Astoria Hotel

Kameliya cater for all our needs - they went above and beyond. It was mine and my wife's wedding anniversary and they made it very special. Brilliant location, lovely staff, great for children and good entertainment.

⭐️ **“BEST 4★ HOTEL IN BULGARIA”? Apparently, only in 2025…** Our holiday is coming to an end, so it’s time to leave a review while the impressions are still fresh — rather than just the pleasant memories of the vacation. And judging by some of our experiences, a few of those memories will be particularly unforgettable. 😏 Let’s start with the good things. Check-in was quick, and our room at **Astoria Mare** was spacious and clean. **The housekeeping was genuinely excellent, and the condition of the renovation was very good.** The air conditioning worked perfectly, and the soundproofing was excellent — we couldn’t hear noise from the corridor or traffic from outside. However, the bed decided to compensate for all that silence by providing its own nightly entertainment. The pillows were so hard that, if necessary, they could probably have been used as furniture. There was no choice of pillow height or firmness, of course. The mattress consisted of two separate parts that moved further and further apart every night, turning the middle of the bed into a full-scale no-man’s-land. You wake up in the morning and the first thing you wonder is whether you are still sleeping next to your partner or have already moved to a separate territory. 😄 But the real masterpiece was **the two single duvets instead of one proper double duvet. And, to make things even more interesting, one of them actually had to be used as a pillow.** For a young couple, sleeping becomes an exciting challenge: find a comfortable position, avoid falling into the gap between the mattresses, don’t steal the duvet from your partner, and somehow survive the night with a pillow made of concrete. As for the little details — there were no basic tissues, cotton buds or even a simple needle-and-thread sewing kit in the room. Perhaps this is the hotel’s new 4★ concept: **minimalism in everything.** ### 🍽️ The food — a whole separate story If you enjoy variety in your meals, Astoria has prepared a real test of character for you. The selection was rather limited, and the dishes were repeated so regularly that after a few days you start greeting them like old friends. The relatively small buffet regularly turned into a queue. Finding a free table could sometimes be more challenging than finding something new on the menu. And now, please pay attention: **one napkin per person.** After eating prawns, battered chicken and other dishes that leave your hands looking as if you’ve just finished renovating a house, you are apparently expected to use that single napkin very strategically. Because apparently, even napkins need to be rationed at the **“BEST 4★ HOTEL IN BULGARIA.”** 😏 ### 🇮🇹 Italian restaurant — 3/5, and that’s mainly for effort The carbonara was absolutely nothing like carbonara. The “Caesar salad” was made with Chinese cabbage instead of the usual romaine lettuce, and the leaves certainly didn’t look particularly fresh. The battered chicken was heavily over-fried. The prawns were served in their shells — and with the digestive tract still intact. Apparently, the guest is expected to finish the preparation personally at the table. But the main gastronomic surprise was waiting in the dessert. **There was a FLY in our piece of cake. 🪰** The waitress apologized, and we have absolutely no personal complaints about her. But, honestly, it’s quite an original way to make a dessert memorable. After that, even the phrase **“chef’s surprise”** takes on a completely new meaning. 😏 And there is another question: the food in the main restaurant and the Italian restaurant was practically identical. So we were left wondering **what exactly makes the Italian restaurant “Italian,”** apart from having to make a reservation and then stand in another queue in a different room. Even the fruit was exactly the same every day: **watermelon, apples, pears and melon.** Apparently, Italian and main-restaurant fruit come from the same delivery route. ### 🥢 Asian restaurant The Asian restaurant was slightly better. The food was generally tasty, although the sushi definitely needs improvement. But what really impressed us was the dessert concept: **there were no Asian desserts at all.** There was no separate selection of fruit either. So you come to an “Asian restaurant” and, when it comes to fruit and dessert, you get exactly the same programme as in the main restaurant. At least there is a reservation system — just to create a feeling of exclusivity. In reality, it is once again a buffet and once again a queue. The only difference is that this time **your table is guaranteed.** I suppose this is the local interpretation of the term **“à la carte.”** 😏 ### 🏖️ The beach — finally, something genuinely good The beach is really good. Before around 9–10 a.m., you can still find free sun loungers. After that, it’s a matter of luck. A big plus to the beach staff for actually enforcing the one-hour rule and not allowing guests to turn sun loungers into personal real estate for the entire day. The guys at the beach bar are great — fast, polite and efficient service. We didn’t use the swimming pool, so we won’t comment on it. ### 🏆 And now for the most interesting part Throughout the hotel, there are proudly displayed signs saying: **“BEST 4 STAR HOTEL IN BULGARIA FOR 2025”** After reading the previous reviews, our expectations for Astoria were quite high. And perhaps that is exactly why the disappointment was even greater. **For us, this hotel was seriously overhyped.** It is not a bad hotel. The room is good, the renovation is excellent, housekeeping is excellent, the beach is good, and most of the staff genuinely try their best. But there is quite a big difference between **“a good 4★ hotel”** and **“BEST 4 STAR HOTEL IN BULGARIA.”** About the same size as the gap that developed between the two halves of our mattress. 😏 Maybe Astoria really was the best hotel in Bulgaria in 2025. But if an award is given once a year, that doesn’t automatically mean it comes with immunity for the entire following season. **In 2026, the hotel clearly still has room for improvement:** food quality and variety, restaurant organization, bed comfort and basic service details are all areas that currently seem rather far from the level promised by that proud “BEST” sign. ### ⭐ **Overall: 6/10** **Pros:** spacious room, excellent renovation, excellent housekeeping, very good soundproofing, great beach and generally helpful staff. **Cons:** repetitive food, queues, one napkin per person, a rather questionable concept of “themed” restaurants, no Asian desserts or fruit selection, uncomfortable pillows, a mattress that separates itself every night, two single duvets instead of a proper double one — and, of course, **a fly in the cake.** So if you are coming here specifically for the title of **“Best 4-Star Hotel in Bulgaria,”** I would strongly recommend lowering your expectations. Because unfortunately, **we never found the best hotel in Bulgaria.** We did, however, find a fly in the cake. 🪰 And judging by the overall experience, **that turned out to be the most memorable “compliment from the chef.”** 😏

I had a really great time at Astoria. The hotel was nice, but what really made my stay special was the amazing atmosphere created by the entertainment staff. They were friendly, energetic and always made an effort to get everyone involved. A special thank you to everyone who made my holiday so memorable, especially Nicole. I had a lot of fun taking part in the activities and meeting such great people. I’ll definitely remember this holiday and would happily come back again!

I absolutely loved my stay at Astoria! ❤️ The hotel is beautiful, the food is really delicious, and the conditions are exceptional. The rooms are clean and comfortable, and everything is very well organized. The staff are very kind, friendly, and always ready to help. And of course, I have to mention the animation team! 🥹❤️ Plamen, Nikol, Nasi, JJ, Rod, and Elina are absolutely amazing. They are so kind, funny, energetic, and involved. They always know how to make everyone smile and have a great time. You can really see how much passion they put into what they do. I had such a wonderful experience at Astoria and I would definitely come back. Thank you for all the beautiful memories! ❤️🇧🇬✨

Amazing resort,good food,nice and big bedrooms and loved so much the animation team! My kid never got bored with them. Thank you so much Elina,Nikol,Nas,JJ,Plamen and Rod! Best animation team❤️