Ralitsa Hotel

I have just got back from a week in the Ralitsa which after reading some of the reviews was a bit dubious about it. However we all had a fantastic time.
The hotel was very clean ,staff very friendly and helpful except for the First Choice rep. The food was not bad but I was not bothered as I did not pay a lot for the holiday so was happy to eat out at times. Tried Poco Loco as it had some good reviews but found it to be cold. Instead we went to Peter's Steak House which was lovely.

Just arrived back from a week at the Ralitsa in Albena Bulgaria. This hotel had received several bad reviews, can honestly say had great week.
Resort is quiet but had fantastic beach. Hotel is clean maids did a great job, food varied especially if you don’t pile everything onto 1 plate, snack bar could be improved same choice every day and not very fast in coming out.
Both pool areas very good no issues with sun beds. Entertainers worked hard, if you wanted loads to do day and night but also plenty of bars for a quiet drink.
If you are open minded and don’t expect everything to be aimed at us English then this hotel is well worth a visit, especially before 2008 and the euro puts all the prices up.

I read the negative comments made about this resort before travelling, so you can imagine I was a little apprehensive about it. I was pleasantly surprised.
Our room was comfortable and spotlessly clean. The food was just wonderful and we were spoilt for choice as there was so much to choose from. The staff at the resort done everything in their power to make our holiday enjoyable.
I cannot fault the resort or the staff in any way and cannot understand how it could come in for so much criticism.
I would certainly go back again.
My only negative comment is the travel there and back. If I decide to go back on holiday, I would fly to Varna airport which is much closer.

My partner and I managed to have an excellent time on this holiday but I can’t give it a higher rating on a few points.
The hotel is mainly booked by Germans, and although I hate to seem stereotypical, on this holiday I have never met such rude and obnoxious holiday goers. It honestly seemed like they were unhappy to be on holiday.
I tend to smile at people as they walk past, ignoring me would have been better than the constant glaring and scowling
As well as this the cleaners are so grumpy, its quite unbelievable. On our last day we paid 40lev to keep our room until 6pm, at 12 the cleaners collared us and said when are you leaving, we told them and they were visibly angry....after this they spent the whole day when I was trying to nap before our night time flight crashing around in the room next door trying to get us to leave. I could have screamed.
The walls are very thin in this hotel, although the entertainment program finishes at a good time there are a lot of late night flight arrivals, so if you are a very light sleeper I would take ear plugs.
Our main problem with this hotel was the smoking, if you are a smoker you will love it, otherwise you will feel in the minority and somewhat pushed out of certain areas.
Apart from this the facilities were great, the food was lovely and well varied, the pools were well maintained, and the greenery was excellent. The animation team were brilliant, very enthusiastic but not too pushy which can get annoying. The beach was gorgeous (I recommend hiring a jet-ski)
I would advise people to get a taxi into Varna, it was gorgeous. Also the Aladja monastery was very interesting.
Don’t worry...as long as you have some imagination you will have a great holiday

The reason that I booked this holiday was because it was cheap and cheerful, £200 per person for all inclusive was too good to turn down.
We hadn’t used First Choice holidays before and as soon as we got onto the plane we weren’t impressed. The female crew calling every one 'love' or 'darling' didn’t seem very professional to me.
The hotel is quite basic and most of the staff seemed friendly, the was one member of staff who was very unhelpful every time she was working on the front desk.
The food was very good with a very varied choice. The major let down on this holiday was the Germans, who are given preferential treatment by the staff.
The hotel is German run, so I suppose this is to be expected. Our first choice rep was happy to help most of the time, though you could tell that she wasn’t really interested in our concerns. The excursions are vastly overpriced and not very well run.
If you really want to go to Bulgaria I suggest you pay a bit extra and go to the 'Sunny beach resort', which is further down the coast.
On the whole you can’t complain too much for £200!
I just won’t be using Fist Choice for my future holidays!

Right I am going to start with agreeing with a lot of peoples comments on here about the food and rudeness of the Bulgarians and the fact they are all money grabbers but at the end of the day if you didn’t want to give them any you don’t have to.
I am 17 and this was my first holiday with my friends now I am used to staying in 5 star hotels in Mexico and most of the Caribbean islands going to Bulgaria was a shock for me the hotel was very basic but at the end of the day its a room for you to dump your things in and sleep there were beds and a toilet and shower and they were very clean all the time! (the cleaner even made swans out of my pyjamas)
The food there is not up to a high standard but at the end of the day that is Bulgarian food I have never had fish and chips in Mexico so I don’t expect Bulgarians to cook me English food, the whole point of visiting a foreign country for me is the culture, although I didn’t really eat much of the food I managed to always find something I like even if it was a feta and tomato sandwich haha.
The entertainment was fabulous through out the day and the entertainment team was banging soo much fun! When going into the centre I think your first visit is your worst as you just seemed to be bombarded with people but you get used to it if you just ignore them or say no they go away as for the prostitutes the linked arms with one of my friends and he said no thanks but she was giving him prices he just walked on ignoring her and she left him alone.
At the end of the day the holidays to this place are peanuts and I think you get what you pay for me and my friends paid £320 for a week all inclusive from the 28th august to the 05th of September even though it was the quiet season it was ace and im an 18-30's lover myself but it was just nice relaxing but if u wanted to rave there was the nightclubs on the beach and I mean literally on stilts on the beach or the nightclub TZAR where it consists of many different little rooms and a huge dance floor in the middle many bars and u don’t wait long to get served.
I will make a suggestion of not going skinny dipping in the pool at 3 in the morning as you will be chased by the security through the hotel naked and he is very scary haha
Anyway I think if your not too picky and don’t hit the roof over little things then this place is the place to be cheap and fun i have been twice now and me and my friends have loved it!!!!
Katie xxx
P.S GO FOR IT

We stayed at Ralitsa Park Superior 4* with Balkan holidays, first choice tourists stay at vita park 3*. Ralitsa superior spotless, food good, staff good and beer good. Yes there were Germans in the hotel and yes most were like Germans anywhere on holiday but overall a great holiday.
We are actually talking about going back. The resort is small but spotless, and has some nice bars, Pete’s on the main drag being the best. We only ate out because my football team were on sky. My only niggle is that although we paid for 4* at the Ralitsa Superior, the holiday makers from the 3*, first choice run Vita Park are allowed to use all the facilities except the restaurant at the Ralitsa Park.
Overall book with Balkan and enjoy the Ralitsa superior, we might meet you there. Look for Gerri the barmaid and Ojar the pizza chef they made our daughter feel like a princess.

I've got one thing to say to anyone considering staying at this hotel. Seriously reconsider. The staff are unfriendly to the point of being rude (except for the cleaning ladies and one chap in the lobby bar). I can forgive almost anything, however hotel staff not smiling at customers is something I hadn't come across.
The resort itself if small and very beautiful. Its not for people looking for a lively holiday, however I think its perfect for families with young children or couples wanting to spend time together (just don't go to Ralitsa, the staff attitude will drive you nuts!)
The beach is absolutely beautiful and there are a few nice pubs to hang around.
P/S The First Choice Rep was very nice... its a pity the hotel staff couldn't take a leaf out of her book!

After reading lots of reviews on this holiday I still went to make my own mind up. To get to the point I shall be blunt!
Well I wish I had taken board what people say about the restaurant. Not fit for consumption. It’s definitely an eye opener for what’s in store.
I tried the food even though I didn’t know what I was eating and it was of very bad standard. All the English people I met were in the same boat. Had to eat out if you could find somewhere in this resort that can offer a decent bite! Most English go to the tropical la club in the town when forced to eat out of your own pocket.
There is nothing this hotel can offer except an out door pool swamped by the Germans.
There was no entertainment and beer is watered down to non alcohol and the coke is not coke again watered down. Children have nothing to drink other than coke! Bar snacks are croissants or cheap biscuits or going off fruit.
The outside snack bar has salad uncovered with flies landing on, and pizza (that’s got left overs on it.) Or there’s a bolognaise that I would not recommended. Or its chips chips chips that are not nice even for the starved. I suffered with stomach upset all week and back home.
The glasses in the restaurant are dirty with bits of food stuck to them. And the staff are ignorant and roll there eyes in the back of their head when you talk to them.
I got chased by a prostitute who wouldn’t take no for an answer. And would have been mortified had she followed me into the bar where my partner was waiting on my return with fags. The town is run by gypsies (toilets and markets) .bus drivers signal to the taxi drivers when you enter the bus station to let them know they’ve got tourist to prey on.
It’s scary and unacceptable. I would not go back and will not be using first choice (last choice) they need to reconsider our health and safety and our holidays.

The ralista restaurant would be shut down under our government health and safety acts.
They do not cater for English as many reports and those who say its nice must have "CAST IRON GUTS" and lacking taste buds!
I went on hunger strike as I couldn’t stomach any more after only 2 days, my tolerance was being pushed to the limit! I was nearly sick over my dinner twice.
After feeling some what malnourished and half a stone lighter than when I went I decided to venture it again. Only to find the vitamins I needed were AWOL as per usual. i.e. ... "BRUSSELL SPROUTS" and alternate broccoli chilling out on the salad bar! And untouched by even the hoards of Germans.
I did wonder if it was only the Germans who were being catered for but even though the plates filled to the brim they complained to us about the food. Although they could tolerate it.
Repetitive food at all snack bars especially if you live on pound land biscuits and fruit crawling with insects eating their way through the toughest banana skin.
The beer is watered down meaning you can drink as much as you like without the slightest hangover threat. Kids have watered down fizzy.
Expect to wait at bars ect if English and pushed out of the way by Germans. Notice the Germans are given an extra wristband "pink" whilst the English are given 1 turquoise. This goes to say we are being somehow discriminated. Don’t be fobbed off to be told it’s so the Germans don’t have to pay at beach when we saw they do.
Feral dogs roam everywhere even at the snack bar be very wary as they if like most are not tagged on ear with red clip to confirm no rabies.
Prostitutes pestering and chasing men. You are advised not to bring guests back to hotel
But saw Germans bring prostitute into bar in afternoon with children feet away. There’s no real entertainment to talk of. Toilets outside owned by gypsies wanting levs. Pushy beggars and taxi drivers. It’s all organised begging. Do not believe either about import costing more. I asked locals who laughed about it. And eating out at tropical la club proved it can be got hold of and cooked at a good standard. The ralitsa have not a clue
And probably don’t care as long as first choice keeps sending. We will not be touching the country again and will be asking first choice for refund on our food as we spent what we had to survive.