Royal Bay Hotel

This was my best holiday ever! My family and I all really enjoyed it and are hoping to go back next year!
The weather was good throughout the two weeks we were there and the food was also very good.
The whole hotel was constantly being cleaned throughout the day and the staff were friendly and most could talk good English.
I would definitely recommend this hotel!

I booked this holiday first before I observed the reviews on this site - as you can imagine I was very anxious as it was not given great reviews. I was traveling on my own with 2 children and at one point was thinking about changing to another hotel.
Thankfully I took my chance and went and what can I say. A great holiday for myself and the girls. The Hotel we had no problems with. Although there were a few occasions we had to have a cold shower in our fortnight stay but that I could live with. Food good, we tried all the other places available to eat at lunch and dinner and could not fault any of them. The staff were pleasant, the rep helpful, the beach lovely, the pools (we used them all) fantastic and the water park was just the icing on the cake.
We wanted a relaxing holiday and that we had. We went on the Donkey safari in the Balkan Mountains and had a barbeque. Well worth doing if you have children, went to Nessebar on the boat...lovely place and went for 4 hours to sunny Beach and that was enough for me. Just glad I did not book there.
The rest of the time the girls went to the kids club, spent time on the beach and by the pools, had massages and facials and chilled.
We met up with some nice folk and that made our holiday such a great one.
One bit of advice. Go its great. We’d love to go back. My friend has booked for her family to go out next year and I am so jealous.

1 reader found this review helpful

Booked last minute not knowing what to expect but hotel was great, cleaners cleaning all day, food was as expected not great but edible and all inclusive drinks plentiful but ended up buying Stella as there beer not exactly great. There are plenty of snack places during day (two hotdog stands, one kebab, one pizza and kebab and one for sweets and biscuits) only complaint being they close at five and after a few beers a pizza would have gone down nice!
The beach was nice and right outside hotel just watch out for wasps round your drinks they were a bit of a pain in the end. Always got a sun bed and we did not get down early at all, the cleaners were also up early cleaning up seaweed!
Entertainment was at other hotel this did mean a walk but only a few mins along beach so not a major problem. Also Elenite is in middle of now where but sunny beach is only 1 lev 80 (approx 70p) on bus and Nessebar a twenty lev return on a boat (definitely worth a visit )
Our rep was not the most helpful on first day we went down to meet him as had an invitation given on arrival but ended up with us and three other couples searching resort for him! Then only see him fleetingly did not seem to have time for anyone we saw a lot of people trying to speak to him but they were unable to.
Then on last day we had to leave room by 12 lunchtime and had to wait around for flight till 4.45 am. but this was more first choices mess up not the hotels really they should have booked the rooms better.
Overall we would visit Bulgaria again as weather and locals great but probably find alternative self catering accommodation as food and drink are cheap anyway (a meal for three with drinks less than ten quid). Hope this review has been of help.

Family party of 12 (9 adults and 3 children). This is the 2nd time we have been here.
The resort is lovely and clean, none of us got tummy upsets, Staff in dining room always friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Food much better than last year always a good selection.
Rooms are spacious and lovely sea views always quite at our end of the bay at night time as the entertainment is at the royal park or village. Reception staff left much to be desired!
Cleaners were ok but rooms could have been cleaned better ie floors, swimming pool and surround always clean and sparkling.
Great tattooist in royal park shopping centre as 6 of our party have had tattoos 2 years running but please do not use tattooist on walkway to Royal Park as he tattoos in the open air.
We would definitely go back for a relaxing holiday.

Firstly; I booked this holiday 10 months in advance, I paid the deposit then read up on the reviews and worried for months that I had booked the holiday from hell, I worried for nothing this holiday was super and I would recommend it if you would like a quiet family or couples holiday.
The hotel was good and this was our first year All Inclusive and would also do this again, yes there was some not so good points like : no hot water at times, food different but always something suitable and my children are fussy eaters they ate well and we had no upset tummies.
They definately need a better ordering service for the restaurants, but; if you arrive early enough in the mornings to book you should be ok. The staff I notice do not smile much, but they do if you make the effort to smile at them!
Going over to Nessebar on the boat is well worth a day out, and catch the hotel bus to Sunny beach (I am glad we did not go there too busy and overcrowded for me). There is a smashing aquapark for this you do have to pay for a sun bed if you want one and pay for drinks here, everywhere else though was all inclusive.
There is not much entertainment for adults as such but if you are a family and have children under 12 this is an ideal safe holiday complex. If you are going here don’t expect too much and you will be pleasantly surprised, do not forget Bulgaria is up and coming but very backward in some ways to our UK standards.

A very clean hotel, air conditioning did not work very well in our room and the shower was not very good. The food was excellent with a wide and varied choice only complaint about the catering was the lack of cups for tea in the mornings.
The cleaning staff were very friendly but the rest need a course in customer service, you would be in queue for the bar only for a Bulgarian to jump the line and be served first, if you protested you would receive a harsh stare and be ignored.
At the end of the holiday waiting in a big line to check out, one girl working in reception, couldn't keep our room and when we asked for some where to shower at the end of the day we were shouted at.
No entertainment in our hotel and the other entertainment at the other hotels in the resort were OK for kids but not much for Adults.
Beach is excellent, pools ok, there is an excellent water park with slides which you are told is free to guests which is true, but you have to pay 5 levs for a sun lounger and another 5 for a parasol which is approx £2 each.
Because they cannot get a bus down to the Royal bay all buses leave from the Elenite reception, so when we were going home your cases and yourselves are transported by what I can only describe as being similar to golf carts, although the bell boys tell you they will bring your cases, make sure they are loaded before you go up to where the bus is picking you up, I had to go back down again to get them loaded onto the carts.
Went to the Bulgarian night out, what a bore! Give that a wide berth. We were stuck in a corner couldn't see any of the 2 hour Bulgarian version of 'Morris dancing' then went outside to watch a man skipping around on hot coals, we had a front seat but a member of our party had this man standing in front of her, she asked if he would move to the side so she could see, he said he was staff and could stand any where he liked, she complained again and he shouted at her "To sit there and be quiet".
Visited Nessebar Ok for afternoon but not very exciting, Sunny Beach Ok if you like Bulgaria’s answer to Blackpool, and Bourgass shopping trip, not really very much there a few shops.
If you want a quiet chill out then Royal Bay is good for that, which is what we did for the first week but after there is nothing much to see and no where really to go.

I stayed at the Royal Bay hotel with my husband and two children on an all inclusive basis. We found the accommodation to be of a high standard, regularly cleaned and fresh towels supplied. The facilities at the complex are excellent with more than enough sun loungers to go around. The menu at the restaurants were regularly changed and the sozopol restaurant in particular was outstanding (you must try the salads).
The only complaint would be the kebab take away where the wait for service was at least one hour and when you consider my desire for food it was not acceptable.
The English breakfast served at the Royal Bay hotel was a valiant attempt. The beach was wonderful as too were the swimming pools.
All in all an excellent holiday that I would recommend to everybody.

A thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing venue - ideal if you want to chill out and unwind. Beautiful setting on the beach, clean sand and clear sea. Rooms were clean and well appointed but linen and towels did not get replaced often enough.
Food was a disappointment, whatever time you used the hotel restaurant - haven't they heard of vegetarian options? Wine? more like coloured water! Organised trips were fine if rather expensive - don't be tempted to buy a video of the day out as the official cameraman hadn't a clue, what a waste of money!

Absolutley Amazing Holiday. Hotel was clean 24/7 and The Food was great. A Brilliant Bar, and just a walk down some steps to the beach and gorgeous waiters and bar staff.
The only problems that I had with the hotel was the lack of hot water, and some of the people at reception were very rude and sarcastic.
Also there wasn’t any entertainment at this restaurant, we had to walk all the way up to the next hotels for entertainment. But other than that, it was great.

We have just returned from a weeks stay at the Royal Bay Hotel. This was our first time to upgrade from a three star to a four star (all inclusive) having visited many different countries in the last 15 years, we were very disappointed, and have stayed in much better three stars on a half board and all inclusive basis which had much better free activities and facilities for the customer.
The place was nicely situated on the beach which was great and we had no problems getting sun beds each day, but no quilted covers were available. The rooms were nice, cleaned each day but sheets were not changed. A fridge with bottles of water was available on arrival but even though we were 4star full board they were not replaced even on request. Bring your own shampoos also as after the first day they are not replaced.
We tried to book for the Bulgarian Night 3 times, the first day arrived at 10.30am to be told you had to book before 10am. Next day we queued from 9.30 am and were second in line at the top of the queue at 10.15, to be told it was full. Tried one more day and gave up after that. We managed to get a reservation but only for the 6pm sitting at the barbeque restaurant but don’t bother it was not worth the visit. Asked at reception as we were 4 star guests (rest of the complex was 3 star) could we make bookings for the other restaurants from the hotel reception but was told, no you have to queue like every one else.
The food was ok but would not have been able to stick another week of exactly the same food. There were no free activities worth talking about for adults. Luckily enough wine is our drink and it was nice. Tried to get our stay in our room extended on our last day on failing that tried to get facilities to shower even though the water at the end of the day was always cool but could not.
We did an Airtours organised Day tour of Bulgaria which included a trip to Bourgas, Sozopol, popular with the Bulgarians for their summer vacations, then to a mountain village which gave a real insight as to how many live, this was followed by a Bulgarian evening with food and traditional Bulgarian music. This trip was well worth it, as we got the opportunity to see the real Bulgaria especially as we have no desire to return.
We had been thinking of an apartment in Bulgaria as they seemed good value but following our visit we have no interest.