Christantema Hotel

We had a wonderful time in this hotel, it was so clean and tidy and we found that the staff were always friendly and helpful.
I do agree that the entertainment was a bit sparse but we found there was so much to do in the resort in the evenings we really didn't stay in at night.
I'm a vegetarian so for me the food was a bit basic but I ate a full meal every day and had no problem. This is to be expected as a vegetarian abroad so for me was not an issue.
We had a great holiday and would really recommend it to everyone.

The hotel was beautiful and the food was nice except that it wasn’t hot but it was nice the entertainment team was great and really fun and they are really nice, Peter, Ivo, Lora, and Jana are really great people and they are really good at their jobs the evening entertainment isn’t that good as it is bingo and quizzes but all the team make it fun for everyone and makes everyone get involved. The bar staff are friendly and funny and polite most of the time unless you bug them of course.
The hotel rooms were cleaned nearly everyday and the maids were really friendly and polite.
So I recommend this hotel to anyone as it is a brilliant place and the hotel is beautiful .
A tip for anyone that does go, get up early n put your towels out otherwise you will no where to sit as everyone goes down at about 8.00 and puts their towels out but other than that the place is great and the hotel beautiful.

I have just recently returned from two weeks of hell at this hotel, both my wife and I suffered from the dreaded stomach bug that was rife throughout all of the guests. The rep said there was no problem with the food as she herself ate in the hotel.
The accommodation itself was good and the rooms were kept spotless by the chambermaids, the pool boys were helpful and obliging unlike the bar staff who were busy playing with their mobile phones whilst people were waiting for a drink.
They also placed their tips box under your nose and demanded a tip. They also allowed young children behind the bar and to help themselves to soft drinks. The food which was repetitive and cold also left a lot to be desired. The Thomson’s rep when she was on time was inundated by guests complaining about the food and the standard of hygiene in the restaurant and bars.
We eventually found a little bistro next door to the hotel where the staff were very friendly and pleasant and so was the food, and there were no adverse effects either. I did enjoy the resort but I would not recommend this hotel to my worst enemy. I will be back to sunny beach in the near future but I will be self catering.

Hotel:
The hotel was a palace! Upon arrival, we were given our room keys and were greeted by a porter who took our cases up to the room. The service in the hotel was good. Sometimes the bar staff were short with me; for example when I asked for a large coke ( in a pint glass), I was told I couldn’t have large and had to have a child’s size cup!! ( So I ordered 2!)
Hotel rooms were cleaned on a daily basis, towels changed regularly and so on. Although the maids began cleaning early - around 8 some mornings which was too early for us!
The hotel food was OK! I would say it was a little repetitive at times, but we took full advantage of booking into their pizza restaurant where they make up any sorts of pizza you like! These restaurants have to be booked one day in advance. There was also a fish & chicken restaurant too. Those who worked in the restaurants were polite and took time to ensure tables were cleared quickly and food was always replenished in the servery.
All drinks and daytime snacks were free although they do stop dead on the dot at midnight and will NOT be persuaded to give you a drink one minute after midnight!
Entertainment at the hotel during the day was provided by the entertainments team who worked hard to entertain anyone who wanted to get involved with water polo/quizzes etc.! Evening entertainment was restricted to bingo, kids disco and so on. The hotel also has a huge casino ( its full of slot machines) but as a hotel guest, you get free entry.
To get a bed around the pool was difficult, early birds would put towels on their beds and it could be difficult to find a bed after 9am. However, there is a full time pool manager who was on hand to remove any towels from beds which were not in use. The pool area was spotlessly clean and someone was always walking around during the day to take empty cups/rubbish!
The location of the hotel was the best by far! When we went for a walk along the beachfront, so many of the other hotels were too close to the main walkway next to the beach. This meant that is was easier for bags etc to be stolen!
Sunny beach area:
The main boulevard along the beach was crammed with stalls, shops, cafes, restaurants and bars. Everything to suit everyone! In the evening, you can sometimes be bombarded with people trying you to have your photos taken with snakes and other slimy creatures! Not to my taste, but I am sure someone might like to have their photo taken with a 6 foot snake! You must try their pancakes - a great late night snack - they fill them with anything from jam to cheese and ham and they cost about 40 - 60p! DO NOT CHANGE YOUR MONEY AT THE STREET CHANGE BOOTHS! I heard some awful scary stories about people going in to change their money and being robbed! The Hrizantema hotel has one of the best exchange rates in the resort and even changed money for people who were not staying at the hotel.
The beach:
The beach was beautiful. It was kept very clean and you can hire beds and parasols for 6lev which is very cheap, but if you would rather not there is a "Free area" for you to just lay about on your towels!
Eating out:
We tried lots of different places to eat and drink. One place, we ordered starters and mains and 4 alcoholic drinks for 2 people and it came to just under £12. You just can't fault it at all! So if you don’t like the hotel food, it won’t break the bank by eating out.
Days out:
The main reason for our trip was to have complete rest and relaxation by the pool so we didn’t take up any of the trips. However, many guests at the hotel recommended Khan’s tent and the water park. A bus goes from outside the hotel and takes 5 minutes to get to the waterpark and entry is cheap. About £20 for 4.
All in all, it was a fantastic week.. You MUST bear in mid that until recently this country was in a dire state and many people were and still are very poor! There will be street children begging and you just have to ignore them unfortunately. If I had anything negative to say on the holiday, its that the Bulgarians are limited in their general communication skills and it can sometimes be a problem.. Try to take the time to learn how to order a simple drink, or just to say please or thank you, it makes a world of a difference and it seems to make them smile! ( Probably because I said it wrong, but it was certainly an ice breaker!)
If we were to go back to the same place, without a doubt we would stay at this hotel.

I totally agree with jo jo 1963 and Mr A Miller, having been on all inclusive holidays before we did not expect to have to go out and buy meals because the food in the hotel was totally unacceptable and both my partner and I had upset stomachs and cramps for 3 days. We and other guests complained to the rep Kelly who said she never had a problem with food, I wonder which restaurant she went to eat in as I would have gladly have gone with her.
Another problem myself and others found was at the bar when giving the staff notes for drinks if their was not enough change in the tills you did not get any change from your note and each round for the same drinks got dearer as the holiday went on that is why we found it better in the long run to buy our bottled drinks over the road in the super market.
As for the rest of the hotel, beach and resort centre they was 10/10 we would definitely come back to Sunny Beach but not to the supposedly "ALL INCLUSIVE" Chrisantema also having written to Thomsons on our return their reply was that no one else had complained ha ha.

The exterior of the hotel gives you a really good feeling, lovely hotel, very clean, and on first impressions very friendly staff. Having been there for a couple of days you realise that the staff are only interested if you are German, or Russian. The cleaning staff, (with the exception of the chambermaids, who we found to be nice helpful and friendly), would rather travel in the lifts all day, and escape into the toilets!
The food was disgusting, everything was reheated several times, fried chicken would become stew with the left over vegetables, and served for a couple of days. When I complained to the rep, telling her I had Diarrhoea and stomach cramps, which had lasted for 5 days, and no amount of tablets would relieve it,(thankfully the chemist was only across the road, and helpful) she said that she ate the food, and did not suffer from an upset stomach, she recommended that we ate the pizzas that where served for the children!! We ended up spending another £250 on food, having to go out for all meals, and even 4 weeks after coming home my stomach is still not right.
The holiday was not at all inclusive, we had to pay for everything, except the sun loungers by the pool, but they where impossible to get hold of because of the towels and bags, that reserved them on a daily basis, and the diluted alcoholic drinks, and soft drinks.
I would definitely return to Bulgaria, but never to that Hotel, we paid over £4000 for a holiday that was supposed to be a relaxing family holiday (my children’s first holiday abroad!) and ended up counting the days before we could go home. I even asked the rep if we could change hotels and she said yes if we paid another £100 each, and that was for 6 remaining days. Outside the locals where nice and friendly, but didn’t really understand English, but did speak perfect German.

I think this hotel was good value for money! The rooms were very clean, good size, TVI, shower, couch, hairdryer, balcony, air-conditioning everything you would need! The hotel itself was lovely! The reception area really took me by surprise when I first arrived, actually the whole hotel did really! Not what I was expecting at all! Very nice! The food in the main restaurant was all right not brilliant but at the same time nothing wrong with it!
I preferred the food from the pizza restaurant within the hotel which was included in the price!! But apart from the restaurant in between meal times there was toasties, hot dogs, baked potatoes and ice cream so I was always full up! The pool area was really nice! You could sit in the pool and have a drink at the bar! Whenever we went out there was always a sun lounger somewhere a lot did have towels on them though but I noticed that as we were leaving there was a sign up saying that if towels were left the staff would remove them! Which sounds like a good idea to me! I was told there was a gym but i never got round to using it lol
The resort itself was again a lot more than what i expected! Very friendly people! And everyone I spoke to could talk good English! one man that was selling c.d.s even mentioned the barras in Glasgow which amazed me that he knew of the barras!! Eating out was really good value but unfortunately we never got round to eating out as we always ate in the hotel! Even though the entertainment in the hotel was not that good it did not bother me as there was always something to do outside the hotel!
Me and partner and definitely going back next year I loved every minute of it! And we will be staying in the Christantema hotel!! After hearing a few horror stories I think we play it safe were we know what we will be getting! I would definitely recommend Bulgaria to anyone! There is something for everyone! And of any age!
If anyone has any questions I would be happy to answer them! Tracey_ronan@yahoo.com

I agree with the first comment on this page and totally disagree with the second one made. The hotel was lovely and catered for everybody. At times I was ashamed to be British because it seemed as though whatever was provided for people, they were never happy.
In my opinion, the description in the brochure was 100% accurate - if people want their children to be looked after for most of their holiday they should pay more to start off with and opt for a super family holiday. You get what you pay for!
I have stayed in other all inclusive hotels and this has by far been the best.
The resort is lovely and the people are very friendly - if you want someone who will converse with you in English, go to Spain! People have to appreciate that Bulgaria is an up and coming area and the local people/workers are learning all the time. I personally find it endearing when they ask what certain words mean - I actually felt like I’d been abroad, not as though I’d been to Blackpool as I have often felt when returning from more common places such as Spain.
I would recommend the resort and the hotel to anybody - if you want more specific things from your holiday, put your hand in your pocket and pay for it.

Myself and my partner stayed at the Chrisantema Hotel in June 2005 and had a very enjoyable and relaxing holiday. The hotel on the whole was spotlessly clean. We found the staff all very friendly and helpful. The room was spacious and again it was spotlessly clean.
The food on offer in the buffet restaurant was always a good selection and of good quality (plenty of fresh salad options as well as a wide variety of other dishes). We are not picky eaters so generally food choice is not a problem. There was also the other restaurants to visit - the pizza restaurant was particularly good (this had to be booked one day in advance).
The location of the hotel was nice as it was in a quieter area than a lot of the other hotels in the resort - but only 5 minutes walk to the main centre. For beach lovers, the sand was perfect and the water very clean.
The hotel entertainment was limited but there was always plenty to do around the resort. We were quite happy enjoying the sun most of the day then taking advantage of the bar facilities in the evening!! What more entertainment do you really need!
So - for a holiday where you hope to expect a very clean and well-run hotel where you can enjoy sunbathing next to the ample sized pool I’d recommend the Chrisantema without hesitation.