Reviews of Marina Hotel, Duni, Bulgaria

My husband and 2 children were...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs L Coleman

Comments:

My husband and 2 children were looking forward to a lovley Honeymoon at this '5 star' hotel,apparently with lots going on throughout the day,unfortunatly the weather was appauling which then meant that the entertainmant staff.in turn thought that they would have the nite off....sorry but this not on..my children were bored,we were bored the old people were bored and i think the only ones enjoying themselves were the living dead...



What a shame this hotel is beautiful,very plush-at that is it



the staff will only speak to u if you are german,russian or bulgarian,they are not informative when u ask them a question and look quite peeved at the fack you have dared to speak to them.



the girls in the kids club saved the holiday for my children,they were lovley to them and did their best again thought if your child is not already bi-lingual,it will be by the time you go home as video time is always in german in our case we had 2 kids, and 1 little(yrs)girl who was german and my kids were not allowed to watch a film in english...........well our money spends the same as anybody eles and it is disgusting in this day and age where there is still a stigma about who you r and what country u come from..we were told her parents would not be happy about it.what more can be said.



we had many issues about this hotel its rude,rude staff.lack of entertainment,lack of intrest in wether anyone was enjoying their holiday,

but i also must say that had the sun been out in its full glory we would not have minded so much,this hotel could be fantastic it needs a lot more planning..ie,if there is bad weather there should be a backup plan for entertainment,the dancers should not be doing the same danceses nite after nite,but just putting different music to it......they r wasted at the moment,because they are good now but they could be great.



now about First Choice we only booked our holiday a couple of weeks befor we went

we were not told tha****was end of season and that everything would be closing down,there was only 2 hotels left open..i asked for a livley destionation-again it was not

and most importantly we found out that we had payed at least 1000 POUNDS MORE THAT MANY OTHER FAMILYS OF 4



we are not happy

would we ever go back to Duni



NEVER,NEVER,NEVER

unless we reach the age of 290000000

Oh My Gosh i have just had the...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

First ChoiceEclipes direct

Submitted By:

Mrs VJ Jackson

Comments:

Oh My Gosh i have just had the most amazing holiday ever , i spent the hol week saying " i love this place i just love it " i must of drove my husbond crazy , but he did agree with me it was just fantastic . we stayed at the Royal Marina for one week and it was just perfect . there is not one thing i could or would want to complain about .we arrived at 4 in the morning and was shown to our room by a very helpful bell boy . the room was very pleasent , we didnt have a sea veiw but it actually turned out to be quite nice and peace full. we attended the welcome meeting the following day were we greeted by the best holiday rep i have ever met , his name was Barny with 20yrs of experience behind him he new exactly what he was doing and insisted no matter what time of day noon or nght if we had any problems to call him as that is what he was there for . thankfully we never needed to call him . We arranged a trip on a catamarang which was just superb , it cost about £50 for the both of us and it was a bargin i didnt want to get off. The rest of our holiday was spent relaxing around the amazing pools and beautiful beach with its lovely warm clear sea . we didnt really do much more then sun bath but for those of you who find this a little boring well there are no end of activities for you to take part in . for example. twice a day they have water areobics , volly ball , shuffle board , latin dance classes , capawera lessons , step arobics , yoga , hip hop dancing , artchery , ect ect the list goes on , there are even massarge huts on the beach, oh it was heaven . All beach towels are provided you just need to leave a deposit at reception . food and drink are severed all day so you will never go hungry , and if you ever need water there are huge fridges full of litre bottles which just help yourself to . the food i have to say was out of this world it was just so tasty even my husband who is so fussy managed to go threw four course every meal time and he's not a big man . Oh and the salads are just amazing so much to choose from i was so spoilt . we also took advantage of the a la cart resturants which are also free , and Oh my they were just superb especialy the italian and we should know we were in italy last yr and no resturant there could beat this one in bulgaria it was fantastic . if you wanted to you could eat in a different resturant every day as there are 4 hotels and 1 holiday park all attached to each other so you will never get bored . the entertainment team where very very talented they put on wounderful shows every evening . on the thursday they organised a beach party with a huge bonfire, bar b q , DJ and bar followed by fire displays , fire works oh and more but ill let that be a surprise . it was great everyone dancing around on the sand it was perfect . i truely recommed this holiday to everyone , iv read some of the bad reviews and they had to dig really hard to find some thing bad to say about the place . some one commented on recepetion staff , these girls were lovely they did the best they could to help everyone there english was not fluent but they did there up most best to help . some people complained about not having a room to stay in till there pick up . well we were picked up at 1.00 am and we had no problems we didnt choose to hire a room we enjoyed a day on the beach and then used the delux saune facilitys to shower and get changed and then enjoyed our last dinner followed by a show by the talent team and then sat on the amazingly comfortable sofas in reception drinking tea and eating even more cake as there seems to be an endless supply , they even dished up more meals at 12.00am so some people sat in the resturant eating . there really isnt a problem if your on a late flight , if you have children it may be difficult but as the rep will tell you if you resever your room at the beginning of the week there will be no problems .I can say nothing negertive about this place it was like Heaven on eartha nd anyone who decides to go there will have a truely fab time so go a head and book it i know i am .

P.S dont be put off by the review were someone has wrote the pools were to deep they obviously did not bother to look around , there are at least 7 pools to choose from and children seemed to be playing in them all the time and they had no problems and neither did the people joining in the aqua arobics every day . Have a fun holiday x

Got back last week from a...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Miss B Griffith

Comments:

Got back last week from a holiday in Bulgaria. The Marina Royal Palace hotel was absolutely superb, comfortable, clean with spacious rooms. There was more food for each meal than I have ever seen before in my life. However, it got very tiresome very quickly. Most of the guests were German and the hotel catered mainly for German tastes. By the end of the week we were sick of the sight of it. We also found a lot of the staff unfriendly, the reception staff couldn't muster a smile between them. The pool in the hotel was useless to me. I'm 5 ft 2 ins tall and not a strong swimmer and the pool was very deep so as I couldn't put my feet on the bottom I couldn't go in. We booked a couple of excursions; we visited the town of Sozopol. Excellent morning and the guide was very knowledgeable and very friendly. We also went on the shopping in Bourgas trip. We didn't realise that there are no big shops in Bourgas so were very disappointed. All the shops were very small. The last day of the holiday was the worst day of my life. We had to vacate our room by 12 noon and we were unable to find another room as everything was booked up. Our flight was in the middle of the night so we were being picked up from the hotel at 2am. 14 hours! We had 14 hours of feeling like hobos with nowhere to go. We had to kill 14 hours! We could hang out in either the Lagoon Bar or Reception. Both were smoking areas. What started out as a 5 star hotel turned into a sleazy, smoky bar with very uncomfortable seats. Never again!

Just got back from an absolutely...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Miss H Yates

Comments:

Just got back from an absolutely amazing holiday in Bulgaria. The hotel is very grand with beautiful decor! We arrived at 4am and were shown straight to our room, which was very spacious and again beautifully decorated.



The food is great and there is so much to choose from, there is definitley a german twist to the food but this just added to the holiday experience. There was always pasta, chips, pizza etc. for the fussy eaters. There is a cake break at 4 in the afternoon and the cakes are so nice that you have to try a bit of each one! Midnight snack at 12am which is a great idea after a few drinks. We went to the Bulgarian a la carte restaurant and the food was fantastic the service was brilliant and they really spoiled you.



The pool area is very clean with lots of beds and umbrellas (you will need them!!!). The pool also leads onto the beach which has a very calm sea and very clear waters. Perfect for relaxation. Please be very careful that you don't get burnt, we went at the end of June and most days it was high 30's. Make sure you take enough sun cream as the ones available at the hotel don't work very well. We used 5 full bottles of sun cream between 2 of us in 1 week.



We booked 2 excursions from our rep Joanna, who I have to say is the best rep we have ever had. The first was the jeep safari, this was so much fun and is an absolute must, it gives you the oppurtunity to travel around the nature reserve and see some of the real Bulgaria. A lot of the country is very poor and the roads are dire so don't let this shock you. It was such a fun day out, the lunch was is a cosy little restuarant with all authentic Bulgarian pottery which is gorgeous, with as much wine and rakia as you could drink. One of the highlights was one of the jeeps getting stuck in the mud we were trying to get it out for over 1/2 an hour, it really added to the thrill!

The second trip was to Nessebar, we walked around and the guide showed us some old churchs and then we went shopping around a traditional market. The pottery and woodwork is outstanding and we bought some lovely items. The trip then went on the city of Bourgas which was more commercialised, we didn't enjoy the shopping but it was nice to sit in a quiet cafe.



The evening entertainment is the best I have ever seen, the show in the ampitheatre start at 9.30pm and host a very professional international team. The dances are well put together and each dance is broke up with a comedy sketch or something a bit different such as fire dancing. After the show everyone heads to the wunder bar for some live music or a disco. The disco above the wunder bar opens at 11.30pm. The drinks are very stong so be careful if you have spent all day in the sun.



our flight transfer for the return journey as at 1.30am and we had to leave the room at 12pm, there is a luggage room and then a shower room for later, so you still get your full days holiday without hassle and worry.



All in all this holiday and resort was fantasic and there is no doubt we will be returning soemtime in the future. Don't even hesitate to book you will not be disappointed.

The hotel was excellent; the...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2008

Tour Operator:

Balkan holidays

Submitted By:

Mrs M Lindsley

Comments:

The hotel was excellent; the staff, accomodation, food and overall resort were fantastic. If you are looking to get away from it all and have as little or as much entertainment as you wish then this is the resort for you. The entertainment staff are fab they put their heart and soul into their nightly performances in the outdoor ampitheatre. They then go to one of the bars near by and talk/dance with the holiday makers. If you are really energetic you can go on to the night club until 2am (not for us) However the disco is far enough away from the hotel not to bother anyone wanting an early night!

We hired a car and went to sunny beach to see what all the fuss was about; boy are we glad we didnt book to go there. It's a cross between benedorm and magaluf only bigger. Not for the faint hearted (or those looking for some sleep at night)!

I think Duni resort is a great concept, however we went at the beginning of the season so I think it may get very crowded during the summer hols. But go out of the july/august season and I think you will have a relaxed happy experience.

One word of warning, Diet before and after will be required as their cakes are to die for and totally irresistible!!! On a serious note the taxi's tend to inflate their prices to suit what they percieve as 'rich english' so look on the board by the archary and the resort do a lot of day/half day trips at a fraction of the price. The reps trips are also expensive. We hired a car for 3 days it cost around £130 incl all excess cover. This was still expensive but cheaper than the reps trips and we could explore anywhere we fancied along the way. It may be a good move to try and pre-book a car to see if this is less expensive. However if you just want to stroll along the beach or have a walk around the expanse of grounds you will not be hassled by anyone trying to sell you things as the resort is private (including the beach) and has security guards for piece of mind. We had 11 fantastic days there and our only regret is that we didnt book for longer. The resort will suit any age group wanting to get away from it all. So enjoy.

We booked though Balkan Holidays, I would warn you not to expect anything decent to eat on the flight as all they offer is ham or cheese sandwiches; the cheese were the worst!!

The hotel was magnificent. We...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr B Sharpe

Comments:

The hotel was magnificent. We were welcomed by a very attentive concierge and shown to our rooms. The room was luxury, very modern and very spacious.



The pool was big, with plenty of sun beds and also a focal fountain in front of the hotel. There was also a fitness centre and sauna and Jacuzzi. A full entertainment programme for throughout the week and also plenty of activities for kids.



Right on the beach, excellent location. The food was great but only a buffet restaurant which is why I rated 9. No a la carte restaurants although the choice at the buffet was good. 2 bars. Great all inclusive features.

Splendid hotel complex with...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr S Workman

Comments:

Splendid hotel complex with superb decor and facilities.



The complex comprises three hotels and a holiday village with plenty of choice of bars and restaurants to dine in. Each meal had wide choice of foods from the exotic to good old BBQ. And the choice of desserts was wonderful.



Many of the meals catered mainly for the Germans and Russians but there was always something for everybody.



Obviously take advantage of the all inclusive and ensure you get your quota of alcohol inside you, bars open until 2am and then a "pay bar" open until 4am if you not quite had enough (thought this was a bit of a cheek).



The staff were always friendly and the rooms cleaned everyday with change of towels and bedding.



As we were toward end of the season last week in September things were getting quieter and activities being reduced but we were there to relax enjoy the wonderful facilities such as the pools and the saunas and chill out and relax.



Fabulous place for a family holiday if relaxing by the pool or on the beach is what you like.



Would definitely recommend to anyone and think we may be back in the future.

What can I say, it was...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs K Adamsjones

Comments:

What can I say, it was wonderful! This was our second time to this hotel and it was as good as ever. The rooms are clean and air conditioned.



The food was lovely, offering chips and tomato ketchup for the fussy eaters, salads, pastas, soups, freshly cooked meat and fish while you wait, and cakes, fruit and ice cream for pud! Breakfast was a choice of freshly cooked omelettes, pancakes and fried eggs, along with cereals, breads, meats, cheeses, cooked breakfast and orange juice, tea, coffee and hot chocolate.



The hotel is immaculately clean, the staff are very friendly, nearly all speak English.



Pools are clean, there are loads of sun beds (no need to get up at the crack of dawn to beat the Germans!) Entertainment for the kids is very good. Evening entertainment is the Amphitheatre which is 45 minutes of fun. A disco for the teenagers every night and a beach party with fireworks once a week.



This is a large complex with three other hotels to make full use of, and a private beach. We visited during high season and would highly recommend this hotel.

Very clean hotel with reasonably...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr A Non

Comments:

Very clean hotel with reasonably comfortable beds. We'd booked a sea view room and our balcony had a panoramic view. Room was an adequate size for 3. It was probably quieter than rooms on the other side of the hotel - except when the fireworks were set off on the roof! Room was very hot when we arrived - in the early hours. I don't think the air conditioning worked properly but when we asked for it to be checked they just turned the temperature setting down. Maintenance staff did fix a broken slat on the sofa bed promptly.



Food adequate - cheese with almost everything (but you could avoid it), lots of salads and barbecues. Local beer and wine quite drinkable.



Not a hotel for the unfit with flights of stairs to the restaurant - but you need that to work off the meals.



We barely left the complex as there was plenty to do on site. Be warned - mountain biking is only specific tours following a leader. They do come in different standards but it was disappointing not to able just to go down the road by yourself. Instructors do speak English but the majority of tourists are German so in group sessions you may miss out on the general talk. The archery lady, Eva, was especially good with beginners. No buses, taxes not that cheap, car hire expensive - 40 pounds a day. However when we were there it was so hot we didn't want to move around much.



There is little evening entertainment except running through the cocktails in the bar and a 30 - 60 minute amphitheatre show which is fairly similar each night. The dancers work hard but a bit more variety in the type of act would have made it more interesting. There was a disco in the Marina Royal hotel and we could have gone to it. Lots of daytime activities like pool games and aerobics. For a 10 euro deposit you can have a blue beach towel, replaced whenever you like. The Germans decorate the sunbeds with these and a flimsy scarf or a cap hanging from the sun umbrellas.



Bourgas airport is a disgrace, go down to the gate area - we didn't realise you could and there was a chronic shortage of seats upstairs.



You have to pay in levs at the airport, keep some back for drinks as you can't even take water in and your flight may get delayed, as ours did. As you'd expect drinks are pricier at the airport. However money changing rates (on arrival) were better than at our hotel.

Hotel is very clean and well...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss D. Wilson

Comments:

Hotel is very clean and well presented.



Staff are friendly although their English leaves a lot to be desired.



Lots of Germans and Russians, which has a definite influence on the choice of food. After a few days. we felt sick just by looking at it. The speciality restaurants were OK for a change of scene, but don't expect too much in way of improvement on the main restaurant quality.



The drinks available on the all inclusive menu drove me to sobriety and to paying for "real" brands in the rooftop bar.



There is a distinct lack of activities for the evening and we missed being able to get away (walking distance) from the hotel.



Would not go back!

Loved it!

A...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs S Mosson

Comments:

Loved it!



A beautiful complex, spread over a few hotels and a holiday village. The food was excellent and as a picky eater I still had plenty of choice. Even a diet bar if you were watching your weight!



More than enough sunbeds with mats included on those on the beach. Plenty umbrellas also.



I loved the snack bar with fresh rolls to take away and of course there was food at almost every hour of the day.



There is little or no entertainment on evenings unless you take a walk to the amphitheatre. We didn’t bother, just had a drink and blether in the air conditioned bar.

On arriving at 4 a.m we were...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

May 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mr P Elmore

Comments:

On arriving at 4 a.m we were shown to our room, unfortunately it still had people in it.



We eventually got a room an hour later, it overlooked the road and at that time it was busy with large construction vehicles hammering past. We never sat out on the balcony due to the noise.



The hotel caters heavily for Germans, all the meals had a German influence most of the menus are in German. We ate very little all week what food we had was generally cold there seemed to be a problem with keeping anything warm.



The staff struggle with English on asking for two vodka and cokes we got beer.



On the plus side the complex is lovely, it is kept very clean and the beach is great for kids the sea slopes very gently so is ideal for children. There was no entertainment on site which could be a problem.



In closing all I can say is we would never go back.

We were pleasantly surprised...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2006

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

klo80

Comments:

We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the hotel given that the airport had not filled us with much confidence.



Our room was lovely, very clean with a huge balcony and a picture postcard view. The facilities were great and the beach was lovely.



While I enjoyed the food I have to say that I was a bit sick of buffets after the week was up! We tried all the restaurants while we there and the Bulgarian a la carte was the best.



All inclusive was definitely worthwhile for us as we loved not having to worry about carrying cash to the beach and pool. Definitely budget for the massages in the beauty salon though as they were fantastic.



Our rep at the hotel was very nice and helpful but the rest of the hotel staff would need to brush up on their customer service skills. However, some of this may just have been due to the language barrier so I don't want to overemphasise that part.



We really enjoyed our week and the weather at the beginning of September was just beautiful.



I do have some guilt that I didn't get to see any of the 'real Bulgaria' but for a relaxing, pampering week this really worked for us.



Make sure you do your shopping in Sozopol or another town - we thought we would pick up some bits in Duty Free in the airport but it was so disorganised on the way home, that by the time we got through passport control we just made boarding!

Me and my boyfriend went to...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss D Quirk

Comments:

Me and my boyfriend went to Bulgaria. On arrival at the hotel we were shocked at how small the airport was, then we had to wait over an hour for our cases. We arrived at the hotel and were very impressed. We arrived at 2am and after the flight and trip to the hotel I was dying of thirst. I could not get a drink on arrival at the hotel as the bars were closed but there was water in the fridge in the room. When we woke it was pouring down heavily with thunder and lighting which lasted for three days!



Then after that the weather became really hot, so I would recommend anyone to go end of June if you’re looking for nice weather. The hotel was lovely and very clean and the food was good. The other hotels on the complex were very nice and the main pool was great in the day, although it can get very, very slippery as you are walking around the pool. The amount of children I saw slip and there was a couple of occasions when I did myself. There is loads to do in the day but I would say most nights after our meal me and my boyfriend were quite bored as there was nothing to do apart from sit in the bar or go to the complex disco which was full of kids.



We weren't looking for a mad holiday as we had that kind of holiday last year, but a lot of people we met said the same thing, that there wasn't much to do in the evening. The complex had a lot of Germans. We went on a day trip on a boat and that was good we saw dolphins. Don't think I would go again next year.

We traveled to this resort with...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs T Grayson

Comments:

We traveled to this resort with First Choice. Hotel was absolutely amazing, we were dubious about the 5 star rating before we left as 5 star in the likes of Mexico is not often matched in other locations, but we were pleasantly surprised.



Only downfall was that our room looked out on the main road which was very busy. They are in the process of building a by-pass so this will not be a problem in the future. Our room was very large with a nice big bathroom which was cleaned thoroughly each day.



The food was good, you could always find something that was nice. We did the jeep safari it was a brilliant day out, well worth the money. Only downfall was that there weren't many English people, nearly all Germans, but as there are 100's of sun beds so there was no problem!



Overall a really lovely holiday.