Atlas Hotel

We spent two weeks in this hotel with a 12 year old, the hotel was lovely - very spacious hotel but the pool area is very small & crowded. It was necessary to get up early to get a sunbed & everyone is on top of each other. It is about a 10 min walk to the beach which is really nice - but all uphill (by steep steps) on the way back. The food is very much catered for the Germans so I would only recommend B&B. There are plenty of restaurants outside the hotel which are very cheap & the food is excellent. I had read a lot of bad reports re the food in Bulgaria but I found if you didn't eat in the hotel it was great. It is Bulgarian custom not to serve food piping hot - which might put a lot off. Overall Bulgaria was lovely but I really wouldn't recommend this hotel as some of the staff can be quite rude (not all - some were very helpful) & they all seem to charge different prices for drinks at the bar - watch out for that..... I would not revisit this hotel but if I was to go back to Golden Sands I would make sure it was a hotel across from the beach.

We have just returned from a week at the Atlas hotel, which after having read some reviews on the hotel and area was much better then we imagined. Varna airport seems to load and unload planes a lot more efficiently than in this country so there were no problems at all in that department. We arrived at our hotel at approx 4am and was pleasantly surprised to find a door man waiting outside the hotel for us he took our cases and showed us to reception. A safe deposite box is 30 lev which is none refundable, reception will take your passports until you are due to leave but you will need to ask for these back if you intend to change travellers cheques which can be done in the hotel. We were then guided to our room which was very clean and tidy and shown how to work everything. Tipping is essential as it is a very poor country their average wage being only 50 lev a week less than £20. The hotel in general is very well presented, the cleaners never seem to stop and do a very good job. We were concerned at the amound of 'ladies of the night' (prostitutes) we were told marched the streets but were surprised to have never seen one. My only irritation of the holiday was the leaflet girls, which seems to be their only way of advertising you will arrive back to your hotel every nights with pocket fulls of leaflets, although do look out for some good deals on club entry and drinks especially for the ladies. The beach is always busy and you do have to pay for use of the loungers and parasols, we advise that you buy a lilo and only pay for the parasol approx 7 lev. The sand was hot and the sea cool although for anyone taking children be careful in the sea those waves can get pretty big! We tried a few things out whilst we were there and would recomend every one of them- Forest extravaganza-this was 69 lev each but included a fantastic nights worth of entertainment some of the best acts Ive ever seen and def something for all ages. A chance to sample bulgarian food which we both agreed was very nice and home brewed wines and beers as much as you like. Aquapolis-the local aquapark less than a ten minute walk behind the hotel, this was a fantastic day out food and drink available and the rides amazing. Be prepared to clime a few steps though its a long way up when you get there! Deep Blue diving-a local scuba diving school, who collect you from the hotel, a definate must for all. I had a fear of being under water so i was not at all looking forward to it and although it did take me a little longer than the others to get used to breathing under water once you get it you'll want to do it again. You are one-on-one with an instructor who will hold your hand all the way to approx 6-7 meters deep. They give you seahorses to hold and crack clams open to feed the fish its an amazing experience! Be selective with where you eat, we did have trouble with stomach upset, although it didnt ruin the holiday. We were only bed and breakfast but the food we did eat in the hotel was very good and there was something for everyone. So we hope this has helped, dont be put off by some of the other reviews. We had a very enjoyable holiday in Bulgaria.

Went to bulgaria with my partner on the 21/07/07.This was my partners first holiday abroad.He didnt know what to expect.I had been to bulgaria many times and enjoyed it,apart from the food!.It had been two years from i had last visited and wow has it came on. I booked the atlas from bulkan tours and arrived on sat night,not expecting the hotel to be as what it had claimed in the brouchure.The staff were friendly from the first meeting and the hotel room was spotless and big. Bulgaria had changed alot and i didnt see as many prostitutes as i had on previous trips.The only thing that is very annoying is the food traders touting for trade and the drivers that really should not be allowed to drive in the main resort. The pool was great,but u had to be early to catch a sun lounger and parasol.The germans seemed to be there from the crack of dawn,with towels in hand.so be quick!!!!. The room service maid was lovely and we left her a big tip on the way home. We arrived in the hottest weather bulgaria has had in 100 years,and it was hot.thank god for air con,thats what i say.we would not have survived the holiday without it.46 degrees it was too hot,it cooled down a little before the end of our week,leaving us time to enjoy the beautiful beach and watersports. One word of advice dont go all inclusive unless ure not picky what u eat.The food at the hotel was not good,unless u dont mind what u eat.we lived on pizza,chips and ice cream. I love bulgaria and will deffo use this hotel every time from now on. have a good holiday everyone else kelly.

This hotel is amazing - the rooms and the hotel its self are clean and modern and the ala carte resturna is beautiful. The main resturant is big and the food is ok although after two weeks you got sick of the site of chicken and rice - BUT there is big bens a fish a chip shop just outside. The entertainment team are lovely and will do anything they can to make you feel welcome and included. I became good friends with alot of the team and they seemed very genuine and kind people. The bars are all extremely nice and the bar staff are lovely- actually lovely i found it very hard to say goodbye to the staff behind the ice bar as we became good friends. Soem hints for going to hotel atlas are take tea bags because the bulgarian tea just isnt up to english standards, get up early if you want to reserve a sun bed and dont forget your camera - this is one holioday you will never forget. I had such a great time at hotel atlas i cried when i left and although i have only been home 4 days am already planning to go back. this was the best holiday ever and i';d recomend it to anyone

Hotel Atlas was a very friendly clean hotel with perfectly adequet rooms and lovely staff. We went bed and breakfast, as after reading this and other sites, were told the food wasn't that good and judging from the breakfast and what others said from the dinners it was ok but a bit boring after a day or two. There are many facilities. I had 2 massages which cost about £7 for half hour and £12 for 50 minutes. Also there is evening entertainment in the hotel for children (though thankfully not many were there when we went in May). There is a really friendly atmosphere and got to know lots of people in the terrace bar (ice bar) of the hotel. It's about a 5-10 minute walk to the beach and a 2 minute walk from the party street where there are many bars and restaurants. In May the hotel was only 1/3 full but it was nice and didn't have too many crowds. Golden Sands looks like a far better choice than Sunny beach as a resort as it's built on a hill (but not too high) in the side of a national forrest. About 40 hotels but still has a green and non built up feel - whereas sunny beach looked what I would imagine benidorm to look like. Varna is interesting enough for a day trip (but watch out for pickpockets an people ripping you off- if you try on a t shirt make sure you buy THAT t shirt not a replacement). It's very easy to get a bus into Varna only 1.80 lev each way where as taxi is 25 lev (but you can probably barter them down to 15 lev). I would highly recommend trying some of the restaurants down by the beach and the fish dishes are lovely (esp. the pirate ship restaurant just northwards of the central beach part). Nessebar (medieval town) is a nice trip (about 2 hours each way though) but has lots of the same shops as most other places, but lovely restaurants with great views.

Stayed at the Atlas last September everything Great including food but this year the staff are not so freindly and maid service not as good. The Food now is rubbish. Now that they are doing all inclusive the hotel has gone from a 4 star to a 1 star. The staff are not as freindly because there is no money changing hands therfore no tips. I have been in 3 Star hotels in golden sands that are better than this. For being made wellcome try hotel ERMA or HOLIDAY PARK. I the I the bulgarians wish to increase tourism they should take a lesson from the yanks, and at least smile. We wont be useing this hotel again. Jill & Bryan North Wales

I stayed at the Atlas hotel from the 21st May 2007 for one week. The hotel itself is absolutely beautiful and we found it to be clean and well cared for. The food was boring but not bad! Breakfast was my favourite with eggs, toast and pancakes I never had any problems. The lunch was sufficient starting with soup and then eating light so we could return to the pool. Dinner got a bit boring with lots of chicken and I started to crave red meat but this is all normal for buffet style all-inclusive hotels. During our stay we noticed lots of problems with all-inclusive visitors! I was disappointed to discover we could only get drinks from 2 of the bars and that we had to come inside from the pool area if we so much as wanted a cup of water! I felt, as many others did, that we were made to feel like a lower class of visitors because we had paid all-inclusive rates. Also on our arrival the bar closed at 22:30 and I had been told this should have been 23:00, some visitors from the UK even said they had been told it was open until 24:00 so slight unrest occured every night when the bar closed. Most of the staff are very pleasant apart from when they are being hasseled about the bar closing! My only real disappointement was the entertainment, we were offered nothing more than 1 game of bingo in the whole week! We had hoped for shows, or at least some dancing music but really nothing was laid on at all, this could be because of earliness of the season but to me this is not a excuse that should be used. We had paid for entertainment and I expected it. Let me end on a high note: The pool was lovely and although chilly when getting in it was lovely once in and my husband and I went in at least a couple of times a day. It was also very clean and the pool area was continually attended to. All in All - Good

This hotel is very modern, bright and clean. It has an entertainments programme each evening and a childrens disco as well. There is an "Animation Team" who involve the children during the day as well. The family room we had was enormous and we could have fitted in at least 4 more people! (Room 5510) 5th floor. The breakfast is very good with lots of choice - cereals, yoghurts, eggs, croissants, pancakes, salads, orange coffee and lots more. The lunch was definitely not our bag and dinner was a huge buffet which we enjoyed but a lot of the other English folk did not like it as felt they did not cater for English needs ( I think perhaps they wanted steak and chips !) There are English bars/restaurants and Chinese/Indian/Kebab places. We had half board so did not really try other restaurants but we were told they were not as cheap as expected. The drinks in the hotel are hotel prices! 3 Lev for a white coffee (one pound = 2.85 Lev) Bottle of wine 13 Lev. There is a supermarket nearby for snacky things which is a much cheaper option. The only fault we fed back to the hotel was that the sunbeds were always reserved and although they had a 30 minute rule they never applied it so some sunbeds were empty with towels on them for 4 hours!!! Very frustrating. Tip - do not take towels with England flag as people move them from the beds!! Reception staff were fabulous and very helpful. Beach was probably 10 minutes walk. Overall we had a good time - the children particularly liked the slides in the hotel pool. Also very good Aquapark nearby Aquapolis which cost us (2 adults 2 children) about 50 quid. if your child is under 120 cm then it is much cheaper!

I stayed at this hotel when it was only 6 months old. The shower was leaking so there was mould growing on the wall of the room!! The maid took around 5 minutes to "clean" the room! Some days, she didn't even bother to make the bed!! The lobby and bar areas were nicely maintained, but you had great difficulty getting served unless you were German or Russian, as they pushed you out the way!! The pool area was nice, but I have never experienced a pool so cold! I couldn't even submerge myself, it was like iced water!! There was a path leading down from other, cheaper hotels down to the street below. As such, people from these hotels were using the facilties and not paying the fee as they should! Annoying when spaces were at a premium! I was on a half board option. Normally I can eat anythng with no problems and I'm not a fussy eater. I only ate at the hotel twice and both of us had very dodgy tummies for days afterwards!! The food was luke warm and disgusting!! We had to pay to eat elsewhere for every meal, just as well that Bulgaria is a cheap place to eat! I'm not hard to please and I'm generally very laid back but the whole experience was awful!! It was a first to be glad to leave your holiday behind!! Not that I relished the thought of getting on the Balkan flight again! I cannot believe they are allowed to operate! Very old and battered with both toilets backed up!!! Scary from start to finish. The Bulgarian people are generally very nice and friendly and the beaches are lovely. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone. With the food poisoning and mould in the room, I caught a viral infection and was signed off work for 2 weeks on my return home!! I dont expect much on holiday, but I do expect cleanliness and edible meals.

We stayed in the Atlas Hotel in Golden Sands for 2 weeks and thoroughly enjoyed it! This is a lovely hotel with great facilities. Everywhere is spotlessly clean and well-kept. The Pools are great, the staff friendly and the food very nice. The Hotel is near the main part of the resort and in a great position for the aqua park. Going back to Golden Sands again next year!