Iberostar Sunny Beach Resort

I travelled to this property on the 21st May 2007 with a friend, it was mainly booked cos it was a brilliant deal but also because we wanted to try somewhere a bit different, experience the nightlife and be near a beach. This review is going to be rather long as i feel a lot of the reviews on here dont give this hotel the attention it deserves, and also as bulgaria is a very developing resort still a lot of people havent been and i found it very hard to speak to people who had actually been there even though i work in a travel agent, i think its a destination people dont immediatley think of to go on holiday, this really should change though as its brilliant!! read on i have broken the review down into what i feel are the most important factors. FOOD - Well the food is brilliant you really couldnt ask for more. Breakfast is served from 7.30-10.00am. Its all buffet style and you can help yourself to as much as you like!! not good for the waistline! they have english breakfast bits - bacon, eggs, sausages, beans, scrambled egg. continental bits such as cold meats and cheeses with bread. Cereals, toast, you can have an omlette made up which is cooked right in front of you with your choice of ingredients. They also have pancakes and croissants with lots of jams and sauces such as chocolate and toffee, very yummy!! The evening meals are again buffet style and served from 6.30-9.00pm. they have a range of starters - usually 2 choices of soups and a huge range of salad bits - fresh veg, coleslaw, potato salads, cold meats and a few other fancy things that change daily. They then have a range of four hot dishes it seemed to be two choices of meat, one veggie option and a fish option which can be eaten with a variety of other hot options such as potatoes, vegetable rice dishes etc. They also have a carvery with something different every night, one choice of pasta dish each night and always a choice of pizza and wedges. so there is plenty of choice and you will probably find yourself wanting to try everything and ending up with a rather random meal!! But it is really good food and i felt they catered really well for all types of people. ROOMS - We stayed in junior suite which was massive!! 2 beds separated by the wardrobe which was nice for a bit of privacy, massive living room area. Bathrooms also very spacious and amazingly clean (the maids at this hotel work sooo hard) you can have music on in the bathroom if you want it which i thought was quite a nice touch, unfortunately what people have been saying about the showers leaking is very true, it didnt bother us too much as it just leaks onto the floor and goes down the drain and if you put a few towels down that kind of solves the problem!! (towels can be changed every day anyway) rooms had a mini bar and tv also really big balcony. On our last day as we had a night flight and had to check out at midday, if you ask at reception you can you a complimentary room for about an hour to have a shower and freshen up so you dont have to spend your last day doing nothing, we ddint have to pay for this which is really good and the complimentary room we were given was just a standard room which i can say are just a good as the junior suites just a tiny bit smaller. RESORT - The resort itself i didnt find too bad was feeling wary that it would be really tacky after reading some reviews on here. Its definetly not the place to go if you want culture and sightseeing but i really didnt find it as tacky as people made it out to be. There is lots to do in the evenings very bustling and busy and as 2 young girls we felt really safe people are friendly but not over the top, they will also accept the word no! not like turkey! The seafront from the hotel is reached by crossing the road and walking over a bridge it leads you to a long promenade which goes on for about a mile i think, along it there are shops (which are pretty rubbish, mostly selling cheap knock off designer tack and bulgarian souveniers) mini golf and lots of bars and restaurants - some good ones are tropicana, flying dutchman, the happy duck and if you can find the bungee catapult (which we did!! great fun) there is a brilliant bar next to that i just didnt get the name of it. to the other side of the hotel if you head inland a bit there are more bars - las palmas, the corner etc and a really good club called lazur def worth a visit day or night as they have a water park and lots goin on in the day. HOTEL - The hotel itself is brilliantly positioned for everything and we were constantly told by locals when asked where we were staying that iberostar is the best hotel in sunny beach which i can believe. All staff are very professional and friendly not all have brilliant english, the best staff are the entertainment guys which i will get to in a bit.. reception area has a section you can have a drink in by the bar there are plenty of lifts and they do have an internet at the hotel but it wasnt working when i was there i think they said it opened in june. restaurant is pretty big and they set up tables outside as well which is nice in the evenings to sit outside. Staff will come and get you a drink once you are seated prices very reasonable i had a small bottle of wine with my meal every night about 2 glasses which cost me 9levs - about £3 prices for drinks are cheaper again outside the hotel you get wine and beer for the equivalent of 80p a glass!! ENTERTAINMENT - Well the entertainment people are BRILLIANT!! they work all day and night! during the day they are there from 9-5 with a break bewtween 12-3 they will come around and try to get you to join in all the fun and games such as darts, water polo, bingo, shuffleboard. They make them really fun. In the evenings they do a kids show at 8pm for 45 mins get the kids to join in with dancing and singing on the stage etc then at 9pm its the adults show which is different every night usually a themed singing and dancing show again very good. If you join in you will get to know the team and they are all so friendly and fun, really made our holdiay a good laugh anyway. there you go i think thats all i have to say!! any questions about the hotel or resort feel free to ask me!!

Very nice hotel - spacious rooms, very good food, friendly staff. Only 100 meters from the beach, quite quiet. Right in the middle of the SB - close to walk everywhere. I would recommend this one to families especially.

Arrived late at night so I'm not sure if this was just fluke but the family room consisted of 2 bathrooms, a living room and 3 big beds- Happy Days!! We went full board and said if the food wasn't great we would just have breakfast - We never set foot out of the hotel!! The food was just great!! The staff in the resteraunt were lovely... not so friendly on reception but found that there was a lack of friendliness everywhere in the resort... not to worry :) Weather was fab, did very little other than sit by the pool or beach - highly recommend for a chill out week!

Having been to Bulgaria on a number of occasions I can tell you that this hotel has definately been the best we've stayed in. Only just over a year old the place is spotless. Situated in the very heart of the resort and only yards from the beach. 2 main pools and 4 small ones for the kids outdoors and a heated pool indoors. The rooms were well equiped and comfortable, TV, Mini fridge, phone and comfortable beds. Very nice bathrooms complete with bath and shower and hair dryer. Choice of food is large and varied and well presented, includes food cooked to order. No complaints from us. The animation team work very hard all day and night ,especially with the kids, evening shows put on for adults/children. This hotel does live up to the brochure description and you will not be disappointed.

Just returned from a recent trip to sunny beach, Bulgaria. This was our second time there and to be honest after the first time we were undecided about the place. Not any longer, Will never go back to Bulgaria. Forget what you have heard about the wondeful friendly people. They are there allright, but almost eveyone is dedicated to ripping the tourist off. Example 1, Arrived at iberostar ordered a beer at the bar. paid the barman €20 beer cost 4 levs about €2 the barman gave me 4 levs change. overcharged by 36 levs. argued with him eventually got the right change. Example 2 local restaurant. ordered 2 coffees and two starters from a menu as we were not hungry enough for the main courses. menu price 11.80 levs waiter charged us 28 levs again he said he made a mistake and got abusive when we then decided not to tip him. Example 3. Got a taxi to local casino, taxi charged 33 levs for about a mile €16.50 returned home in a different taxi for 12 levs. Example 4 Asked the maid in the hotel for extra towels, she refused to give one then suggested 10 levs would get us one. Example 5. Glad to leaving we packed our bags, left them in the hotel room and were going to the bar to get a drink as we had 2 hours before check out. left our luggage in our hotel room. as we were leaving the room the maid again asked us for her tip for cleaning the room and as she had been unhelpfull in securing us an extra towel we refused to tip her, she then shouted at us in bulgarian we did not know what she was saying but figured it to some sort of insult. We collected our bags and got a taxi to the airport, when we got to the airport my wife went to her purse which was in an outside compartment on the suitcase. Her purse was there but the money about €220.00 was gone. we are guessing that the maid who had the room key, must have taken the money as from the time we went back up to collect our bags until we got to the airport we had our cases with us. Conclusion. Lovely hotel. lovely resort. Rip off Factor 10 out of 10 Be warned.

We have just returned after spending 16 nights at this Hotel. The Hotel is centrally located and is just a 100m away from the beautiful beach.Within the extensive grounds you'll find cool blue pools and beauty treatments for relaxation seekers.They also have organised games throughout the day and plenty of activities for the kids. The food from the buffet resturant is excellent with an extensive choice of dishes available. They also have an excellent cafe serving coffees and cakes during the day. Bulgaria is so cheap you must go before the prices come into line with other European Countries. You get a pint of beer for 40p and coffee and cake will cost you less than £2. The staff are very friendly and helpful. I cannot wait to return.

We stayed at the Iberostar Sunny Beach resort 25th Aug to 2 Sep and this was our second visit to Bulgaria’s Sunny Beach. The hotel is a very short 2 min (if that!) walking distance from the beach where a lot of bars/restaurants/shops are in this resort. The accommodation was pretty good: spacious room with large bed, dressing table, wardrobe and sofa that converted into a guest bed. All the usual things you would expect such as tv, hairdryer, mini bar, though no ironing facilities nor tea/coffee making facilities in the rooms. Bathroom was really well set out and both room and bathroom were modern in design (this is a new hotel) and bathroom was quite spacious for Bulgarian standards. Lighting was a bit poor in the bathroom and the drains were odorous some days but nothing unbearable. The piped music in the bathroom is a nice touch but seven days of listening to Whitney Houston whaling when you’re trying to shower can get a bit much – hopefully there’ll be a new selection of music for future guests! One thing about the room was that there were not many hangers in the wardrobe (certainly not enough for people on two weeks’ holiday) and they were all trouser style ones – not really suitable for tops etc – though one useful tip I’ll pass on which I always do when travelling is to pack some wire hangers – the sort you get from the dry cleaners – to take as they take up no room in your luggage and be discarded when you depart. Always a good idea rather than doubling up things and creasing stuff. There was also a balcony with table, chairs and drying rack (which was a bit redundant in the rain we had!) Food at the hotel was ok – plenty of choice but the hot food at dinner was not really to my liking as there was a lot of braised meat dishes which I find too rich to eat every day and there was little in the cold meat selection as an alternative. Though the salads were good as were the desserts and soups were delicious, plus they had pasta dishes should you choose though you had to queue for these. Breakfast was ok too: plenty of hot food, ommelletes cooked to order (if you don’t mind the wait) breads, cereals, fruit, pancakes etc. The dining area too was pleasant and airy. Staff at the hotel were friendly and the hotel was clean. The kids entertainment was brilliant! We don’t have kids but the somewhat over energetic kids entertainers were great if you’re a family and I strongly recommend this hotel for families because of this. There were activities daily for children in the hotels mini club and in the evening a mini disco (8.30-9) for kids with “Lolly & Pop” the kids’ entertainers, and Smiley the dog. I watched it a few times and found it fun and entertaining as a 30 year old – I even now can’t get the words to “Snappy the little crocodile” (sung in German) out of my head!! The pool area is, in my opinion, a let down for this hotel. In the brochure it looks large and spacious with two pools but the reality is it is slightly overcrowded with sunbeds and the two pool are actually not that big at all and a bit boring and symmetrical. However this was not a problem for us as it was too cold, too wet or too cloudy 3 of the 6 days we were there to actually sun bathe! Our holiday was marred because of bad weather though so I am not going to blame the hotel for this like others on here may do if they had a bad holiday. I would stay at this hotel again if it were in a different resort where you’d be guaranteed good, or at least consistent weather. However Sunny Beach seemed tackier than last time we were there – maybe that was because of having to walk round the same places all day because of the weather – but I also found it distasteful in the evening as there were girls approaching tourists later on as you walked along offering you “their services” and to be honest the way some of them looked they should be the ones paying you!! I doubt they would approach families but it is a bit out of order approaching your husband/boyfriend whilst you’re with him and it gives the resort a bad reputation which is a shame. The shops are also tiresome selling the same clothes and all of them sell the same things. Restaurateurs will accost you also during lunchtime and evening meal reciting their menu’s to you if you’re passing their establishment, and this can a bit annoying if you’re passing a dozen or so. I don’t want to put people off with this as it is just how I viewed it having been twice now and did get a bit fed up due to the weather but it is only fair to inform people of what to expect. It may be different for families but as a couple this is what we found. For value I can certainly recommend Sunny Beach though as it is far cheaper than many other resorts in say Greece, Spain etc. Beaches are lovely there too and clean and safe, if you get the weather to use it, as is the sea. One place I recommend is the Hollywood Bar – we had some great cocktails in there. A lot of people say only use the Crown Kiosks to change money etc. Personally I would never exchange money anywhere other than a hotel or bank (I work in treasury dealing FX trades so am clued up on this sort of thing!) - I got a rate of 2.89 Lv to GBP 1.00 by using a cash machine in Bulgaria and there are plenty around - you will only get about 2.75 in the UK as levas are an "exotic currency" not traded in. This hotel had a favourable rate if you choose to take travellers' cheques or GBP notes though so I would use this if you do not with to use ATM's. One final tip - keep cash for the airport on your way home! They take Levas, GBP, USD and EUR as there are no cash machines once inside and the swipe machine was "broke" they told us, in the 3 shops there. Luckily I had some currency so managed to purchase my duty free. In all it was a good, modern hotel, clean (sheets changed daily and rooms and public areas well maintained), good entertainment programme for children and also adults (there were nightly shows), food ok and plentiful. The only downside was the pool which to me is important in a resort. However it seemed the same size of most other hotels there, so don't let it put you off as it is probably the same as the others size wise. Probably won’t return to Bulgaria for a third time - not becasue of the hotel in any way - just the resort as a whole and the weather (rained last year too when we were there in a different month), but would definitely stay in an Iberorstar hotel again, only in a different resort.

My boyfriend and I went to Bulgaria in July for a week. We decided to go to Sunny beach as we heard a couple of recommendations from friends. We looked online and chose Iberostar Hotel. From the airport we got the bus straight to the hotel and there we were checked in very efficiently to our room. The hotel is perfectly located in the town. It is right in front of the beach and next door to the nightlife and shops. The hotel itself, is perfect if you just want to chill and relax with the option of the pool or the beach. It is very family orientated tho so if you are not wanting to see kids flying around the place this is not the place to go. The staff is excellent and the value for money overall is brilliant (3 euro for a cocktail!). We were half board and every morning and evening there was an elaborate buffet with so much option you had to try everything! The room was a nice size, and very clean. We did not hear the noise from the town even tho we were right beside it. Room service everyday. We didnt see much of Bulgaria other than the hotel and the beach but there are loads of things to do on the beach and on the strip (mini-golf, cycling, shopping). All in all it was a great hol, the weather was great, cloudy at times but it was a nice break from the sun. ps- one word of advice stay away from the casinos after one too many drinks!! Enjoy!

Hotel lovely , clean and comfortable. You are centrally located and are right on the beach. (use back entrance and beach is in front of you .) Food is great ,plenty of choice so even the fussy won`t go hungry. There is only one downside to this hotel we found in our week stay and that is : you had to put your alarm on for 8am or you wouldn`t get a sunbed. Good buy we found was d.v.d`s approx £5.00 and they are all new releases. Beer costs approx 50p a pint ,soft drinks are more expensive but still cheaper than home. (a tip take, citrus soap and bubble bath as there are mosquitoes you can then layer with mosquito repellent if you need it.)

I was very impressed with our hotel. The staff were friendly, courteous and helpful. It was spotlessly clean everywhere. The cleaners did a very good job, even working round the clock sometimes!! There are 2 large pools and 4 lids pools. The water is cold but when its hot like it was for our second week there, then you appreciate the cold water!! The restaurant catered for all tastes with a large selection of salads, fruit, desserts and hot food on offer every day....pasta, pizza, chips, soup, beef stew....the list is endless!! The entertainment team were amazing....all of them spoke good english(as did most of the staff actually)and they had a good selection of activities to choose from. They were especially good with the kids keeping them entertained with dancing, singing, drawing and colouring etc. They put on a different show each night and it was always popular with the guests. I would definitely stay at this hotel again. It is amazing!!