Hotel Shipka

Honest rewiew-really bad experience,horrible customer servis,dining and cleaning
I don't suggest anyone to stay at Shipka hotel for a long period of time! We arrived at 9 am and asked if it is possible to check in early. The receptionist just simply answered "No you have to wait until 2 pm". The reservation system showed a lot of free rooms but nothing apropriate for us which make an impretion that the employes waiting for extra money.. you have to leave your luggage in unloced room behind the elevators. So we asked if we can go and have a breakfast because we orderd and payd for full board but the receptionist Tanya said no your dining program starts from diner. Imagine that we have been traveling since 2am and the hotel don't provide any food and beverages until evening...
we stayed here for 3 nights and lost breakfast , lunch for the first day and last day the same ..it is 8 meals. What is the point of paying for full board. The rooms are old, mattress uncomfortable and overused. The bathroom covered by mold! Por cleaning once per 3 days. The worst experience we have ever made with food which is not tasty and the variety of meals are
comparable with motel . Disgusting! We had to visit local restaurant nearby- excellent! I would recommend to organise the hotel staff especially the receptionist Tanya, she is really arrogant and her customer servis is on the lowest level. Don't book this hotel! It is not 4 star, maybe 2. Never again !

We arrived 3 hours late to the hotel because “Wizzair”.
Check in was fine.
The staff of Shipka Hotel were sullen.
Then we spent ½+ hour stuck in the lift, (about 4ftx4ft fits 8!) on the way to the room with 3 other people. Obviously we pressed the alarm button a few times (no answer), but it was our Hungarian co-prisoners banging on the door that started the rescue. Oh yes we were still infront of the reception, we had moved 1inch. The 3 lifts were taking turns to break all week.
The room was adequate. But don't look under the bed, not dust bunnies but dust bears!
The bathroom usually smelt ok but sometimes had the waft of bad drains/defecation for an hour or so. The cistern was constantly running. The shower/bath was slow to drain, but the plug was damaged and didn't work so the choice was a shower with foot bath or bath with constant top up.
The balcony that was overlooking the front of the hotel was ok. We had two garden chairs, one of which snapped as I pushed myself up from it (I'm only 110Kg). Because we were at the front we could hear all the music from the restaurants, even inside when the badly fitted door was shut. The balcony lights are on automatic so keep the curtains shut if you need an early night.
The two beds pushed together are huge but firm.
Varna is Southend on Sea/Brighton on steroids.
The hotel is 2 stars, maybe 3 on a good day. It says it's a four but they must be very small and done by the Bulgarian tourist board.
We stayed at a 3 star in turkey in June and that would run rings around Shipka Hotel.
Also there is a “gentlemans club” attached, and while sitting on the balcony we could see people (probably their staff) approaching single men and escorting them in that direction.

We had a couple of good days around the pool very relaxing with a cosmopolitan attendance.
Then the “Bulgarian group” arrived. (Yes we asked) Typical bullying, loud, obnoxious and that were the “adults”.
About 2 pm a 240w portable JBL Party speaker appeared and the head bully started playing his music extremely loudly. I am sick of macarena. This went on for 2 hours until someone complained.
The next day the same thing happened. My wife asked reception if they were Bulgarians and was asked “why does it matter”. He then got the head receptionist while smirking, she said that IT WAS THEIR SPEAKER, AND “THEY HAD ASKED POLITELY TO BORROW IT. IT WAS A BIG GROUP AND THEY WERE CELEBRATING. AND IT WAS ONLY FOR 10, 20MIN! ALSO IT IS A COMMUNITY AREA.”

Errrr exactly!?

Basically she brushed us off because they were Bulgarians and we are English. This put a real downer on our holiday.
The breakfast was ok but no variety from day to day.
If you get a room opposite the lift door be prepared for the constant ding, ding.
The fire doors were constantly held open by the fire extinguishers.

They say the tourist trade in Varna is suffering and I can understand why. Everything is pro Bulgaria and fxxk anyone else.
Will I go back… no.
Would I recommend Bulgaria…. Not on your nelly.
Go to Croatia instead.

Avoid this Hotel!
This is the worst hotel in my life!
We have booked 11days, 4days later left this hotel.
4*-is a joke! Actual 2,5*
Restaurant 3*
Man Club in the hotel with many cheap women under the restaurant!
(See pictures)
Mattress is terrible with lots of bed bugs!
Food is terrible, poor cheapest meals,sweets, one day eat pork ball for main diner,next day same pork ball for soup.

We were there for 10 days. You can hear your neighbours knocking in the door , talking or walking in the corridor.
I could feel the strong and old smell of tobacco in our room.
I found a cockroach in my bed, The reception lady told me nothing to worry about 😤. A lot of dust under the bed. The cleaning(house keeping )team was ignoring the "do not disturb sign". The bathroom is really small, you barely can fit in.
Food wise I was really happy that I chose breakfast only, as even on breakfast food is rubbish, if it runs out you would need to wait about 20 Min to be refilled. Sausages were cold at all times by me it wasn't even cooked in the first place, The omelette is all the time halfway cooked. Sliced meat and cheese, tomato and cucumber was only what you could eat. Cereal, coffee and tea was tasteless. Watermelon was available, apples, plums and peach or nectarines. My son could not eat anything there.
The kids playground is small.
I never saw a gardener, all plants are desperate for trimming.
In general outside no one cleans, plastic cups everywhere.
It was saying that there is a dedicated area for smoking, it is but it's not really you can smoke everywhere what is really disappointed when you with kids or non smoker.
The pool area has never been cleaned you can see old spillages on the floor and sitting mattress. Lifeguard is always busy doing something else but not his job. He could be on his phone, bringing something to the pool bar, moving your umbrella or even slipping.
The worst part is that the owner is sitting all day on the pool terrace and watching all the guests, who and how many drinks they had(for all inclusive) and you can hear it.
The location for me was really good.
Massage services is good, but we went to next hotel(same company). As there were more rooms available (shipka has only one)
WiFi is the biggest disaster, most of the time there is no connection.
Free pool table