Hotels Near Balkan Petronas Towers in Sofia

Upon arrival at the reception we had problems with the prepayment; It was not possible to pay the price without the prepayment already provided, after about 30 minutes it was possible in cash, not the preferred card payment; the employee justified this with a new computer system. The room was not air conditioned upon arrival and was quite warm; the shower does not drain normally and quickly fills up to the brim; The beds are a kind of box spring bed: for me (about 85 kg) the mattress was not comfortable. There was only few toilet paper upon arrival, so I called the reception after it was finished, but after about an hour nothing was delivered - not to be expected for a 4 star hotel! The bathroom fan is a bit noisier than I expected and should usually auto stop after a while (although it was connected to the lamp, it usually happens). The thick curtains easily detach from the suspension when closing, and the small room fridge is much too loud (noticeable at night). When exactly is breakfast should be in the folder (I didn't see it at first glance) I liked the breakfast, the orange juice could be freshly squeezed, there should be milk (and lactose free) next to the muesli, and there should also be gluten free bread, but overall good quality of the products; we didn't try the restaurant for dinner due to the high prices. fitness room: Directly the first machine on the left (for legs) doesn't work and it hasn't changed during the week's stay, although we complained, the note with this information had fallen under the bench, so not visible; but otherwise the hall is in good condition The pool is small and during the stay they closed it, it was soon announced that the pool heating would be repaired: heating at 35 degrees outside air temperature? Incomprehensible! I tried to speak to the manager but he didn't seem interested. After we asked for a discount because the pool wasn't working, at least they took away the note the next day. All in all, this hotel did not overwhelm us and we will not visit it again: high standards and beautiful pictures, but unfortunately no coverage in reality.

When we arrived to park at the hotel we were expected to know where to park and where to go so this made the first 15 minutes unbearable. We were told on many occasions not here. Please provide positive directions in future. The hotel itself after the poor beginning was excellent. The room was clean and serviceable with a good fridge. Although my wife found the bed and pillows uncomfortable I did not. Breakfast had a good selection and the dining area was roomy. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE someone teach the chef to fry an egg. No matter your preference whether it be over easy, flipped or hard yolk all eggs had a fantastic burnt plastic skirt. TIP use the right kind of oil, don't turn the heat up so high, have the oil warm before the egg goes in, and don't use freezing cold eggs. The hotel organised Taxi's for us and these were excellent.

As soon as we walked through the door, we were greeted by a uniformed man, who welcomed us to the hotel and took us to the reception desk, having looked after our bags, which were later taken to our room. The lady at reception treated us with great courtesy and efficiency, and therefore, from the outset, we realised we were in a well-run five star hotel with professional and helpful staff. Our bedroom was stylishly decorated in cool shades of grey, with two wide beds, a panoramic window with a view of Vitosha mountain, and the marble bathroom was of a good size, with modern fittings and a lovely walk-in shower. We had booked the Club Room and were not disappointed with the newly opened Club Lounge. They offer refreshments during the afternoon and then ‘happy hour’ from 6-8 pm. We found the service really excellent, with staff keen to help, and spent delightful early evenings having drinks and eating an enticing array of canapés. Breakfasts were also excellent in the Europa restaurant with a wide selection of cooked and cold options from the buffet, and dishes cooked to order such as omelettes and eggs benedict. One last point to mention - we found the Chief Concierge - Todor Goranchovski - most helpful in booking us restaurants and directing us to some notable attractions in Sofia: he was great. The Intercontinental is really a top class hotel and we would not hesitate to stay there again - thank you to everyone who made our stay memorable.

I'll start with the positive points first: - I'll start with the positive points first - The minibar and the drinks at the bar are cheap Now the negative points they are effecting mostly the rooms: - The carpet is dirty and the rooms stink. Most probably they never changed the carpet since the hotel was build - The air conditioning was installed later. The hose to dispose the water from the air conditioner goes through a hose into the bathroom and ends above the bathroom floor. this means that the bathroom is always flooded when the air conditioning is on. this is definitely not acceptable. - The room cannot be darkened because the fabric of the curtains is very very thin and translucent. As soon as the sun rises it is not possible to sleep. In my case it was around 05:30AM when the sun came up. This point bothered me the most because I didn't get enough sleep on my business trip. I have visited the hotel Hemus regularly since 2017 when I have not been able to get a room elsewhere. in 2019 they had done major renovations, but I still don't understand what exactly was improved. the points just mentioned above have not been resolved. only the tv was exchanged for a flat screen and the bracket for the old tube tv was removed. Maybe this was the reason of renovation. I hope that someone from the hotel will read this as a general overhaul is urgently needed. Especially with the carpet and the curtains. There's no point in choosing a hotel to relax after a long meeting day and can't even sleep because of the windows that can't be darkened or the smell of the carpet that has never been replaced.

I've never stayed anywhere else in Sofia so cannot comment on whether this is great for Sofia, but international 4* standard, it isn't. Most of the staff are lovely, apart from the member of staff who decided one evening that we were not allowed to have a glass of wine in the lobby bar because the bottle of wines were ”reserved” and ”for show” (the excuse changing from one minute to the next.) He couldn't explain who or why they were reserved or for show. The room servicing is, *interesting*. They say in the information in the room that the rooms are serviced daily. On the first day it wasn't serviced at all. The second, I asked it to be serviced and the towels replaced which they did but then (not joking) they screwed up the cover on the bed and put it in the corner, made half an effort to pull up the duvet, emptied a bin and did nothing else. Coffee and tea making facilities in the room is a real plus but they were not refreshed / refilled during our stay either, even when the room was ”serviced”. The bed was comfortable but one of those fit together beds rather than a true king size. It was huge but possible to get a bit caught in the middle. That said though, we didn't struggle with noise as other people did. The breakfast is fine. Typical central European type stuff and not the best quality but fresh fruit is always welcome. If it's a choice between room only at a cheaper price, I wouldn't recommend paying extra for it though. The door lock was a bit temperamental. It's worth checking it's genuinely locked behind you as ours didn't unless we carefully engaged the catch. There are safes though. The lifts were a bit dodgy as well. One obviously breaking down from time to time during our stay and be warned you need your room card to go up or down. Location wise it's superb and I'm not saying I wouldn't stay there again but for the price, which is not cheap for Sofia, the service needs a bit of an uplift. Also some attention to detail in the rooms would be good with a slight tear in the voile, wallpaper lifting etc. For British visitors though as this hotel is part of a Cooperative organisation, they have pictures of the first Rochdale COOP in some of the corridors. A funny little quirk if you know Rochdale. It's not the place you'd choose to decorate anywhere.

This hotel was practically next door to the Serdica ancient Roman complex, so as soon as we had checked in, we went out and roamed among the ruins for awhile. But it's actually a perfect location for all your exploration, walking tours, historic sites, etc. The breakfasts were served in the little restaurant on the 1st floor, and it included lots of options. The staff were helpful and friendly, including giving me directions to a laundry, holding our luggage for awhile on our leaving day, and other courtesies. We recommend this hotel, and would stay there again if we ever go to Sofia again.

the room was satisfactory at a whole, esp with the little balcony attached for a small laundry zone, electric water kettle for making hot tea, a small refrigerator for use, a big plastic bucket in bathroom and hair dryer provided. The lightings are bright enough. TV also offered a few channels. if a microwave or a small oven could be provided by the hotel for customers reheating their takeaway food or bread, alongside with a mini size folderable tea table, they would definitely earn an extra score by all customers.

Located along the main street between the bus terminal and the downtown area, both are within walking distance. In front of the subway station, transportation is convenient. There are also several supermarkets nearby. Breakfast is a prefix menu at the café. Tasty but takes time. When I left early in the morning, they prepared a packed lunch for me (advance request). Comfortable with bathtub.

Stayed with friends on a trip to Sofia. Very clean and friendly place. Staff was excellent and helping in every way. Owner even took us to a good place to have dinner, which was very good also. Everything close by. Definitely will stay again and would recommend to others.

The room was clean and the service was very good. The bellman was very enthusiastic to help with the luggage. The next day, he helped a colleague drive to the underground garage to load the luggage. The hotel's supporting facilities are very complete.