It is a paradox that while RIU Palace Helena Sands is generally reckoned to be one of the best hotels in Sunny Beach, it also seems to be one of the worst in the "Palace" grade of hotels managed by the RIU group.

Believing (rightly, as it turned out) Sunny Beach to be a noisy place, we felt confident that Helena Sands would offer the same option of a quiet haven that we have enjoyed at several Spanish-speaking branches of the RIU Palace chain (including two in the Canary Islands and one in the Dominican Republic).

Round the pool during the day; at dinner; after dinner drinks: there was no choice except to be bombarded with music. It is hardly romantic to sit with your loved one over dinner on the terrace, one ear assaulted by a self-important, but mediocre live singer screeching at full volume; the other ear reverberating to the b'dum-b'dum-b'dum of pop music from the hotel's pool bar.

At other RUI Palaces, one opts IN for the entertainment, the hotel 'default value' being peace and quiet. The guest is afforded the courtesy of a choice. Here, there is no escape: Music is compulsory; resistance is futile.

Lukewarm food on many occasions (well presented, admittedly); reception desk staff who smile nicely but fail to keep their promises, despite reminders; bar waitresses with a memory span of 10 seconds, leaving customers waiting like lemons for drinks orders that will never appear; and a wine waiter who does not know the difference between a wine glass and a water glass. This would not be tolerated by the management of any other RIU Palace we have stayed at.

Further, parents with children staying in a separate room may wish to be advised that the room TV carries a free hardcore pornography channel after midnight.

Appropriately, Helena Sands has a (clock)Tower...we think it is Fawlty.

If you really MUST visit Sunny Beach, despite all the foregoing, you would be wise to stay here, as the alternatives seem even worse. If you are able to go anywhere else in the world, we would still strongly recommend staying at a RIU Palace, as we intend to do.

Riu Helena Park Hotel Sunny Beach Bulgaria

This hotel was superb, the Head Receptionist Maya took care of all of our requests with great efficiency, our holiday was made perfect by all her efforts to ensure we had a pleasant stay at a lovely hotel.

The Annimation Team in particular Chony & Maya were enthusiastic and great fun which added to our enjoyment of this wonderful hotel.

If you book the Helena resort book the Helena Park as this was definately more 5star than 4star, everything you could want in a holiday.

In the morning for breakfast we greeted with chanpagne which I turned into a bucks fiz with orange juice, themed evening meals (Italian, Spanish and Bulgarian) fare was on offer with a greeting at the entrance to the restaurant with an apperitiffe from that country.

All in all a wonderful holiday with efficient and professional staff allways there to help and assist you in having a wonderful time.

You will not be dissapointed.

I was quite anxious about taking this holiday due to the mixed reviews/reports on the resort/hotels. We paid a bit extra for a five start hotel and it was worth every penny!

On arrival, we were greeted with champagne/orange juice. The room we were allocated was like the penthouse!! It was 100sq.m and the balcony was a further 25sq.m and was the only balcony like it in the whole place (half turret). Try and get room 1816 as it is huge!

The rooms were cleaned every day along with fresh towels (although the hotel does persuade you to use them more than once). The beds were changed every 2 days. Common areas were always immaculate.

You are given the choice of 2 evening sittings at dinner - 6p.m. or 8p.m. We had 6p.m. Breakfast and dinner are buffet style and there is always plenty of food and a variety of options. Food was always piping hot. Staff are always filling up trays. You can watch the chefs cooking in the hot area.

There were three themed nights in the restaurant - Bulgarian, Italian and Spanish and you were greeted with a local drink before going in for dinner. Some of the entertainment was in the nearby Helena Park but there was a group who played most nights and a Bulgarian Wedding Night in the Sands. Most nights, however, we were happy to go a walk and work off some calories - it is very flat and suitable for everyone (even wheelchair users).

The hotel was at the quieter end of the resort which was fab and there was always a security guard outside making sure there was no golf buggies/mopeds going past the hotel (really annoying).

The hotel also has it's own beach and you can choose to lie there instead of the pool (no extra cost to hotel guests).

The only downside was that the pool was very cold but this didn't stop many guests from entering! Staff were always willing to help and very friendly - my son made friends with them all I think!

All in all, an excellent hotel and I am glad I picked this one and not some of the hotels nearby (they were tacky and all the guests hung their towels over the balcony spoiling the look of the place - there is a drying area on each balcony in the Helena).

I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone going to Sunny Beach and, if returning, would go back to the Helena Sands myself.

We went to the Rui Helena Sands this year. This the fourth time in Sunny Beach and the best hotel.

The hotel is at the quite end of the beach and you do not get any bother with golf carts or scooters.

The staff are all very good at there job from the cleaners through to the front desk.

The food was buffet style but lovely and always fresh and plenty of it.

The pool and grounds were lovely to in fact it was the best hotel we have stayed at in Sunny Beach.

Hotel spotlessly clean. Staff friendly and efficient.

Food not what we expected from 5 star hotel, very much geared towards German cuisine and everything highly seasoned. Melina in the restaurant was so friendly and chatty with us - made us feel very welcome.

No entertainment as such but some musicians in the evening from 7.00pm to 9.30pm. Hotel was not particularly for families but more for older couples.

Situation of hotel was quite good at the end of the sunny beachy strip so was not noisy in any way.

The Helena Sands is the best package hotel we have ever visited, which is a pity because most of the rest of Sunny Beach we would describe as one long Car Boot Sale. The staff are all very pleasant, helpful & on the whole speak quite good English, certainly better than our attempts at Bulgarian.

The choice of food on offer is never ending & very varied -if anyone went hungry or could not find anything they liked no hotel would satisfy them.

Would we visit this hotel again? A Resounding yes but would we visit Bulgaria again. DEFINITELY NOT but this is not in any way due to the hotel.

We stayed in the sands, on arrival we were very impressed. It was very clean and the staff were very welcoming, we recieved a complimentry sparkling wine on arrival which was very nice.

The food in the hotel was lovely but I feel there was not enough choice for children.

The location was too far out for us it was a good half hour walk in to the centre.

The staff were pleasent enough some spoke better English than others.

The hotel beauty salon is outstanding excellent service well worth a visit.

Entertainment was a let down but you could go to the park where more was happening.

This hotel is right on the beach, with beautiful surroundings.

The hotel was spotless, and the staff were constantly cleaning all day long.

The food was excellent, sometimes they did get a bit confused-ie Brussels and Broccoli for breakfast, but other than that, the food was great, with a different themes being hosted most evenings.

The theme night was never repeated, as we were there for 14 nights, we had a great varity of food on offer.

The staff are very friendly and helpful, they could understand and speak English.

When we arrived at 3am in the morning, we were greated by happy staff, and a complimentary drink was given to all guests.

The rooms in which we stayed in were excellent, with comfortable beds and clean, sheets changed every other day, towels changed everyday and there was no need to take any "Smellies" as these were all in the bathroom, and filled up everyday-even sewing kits and emery boards were included!!!!

They even had nice soft loo roll and a power shower. There was a mini bar in all rooms.

The entertainment was basic, but in the sister hotel the entertainment was there if you wanted it.

We are already looking to go next year, and we have only been back 2 days.

We stayed in the Rui Helena Park Hotel which is the sisier hotel to the Sands.

We stayed on a half board basis.The hotel was about 40 minutes from the airport.

The hotel was spotlessly clean throughout with constant cleaning taking place all day.Our room was cleaned every day and clean towels were provided every morning.

There was a broad variety of food each night with several themed nights including Italian night and Spanish night. The food was well presented and always fresh.When we arrived for our first meal we were given a choice or whether we wanted to sit inside or outside by the pool. We sat outside which was definatly better.

The hotel was located in the quieter part of the strip. It was very private and the grounds of the hotel were well designed and very well kept. If you want a livelier night you will need to walk for about 10 minutes along the strip for more bars. However the bars around the hotel never shut.

The staff in the hotel were very friendly, polite and helpful at all times. On arrival we were checked in quickly and a porter brought our luggage up to our room.
The hotel entertainerment was poor consisitng of a singer and an keyboard!!!! A children's disco was provided for about an hour.

I would not hesitate to stay in this hotel again as it was one of the best hotels I've ever stayed in. It was rated as a 4 star but should definitely have been a 5 star.

We have just returned from holidaying in the Riu Helena Park Hotel (4*), which includes its sister hotel the Helena Sands (5*)both are sited within the same complex.

This hotel is absolutely superb in every aspect, we found it to be virtually faultless - superb pools (1 indoor and 2 outdoor), buffet style breakfast and evening meal (infact something to suit every taste)and a wellness centre that was just pure heaven (spas, 4 different types of sauna, gym, massage and manicure rooms,etc) just the job for pampering yourself whilst on holiday, internet suite, several bars, free sun loungers and complimentary towels.

The hotels are both exceptionally well laid out with attention to even the smallest of detail and the gardens are beautifully kept with flowers and trees in abundance.

Rooms spacious, with satillite TV, safe, sofa, minibar, air conditioning, telephones everywhere and huge, huge beds. Rooms are thoroughly cleaned daily, with linen changed twice weekly and a daily towel change (if you want it).

The staff are are mostly helpful, polite and friendly with the exception of receptionists whom we found to be rather snooty and with only the briefest knowledge of the English language.

Security around the complex is excellence with guards on all entrances. Whilst we stayed here the WTO were holding their 75th annual conference and the Bulgarian Prime Minister was a guest along with representative from most other countries.

The Hotels host a daily entertainment programme, which caters for most age groups. We would recommend the Helena Hotels as being the best in Sunny Beach.

However, the resort itself leaves a lot to be desired and has a long, long way to go.