Victoria Palace Hotel

I was slightly nervous about going to the Victoria palace after reading bad reviews, however once arriving I had no doubts that it would be an enjoyable holiday. I thought the hotel was absolutely stunning and all the detail put into the hotel could keep you occupied for hours!
The pirate ship bar was fab and there was a lovely terrace outside with a hammock and huge cushions to sit on while enjoying the tasty cocktails! The pool side bar is also very nice to sit at for some drinks. Its very relaxing.
There were some bad points to the holiday. The sun beds were always taken by families which took up quite a lot of the sun beds and often each one of the kids had a sun bed even though they were not using it! My friends and I just put our towels down by the pool, so we were not that bothered. The food was ok/good but we took into account that Bulgarian food is different, after all one cant expect the hotel to cater for just us Brits(there are all different nationalities in the hotel!) and we ate there 5 out of the 7 days we were there.
The bad points of the hotel were totally overshadowed by the good.
I would recommend this hotel to anyone who is open to something a bit different!

Arrived at Victoria Palace, Hotel looked stunning and the porterage service was good, but within a couple of days within our holiday things started to go down hill.
The restaurant service was horrific, tables were constantly cluttered with other peoples dirty dishes, on a number of times we were eating our meals with dirty cutlery and plates on our table, they were more interested in selling drinks.
We did try the Al E Carte Restaurant which was a joke as my wife is a vegetarian we asked for none meat dishes and were served with meat dishes.
Overall the food service was appalling.
The staff didn’t provide good customer service and were never friendly or polite.
Not enough sunbeds to cater for the amount of tourists and found yourself paying for the hotel sunbeds on the beach, it is very much money based and never tell you about the hidden extras as we ourselves found out.
During our stay we called home on 5 occasions to speak to family members and on our last day we were charged 552 lev (approx £200.00) for 5 calls, this was horrific as a hundred yards you could pay 0.59 lev per min. which Victoria palace were charging you x8 more than a public phone. (Disgusting)
We can not fault the room although our bedding was only changed once in a weeks stay.
Overall we are very very disappointed and will advise any tourist to be on their guard as charges are not specified in any welcome packs.

My son mum sister and I went to Victoria Palace hotel last year and had a brilliant time. The hotel was something else.
The room was really big and it had a sea view. The people on the strip were brilliant .my son made so many friends he's only 10 and from the shop owners to the taxi drivers he was loved wherever he went. We had one of the best holidays ever.
Only a few minor moans, some of the staff could have been a bit friendlier and it was hard getting a sun bed. But that said we are going back this year in June and we can't wait.
Lorraine & Nathan Bennett N. Ireland.

Myself & my husband along with my sister & brother in-law travelled on this holiday and can only be described as the holiday from hell. The hotel from the outside was so impressive we were the envy of all on the drop of coach, but little did we know the place on the inside was literally dropping apart, balconies held up with brackets plaster falling off no proper drainage, hence being flooded out of our 8th floor room when it rained.
The staff were so miserable if the had a personality they would not get the job when you tried to eat in the restaurant you had to search for crockery that was not chipped and then the food on offer was not worth the search. We were constantly charged for things we hadn’t had and if you tried to complain it was useless.
The resort its self was no better no enjoyment at all everything was an effort for them and it was a case of if you don’t like tough. It was also very expensive if you wanted anything half decent. I could go on & on. We would not return to Bulgaria ever. We went to Faliraki in may for half the price had a fantastic time & would return there anytime.

We stayed at the Victoria Palace for 2 weeks in August 2005, and were certainly impressed when our cranky old coach pulled up outside a palace, with smartly dressed porters and a MASSIVE chandelier. Check in was easy, and the porters took our bags up to the room. We were allocated a HUGE room with a balcony at the front of the hotel, but wanted a sea view, and so moved 4 days later after repeated requests to the rep!
The hotel is reputed to be mafia owned, and certainly there is a scary looking guy with loads of bodyguards and a flotilla of posh cars (Hummer, Bentley, Merc etc), which certainly adds to the intrigue of the place!
Unfortunately, the holiday was probably the worst we have had in a long time! We went with an open mind, having read mixed reports, but found the resort to be soulless and felt it could have been anywhere in Spain, Greece, Cyprus etc. The beach had rows of sunbeds and brolleys which cost an extortionate 18 lev a day (£8), so we bought a couple of lilos and a brolly and bagged a space on the free part of the beach! The weather was hot, but a strong wind meant that you kept cool! Beach also has several hawkers, including the petrified seahorse/shell lady, the bra lady, the melon & donut lady and Gilbert Grape, who managed to sell me a bunch of grapes on the first day for 12 leva! (£5) Though Bulgaria is reputed to be cheap, we found that the locals were greedy, and that the prices were comparable to the med!
The rooms are HUGE, with leopard skin decor! Two single beds pushed together would have been fine, but the sheets were too small to be tucked in, so you tended to wake up taffled up! The maids don’t make the beds either, they just fold the linen up at the end of the bed! There is a small fridge, but no tea/coffee making facilities. The balconies are huge too, though early nights are not an option due to the loud dance music being played at the Eskada bar until very late.
The hotel is at the quieter end of the resort, and it is about a 20 min walk along a promenade lined with hair braiders, cheap fake designer clothes sellers, jewellery sellers, tattoo-ists (real & henna), snake, bear and lizard charmers and kebab shops/bars/restaurants. We had a couple of severe storms which flooded the prom, so we took refuge in bars along the way!
Sadly, the main reason that we had such a bad holiday was because we were both on the loo for more time over the fortnight than anything else! We had to go to a doctor (VERY expensive) after going through 5 packs of diocalm, and were told that we had a very common tourists bug (Entercolitis). We spoke to lots of people at the hotel and everyone we spoke to had also got/had had the runs!
On the flight on the way home, the steward asked us where we had stayed, and when we told him, he said that alot of people on the flight from the Victoria Palace were also poorly, and that an ambulance was meeting the flight at Gatwick as one man was so ill! Rumours were that it was a bug/food poisoning/the draught beer that was causing it - I guess we'll never know, but it certainly made us very ill!
All in all, if you are looking for a sunny/drinking/beach type holiday, then Sunny Beach is the place for you. For culture, book the Jeep Safari, which takes you in to the real Bulgaria and is great fun!

I am 16 and decided to go to Bulgaria for the first time.
A few weeks before my Nan and granddad had came to the same place but stayed in the hotel marvel (nice but not as nice as Victoria palace). Thinking I was staying at the hotel it was a nice surprise to find out I was staying in the Victoria palace.
As I arrived at Burgas the airport was small but luggage came extremely quick. Bus travel was 20 minutes, which made it much easier.
Pulling up to Victoria palace was a fantastic coloured water fountain, and just behind was the biggest chandelier ever....just giving it the 'WOW' factor. The decor was fab the same right the way through the hotel.
Hotel room was very clean and spacious with a great view of the pool and the beach (highly recommended). Rooms were cleaned every day new sheets and towels, with no problems. The weather was really hot mid 30's so air conditioning was a God sent. The hotel is situated in the quieter area 20minutes walk away from the is the centre which becomes lively in the evening. Shopping is brill can't be beat so cheap and there are some really good fakes! Food in the hotel was of a wide variety from cereal to the full breakfast.
A range of different meats and fish for the evening meal with pasta, veg, potatoes, chips, rice etc.... One upset was the sunbeds getting up at 7:00am to get a place around the pool, with only 200 sunbeds it was becoming a problem. Also, if you left your towels on the sunbed and went away for more than an hour they were removed. Yet with the hotel being straight on the beach this makes the problem a little easier.
The spa was fantastic and at very good prices....chocolate face mask is recommended :-)
Sunny beach can be what you make it, if you want a Lively clubbing it holiday then there is a range of bars doing a happy hour (not sure why its called happy hour as it lasts 7 till 12!) 2 for 1 on cocktails and a range of clubs that are 15-20 minutes walk from the hotel. Yet if you want a nice relaxing holiday...massages, shopping, tanning and a few quite drinks this can be archived.
Only arriving back on the 15/8/05 I have already spoke about returning to sunny beach-Victoria Palace....can't wait!!!
Really enjoyed it, thanks nan xxxx

A top class hotel in every sense of the word, a great selection of food to suit all tastes, spotlessly clean at all times rooms are a pleasure to stay in. The spa was something else also a great asset to the hotel, casino very good as well, this is international hotel in every sense also. Joyce and Michael McVeigh

Rooms were very large and lavishly furnished and very clean with a daily maid service. The hotel overall could not be faulted for the cleanliness, there were staff 24 hours a day cleaning the areas used by the guests even the toilets. The staff were friendly especially the bar staff at the pool side bar who always had a smile even during the thunder and lightening.
The food in the restaurant has greatly improved since last year with a choice of salads and main meals, not to mention the desserts.
They have a great spa on site and you are put at ease, given a tour and all procedures explained before booking any treatment. The staff here are also very friendly.
The people in the resort itself are always there with a smile and everything is so cheap compared to home.
To go into the centre of town without walking or to go to Nessebar there is a frequent bus service, which is a flat rate, which is equivalent to approximately 30 pence sterling.
There are loads of restaurants and bars for all tastes and the entertainment and prices are very good.
A down side to this hotel is that when they have private functions ( President of Bulgaria last year and Cosmopolitan Bikini Show this year) the hotel seem to forget their other guests and shut them out, this year they closed the foyer which included one of the lifts and the computer room in which some of the children were still in when the area was closed.
It is not very buggy or wheelchair friendly as to get to the pool you have to cross 2 bridges one of which is very steep.
On the whole it was very enjoyable and have booked again for next year.