Your rating of this hotel:
5.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms:
5.0
Service:
7.0
Cleanliness:
7.0
Food:
6.0
Amenities:
7.0
The three of us traveled. Grandmother (64 years old), mother (27 years old) and son (5 years old).
I always choose hotels based on online reviews. There were no "punctures" before this trip. I was sure of choosing this particular hotel in Golden Sands, and the travel agency assured me that the hotel was worthy. I only worried about the weather. Still, the beginning of June ...But the weather was excellent, but there were questions about the rest.
1. Nutrition
Hotel "Astera" is four-star, but the restaurant in it is 3 stars. I didn't even think it could be. The quality of the food is top notch. There were no fruits. 2-3 types on the table. Usually these are bananas, unripe kiwi, apples, grapefruit. Cherry was five times only. Moreover, this is not the perfect cherry that is sold on the market for $ 2, but some kind of half-rotten garbage. Strawberries were 2 times - the first time it ended 10 minutes after the start of dinner. Desserts are synthetic, all the same. The ice cream is disgusting, but there is a lot of it and there is a choice of flavors.
There was everything from meat: beef, chicken, pork. From fish - hake, trout, shark, mackerel. Soups are good, usually 2 types: vegetable and meat. Side dishes: boiled potatoes, french fries, cauliflower, white pasta. From vegetables: Shopska / village salad, vegetable mayonnaise salads, white and lilac cabbage, radish, separately chopped peppers, canned corn, onions, garlic. Breakfasts are always the same: fried and boiled eggs, natural yogurt with jam, pancakes, soy sausages, 2 types of sliced cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, biscuit and rich pastries, empty croissants, with chocolate, with jam. There was no classic Bulgarian bannitsa, which is very strange. There were also two types of corn flakes and sooo sweet semolina porridge. The general trend in food: the more people, the worse the choice and quality of dishes. For example, in early June, when the hotel is half empty - 4-5 types of meat, good side dishes. Delicious cakes for dessert.
Closer to the middle of June, for lunch you could see only chicken (stewed legs and grilled fillets), seafood soup is a crab stick soup. And also interruptions with fruit. And sooooo many people in the restaurant. There are not enough places, there is a queue near the trays with food. The waiters do not have time to clean the tables. Imagine what will happen in July at the height of the season!
2. Drinks
The hotel operates on the Ultra All Inclusive system. Alcoholic drinks of local production and imported from 10.30 to 24.00. Jupi-type soft drinks from the vending machine. Coffee disgusting from the machine and from a thermos. If you want good - buy for money at the bar. Pickwick tea bags. All good cocktails are for money.
3. Number
Only 3 rooms per floor have direct sea view. The rest are looking at the nearby Marina Hotel and on the side of the sea or towards the Admiral Hotel. Standard size room. The furniture is simple chipboard.
Plumbing is not the first freshness, the toilet was leaking in my room and the shower holder did not work. There is a curtain in the bathroom. The lighting is sooo dim, for people with low vision - a real test, all mirrors are tinted. On the second day, a path of ants appeared in my room. Everything was removed, processed on demand. There was no more. On the third day, a picture fell from the wall - well, not on the head. Then someone's thong was found behind the curtain)))). But on the other hand, towels were changed every other day, and bed linen - 4 times in 2 weeks. A folding chair for children is extremely uncomfortable, hard, its parts do not fold out into an absolute plane, so they covered it with a woolen blanket, and then covered it with bed linen. And one more thing: the pillows are of poor quality, and the duvet covers do not match the duvet in size. A trifle, but unpleasant. The blanket kept falling off. The Germans outside the window scream all night, so it's impossible to sleep with the window open.
The air conditioner works well. Upon arrival, there was a bottle of white wine on the table, and a bottle of locally produced plain non-carbonated and sweet sparkling water in the refrigerator. Of the dishes in the room, only 4 glasses. From bath accessories - 2 bathrobes, soap and shower gel in the dispenser, toilet paper. There is a hair dryer, but it is inconvenient.
4. Beach
The beach is good, clean, located not in front of the hotel, but a little to the side towards the Admiral Hotel. The road wasn't stressful at all. 2 sun loungers with mattresses + an umbrella are included in the room rate. On the territory there was a tent with vending machines: drinks, coffee, beer. There were also dishes with bananas, apples, oranges, which were sorted out very quickly and were no longer filled. At 9.00 in the morning there were enough places on the beach for everyone.
5. Hotel
The hotel does not have its own territory. None at all. It is sandwiched between two adjacent hotels. Even the pool is located on the roof of the casino.
By the way, the guests here are very different. Germans, British, Russians, Ukrainians, Moldavians, Romanians, Bulgarians themselves. All of different ages, many with children.
Separately, it is worth talking about elevators. The elevators annoyed everyone! They work on their own. They stop on every floor, very slow. But at the same time, if you didn’t have time to enter, it won’t open anymore, or you can pinch your arm / leg. It is almost impossible to catch an empty elevator during breakfast/lunch/dinner. It seems to be a trifle, but it was unpleasant.
6. Golden Sands/Varna
The resort is good, compared to Sunny Beach there is a lot of greenery. Lots of restaurants, clubs. All entertainment for children is sooo expensive. You can go to the Marine Park in Varna and get all the same for less money. Same story with fruits/berries. Prices in the resort are 4 times higher than in the Varna market. The city bus stop is a 15-minute walk from the hotel. The most convenient 409 route.
All the interesting places of Varna are located along its route: the Dolphinarium, the Sea Park, Torgovaya Street, the Cathedral, the Grand Mall shopping center and the Varna Mall shopping center. By the way, the bus goes directly to the airport.
This year the resort has a new "Hop on-Hop off" sightseeing bus. This is in all European capitals. You can buy a ticket and ride it all day, listen to a story about the resort and the surroundings through headphones, get off at the places you like and sit down again. From the starting point to the end point of the route, the tour lasts 2 hours. A ticket for a day costs 23 leva (13 lev for children).
For lovers of Bulgarian knitwear. Near the hotel across the road there is a good shop with T-shirts / bikes / dresses / jackets from Bulgarian factories that are sewn for Europe (see labels of famous brands) at very reasonable prices. The seller knows Russian well. Very friendly woman and really good stuff.
7. Money
Surely everyone already knows that money should only be changed at the bank. The nearest bank to the hotel is in the Admiral Hotel. Bring your passport or driver's license with you. The course in Aster at the reception is very low. Beware of pickpockets, there are sooo many of them in Varna.
That's it. I will be glad if my review is useful. I will say to myself that I am not one of those who create a problem out of nothing. I consider my review objective, I have something to compare. I was in other hotels of different categories in Bulgaria and not only in Bulgaria, I myself worked in England as a waitress in three- and five-star hotels.
I would not recommend the Astera hotel to vacationers with children and elderly couples.
P / S I have an unpleasant opinion about the all-inclusive system in Bulgaria. You will get a much better service for the same money if you go to lunch / dinner at any restaurant on the coast. For 1.
5 dollars will pour you a wonderful coffee, in the market you will buy selected fruits, and for 1 alcoholic cocktail in the club you will be given another one as a gift)))
I always choose hotels based on online reviews. There were no "punctures" before this trip. I was sure of choosing this particular hotel in Golden Sands, and the travel agency assured me that the hotel was worthy. I only worried about the weather. Still, the beginning of June ...But the weather was excellent, but there were questions about the rest.
1. Nutrition
Hotel "Astera" is four-star, but the restaurant in it is 3 stars. I didn't even think it could be. The quality of the food is top notch. There were no fruits. 2-3 types on the table. Usually these are bananas, unripe kiwi, apples, grapefruit. Cherry was five times only. Moreover, this is not the perfect cherry that is sold on the market for $ 2, but some kind of half-rotten garbage. Strawberries were 2 times - the first time it ended 10 minutes after the start of dinner. Desserts are synthetic, all the same. The ice cream is disgusting, but there is a lot of it and there is a choice of flavors.
There was everything from meat: beef, chicken, pork. From fish - hake, trout, shark, mackerel. Soups are good, usually 2 types: vegetable and meat. Side dishes: boiled potatoes, french fries, cauliflower, white pasta. From vegetables: Shopska / village salad, vegetable mayonnaise salads, white and lilac cabbage, radish, separately chopped peppers, canned corn, onions, garlic. Breakfasts are always the same: fried and boiled eggs, natural yogurt with jam, pancakes, soy sausages, 2 types of sliced cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, biscuit and rich pastries, empty croissants, with chocolate, with jam. There was no classic Bulgarian bannitsa, which is very strange. There were also two types of corn flakes and sooo sweet semolina porridge. The general trend in food: the more people, the worse the choice and quality of dishes. For example, in early June, when the hotel is half empty - 4-5 types of meat, good side dishes. Delicious cakes for dessert.
Closer to the middle of June, for lunch you could see only chicken (stewed legs and grilled fillets), seafood soup is a crab stick soup. And also interruptions with fruit. And sooooo many people in the restaurant. There are not enough places, there is a queue near the trays with food. The waiters do not have time to clean the tables. Imagine what will happen in July at the height of the season!
2. Drinks
The hotel operates on the Ultra All Inclusive system. Alcoholic drinks of local production and imported from 10.30 to 24.00. Jupi-type soft drinks from the vending machine. Coffee disgusting from the machine and from a thermos. If you want good - buy for money at the bar. Pickwick tea bags. All good cocktails are for money.
3. Number
Only 3 rooms per floor have direct sea view. The rest are looking at the nearby Marina Hotel and on the side of the sea or towards the Admiral Hotel. Standard size room. The furniture is simple chipboard.
Plumbing is not the first freshness, the toilet was leaking in my room and the shower holder did not work. There is a curtain in the bathroom. The lighting is sooo dim, for people with low vision - a real test, all mirrors are tinted. On the second day, a path of ants appeared in my room. Everything was removed, processed on demand. There was no more. On the third day, a picture fell from the wall - well, not on the head. Then someone's thong was found behind the curtain)))). But on the other hand, towels were changed every other day, and bed linen - 4 times in 2 weeks. A folding chair for children is extremely uncomfortable, hard, its parts do not fold out into an absolute plane, so they covered it with a woolen blanket, and then covered it with bed linen. And one more thing: the pillows are of poor quality, and the duvet covers do not match the duvet in size. A trifle, but unpleasant. The blanket kept falling off. The Germans outside the window scream all night, so it's impossible to sleep with the window open.
The air conditioner works well. Upon arrival, there was a bottle of white wine on the table, and a bottle of locally produced plain non-carbonated and sweet sparkling water in the refrigerator. Of the dishes in the room, only 4 glasses. From bath accessories - 2 bathrobes, soap and shower gel in the dispenser, toilet paper. There is a hair dryer, but it is inconvenient.
4. Beach
The beach is good, clean, located not in front of the hotel, but a little to the side towards the Admiral Hotel. The road wasn't stressful at all. 2 sun loungers with mattresses + an umbrella are included in the room rate. On the territory there was a tent with vending machines: drinks, coffee, beer. There were also dishes with bananas, apples, oranges, which were sorted out very quickly and were no longer filled. At 9.00 in the morning there were enough places on the beach for everyone.
5. Hotel
The hotel does not have its own territory. None at all. It is sandwiched between two adjacent hotels. Even the pool is located on the roof of the casino.
By the way, the guests here are very different. Germans, British, Russians, Ukrainians, Moldavians, Romanians, Bulgarians themselves. All of different ages, many with children.
Separately, it is worth talking about elevators. The elevators annoyed everyone! They work on their own. They stop on every floor, very slow. But at the same time, if you didn’t have time to enter, it won’t open anymore, or you can pinch your arm / leg. It is almost impossible to catch an empty elevator during breakfast/lunch/dinner. It seems to be a trifle, but it was unpleasant.
6. Golden Sands/Varna
The resort is good, compared to Sunny Beach there is a lot of greenery. Lots of restaurants, clubs. All entertainment for children is sooo expensive. You can go to the Marine Park in Varna and get all the same for less money. Same story with fruits/berries. Prices in the resort are 4 times higher than in the Varna market. The city bus stop is a 15-minute walk from the hotel. The most convenient 409 route.
All the interesting places of Varna are located along its route: the Dolphinarium, the Sea Park, Torgovaya Street, the Cathedral, the Grand Mall shopping center and the Varna Mall shopping center. By the way, the bus goes directly to the airport.
This year the resort has a new "Hop on-Hop off" sightseeing bus. This is in all European capitals. You can buy a ticket and ride it all day, listen to a story about the resort and the surroundings through headphones, get off at the places you like and sit down again. From the starting point to the end point of the route, the tour lasts 2 hours. A ticket for a day costs 23 leva (13 lev for children).
For lovers of Bulgarian knitwear. Near the hotel across the road there is a good shop with T-shirts / bikes / dresses / jackets from Bulgarian factories that are sewn for Europe (see labels of famous brands) at very reasonable prices. The seller knows Russian well. Very friendly woman and really good stuff.
7. Money
Surely everyone already knows that money should only be changed at the bank. The nearest bank to the hotel is in the Admiral Hotel. Bring your passport or driver's license with you. The course in Aster at the reception is very low. Beware of pickpockets, there are sooo many of them in Varna.
That's it. I will be glad if my review is useful. I will say to myself that I am not one of those who create a problem out of nothing. I consider my review objective, I have something to compare. I was in other hotels of different categories in Bulgaria and not only in Bulgaria, I myself worked in England as a waitress in three- and five-star hotels.
I would not recommend the Astera hotel to vacationers with children and elderly couples.
P / S I have an unpleasant opinion about the all-inclusive system in Bulgaria. You will get a much better service for the same money if you go to lunch / dinner at any restaurant on the coast. For 1.
5 dollars will pour you a wonderful coffee, in the market you will buy selected fruits, and for 1 alcoholic cocktail in the club you will be given another one as a gift)))
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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OTHER REVIEWS ABOUT THE HOTEL
- I recommend
- I do not recommend this hotel
- the price does not match the quality
- Excellent hotel Astera 4 *
- Great hotel for a boring company
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