My bruises have bruises. I'm blaming the cheerleading. Review writing is a whole lot less dangerous....
My bruises have bruises. I'm blaming the cheerleading. Review writing is a whole lot less dangerous.
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In an almost unconscious, immediate response to the shock I felt on returning to the freezing UK from boiling Australia in December last year I quickly decided I needed a holiday or two to look forward to. I promptly booked a week for myself and a friend in Bulgaria this August, a trip which would coincide with my birthday meaning that for the 5th time in 6 years (last year being the dubious exception) I would be celebrating overseas. That was months ago, that booking, and ever since we have been counting down (6 months to go…5 months…3 weeks…) until we ended up here where we are now, having been and gone, the holiday completed. It feels moments since we left the UK though it was 7 days ago (on the 1st day of the terror-threat-induced-hand-luggage-confusion, lucky us) and we returned this afternoon having had a lovely relaxing week at this hotel.
We chose this destination for a few reasons (the weather, the duty free, the prices) but mainly, it has to be said, because it was one of the few places in the package holiday brochures that neither of us had visited, well travelled little minxes that we are. We chose GoldenSands for no specific reason, though once we did so we reassured ourselves it sounded just a smidge more high class than the main alternative, Sunny Beach. Our main aim for the trip was to combine some sun and sand with spa treatments, so we narrowed our choice to hotels that had in house salons, and then went for a big name chain, Iberostar, on the assumption they might be better than some stand alone local hotel. Not that we don't support local businesses, you understand, but sometimes you just don't want the hassle or the worry.
** Arrival
The Iberostar is a compound of two hotels the Izgrev and the Obzor, which though having a reception each, essentially operate as one big complex. We stayed at the Obzor but used the communal facilities in both areas during our stay. The hotel is about 30 minutes from the airport, but on a package where you have to drop-off at various hotels this can soon become a one hour transfer. The hotel is well located for the resort, directly on the golden, sandy beach, and right at one end of the promenade meaning you're away from both the direct centre of the resort, and the famed 'party street'. We went walking most evenings and on once occasion walked right through Golden Sands and out the other side, which is about 3km and was therefore a Good Healthy Walk. The hotel has its own supermarket and 'boutiques' and numerous other shops and restaurants are close by.
When we arrived at the hotel we checked in and surrendered our passports for the duration of our stay. I think we could have asked for them back if we'd needed them for changing currency or similar, but on the whole they took all passports on arrival and kept a tight hold of them until departure.
Despite having come off an English flight, we ended up checking in in German, and indeed spent a good portion of the week conversing in this rather than English. Golden Sands in general is popular with Germans and Russians and they have been going there much longer than the Brits. Although most staff could speak English, it appeared they preferred not to and you got what you wanted a lot quicker if you lapsed into German.
** The Rooms
Our room was on the 3rd floor and street-facing, though the street in question was quite alley like and unattractive. We discovered through our stay that
most rooms had full or partial sea views, and the majority of people who didn't book one of these upgraded on arrival. We chose not to as we spent very little time in the room, and it never really occurred to us to do so.
The rooms are standard, modern, non-country-specific set-ups with 2 twin beads and additional sofa beds if needed (our room, having been booked for just the two of us, did not include any extras). The furnishings included a TV for which we needed a remote, which in turn cost us a 50 Leva deposit at reception. Annoyingly this had to be paid in cash, and in Leva only, so we tied up some valuable currency for the privilege of watching MTV, CNN, RTL and all those other initials. The TV had about 40 channels, mainly Bulgarian, though we had international music channels, standard German ones and English language news, allowing us to keep abreast of the fun airline adventures of the past week. We also, supposedly, had piped music in the room though we never discovered where this was.
The room was a pleasant temperature though the air-conditioning unit seemed slightly faulty and whether set to 15 degrees or 30, seemed always to cool to the same temperature. The storage space was ample for two people, and included a triple wardrobe, two bedside tables with drawers, two suitcase stands and a large desk with further drawers. Underneath the desk was a minibar that we used, as all sensible girls would, for cooling out after-sun and body lotions. The in-room phone allowed direct dial calls worldwide and cost, as these things tend to, well over the odds for my companion to call home to Germany (I, evidently being someone who cares less about contacting her family during a week away, left the calling up to her, but she still racked up a hefty bill for next to no talk-time)
The bathroom was large but oddly designed - the toilet paper being miles from the loo itself, for example. We had a bathtub (rare for Bulgaria) and a shower over it, and plenty of free toiletries though these were hardly interesting. The rooms were made up daily (ours usually before 8.30am) but though towels were changed, sheets only get laundered weekly so we had the same ones throughout our stay which we noticed mainly because the 'I've been scratching insect bites in my sleep' blood stains never seemed to leave.
The balcony was neatly kitted out with table and chairs, and I can tell you from fascinating experience that balconies such as this could comfortably hold 5 Austrian boys, two underage Russian girls, a couple of bemused 24 year olds from England and a large quantity of slightly dodgy vodka.
The only problem with the room that we found was, well, it smelt funny. We think it was the water coming from the sink taps, but it might have been air coming back in from the grate near the pipes, but either way our room frequently had a sewage-like smell to it that, as we soon found out, permeated throughout the resort on and off. Still, this is the sort of thing that makes Eastern Europe such an interesting place, n'est-ce pas? It just added a certain (unfortunate) fragrance to the adventure of our week, and we survived.
** The Pools
I like swimming pools on this kind of holiday because they allow you somewhere to doze, read and cool off without you having to get all sandy. The Iberostar has two pools, one at each hotel, and we swam in both though our lounging time was limited by the cramped terraces and shortage of sunbeds. Though the pools didn't open until 9am, the beds were usually gone by 8.30am, reserved with towels, bags or the odd stray child. Occasionally a staff member would come round at this point and remove all the towels (reserving sunbeds being Strictly Forbidden) but more often than not they remained, and thus you had to be there early or go without. Luckily we discovered the high sun terraces and frequented those instead. Situated on the 5th and 6th floors these included ample beds and cushions, plenty of space and the services of a pool bar (complete with pervy Bulgarian barman, oh joy). They had toilets and showers and Jacuzzis, and, for some reason we never grasped, were deserted most days, so quickly became our sunbathing haven.
** Meals
I believe virtually all guests at the hotels wee staying on a half-board basis, and these meals were taken in a single shared buffet restaurant. Breakfast ran from 7.30am - 10am and consisted of an international mix of dishes including pancakes and made to order omelettes, the Bulgarian take on an English breakfast, continental style cheeses and cold meats, an array of rolls and breads for toasting, cakes, cereals and fruit and yoghurt. The selection was good but never varied so after a few days the novelty wore off and we started having the same things each day. Drinks available with breakfast included teas (fruit and normal), coffee and a selection of 'juices' in lurid colours that were as sugary as Fanta or Coke and avoided by a large chunk of the guests in favour of glasses of cold water.
Dinner ran from 6pm - 9.30pm or thereabouts and varied more than breakfast but was still predictable. Each day saw two pasta dishes with cooked to order sauces, an extensive salad bar, more bread and cheese (always sweaty and never from cows milk), soups, some kind of basic meat dish such as chicken breasts and a roast of some kind which, according to my meat-eating companion, was rarely what it said on the sign. The desserts were wide-ranging and included cakes, tortes, fruit, ice cream and mousse concoctions, although all the cakes tasted the identical (same watery fluffy cake base, same odd, light cream, just different coloured toppings). No drinks were provided free with dinner, so waiting staff came to take orders once you sat down. Water cost 1.50 Leva (about 50p) but you only got a small, 330ml bottle for that. Soft drinks were larger but cost more, and the range was not extensive.
In general the food was fine but boring after a few days (and this coming from someone who happily eats the same 3 meals day in, day out at home). The restaurant had a definite school-canteen feel to it, and was crowded though we never failed to find a seat. Most tables were for 4 people and those which were larger where all lumped together in one area which was useful when you wanted to spy on or hide from certain groups (those darn Austrian boys again).There were maybe 6 tables outside on a terrace but these were invariably taken when we arrived and we only ate out there once, for breakfast. The rest of the dining room was, however, very light and airy and, most importantly, air conditioned.
In addition to the main dining hall there is a small a la carte Italian restaurant, and several bars, all serving the same few drinks and snacks. Prices are the same as most places in the resort so you may as well go out for the change of scenery, the
Pictures
View from the sun terrace
fresh air, and the chance to laugh at the Fugly train (a story for another time).
** Entertainment
The hotel provided a 'full entertainment programme' which was basically a daily routine of competitions (with prizes for the winners) - darts, shooting, bowling - team games (beach volleyball, football), aqua aerobics and 'Bulgarian language and folklore lessons'. A hotel-run kids club operated on a daily basis but, as a former tour operator kids club rep, let's just say I wouldn't trust them with my kids. Evenings saw entertainment in the hall at the Izgrev, including shows, musicals, dancing. We went along once but couldn't get close enough to see (the best seats having been taken by parents in the previous hour's kiddie disco) so we didn't go again. In all fairness the entertainment team seemed pretty good at their jobs and they certainly remembered faces since, on learning early in the week that I would be having a birthday there, they commented on this several times and came over to wish me many happy returns at dinner that evening. I like to think this was how they would have acted towards any guest but am inclined to think that as two girls travelling together we stood out slightly (see below). Also, their darts game took place over our heads one day as we were playing Yahtzee on the sun terrace, and sparked an interesting conversation typical of many we had during our stay.
< Entertainer> : (speaking in German) Where are you from? < Us > : England < Entertainer > : But why do you speak German? < Us > : Why not? (Plus, um, you spoke to us in German in the first place)
It went on. It transpired he was from a town near one I once worked in in Germany, many years ago. It turned out he spoke Spanish but very little English. It was evidently fascinating to him that (a) we were travelling sans-men and sans-children and (b) we spoke two languages interchangeably, all to often in the voice of Little Britain characters. So, yeah, maybe that's why he remembered us so well.
** The other guests
In our entire week we saw only one other group of girls (4 from East Germany who made a brief appearance at that infamous balcony party). There were, conversely, several groups of boys travelling in packs (as well as our Austrian acquaintances we stalked a couple from East Germany and some Italians one night). On the whole, however, it was a place for families with children, or older couples. They came from Germany, Russia, Romania, Spain, Holland, Poland and lots of other places. They were often interestingly made-up and intriguingly clothed, and we spent many a mealtime dissecting their fashions to the point that we decided that 'Ebony and Irony' could be our nicknames for the week, with us taking it in turn to be the tanned one and the ironic one.
** Treatments
As mentioned, we wanted to have some spa treatments in our holiday and chose a hotel with this in mind. The Iberostar has spa centre in its basement, a beauty salon no the ground floor and a few other places that, together, offer:
- an indoor pool - a small gym - various treatments under the supervision of a doctor - haircutting and manicure services
All of these, with the exception of the pool, had a fee attached and considering the cost of living in the country, they were comparatively quite expensive. Many of the treatments were sold in courses for 6 or 10 days which were not practical for us as we didn't book in advance, and would have struggled to fit things in. Instead we booked in, on an ad hoc basis, for massages (45 Lv), facials (25 Lv) and manicures (18-25 Lv). These were all good, especially the facial from a brutal, German speaking Russian who certainly knew her way around a peeling machine. The massages were blissful and made me want to find a masseur back in Manchester, and the manicure gave me nails I've not had in quite some time. We had planned many more treatments before flying out, but one we arrived and saw the fantastic weather, somehow spending all week in a little white room underground became less appealing, so instead we opted for just a few, combined with some intense tanning time. I got the impression the spa section was well-run, clean and well maintained, though the receptionists left a little to be desired.
** The Staff
It was so strange, after living and travelling in both America and Australia, to come across somewhere where customer service training and hospitality work do not go hand in hand. It is hard to tell whether it was the language barrier or not, but the staff frequently came across as brusque at best and outright rude at worst. It was not in such a way that you holiday would be ruined by something they said or didn't say, but on more than on occasion we ended up feeling like naughty children, or silly foreigners when, in actual fact, we had done nothing wrong, and were, when you think about it, the paying customers. The staff often clustered in groups nattering and you could get the feeling that they were talking about you (although Ebony and Irony naturally took this opportunity to start talking about them in retaliation).
** The price?
I'm ashamed to say price paid very little role in choosing our holiday. We're both working girls (meaning girls who work in normal jobs, not those whose occupations featured heavily in our poolside reading), we don't have dependents and we don't mind spending money on ourselves, so we weren't looking for the cheapest option out there. Never one to like being ripped off, I made sure we got the cheapest deal on the hotel we chose by comparing a few tour operators, but we didn't choose our hotel based on the price at all. In the end we paid a little over £500 each which was a package price including flights (including the Manchester supplement), transfers and 7 nights half-board accommodation. As mentioned above, treatments were extra, but even with these, and lunches and snacks and drink and an excursion or two, plus the ever-needed souvenirs, we spent less than £80 each in resort, meaning the total for the holiday, all in, came to under £600 each which, for a week at a nice hotel in mid-August, is not too bad.
** Final Comments
Our holiday was just what we wanted and as good as we expected, but since I like to give constructive criticism, even knowing that it is a long shot that the bods at Iberostar will read anything I write, I will say this:
The hotel, though nice, comfy and clean (sewage stench aside) just seemed a little too disorganised for my taste. It's not a small complex and so on our first day we asked for a map since the in-room information was limited, but were told you didn't run to such things.
We wanted to peruse the beauty treatments and pick out some to have, but we were not allowed to take the books of procedures away with us, and you could not provide photocopies of the options. When we asked if you were likely to get booked up over our week (wondering when we should book) your staff said they didn't know - some days were busy some were not. Though this may be true, it's hardly helpful, nor is it a way to encourage us to book things then and there.
You have lots and lots of rules around the pool (no jumping, no diving, no running, no reserving of sunbeds) but with the exception of the latter, your life guards sit by and watch as people do all of these things - why bother with rules if they are just empty threats?
Every evening the entertainment team would stand at the restaurant doors, heckling guests to attend the entertainment that night. Perhaps if you made it so people could see the stage, more would come.
Finally, you might like to reassign pervy pervason from sun deck duties to another area of the hotel. It's a holiday, it's sunny, and fashions these days dictates straplines are so last millennium, so people are going to go topless. Deal with it. Don't keep walking past and ogling the boobies. Seriously, if I wanted to be perved at I'd just walk through Blackpool with my bits hanging out.
All this aside, it's a fine ok in a fine resort, and though I personally won't return, it's a nice enough place to stay once in your life.
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We travelled with First Choice Holidays in August 2006.
At time of travel 1 Lev was approximately 35p
www.iberostar.com
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