cheaper to call from the velcom). They also have a Viva-komovsky telegraph, so calls cost exactly the same.
Our guide (the one who deals with our transfers and part-time excursions) helped us to purchase Globul B-connect Visitor SIM cards. Here it is much more profitable (then I compared it with M-tel, Globul is cheaper anyway). It means this: Calls to a fixed network and mobile to Russia 0.19 lev, to Belarus 0.39 lev, 6 lev - activation, 3 lev to the account. There is no subscriber (how much he talked, so much was removed). Moreover, which made me very happy, immediately after the conversation, a message comes up about how much money is left in the account. You can replenish your account using a replenishment card, it is also a “Voucher”. Cards in denominations of 6 and 10 lev are sold in many supermarkets.
Excursions you can order through a guide, manager at the hotel, go yourself either by taxi or by bus.
Bulgarians are very pleasant people. Always friendly, greet. If you wander somewhere and start asking in Russian, then you will be able to understand each other (just be sure to find a short phrase book (for example, right with them it’s “to the mountain”, to the left - “to the right”, waving your head to the right to the left (no ) – yes, etc. ) Oh, yes, at the reception, in restaurants, roller shutter salesmen speak many languages, exactly in English, German, Bulgarian, Russian, Romanian and some other). So they have no particular problems with the language barrier.
I would still go to Albena, with a small child it’s good to relax there. In an orchid... I don’t know yet.
Well, that's about all. If you have any more questions, please ask. I will help how I can.
We rested in Albena from 06/05/2013 to 06/22/2013 three of us (me, wife and daughter)
We got to the Minsk airport along the Gomel-Minsk highway. It is almost all under repair, the speed is 70-50 km. It took 5 hours to get from Gomel. So take that into account.
At the airport, you can go up to the second floor using the escalator, but with suitcases and a small child it is very problematic. The flight was delayed for 2 hours (as I was later told: this happens often with charters). We flew for 1 hour 55 minutes, passport control at Varna Airport passed quite quickly (in 15 minutes): 4 passport officers for our entire plane.
We were met at the airport by a representative of the transfer company. We were taken to the hotel for 40 minutes (we were only taken to Albena and our hotel was the first).
At the reception we were met by the guy on duty (since we arrived at 23-30). He gave 3 paper bracelets (how they didn’t fall apart during the rest - I’ll never know), the key to the room. We were lucky, there was a 2nd floor (the balconies of the 1st floor were level with the ground). We asked about dry drinking, gave 3 dry drinks (tomato, peeled cucumber, 2 cheese sandwiches, an orange and a bottle of 0.5 liters of water). Then he helped bring things to the room. I had to give him $ 10 for this, because there was nothing smaller (by the way, change a small amount of money at the airport so that there would be no such problems later).
The room was like a number. Standard treshka-economy. We have not seen anything better in Belarus.
Something did not work on trifles: the balcony door did not close (the handle was not fixed), the mosquito net was half torn, the shower holder was broken. Yes, the shower is a separate topic for conversation: a niche in the wall approximately 1.5x0.8 m in size, a 15 cm side from below, and all this is closed with a curtain. The faucet in the washbasin was so noisy that when the child was sleeping and we turned it on, the child woke up. Then another handle from the door of the room began to crawl out.
But all problems are solvable: at the reception there is a book of defects, where they write down the problem and the number. The next day, it is solved (although I made the balcony door myself).
Rooms are cleaned every day, towels are changed 2 times a week, bed linen 1 per week. If you need something else (to better clean the room or do what you need according to the list), then leave 1-2 leva, and everything will be done in the best possible way. Yes, and under the beds for 17 days of rest was never cleaned. And, most importantly, turn on air conditioners only in case of unbearable heat: the filters there have not been cleaned since they were installed, so that the infection there can be the most diverse.
Now about the infrastructure: Buildings 3-2 floors. The reception is modern, but the rooms are old renovated. There is a game of getting toys on the resepshine - do not play it in any case - spend a lot of lions, but do not pull out a single toy (the clamp grabs the toy, then it lifts it and opens the grip). In general, it is broken in the right direction. Near the repshin there is always a bottle of water (in which we constantly replenished our water supplies), from which you can only drink from glasses, but we brazenly collected it anyway (1 lev per 0.5 l is too much). There is also a bar, which is open from 10-00 to 24-00, but after 23-00 everything in it is paid. Chips in it, too, for a fee.
The dining room is called "Orchid Restaurant". The name of the restaurant is because the waiters take your dishes. And so is the buffet. There was no more children's table, so it took 5 minutes to walk around to choose what to eat for the child. But there is a choice for everyone - to whom it is more harmful, and to whom it is more useful. Upon arrival, everything was prepared very tasty. But after the Orchid Park opened (they also ate in our “restaurant”), the number of people increased and the cooking became worse - the meat was not fried almost all the time, what was done at the barbecue appeared for dinner. Potatoes in the evening - warmed up after dinner, etc. In general - more people, worse food. Yes, and more people - more arrogant. In the beginning, almost no one took out food from the dining room, but the further they went, the more they began to take it out. No one scolds for this, but they cast unfriendly glances.
There are 5 pools on the territory: the upper one - 0.6 / 0.45 m, then the middle one - 1.45 m, and at the bottom with the fungus turned off - 0/1.0 m, entertaining for children with a slide - 0.45 m, and more one swimming 1.65 / 2.0 m. The warmest were 0 / 1.0 m and 1.65 / 2.0 m, cold - 0.45 m. We never bought in it. During our stay, the pools were never cleaned. Although bleach was sprinkled every evening.
The animators are all very nice guys and girls, but the animation is so-so (every week the same contests, every day the same music).
There is also a paid massage, for the cheapest you will give 15 lev / 15 min. Everything else is 2-5 times more expensive.
The territory of the hotel is located in a park area (count in the forest). It was very similar to our some sanatorium. But the most important thing is silence. During the rest, only in the neighboring Magnolia after its opening, music was blaring until 24-00, but even then, only 1 time. And so the music subsided around 23-00, or even earlier. Somewhere before June 20, the evenings were cool (we even bought sweatshirts). So take that into account too.
The descent to the sea is right behind the hotel. Going down it is easy, but going up is hard. But with a small child by the hand slowly you don’t even notice. Every hour from the hotel there is a shuttle bus, which is not very convenient. But from 17.06 the bus began to run every half an hour (see the people came). Don't confuse shuttles with trains. They run every 20 minutes. It costs 3-4 levs for an adult, 2-3 levs for a child.
Our sun loungers were right behind the ARDO supermarket, very nice. In the early days, a sunbed could easily be taken in the 1st row, the sea was so cold and there were few people, but the more we rested, the more people and the farther away there were free sunbeds. In recent days, we came at 9-00 and occupied sunbeds in the 6th row.
The beach is very wide (250 meters), clean. Every night it was cleaned by a tractor (hours at 22-00 / 23-00, which pleases - our Belarus). If there were algae on the shore, they were promptly removed. Every 100-200 meters there are rescue booths on which flags were hung: red - you can’t swim, yellow - not recommended, green - you can.
About the water temperature - the entire first half of June was rainy (it rained steadily in the afternoon, and even a real downpour), so that what was heated during the day cooled during the evening. During the first 2 weeks I swam only once (although there were walruses). The water temperature in the morning was stable 16 degrees. It feels warmer (when I swam, it felt like 22-23 degrees). However, since June 15, stable hot weather has been established (at the beginning of 30-32, and then comfortable 27-28). Yes, they are much more tolerant of heat. They have a heat of 32, as we have a heat of 22-24. For 2-3 days, the water warmed up so much that already in the morning it was 22 degrees on the rescue booth, right in the Crimea in mid-July. Since the sea is shallow, after lunch it became as warm as in the pool. About the depth of the sea - it is not as shallow as they write about it, for a child of 2.5 years old it is of course deep anywhere, and 10-12 years old - you can find shallow places.
A pedestrian road begins from the ARDO supermarket, on which there are a lot of roller shutter restaurants, etc. You can safely bargain in all roller shutters. They discard 1-2 levs. This is where you can have fun. It is always fun and noisy here until late at night.
To eat in a restaurant costs 80-100 lev, and it is modest and without alcohol. So food in Albena without ALL INKLUSIV is very expensive.
In June and September, there is a promotion for the Orchid Hotel: 5 restaurants for free: Loco Poco meat restaurant, French restaurant on the 17th floor of Dobruja, Ti Amo Italian restaurant, Tex Mex Mexican restaurant, and Calliope fish restaurant. We visited the first 4. (1 dinner and 1 lunch per week). Food - everyone has their own needs. But free for 1 person: 1 salad, 1 appetizer, 1 main course, 1 dessert and water, the rest is for money. But that was enough for us.
Regarding the openness of the territory - this is not entirely true, you can walk anywhere, but there are some restrictions - on the slide of the Flamingo Hotel it is written that the slide is only for children living in the Flamingo Hotel. The Flamingo Grand territory is fenced with thujas 5 meters high, so you won’t see anything behind them.
Cool slides near the Dobrotitsa hotel and on the beach not far from the Malibu hotel (it used to be called Slavyanka). A slide on the beach near Kaliakra. This is from the nearest. Oh, yes, a small hill near the Orchid Park hotel (behind the tennis courts near the swimming pool 1.65 / 2.0 m).
Now about the prices. The exchange rate at the Euro hotel is stable 1 € = 1.86 leva, 1 $ = 1.39-1.42 leva. So definitely go with the euro. At the post office, the $ rate is even more fun 1.35-1.40. If you really want to save on the course, then drive to Balchik, with the cost of round-trip tickets 5 lev, the exchange rate in their banks (starts after 500 meters after a fork in 3 different directions) 1 € = 1.95 lev, 1 $ = 1.45 lev . And this is without commission. Prices in stores are about the same as ours. Some a little cheaper, some a little more expensive. But baby food is very expensive there, so purees, cereals, etc. bring better with you. Their medicines are also more expensive than ours. But, if there is a prescription from a doctor, insurers will have to pay for a check from a pharmacy.
Near their bus station (automountain) a new Lidi+ supermarket has opened. In it, prices are 15-50% lower than in other stores. But it takes about 20 minutes to walk from the hotel to it. So not everyone goes there.
About mobile communication. Of course, it is best to take a local SIM card. In Albena, it is advertised in full, and you can buy a Viva-com SIM card. However, he is expensive. Calls to Russia are BGN 0.19 for fixed networks and BGN 0.35 for mobiles. It’s even worse with Belarus: they don’t have an agreement with us, so the call will cost 1.52 leva (it’s cheaper to call from the velcom). They also have a Viva-komovsky telegraph, so calls cost exactly the same.
Our guide (the one who deals with our transfers and part-time excursions) helped us to purchase Globul B-connect Visitor SIM cards. Here it is much more profitable (then I compared it with M-tel, Globul is cheaper anyway). It means this: Calls to a fixed network and mobile to Russia 0.19 lev, to Belarus 0.39 lev, 6 lev - activation, 3 lev to the account. There is no subscriber (how much he talked, so much was removed). Moreover, which made me very happy, immediately after the conversation, a message comes up about how much money is left in the account. You can replenish your account using a replenishment card, it is also a “Voucher”. Cards in denominations of 6 and 10 lev are sold in many supermarkets.
Excursions you can order through a guide, manager at the hotel, go yourself either by taxi or by bus.
Bulgarians are very pleasant people. Always friendly, greet. If you wander somewhere and start asking in Russian, then you will be able to understand each other (just be sure to find a short phrase book (for example, right with them it’s “to the mountain”, to the left - “to the right”, waving your head to the right to the left (no ) – yes, etc. ) Oh, yes, at the reception, in restaurants, roller shutter salesmen speak many languages, exactly in English, German, Bulgarian, Russian, Romanian and some other). So they have no particular problems with the language barrier.
I would still go to Albena, with a small child it’s good to relax there. In an orchid... I don’t know yet.
Well, that's about all. If you have any more questions, please ask. I will help how I can.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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