Elenite Holiday Village

9 readers found this review helpful

Decided to write a review about my holiday here last year after reading some of the negative reviews written.
My God what do you people expect for a decent value for money holiday, you havn't paid carribean prices!
Saying that I thought this complex was absolutely brilliant, amazing facilities and service considering the price for a family of four holiday.
The food wasn't amazing but rarely is abroad unless you have paid 2-3 times the price or are staying at 5 star plus facilities and even then I have had worse!
Brilliant location with the beach on your doorstep and several pools to choose from, also a water park to keep the kids busy - no worries about security either with the way the complex is laid out with gates at the entrance.
Plenty to do with the kids besides the water activities, mini golf, bowling, tennis even a gym if your into that on holiday.
Also a beauty salon type place with saunas and spas etc.
Th villas are quite good and as for steps and hills, well theres ramps at every set of steps and you can stay in the hotels on the complex if it is too difficult to climb a few steps and hills.
Theres about 7 bars to drink in included on the all inclusive programme, a couple that are not but its up to you if you want to pay in them, no different to the others really except ones on the beach.
As for getting sick, well you can get sick anywhere abroad and you do get recommended to take certain jabs before going to bulgaria, and I'd love too know how much ale these people have been drinking as well!!
If you dont like it here well you wont like it anywhere and you may as well spend 3 or 4 times the amount and go somewhere very posh with everyone else who are stuck up and think they are too good for this place.

5 readers found this review helpful

After booking our holiday through Thompson's we had a few problems to start with - no tickets til 3 days prior and flights changes not advised!! we read a lot and i mean a lot of bad reviews before we left and found it hard to be open minded. HOWEVER on the whole everything was ok.
We arrived at 3.30am after checking in we were taken to our room on a golf cart - very helpful but the chaps did linger for a tip luckly we had 10 lev. The room was small but clean plently of towels ( 4 hand, 4 bath). the maid came in everyday and swept round and turned down beds, fresh towels if left in the bathroom - yes it was dusty under the beds but who cares and to be honest who goes looking!!! we had a few concerns about ill fitting plugs but just kept an eye on the kids. you need to bear in mind the complex was built in 1985.
We had requested a lower storey room and got a room second row back 2 sets of 3 steps no sea view but only 1 mins walk to bach and 2 mins either way to 2 out of 3 pools and 5 mins to waterpark.
The complex was very clean, always folk about sweeping and cleaning empting bins and gardening. yes there were wasps about but its summer and you get wasps at home. We felt very safe - the complex is gated so no street sellers or lucky lucky men on the beach which was great. We travelled with children aged 5 and 2. They had a fab time we altenated between beach, pool and waterpark. We only ventured out twice - once on the boat to Nessebar 25 lev return per adult and 10 lev per child, takes 30 mins and was nice. Nessebar its self was lovely, walked around the old town, lots of cobbled street, old architecture and a museum lots of little touristy type shops and we also got the local bus to Sunny Beach 3 lev per adult kids under 7 free. I am so glad we didnt stay in sunny beach it was dirty, didnt feel safe, people hounding you all time to drink/eat in their bars, got the most expensive mcdonalds 26 lev (£12.50) for 2 happy meals and a milkshake!!!
Anyways back to Elenite. The main thing for us was the food - best way to describe it was adequate. Breakfast was the same everyday - 3 cereals, rolls, eggs, bacon, beans (baked or kidney?) onion, french toast. there were 2 pancake stations and a continetal bit with ham, sasuage, cheeses, tomato and cucumber. there was honey, marmalade and 2 chocolate spreads and plently of fruit. Yes you had to queue for pancakes at times and there was only 2 toast machines.
At lunch and evening meal there was always pizza, chips, soup, fresh bread, salad, feta cheese, tomato and cucumber then usual a choice of 4 or 5 dishes usually 1 or 2 fish then meat - pork, chicken, veal, mousaka. then vegetables too.
The food was often cool and the chicken often under cooked we banned chicken and my husband had upset tummy for 12 out of 14 days and 3 packets of immoduim, i took was ill with stomach cramps but it seemed to evade the children thankfully. there is a microwave and my hubby seemed better after he started warming his food.We found out early on it was best to be at breakfast before 9am and evening meal before 8pm.
We ate a each of the 3 al a carte resturants, the booking system leaves a lot to be desired expect to queue from 8.20 and wait approx 45 mins. the grill/bbq was buffet service and the mediterain was ok, however the sozopol bulgarian one was fantastic. we had hot dogs and chicken and chips from the snack bars which were great - the chicken kebeb place was naff the chap serving was so rude kept shaking his tip jar and kept serving people just walking to bar and not waiting in line then when it was your turn just raming half dozen chips and 3 bits was chicken in some bread.
There are a lot of stairs and we didnt use our pushchair much at all from the pool there are 25 or so steps to the resturant and another dozen to the reception. There is also ten pin bowling and mini golf but we didnt use either. the weather was lovely high 30's and the water park was fab if a little chilli.
The entertainment was ok. The animation team do activites all day there is a sceduale in reception, there is a mini club in the of the hotel within the complex and at night there is a mini disco at 8pm for kids 3 nights a week and shows too afterwards also there are shows on friday sat and sunday which your kids can join in for a fee usuall 10 or 20 lev. main thing was all the entertainment was in the animation hall on a night it was quite small and pushing and soving to get in at the weekends its the only venue for 3 hotels and the villas.
Our main complaint was the food and also lack of air con in resturants but it didnt spoil our holiday and be prepared for drink in plastic glasses after 8pm. also lifegaurds on pool are rubbish kept falling asleep.
I would recommend this resort if you arent too fussy are happy by the pool or on the beach and have youngish kids. We would go back but things started to slack off at the end of our 2nd week so i wouldnt stay much past the 20th august! Also if want to do self cater or eat out lots avoid sunny beach and stay in nessebar.

4 readers found this review helpful

We got back from the villas yesterday and whilst we did have some 'niggles' our overall impression was value for money.
We went with my parents and a group of friends - we went with realistic expectations - I mean - it was one of the cheapest hols we could find at this type of year (325 each per week all inclusive) - what do people expect for that ??? people aways seem to want something for nothing.
We arrived at about 2 in the morning and i was really worried - the day before i had been on review sites such as this and seen the 'holiday from hell' reviews like i'm sure you all have if you are reading this. DON'T WORRY (thought i'd put that in ther in case you have the sick feeling like i had!!!)
We were transported to our rooms on the golf carts - and yes we felt we should tip - but hey - it happens everywhere and certainly shouldn't be put as a negative of this resort.
The room was fine - typical 3 star acommodation. It was basic but clean. Yes there was a bit of milldew round the bath (shock horror), yes the tap fixings to the wall were a bit suspect and the shower had a mind of its own. The beds were made everyday and the sheets were clean and the pillows did not smell (i checked). The mattresses were clean (again i checked). some of the chairs in the room had stains on but they were made from shiney material and it looked like the marks were from people sitting down wearing suntan lotion. Things like that don't worry us. The maid comes everyday and cleans everywhere (including the bathroom - why wouldn't she?)
The complex itself is immaculate - no complaints at all. There are lots of flowers and plants about which do attract wasps - again not something we thought was detrimental to the holiday.
Staff are fine - yes they do appear sullen sometimes but if you are friendly to them - hey guess what - they are friendly back.
The food is the only real main issue - it is repetative and can be luke warm (we solved that by going for meals early). There is lots of variety to suit all nationalities. No one will starve even if they are really fussy (there's chips, bread, pizza at everymeal) but you may get bored. The hotdogs on the beach are really nice as well. We visited Pako's shack outside the complex numerous times - it was lovely and really cheap so there are options.
Another niggle we had was that the resort is away from everything so it cost money to go anywhere like sunny beach or nessabar. - only a real problem because we were there a fortnight and got a bit of cabin fever in the second week.however, if it wasn't 'set away' from everything there is no way the resort could have all the facilities and grounds it has - so catch 22.
Would we go back? -yes - but probably for a week as it's a great resort for sitting and doing nothing (we like to be able to just walk out and explore if we stay any longer) We could live with the food for a week.
If you go to this place looking for problems - yes you could find them (like anywhere) - If you go for a holiday, at half the price of anywhere else and take things as they are and are able to smile you will have a good time.

2 readers found this review helpful

I have just returned from Elenite holiday village with good & bad memories, beautiful location, kept very clean, it felt safe in the resort (not when we ventured out) some of the staff were very friendly, the bad points were the food, repeatative & not kept up to temperature so we all had bad stomaches most of the holiday so take immodium, some of the life guards didnt do there job properly (falling a sleep & throwing stones in the sea nearly hitting my 10 year old), don`t take the boat trip back from nesebar as the captain was offensive & the locals on board thought it was funny,I was extremely insulted & upset, by side all the bad points it was a good holiday, no holidays are perfect, we will try somewhere else next year.

2 readers found this review helpful

We stayed in the villas in the complex which were cleaned every day, with fresh towels also every day,the food was very good and had a very wide choice for everyones taste,(the food was always warm contrary to what other people have said)if you didnt fancy the restaurant and just fancied a light snack,there were kiosk's along the main path that did hot dog's,chicken and chips and chicken kebabs.The place was spotless with cleaners permanantly on site,i think if we'd have stood still they would have swept us up aswell!!!we left the complex on a couple of occasions to go to a little place called paco's that did fantastic steaks for very little money,it is about 100 yards from the front gates and looks like a little wooden shack,we did have a bit of a grumble at having to pay at the cocktail bar and the frigate pub when we had paid all inclusive but nothing major.the beach was spotless and on most occasions the sea was warmer than most of the pools,the kids loved catching the little fish that swam past in their hundreds and the little hermit crabs.the water park was fantastic and we used it quite a few times,there were plenty of different slides so the days passed very quickly.There was entertainment every night bar monday by the animation team who worked very hard to put on a show for the kids,they also did gymnastics and entertained by the pools during the day.There was a mini golf course and a tennis court,and a spa for a little bit of pampering if you fancied it.there is a jetty on the beach where a boat takes you to nearby nessabar for 25 levs,but the cheap option would be to catch a bus,we got on the number 8 bus to sunny beach for 3 levs each from the hotel gates.Thought the overall holiday was well worth the money and would recommend to anyone old or young.

Just come back from Elenite Villas. Was worried by the negative reviews but i like to keep an opened mind and wait and see, unfortunately they were TRUE.On arrival we were greeted by one very unhelpful receptionist whose answer to our question about where to find our villa was to shrug his shoulders. throughout our holiday this happened quite alot!The room looked ok on first glance, basic but clean until, closer inspection! Behind the curtains were spiders and cobwebs, under beds dusty, kids beds had clean sheets on but the chairs themselves were not very clean.The room was supposed to be cleaned everyday but this consisted of tidying,cleaning floors around furniture, replenishing toilet rolls and towels(not always enough of either!) and making/changing beds, the bath,sink and toilet (initially clean) were not cleaned again over the next 10 days. The food was awful and insufficiantly cooked leading to all of us being ill in varying degrees.This is definately not worthy of its 4 star rating more a 2star if that!It is in lovely surroundings, the beach is good and the weather was marvellous but apart from a couple of barmen and the two men in the ship snack bar we found the staff unfriendly and rude. Last but not least since when is 70 lev a small charge for a safe (this could be un screwed from the shelf in your wardrobe!) thats not very safe . I could go on but i just want to forget about this now and will definately research holidays more thouroughly in the future.

6 readers found this review helpful

We had a great holiday with our 11 year old daughter. All areas spotless and constantly cleaned.
Huge variety of food including hot food, pasta, vegetables, salads, breads, fruit, deserts, icecream etc and found most people loved it or hated it (don't expect it to be English- and i couldn't understand why some people did - although chips served every day).
To get a reservation for one of the 3 a la carte resturants you need to be in the queue by 8:25am (bookings taken from 9)- although shorter queues on Sundays and Mondays.
Beach and pool great - no problems with getting a sun bed.
Water park also great but seemed very under used. Sunbeds and parasol all 5 leves each (£2.25 each). We took water with us to drink. At lunch time left our towels on the sunbeds and walked back to buffet for lunch then returned to aqua park after. There is also changing rooms, lockers and showers at back of aqua park (near wave pool) that we didn't find until the day before we left.
You can use the bars, beaches and swimming pools of the other 4 hotels within the complex (although not there buffet resturants).
There are a few shops at the villas and a small shopping centre at the next hotel - including internet access - 4levs? for 30 mins.
We did go to the entertainment a couple of times but really only for younger children - under 10s.
No 8 bus (very easy - we took photo of timetable so we knew when busses returning by looking at picture on camera). Nessebar old town (bit touristy) worth a visit. Sunny beach (Mc Donalds) probably great for 18 year olds and very touristy.
We had temperatures between 36 and 40, so glad of air conditioning.
Elenite is however quite remote and only hotels but great if you want a relaxing family holiday.

3 readers found this review helpful

Don't believe everything you read. We were worried about going on this holiday due to some peoples reviews -but couldn't fault the holiday at all.
Place was unbelievably clean, safe and secure. Food was great - yes it was sometimes not piping hot but it was always cooked and loads to choose from - but if people do their homework they will know that the Bulgarians don't eat their food hot - but there are microwaves to use if you insist on red hot food. The staff are excellent and friendly. Loads to do especially if you have kids - the free use of the waterpark is brillant. We stayed in the Villas and as other people have commented about the steps this is clearly pointed out in the brochure that there are some steps so if you have small children in prams or buggies it may cause a small problem.
The Animation Team were 1st Class and every show they put on was brilliant and very professional. Felt very relaxed as the lifeguards were great and security everywhere so wasn't constantly looking around like a Meerkat to make sure the kids were ok.
Definately will be going back

We went for 2 weeks leaving on the 12/07/10. On arrival the resort looked lovely and clean and very safe. The problems started when you went for something to eat. The food was uncooked and luke warm. My daughter got pork kebabs which were barely cooked. Then our party of 5 all came down with stomach pains and vomited. A scottish couple in the room next door had also been ill for 2 days. The rastaurant was crawling with flies. After this i refused to eat in the restaurant and had to buy wrapped food from the resort shop at extortinate rates. A bag of chrisps was £2 and baby food £3, triple the prices in England. The al a carte restaurants were no better. We went for a meal and the chicken was barely cooked. The taliana bbq restaurant was no better again serving raw meat. Forget going here if you have a baby in a pram as their are over 30 stairs to get to the restaurant and if you get a villa which is not on the seafront you have to carry the pram up flights of stone steps. The kebab hut next to the Royal Park served kebabs with barely cooked chicken and coleslaw left on a bench in 30 deg heat crawling with flies. The electric went off for the best part of 48 hours and the restaurant could cook the food but were unable to keep it hot so it stood cold and people were expected to eat it. They couldnt serve drinks due to the electric pumps not working and ran out of the few bottles of pepsi they had. They did not go out and buy bottled drinks etc and just left you with nothing. My 24 month old daughter was starving so i asked them to heat up a bottle as they had gas in the restaurant, they laughed in my face and told me to heat it up on a candle. After i demanded a manager it took them 20 min to heat it up and it was boiling so she couldnt drink it any way. The staff are rude and unhelpful and the resort is mainly used by Russian and German guests who they favour over the english serving them first. The bedding was changed daily but was damp. I would avoid this resort and you are stranded if anything goes wrong or you dont like the food. The next resort is 4km away at Sunny Beach. The entertainment was basic when their was eletric and the stairs in the animation hall collapsed. The park had 4inch nails sticking out of it and the water park also had stairs coming away from the slides. I wouldnt recommend this resort to anyone and you would be better paying a bit more money and going elsewhere as i feel like i have been totally ripped off.

10 readers found this review helpful

We have just returned from 2 weeks holiday and this place was excellent. We were really worried by the review but please take my word this place is great value for money. The rooms get cleaned every day and the staff are so friendly. The food is good with a very wide choice for all ages. The animation team were great and you must see the shows at night,these guys can dance.
We will be booking up for next year very soon.