This hotel was fantastic it was very clean and the staff were really friendly nothing was to much trouble. The pool was great really clean and no matter what time of day you went you could always get a sunbed.

The food was good alot of choice for adults but not as good for the children but mine are pains when it comes to eating.

The entertainment was good for the children at night with a disco and games but for the adults not as good it finished at 10pm and after that there was nothing else to do.

Location was great for us only 5mins away for the main resort so at night it was nice and quiet but there was a train that ran till midnight every night so if you wanted thr evening down in albena you didn't have to walk back.

We have just book to go back to Bulgeria but we want to try a different part but we would visit this hotel again we had a brill time.

When we booked our holiday at Going Places we booked the hotel Magnolia but on arrival our coach passed the Magnolia and took us to the Magnolia Gardens.

We and others on the coach complained to the rep but to no avail as we were told that this was our hotel and that was our lot.

The place was needing to be pulled down and another hotel built like the Magnolia next door which was excellent to look at.

After three days of trying to be moved we gave up and deciced to unpack and make the best of a bad lot.Any one booking the magnolia can only book through J.M.C. as Balkan can only take bookings for Magnolia Gardens but falsely advertise the holiday as the Magnolia.

The smell and the crumbling concrete building was too much to bear at times and will stop us from returning to Bulgaria ever again which is sad as we loved Albena very much.

We arrived at Albena on 26th August 2005 and were taken from a dark dingy depressing Hotel Reception up some stairs covered in very old shabby carpet through a dark dingy corridor to a room which was old, dirty, and the smell that hit us as we walked in was of urine and dampness.

The light switch was hanging off the wall and the curtains were held back with string. The single beds were damp to touch and the bedding and mattress should have been thrown out and burnt.

We were under the impression we were staying at the Magnolia Hotel and I think Balkan Holidays should clearly state that this is the Magnolia Gardens not the Magnolia Hotel.

I was extremely upset so my husband telephoned the rep and he managed to get us moved to the Althea Hotel which like moving in the Ritz after the Magnolia Gardens. But we had to endure the Magnolia Gardens for two nights my husband and I wouldn't sleep under the covers so we slept with our beach towels over us. Those two nights were definately our holiday from hell.

The staff don't smile much but I'm not surprised after being stuck in the hotel day after day it's enough to make the happiest person depressed.

If you have booked with Balkan to go to the Magnolia Hotel get in touch with them and change it right away. I wish someone had advised me before we went.

The Magnolia Garden is a total shambles the rooms are the pit's, the shower in the bathroom has a hole in the floor which is under the sink and so floods the entire bathroom floor.

The electrics in our rooms were not even in the wall and live wires were all over. We had a 16 month old baby with us so the little time that decided to stay in our room he was strapped in his buggy because we were to scared to let him out.

The rooms were cleaned most days but we only had our towels changed about twice in the 2 weeks that we stayed there.

If you like your food with flies then you will love it. The flies were all over the food and the food was the for the 2 weeks we stayed there, we decided to eat out most of our first week and the rest of the second week. As we ate out we did find 2 lovely restaurants called "The Poco Loco" and "Peater's Steak House" which had fantastic food and staff.

The staff in the Magnolia are not friendly or helpful, one night we needed to exchange some cash so asked at the reception and the staff were willing until we asked for a receipt and she snatched the money back out of our hand and told us to go away.

On our last night of staying in the Magnolia garden one of our rooms were broken into and things like Mobiles, gameboy's,etc, and perfumes were taken. We went and reported it to the hotel manager and she told us the police were busy and would not come, so we had to make or own way to the police station to report it.

I can say we might visit Albena again but we will never step foot into the Magnolia Garden if it was the last hotel standing in Aleana.

Like many others we thought we were going to the 3* Magnolia hotel because thats what we got sold at our local travel agents but instead we got put in the 2* Magnolia gardens a.k.a fawlty towers this is where it all begins.

The rooms were absolutly filthy even though they had been cleaned for allocation they still looked dirty. The curtains we hanging off the wall, electrics were sticking out of the wall which is very dangerous for little children or for anyone strictly speaking.

The shower had a big massive hole in the floor of it which put you off having a shower just in case you fell down it.

The room was below basic I would of rather slept in gods fresh air then to sleep in them beds, they were really damp and really smelly.

Getting on to the food we paid to go all inclusive and to be quite honest we never ate one meal there I don't think you would if you go to get yourself a meal and there were flies hovering or if your lucky enough to have one on your meal so we ate out every meal time too scared to eat there just in case you got ill.

Hotel staff were very miserable and never wanted to help if you needed it they would just look down there noses at you like the time I went to complain about the electrics sticking out of the wall in our room they just shrugged there shoulders and asked me what I would like them to do about it, I thought that was very rude so I made a complaint to the hotel manager and she was no better.

If you have children then this ain't the resort for you when it comes to the entertainment because theres lack of it and when they do have it, its rubbish.

This review asks if I would ever visit this resort again I say DEFINATELY NOT I would not let my dog live in those conditions let alone fleas or coachroachs thats if the have not got them already.

What can I say, having booked with Balkan holiday for the Hotel Magnolia, I actually did check this website regarding the hotel.

When I heard that there was another hotel called Magnolia Gardens I immediately rang Balkan and they assured me that we were not going to be stopping there. There were 11 of us on this family holiday three who suffer from asthma.

Upon arrival we went past Hotel Magnolia and pulled up at Hotel Magnolia Gardens at 0400 hours. I immediately asked to see manager but was not available.

We were shown to damp disgusting rooms that were on top floor. You could see the cement through the carpets and mildew and bugs everywhere.

We tried to get moved but the rep had that many british people trying to get out he could not do anything. Plus with eleven of us it was not easy.

We did not unpack for first week hoping to escape. The maids tried their best to keep the place clean but in our oppinion it was only fit for demolition. The rep said that it reached Health and Safety regulations, however sockets hanging of walls, wire showing through balconys and very thin glass everywhere plus the concrete stairs and beetles/centipeeds found in beds certainly dont live up to our standards.

The staff were utterly miserable, we had a job to make them smile. The bar was like a concrete bus station with centipedes creeping up walls and beetles running about the floors. All uncarpeted and damp furniture.

We went all inclusive and ate our meals at the hotel we should have been staying in. The food was dire, do not go all inclusive, only one of our party were not sick during the fortnight. Raw food was being put with cooked food, poor hygiene again. Flies were everywhere. Would not recommend this hotel to anyone. Especially those who suffer asthma and have small children.

On the plus side the pool was excellent and the massage parlour was very good.

The Magnolia Hotel consisted of both 2 and 3 star, we got the 2 star, sigh.

Now I cannot fault the facilities, all of which were attached to the 3* accomodation, I had use of all of them, including the very impressive buffet restaurant.
However....

Tucked away at the back of the Magnolia complex was a falling down apartment block, cleverly named Magnolia Gardens 2*(ha..) If you arrive in Bulgaria and hear these words, run... It was disgusting. The entire building smelt of damp and wet animals, it was dirty, flooring was mainly brown, thin, worn carpet. The rooms were small, poorly maintained, and damp. The bathroom was falling to pieces(i had a foot wide hole in the shower wall??) and was mouldy and dirty. The partly tiled floor was uneven and broken, the remaining flooring was further brown, dirty carpet.

The "Balcony" faced thick trees which reached into the balcony, and i honestly felt unsafe standing out there. The windows were single glazed and ALL sound could be heard, including a mild breeze.

When I tried to get moved to another room, preferably one without a damp smell, the receptionist was rude and implied I was snooty!!! Considering I paid the equivelent of 4 months wages to a bulgarian for one week to stay there, I feel I was well within my rights to complain. She eventually, with persuasion from the rep, offered me the keys to all available rooms in the hotel...... all of which were identical in decor, smell and dampness.

As I said before, Magnolia Hotel was lovely, pristine rooms, marbled reception, delightful surroundings... But beware of what lurks behind the trees, Magnolia Hellhole, sorry, Gardens.

Please be careful when you book and do not fall into the same trap I did. Get what you pay for.

NB: After much pestering we were moved to a 3*+ hotel called Dot.Com. It was very, very nice, well, compared to Magnolia Gardens it was Buckingham Palace.

Mr & Mrs Ives, Lowestoft, Suffolk

Stayed in the 3* part of the Magnolia though I would rate it higher. The rooms were immaculately cleaned daily.

Food there was plenty of it, though breakfast was early 0700-1000, could have done with stretching it until 1100 selection of cooked, cereal, contineneal or fruit and yogurts. Lunch was basic and evening meal were good though the chidren ane 11 & 13 did get bored with the choice. Snacks pizzas, chips, biscuits ice cream was always available with drinks continuosly though larger sized glasses for both soft drinks and beer would have been helpful as the servings were less than half a pint and don't last long in the hot weather.

Pool and area was clean and plenty of sun loungers to use.
Location was in the quieter area though we knew this before and was only a short stroll approx 15 mins from the main area or a cheap taxidrive 5 levs daytime 10 levs evening.

The entertainment was very poor, maybe some kind of evening entertainment a couple of times a week would have been good.