Victoria Palace Hotel

omg were do i start arrived in bulgaria thinking we were going to the 4 star imperial hotel got there only to be told that it was closing and that they had phoned our company that we booked with 2 weeks before and the day we were arriving to make sure we knew but we were never told.
the manager at the imperial tho told us we were getting put into a 5 star the victoria palace we arrived there thinking wow it was absolutly beautiful but dont be conned by the look of the place it was aholiday from hell.
We were all inclusive but it was like we were on a selfcatering holiday the staff were so rude and ignorant the food i woulnt feed to my dog it was never hot it was chips everyday that looked like they had been reheated from the day b4 the desserts were the same everyday and looked disgusting they.
When we went to the bar they had always run out of beer and vodka so had to go out and pay for drinks we were always at reception complaining which was a waste of time they just ignored u or laughed u could never get a coffee either as there was hardly ever any milk and if asked them for some got told to go to shop. Be aware wen lyin at the pool u get attacked by wasps the pool bar was never open.
To make things even more disgustin about this hotel is on our last nite we found mice in our room and there wasnt just 1 there was a whole family of them they were bhnd the sofa i was
sleeping on we went down to reception n they just laughed they said some1 would go check we told them we wanted movedto another room we went back to room n waited n waited 4 some1 to check the room no1 appeared dy the time we left that room so if u r still not put off by this review then dont get put in room 210
On the day we were leavin we asked to keep our room open at no cost 4 the inconvience of finding mice in our room as we werent leavin hotel til bout midnight got told no asked wer the luggage room was if thats wot u call it didnt even have a door it had a bamboo screen so any1 could go in n we got told thats wer we could get changed b4 leaving we ended up gettin changed in the smelly toilets that made u gag as they smelt of urine. please please dont go there it wil ruin ur holiday u get people saying dont listen to wot u read but please listen to this 1. oh and there was absolutly no entertainment wot so ever n just the 1 bar with a tv would of been better stayin at home.

have just come back from bulgaria we stayed at the victoria palace for 12 days this is our 3rd trip to sunny beach this is the best hotel out of the 3 , we went bed and breakfast as we know the food in most hotels there is rubbish and when everywere is so cheap to eat out i cant understand people going All inclusive. the hotel was clean cleaners were still going round at midnight in the lobby area they cleaned around the pool area every day and hosed it down , breakfast was fine and plenty of it , the hotel itself is magnificent to look at the pool area was fine plenty of sun beds if you got up early , i know people complain about never enough sun beds but were in the world is ther ever enough . We are beach people and spent most days on it ,a lovely clean and sandy beach.
we had clean towels every day and our room was cleaned everyday as well .
My only tiny complaint is the lifts they need to get them serviced and that there are not enough of them but you get used to this. all in all a great hotel and holiday and we will be going back there next year.

The six of us (three couples) arrived in the early hours, full of apprehension after reading previous reviews. Our cases were transported directly to our rooms whilst we quickly checked in - a good start. Our rooms were spacious and clean. The maid was there every day.
We went all inclusive and the restaurant was large, food plentiful and varied enough to satisfy all tastes.
There was no waiting for drinks at the bars and staff were pleasant. The bar was open until midnight.
Only downside was that some selfish guests would throw towel on sunbed/couch and expect to be guaranteed that spot all day. Had this not happened there would have been enough sunbeds.
All in all a very good hotel.

We have just returned from a two week stay at the Victoria Palace Sunny beach. After saving for our once a year holiday, arriving at the hotel was great as it looked wonderful from the outside. Thats where wonderful stopped unfortunatly.
We arrived at 4am and asked at reception for a coffee/tea and were told to go to supermarket where we would find a machine. Our foirst time in Bulgaria, pitch black and no idea where the supermarket was?
All the food supplied was discusting, not one of the British people in the hotel could eat the food. Thd bar and domestic staff were great, but eh reception manager and dining room managers need lessons in customer service. They were aggressive in manner and did not take anything on board that anyone said.
All of the lifts were broken on more than one occasion, and as there were a lot of older people in the hotel, they found this very difficult, and could not get moved to lower floor rooms. When pelople go to an all inclusive hotel, especially one that is supposidly 5 star, you do not expect to be continually seeking deacent food and entertainment outside at an extra cost, but that is what happens here. There was a lousy Kareoke singer on once a week and that was the entertainment in the hotel
This hotel is anything but 5 star and I would like to know who the hotels are rated in Bulgaria. Sunbeds are hard to get at the pool area, but the management will supply sunbeds and parasols at the beach "if you pay for them"
I just wish that all the reviews and comments could be given to the owners of Victoria Group Hotels and maybe they would look at what the staff they employ are actually doing to completly ruin everyones holiday at this hotel, as most people save hard to have an annual holiday and this is the worst one anyone could have.

we have just come back from our first trip to bulgaria. we chose the victoria palace hotel in sunny beach, it looked so grand and imposing in the brochure. and indeed it is very grand. a really lovely hotel. we booked two weeks all inclusive - big mistake. the food was absolute garbage. i wouldn't even feed this slop to my dogs.
the first week i could find something to eat but frankfurters and chips. chicken nuggets and chips is not my idea of a good dinner. but the 2nd week was abysmal. lunch on thursday for me was chips and dinner was potatoes!
there were no decent tea bags on offer and when we did manage to get one the water was lukewarm, thank goodness for travel kettles and nescafe coffee.
the room was large and lovely, clean bedlinen which was changed often, but the curtains and pelmet were hanging off - not nice in a hotel like this.
on the whole the staff were unfriendly and almost rude at times. but our chambermaid was lovely and did a good job, but could have hoovered more. the 2 barmen were friendly and efficient.
no one we spoke to was happy with the food, or the fact that drinks were free daytime in the pool bar and in evenings in the bar in the lobby, but as the telly was always on loudly it really killed conversation and if you took drinks to the lobby you were given plastic cups!
the mezannine bar on the 1st floor was never open while we were there. drinks had to be paid for in the safari bar and you are not allowed to take drinks in there.
all in all an ok hotel for bed and breakfast but not for half board or all inclusive. i know everything closes down in 2 weeks but some places were already shut. if we are good enough to take money from then we are good enough to have a high standard of service.
but don't let that put you off bulgaria, the restaurants in the resort are reasonably priced and very good and the staff are efficient, friendly and attentive without going over the top.
another word of warning do not change money in the street if anyone approaches you. only use the hotel or crown change offices.
sunbeds were crammed in round the lovely pool at victoria palace but as towels were laid on the beds around 6am it was rare to get one. we ended up going to a free pool accross the main road, it seemed to be used exclusively by refugees from vicky palace, but we had to buy drinks there which kind of defeats the all inclusive isea.

if you are looking for pie n mash you will be disappointed the hotel is grand food not that bad but for some holiday makers to slate this lovely hotel they should go to south end the beach is stunning the hotel is stunning apart from the rude Brits endless whining about it being to hot the food being to cold for me it is the best hotel in sunny beach

We have just returned from our all-inclusive holiday at Victoria Palace Hotel, Sunny Beach, Bulgaria. We booked the holiday in January for a week from 22nd August - 29th August 2011. As we cannot afford to go abroad on a family holiday very often we were all very excited as the holiday drew near.
Departure day arrives - we touch down in Bulgaria and arrive at our hotel (Victoria Palace) at 06.20 a.m. - first impressions of the hotel were WOW! we were met by 'bell boys' who transported our suitcases up to our rooms - but be aware once they have dropped off your cases they will not leave until they are given a tip!
After grabbing 3 hours shut eye we ventured downstairs for our first meal of the holiday - verdict: absolutely awful -everything was luke warm. Still we are open minded so we put it down to bad timing maybe. Lunchtime we made sure that we got in for lunch as soon as the restaurant opened -again very disappointed - hardly any choice of food and again luke warm - but they do supply a microwave for you to warm it up!! Next we move on to dessert - not much choice again. Never mind we thought the evening meal should be better - well, it was the same sort of food as lunchtime and exactly the same desserts as lunchtime!!
This was to be the same everyday - also the cleanliness of the plates, cutlery, cups etc was something to be checked before you picked one up!!
The all inclusive snack bar consisted of a tray of cold pizza, a plate of biscuits, and ice-cream that more often than not had melted into a gloop! - The snack bar opened about 2 p.m. every afternoon and was located at the far end of the hotel at the top of some hotel steps - once the pizza etc had ran out that was the end of the snack bar for that day! All-inclusive drinks were very low in choice and ran out of supply more than once during our stay.

Towels supplied in your hotel rooms were not clean and had holes in and were not replaced the whole time throughout our stay - the same with the linen on the beds - pillow case on my bed had blood on and the same with my son's sheet on his bed in the room next door to us. Light bulbs that had blown were not replaced either, and the balcony door to our oldest childrens room wouldn't open! Toilet rolls that were supplied were the 'happy shopper' variety and even then you were only given one per room - bearing in mind there were three of us in our room!
There was no facilities where you could get a hot drink or bottled water out of restaurant/bar hours.
Entertainment supplied consisted of a woman playing the piano in the hotel lobby!
There are no facilities for disabled to get down to the hotel toilets (you have to go down two flights of stairs) -not that they would want to venture down to them - they made you want to 'gag' - they constently smelt of urine and you weren't allowed to put toilet paper down the toilet it had to go into an open bin beside the toilet basin!!!!
When it came time to leave we had to be out of our room by midday - even though we were not due to be collected from the hotel until 02.10 a.m. to fly at 05.20 a.m. - we were led to believe that a secure room would be provided for our suitcases and somewhere we could change during the day - well, the secure room was a room near the lift and bar with no door, but only a bamboo screen - this was certainly not secure - there was no cctv or any staff to make sure that your belongings were safe. The room for changing did not exist either!
We could not approach our travel rep during our stay as a notice was displayed on the travel agent notice board informing holiday-makers that she was on 'tour' for the week, and when approaching the staff of the hotel they weren't interested.
Overall we were VERY disappointed by this holiday and would not want other holiday-makers to have to experience the standard of this hotel - on the up side the weather was great.

WOW! what a Hotel and reception people from outside stoppimg to photograph this magnificent hotel....that's where it ends.
Firstly Sunny Beach is a fantastic resort,great places to eat, cheap beer and generally nice people,we were fortunate to downgrade from A.I to half board and the £400 we got back went towards meals outside the hotel.
Lifts, what lifts!!! all 4 were broken down one day and the majority of the time the front 2 glass lifts were down daily, we got used to the 16 flights of stairs to the 8th floor, and so did the man with his wife in a wheelchair after the hotel refused to move them to a different floor.
Rude, obnoxious, ignorant and very very greedy russians,poles, turks,lets not forget the germans.
Raw chicken....but Elisabeth,the Balkan Rep told this is how Bulgarians eat their chicken and it's got CHEMICALS in it to prevent people getting SICK!!!! I think I was more frightened of the chemicals than the chicken.The food in general very poor but we could live with this after reading the reviews, downgraded from A.I and taking extra cash for food......but this is a badly managed hotel
The kitchen staff, liked to text on their phones,whilst the food was running out.....the waiters, I can't fault,they do a good job and not even a smile,please/thank you from Rude, obnoxious, ignorant and very very greedy russians,poles, turks,lets not forget the germans.
Towels, they were in short supply, 1 towel for 3 people, complain to the reception,and they say they will sort it in 10 mins, an hour later complain again , an hour later soap suds in hair go down 16 flights of stairs, because the lifts weren't working, stood in reception soaped up as the staff looking in amazement that soaped up guy with a flannel to cover his modesty pleaded for a towel, next day got 3 towels,the day after back down to reception,down 16 flights of stairs, because the lifts weren't working, complained to the reception and the Balkan rep as we had no towels. who later sent a compliments of the hotel boss plate of fruit and some sparkling cheap wine, which I used to bribe the maid for 3 towels.
The mafia or Israelis or whoever owns the hotel, were letting friends use the top rooms for parties,with bar staff and hotel workers (4 nights on the trot)after complaints from different guests, the reception and security were scared to stop the partying(these were staff, that were suppyling Cocaine to certain guests in the bar) It was a case of telling them or 1 of the Brits, who's had no sleep for 4 nights was goin in and he promised if he had to do that, they'll be people going off the balcony.
This Hotel had no entertainment,managed wrong and needs a bit of a makeover, we were counting down our days for the holiday to finish.The Victoria Group need to sell off their assets to someone who knows how to run a hotel,because if run right it could be a fantastic place to stay...sadly it's awful.
Will go to sunny Beach again , but not at this hotel or any of it's sister hotels, and deffo not with Balkan Holidays...we were told that the Hotel is disputing Thomas Cook downgrading to 2 * for next year....you should be lucky you're getting a 2*

I have just arrived back from the Victoria Palace.On arrival they charged us £50.00, to hire a safe deposit box with no refund at the end of the holiday. The food was just terrible every table you looked at in the restaraunt people were leaving there plates full and leaving the restaraunt. In the thomas cooke brochure it clearly states that there is a gym, the gym was all broken with wires cut out of the exercise machines. There was no entertainment in the hotel, not even for children .please dont book this hotel if you have children, this hotel is a very miserable place to be if you are an adult, I cannot imagine what it must be like for a child .I took my 13 year old son and he did not leave the room very often as there were no water games by the pool, he was so boared it was like the holiday from hell. when we arrived at the hotel they had made three beds up and left us one bath and one hand towel between two adults and a thirteen year old when i approached reception they said i would have to wait 3 days for towels as you only get them changed every 3 days i asked why and their reply was there was not enough towels to go around the hotel. Also it states clearly in the thomas cooke brochure that there are 3 bars open which there is only one fof 800 guests. The other couple we booked with found a dead mouse on their balcony and asked at reception if they would remove it, at first they were very reluctant to do so however when my friends husband shwed them he had recorded it they removed it. People work hard struggling to pay for their holiday and ay this hotel the rep Diane could not care less, Please dont book this holiday. It should be 2 star.

5 readers found this review helpful

If you have booked this hotel, don't worry + ignore the bad reviews, you'll love it, we have holidayed allover the world, a different place every year + there are always people that moan just for the sake of it. Arrived back 4/8/11 after 2 wks a.i. Good food, got sunbeds everyday after 11.am when we got up. Pool bar 10-6 + irish bar 5-12 for a.i guests, maximum waiting time of 5 mins to get served, especially if you tip them, they serve you str8 away. Barmen in irish bar always know your usual drink as we went in every night after a walk up the shops which start at the doorstep right up to the centre. Bus into nessabar 1 lev, well worth a trip alot cheaper up there, with loads of shops + bars, got boat back 10 lev, less than £5 each + mini train into centre 3 lev, stops outside hotel, 40p a pint in town