Chaika Beach Hotel

Myself and my boyfriend went gor the last two weeks of July 2006 and absolutley loved it so we're going back again this yr!! the hotel was beautiful perfectly located and spotless. Staff were friendly and rooms beautiful/

Stayed in the Chaika beach hotel 11-26 sept 2006 and had a great time! All the public areas of the hotel were lovely and very clean. The rooms were gorgeous too - spacious and very clean and had a gorgeous view from our balcony of the beach. The pools were nice although it was a bit cool to sunbathe and have a swim some days when we were there. There were 2 great bars - the 'Irish' bar and club mystic - both great but very different! The Irish bar was quite a cosy bar - reminded me of a pub back home - had guy singing and playing music at night. Club mystic was a really different 'funky' bar with good music and cocktails and funky chairs! Must admit the only downside we found was the food - not very tasty and lacked choice! The hotel is straight across from the beach which is very handy - it's a beautiful beach! Lots of great trips - lazy day cruise and khans tent are among the best - the aquapark is a great day out - but go to the larger of the 2! Lots of nice bars and restaurants in sunny beach when you fancy a change from the hotel. Give it a try - i'm sure you'll love it as much as we did - only thing that could have been better was the hotel food.

Booked our holiday from belfast to Bulgaria in february after good reports that Bulgaria is a cheap option for those wanting sunshine and culture. We booked through Balkan tours for September ( they said the weather would be good at that time) Unfortunately I never checked the hotel on tripadvisor before I left. We decided to go for the hotel that looked closest to the sea front - Chaika beach seemed to offer that. For some reason all that was offered by Balkan tours at this hotel was half-board - we thought it would save us some money so we took it. When we arrived the hotel looked beautiful. The reception is very tastefully decorated and the baggage staff were very helpful (tipping advised). The room itself was spotless and everything we hoped for. We went for our first meal at dinner time and were a bit taken back at the food - being vegetarian I wasn't expecting a big choice and had expected salad chips and pasta (basically thats what they offered every night). My fiance is a meat eater and found the meat quite strange tasting - and ended up eating vegetarian the whole holiday. The breakfast wasn't much better and the eggs were unbelievably bad! - Grey yolk in the three eggs we tried! (All throughout the holiday we had to avoid the eggs - they tasted unusual to say the least!) Needless to say we only eat in the hotel restaurant when we were running short on money near the end of the holiday. We couldn't find a descent cup of tea or coffee throughout the holiday - except the espresso in the hotel bar. We were due to meet out tour rep the first day - they never turned up - nor did they turn up the next day - or the next....basically they were never about - so we had to investigate everything ourselves - which is fine but the fact is we were paying for them to help us and give us their advice! However we did find the castle restaurant beside the hotel a treat to eat in and the staff were very pleasant - quite dear though! - I recommend the Swedish breakfast! - Also recommend the baked potatoe stands around the hotel for lunch - however avoid the coleslaw if you can - it was always warm! Or the Italian place out the back of the hotel in the square. We did find some good bargains in the stalls and people we met there recomended the asian supermarket near the centre of burgas - however we never went. A day trip to Nessebar (old town) is a must! - Avoid peak-times for the bus! oh and Wednesdays (nothings open) - Its a lovely quaint town nessled on a hill on the outskirts of sunny beach. This was easily the best place we seen and now I wish we had've stayed there instead of a resort - it was just like every other resort - over hyped and trashy (appologies if your into that sort of thing). One or two prostitutes circle the front of the hotel but are no problem at all - quite intrigued how other reviewers have said they ruined the holiday? We went on the trip to the bulgarian village to get a bit of a taste for bulgarian culture - we found this a disaster - (we booked through the travel agents beside the bus stop on the main road who were very friendly and spoke good english) However we were first put on the russian bus - then paraded onto the english speaking bus introducing us as the Irish people who got the wrong bus - was quite embarrassing to be honest especially as the tourist operator waited so he could make sure we got the right bus and directed us onto the Russian bus. When we got there we were 2 of 4 Irish people (or english speaking) there and for the meal we put in a wee corner out of the way of the entertainment. I would however like to say the entertainer did try to include everyone of all the nationalities there but it seemed that the time we went it was full of bolshy poles serbs and slovaks who were drunken and quite threatening by the end of the night. However the hot coals dance was pretty amazing if you could see it - it was poorly organised and people pushed you out of the way so they could crowd around a small circular area and take photos - if you were small (like my fiance) you had no chance except on someones shoulders! The area of beach opposite the hotel is covered in sun loungers you have to pay for (like any resort I suppose) with a smll area at the back thats free. However by lunch-time the sand was full of cigarette butts - which were only raked up around 5 when people started to leave - which is understandable - but still walking over cigarette butts to get into the sea is hardly pleasant. I loved the jetskiing I have to say and the waves were pretty good some days. All in all I would say I enjoyed the holiday - but wouldn't go back and certainly never with Balkan tours! Make up your own mind - maybe we're just picky!

There was 4 Adults and 4 kids hotel did not cater for kids at all pools no good if kids can not swim pool bar not open for the whole 2 weeks. Little girl stung by jellyfish on 2nd day there Reps never let us know that september is the jellyfish mating season so could not swim in sea without getting stung our room had carpet on floor, food was awfull bathroom was flooded when used shower this was a 5 star hotel but dropped to 4 star not even that go to victoria palace this is lovely hotel. Sorry but not a nice place.

Overall we had a good holliday (first 2 wks in Sept) The hotel is not bad a reasonable 3* rating if you exclude the food and food hygine (they really let themselves down on this count) but then food generally in bulgeria is very poor. The staff are generally friendly, the hotel can be noisey we were moved on the first night (ground floor right besides receiption C103) we were then moved to the 7th floor A710 lovely room and view but the building finishing was very poor and floors and walls were like plasterboard - we had to ring about the noise from the room below! The bars are very nice - except the Irish bar (still trying to work out what was irish about it) Forget trying to get a sun lounger - there is about 450 rooms holding at least 900 people but only 150 sun loungers around the pool - besides it loses the sun at around 3.30, The beach is lovely and the guy that collected the money was a real gent. Its a bit expensive mind u £7 a day for two people but worth the hassle of not fighting over a lounger. Best place to eat is Bistro Tanya - on the street behind the hotel and to the right - waiter called Alex antoher gent. Food on places on the square and the strip tend to be of poor quallity - but dearest meal was £30 for two ppl for 2 starters, 2 main courses 1 sweet and 2 bottles of wine ( beware all food taste of salt - bar the ice cream) Visit the town of Nessabar is lovely and the food seemed better espically in the Anchor Bar - get the bus its about 50p compared to £3 on a rough boat taxi ;-) I wont be rushing back which is a pity cause the country and resort have so much to offer if only they could get the standards raised

We stayed at this hotel for two weeks!!! All i can say is that we are glad to be home!!!! The hotel itself was nice down stairs but it was luck of the draw what room you got, we had a baby with us and we got a small room compared to the one next door and it was only a couple in that one. There was not a kettle in the room so I had to go to the bar at night to get hot water to make the baby's bottles. The restaurant was a joke a clean table was hard to find also the highchairs were always dirty. Food was **** so we had to go out most nights to eat even though we had paid half board. To get the lift at meal times was a joke so we had to carry the pushchair down three floors most mornings and evenings. The lifs also broke down three time while we were there. The staff were so rude and abrupt that i could not believe they were in the service industry.....Swimming pool was freezing and also impossible to get a sunbed unless you got down there a 7am...I dont know how to say this but if the bloke next door did a No 2 you could smell it in our room as there were open vents from bathrooms. I would not say this hotel was a 4 star at all maybe a 2or at a push 3 star.

This hotel has some real good points but also some very bad points too. The Chaika has beautiful public rooms and even the lift areas are really grand. However the first bad point we noticed was that one of the two pools is in the shade all day. This means the entire hotel wants to get the sunny pool (which is nr the beach side) and the sun beds go really early - i'm talking 8.30! if you are down later than this there is NO chance of a lounger. This annoyed me morning after morning because obviously its nice to have a lie in on holiday. The second down point was in the dining room. For some bizarre reason they dont have a dishwasher in this (large) hotel. Consequently people have to queue at every meal for cups, plates and knives and forks which can make meal times long and frustrating. My last down point was the lack of entertainment in the hotel. During our week stay the only entertainment on offer was an acrobat show and a quiz. Plus points were the hotel's location which was brilliant for the resort of Sunny Beach and the Mystic Bar which was one of the most brilliant bars i've ever been into. The food at the chaika was nice too so as i said good and bad points here!

So. I went to Chaika Beach on 26th Of August with my two sons aged 4 and 8 and my daughter aged 11.We travelled with Thomas Cook and flew from Gatwick. That was a good flight, no delays, nice food [ well as good as can be expected on a plane!] and good films- Narnia, Just friends. We arrived at the little shack that is bourgas airport. They have ONE toilet in ariivals!!! Weather was VERY hot. Nice. Got our suitcases quite quickly after waiting 15 minutes for the luggage to start coming out. We found the rep easy and went on our coach. It was only 35 min transfer perfect for those with inpatient or travel sick [ as the case was for me] children. The hotel looked VERY grand and the poshest on the promenade. I was happy. Went to reception and was gave a room quickly by a very friendly bulgarian, Josy. We found our room [ D608] fine. The hotel is Huge- 8 floors and all floors have 4 blocks- ABC and D. We had a sea view, lovely bathroom, nicely furnished room with mini fridge and digi tv. The layout was 2 singles and a double sofa bed. The sofa bed was quite hard and not good for people with bad backs. Or for anyone. I complained later in the holiday to the rep Mandy who was nice and she said she would see what she could do about it. She soon got back to me and said all the rooms except the vip suites have them and no other beds are available but what she did do was get the maids to drop of a VERY comfortable, nice and squishy mattress for my two sons who were sleeping on it, too use. That made the bed as comfy as the normal beds and my sons loved sleeping on it. The food. Well breakfast was 7.30 till 10.30 am every day and served a variety of food which was served every day without fail - Bacon,sausage,scrambled egg, fried egg, beans, mushrooms,tomatoes, toast, french bread, croissants with chocolate, croissants with jam, plain croisants, fresh fruit, cereal etc. They served juice or tea, coffee, hot chocolate or chocolate milshake in the morning. We all loved it and the food was of a high quality as was the evening meal. You had to pay for drinks but that was it.they served 2 different soups every day, salad, chips, wedges, stews, chicken, pasta, fish, onion rings, chicken nuggets, jacket spuds etc. ALL to a very high standard and i didnt see one person who didnt like at least 2 things. we all enjoyed dessert aswell- A different cake everynight, jelly, icecream, cakes, bananna fritters, fruit salad etc. The two pools were great and very very nice. The only thing is the loungers. You had to be up at between 6-8am to get a bed. although some days the lifeguard did remove all towels and place on a table. They had 2 massive pools, another one complete with pool bar, a hot tub, and a kiddies pool. It was wonderful. The beach was only about 3 metres away from the hotel and was lovely. Fantastic golden sand and a sea that was shallow for quite a bit so was very safe for kids. they have a ship bar on the beach in arabian style which is great if not a bit expensive. The other bar we absolutely LOVED was the mystic club, situated in the hotel. WOW what a funky, wonderful, cool bar. They had big bubble chairs hanging from the ceiling to swing from, massive gold thrones, big leather sofas, chais langs, sculptered chairs, and the floor was white with patches of sand covered with glass which created a amazing effect. They did tea coffee, coctails, smoothies, shakes, juice, soft drinks. alcaholic drinks etc. GO IN THAT BAR!!!!!! The location of chaika beach is great right in the centre of the promenade. There are PLENTY of shops bars and restraunts. as it is sooo cheap you can get LOT for your money and we came home with absolute tons. leave plenty of room in your case!! All in all we had a fabulous holiday in The Chaika Beach and will be returning very soon. The hotel staff are all friendly and the hotel is very pretty and grand, very palacial. a lot of People who havent been to bulgaria think it very ugly and very empty and not a holiday place resort so i reccomend come to chaika beach in sunny beach and you will find out how wrong you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

me and my partner were, along with some other hoilday makers, the first people to visit chaika beach hotel this summer season. our first impressions were quite scary as there were no lights or noise as we approached in our transfer couch but once we finally drove down a little road thing in frount of the hotel our eyes lit up. in the reception were hundreds of balloons to welcome us as summer 06 first guests. we were quickly shown to our rooms, which we thought was lovely, big, clean. we soon realised that we were shivering. it was raining and cold outside and the heating indoor was not working (may is known to be cold at times in bulgaria). so we asked for extra blankets and curled up together, we had to sleep this way all week because the hotel staff told us they had limited heaters. we prefered for the older peolpe and families with children to have these so we remained cold in rooms. in the daytime the sun came out and we met lots of lovely people in the hotel, to have fun with. i would not recommend sunny beach first week of may as lots of facilities are closed. but the singer in the hotel sailor bar kept us entertained with his voice, and his humour hehe. the hotel itself is beautiful, always clean and fresh quite modern with a twist that reminded me of greece (all the architecture in bulgaria is exquisite), and the staff were pleasnt to us and always tried to speak english, if they couldnt they got someone who could. the pool was to cold to get in at this time, and i would be calling myself a wimp but noone else would get in either (expect when we all jumped in at 2am one morning, naughty us!). and the sea was full of jelly fish but the beach was gorgous and i would recommend that everyone walk along the beach to nessabar (my favourite memory).we were worried about the food because of the reviews we had read but i can honestly say it was quite nice, only thing i can pick on was the juice at breakfast, if i can call it juice! we booked a room between a few couples for the last day as we had a late flight and this worked out well. i would reccomend this hotel and sunny beach in june, july time when its not completely dead or too busy either. i would definately return in the future. hotels cannot please everyone all of the time, there will always be somthing that someone can complain about but overall, we loved this hotel, its location, the people, the food and even our cold room (will just take some pj's next time hehe). i hope all who visit this hotel enjoy it as much as we did x

The Chaika is a beautifully presented hotel and is quite impressive on arrival. Our first disappointment with this hotel was the coach access on arrival, there isn't any, and we were dropped off about 200 metres from the hotel and made to walk down a dark alley at 4.30 am in the dark, not so much a problem for myself and my wife as we were travelling light and without any children, however it may be a little daunting for older people or families with young children. The departure was the same. Check in was straightforward and we were in our room in about 5 min’s. The rooms are bright, clean & spacious but some have better views than others, our first room was on the 2nd floor overlooking the reception roof. We decided to see if we could get re-located to a better room and requested this at reception. The hotel manageress was only too happy to do this for us and the next day we had a room on the 6th floor overlooking the pool and sea with spectacular views of the Sunny Beach bay and the resort. Be careful of the lifts in this hotel, they are safe, however they broke down on most days with people inside. This was not dangerous but somewhat inconvenient, we luckily never got stuck but did see others stuck on two occasions. The hotel has nearly everything you need, internet cafe, a couple of onsite bars although there are that many bars in the resort you hardly need them, two lovely swimming pools (but nowhere near enough sunbeds). We never managed to get a sunbed during our entire week and I was up a 7am some mornings trying. The food was better than I expected as many people had warned me that the food in Bulgaria was poor. I would think that the meals on offer offered something for everyone of all ages. The biggest letdown for me was the departure procedure, we had a 4am flight and had to vacate our room at 12.00 the previous afternoon. We offered to pay to keep our room but were told that this was not possible as the hotel was full (We did go in high season so maybe this was true and possibly not the case in quieter periods). The reception offered us a courtesy room so that we could shower. We took them up on this offer and booked it for 6.00-6.30pm. The courtesy room was a disaster, a small cupboard with a shower that had a broken showerhead and a hairdryer that did not work and no towels. If you have to make use of this room be prepared. Overall this is an excellent hotel, in a prime location of Sunny Beach, ideally placed for all the amenities and perfectly located for a beach holiday.