Have just returned from Sunrise Club, Sunny Beach, where we stayed for a week. The first thing to point out is that the travel brochures still list this hotel as Hotel Sunrise so when we arrived at the airport, our taxi driver did not know where the hotel was!

The hotel rooms were cleaned daily, with bedding and towels changed every other day. Yes, there were lots of birds but the pool was cleaned twice daily, if not more, and we didn't have a problem with messes on our balconies.

We stayed on a bed and breakfast basis which was ok - fried and scrambled eggs, some form of bacon(!), baked beans, tomatoes and sausages, as well as cereals, fruits and toast. Eating out in Sunny Beach was so cheap anyway that we ate breakfast on the beach a couple of times.

As a party of four, mainly in our thirties, we were glad that the hotel wasn't in the centre of the resort, taking approx 20mins to walk along the promenade to the bars and restaurants. Only 5 mins from the beach though, as well as supermarkets, bus stops and cash points. Spent most of our time in the Fat Cat restaurant/bar where the staff were very friendly and made us feel really welcome - served amazing food too, especially the mushrooms! As there was no entertainment at the hotel, we came here for bingo, karaoke and a good atmosphere.

A good night out is Khan's Tent, set in the hillside overlooking Sunny Beach and Nessebar - good food and wine, with live music and a great show with acrobats, dancers and more. Definitely recommended...

we all found this hotel to be fine, the beds and rooms was fine, the staff was in and out with in seconds. the food well what can i say it wasnt very nice at all. we ate there the first night and then that was it . the rooms was ment to be next to each other and they wasnt. yes there was birds but not a problem cause they only came out at about 5 oclock. the pool was cleaned every morning and night. the pool bar what can i say 2 of the nicest people i have ever met. always had time for the children and was very polite. the music did go on but once in ya room the music wasnt a problem

yes we would go back to this hotel only if the bar staff was still there. all in alll a very enjoyable holiday.

Cleanliness:- towels changed everyday and maid came in with a soaking wet mop and wizzed it accross the laminate flooring which was lifting ( probably from all the soaking wet mopping) had to ask for bedding to be changed after a weeks stay, but was then told we only had to ask. A huge bird problem still, as this hotel seems to be the only one that does not remove the nests that occupy every balcony and these birds do cetainly need the loo often.
The pool:- was cleaned well in a morning but then that was it till night. couldnt sun bathe as always managed to get a present from the birds. Also be careful of broken pavers around the pool, daughter cut her foot on the peices that where loose. Also whilst there a gentleman with a walking frame had a fall coming down the steep bridge over the pool to the bar.
location:- was good only 5 mins from beach if you could get accross the road, a zebra crossing was made while we was there but i not sure the bulgarian drivers know what it was, so use it carefully.
Staff was ok most managed a smile and attempt at talking, even though it suppose to be uk only hotel they struggled with most conversations. Rep was not much better either.

Entertainment??? None unless you like music blasting till when people decided to leave pool bar often 6am the music was blasting out and hearing people getting pushed in the pool at night. Also on 2 occasions the staff even slept behind bar because it probably wasnt worth going home to bed.


Would we visit again No Way

Yes we went in early june when people are only just starting to go away, but this hotel is advertised as UK only by Balkan and it is not, we had 3 coach trips of bulgarian children staying for 2 days at a time a the hotel. The Manager when asked just gave the reply that "what was she suppsoe to do with 20 empty rooms? not our problem i think and i didnt book a family hotel at a youth hostel.

sunrise club sunny beech
cleanliness was not very good because of all the birds
nesting on the balcony(bird droppings all over balcony and in swimming pool)
food very bland chicken and fish most nights
location not to bad 5min from beech but having to cross very busy road
waiter and waitess frendly and helpfull but comuication with recepion not good
the pool side bar music was to loud and went on far to long into the night (some night till 3-4 in the morning)

Rooms where quickly cleaned daily.

More english dishes would of been greatly appreciated i.e. proper bacon for breakfast.

Not far from the beach once over a busyish road, but too far from the main part of where all the action is.
Found very friendly, though language the hold-up here but what can we expect when we're in a foreign country.

Though had an enjoyable stay here, wouldn't visit again for 2 main reasons, the Bird Poo all over the place and the location of the hotel.

I would never come back to this hotel as long as the birds are there. Due to the confussion over the name change I was not able to find a review on this hotel before I went, If I did I would have asked to be changed.
There are hundreds of birds nesting on the balconys, the pool is full of bird poo, and you are not able to use it. The balconys are full of mess also and you leave your cloths out at risk of getting pooed on.
The food was ok but we found if you did not arrive as dinner started then you would not get any food.
We did however complain to Bulkan and they moved us to another hotel. After that the holiday was great.

We found the food to be very basic. The cleanliness of the rooms left a lot to be desired. We had to pull hairs out of the shower plug as it was blocked. There were holes in the bedding. What we found most appalling was the birds that constantly flock around the balconies where they are nesting. There are a lot of the birds and they constantly messed our balcony and we could not sit out there or put our clothes to dry because of the mess. The cleaners came to clean it up a couple of times a day but within it minutes it was a complete mess again.

The birds would leave their droppings in the pool and again even if this was clean throughout the day it would cover the pool. We had to ask to move from our orignal room because of the mess to one which did not catch the sun so much and to get away from the constant noise of the pool bar which went on until the early hours of the morning and on one occasion till 5 p.m. We complained to the Manager and she did have a word with them but they still continued with blasting out the music.

I complained to Balkan Holidays when I got back and what I was most amazed at was that they have still put this hotel in this year's brouchure with the health risk due to the birds nesting in the balconies. I was so surprised after telling Balkan of the problems especially the health risks with the birds that they were still adverstising this hotel in their 2009 brouchure.

I would never return to this particular hotel and would not go on a Balkan holiday again if this is the sort of accommodation they are offering.

Q: What would happen if the manager of a 52 room hotel in peak season left the day to day running of the reception, bar and restaurant to a team of 6 completely unsupervised, tired and emotional teenagers?

A: Chaos.

Before awarding this hotel a rating for 2008 I would suggest that staff at Balkan Holidays imagine the disappointment of saving all year for your holiday and then arriving at your destination after travelling for ten hours only to be told you will have to pack, unpack and move three times before getting the rooms you booked, add to this having to spend a sleepless night choking with the stench of blocked drains and mopping up the water pouring from your air conditioning unit, and then to top it all off the following morning you get served up a cold cooked breakfast by a boy wearing a vest top with hairy, sweaty armpits.

Needless to say this was not a good start to our holiday and it took a lot of effort, determination and a bl**dy good sense of humour to enjoy the rest of the week!


Restaurant food and service:
On the whole a good range of tasty food, we had three generations to cater for and we all found something we enjoyed.
Staff were friendly and cheerful but they were very young, unsupervised, tired and emotional. There were only ever two on duty in the restaurant at any one time.
Unfortunately at least 3 meals were ruined because the staff kept forgetting to replace the lids on the heated servery and on two occasions there simply weren't any lids and they forgot to switch on the soup warmer.
Guests quickly realised that the only way to ensure they got hot food was to get to the restaurant as soon as it opened and eat each course as quickly as possible before it got cold or ran out! Consequently relaxing and enjoying 'long leisurely meals' was impossible and for most people this is an essential ingredient for a good holiday.

Snack bar food and service:
It took three days for us to find out you could order snacks and pizza etc. during the day.
Again the quality was great and on the whole the service was good although one day we did wait an hour and 20 minuets for a pizza and salad because the staff were having a row which ended with two members of staff leaving!

Rooms:
The hotel was overbooked when we arrived and we were told our whole party (of three generations) would all have to stay in one family room. We asked to see the manger who offered us two family rooms temporarily but not the same ones each night so we would have to move three times before we finally got the two twin rooms we had booked!
We demanded to see the rep and move hotels and then the manager backed down and gave us two family rooms for one night (but this meant two of us having to spend the night in a flooded room with appalling smelling drains) and the next day we got the rooms we wanted. As a precaution we did ask the rep to chase it up and this may have helped.
Apparently overbooking is common practise at this hotel and other guests said they were kept waiting for days to get the rooms they booked.

The rooms and bathrooms are a good size and and are air conditioned. There is plenty of cupboard space. the showers are warm and powerful.
Our twin room didn't have two beds - just a double bed with two single quilts on it which is apparently how it's done in Bulgaria!

Communication and information:
Again chaotic. There is written information on the wall of reception from the holiday companies about transfers and trips and but there is no information about the hotel such as arrangements for meal times and the fact that there is a snack bar service!
There is a hotel information pack in each room that is dated 2003 and is no longer relevant.

Pool and pool bar:
Fabulous, clean, large pool with plenty of sunbeds. Friendly, helpful bar staff. Good prices. No definite closing time so sometimes the bar would still be open at 5.30am although staff usually turned the music down by about 2.00am.

Cleaning and maintenance:
The cleaning women and maintenance man were friendly and cheerful. The rooms were cleaned and bins emptied everyday, there didn't seem to be a routine for towel or sheet changing but we got clean towels when we asked.
There was often a problem with drains smelling and shower trays flooding and taking hours to drain. The blockages could usually be fixed by the cleaners / maintenance man but meantime the smell was unbearable and upset a lot of guests.

Location:
Just a stones throw from the beach, a shop and a supermarket but you do have to negotiate a busy road with no pavement straight outside the hotel. We coped with this but people with pushchairs and small children found it a serious problem.
The beach was beautiful and clean, the sea was warm and calm, the wide promenade offers bars, restaurants, shops, crazy golf etc.
The larger of the two supermarkets offers a wide range of groceries, toiletries, alcohol and has a fantastic deli counter.
The Sunrise is located at one end of the resort, it is a 20+ minute walk along the promenade to the centre of the resort but once there you realise it's busy and noisy and offers nothing you can't get nearer to the hotel!

Entertainment:
None but lots nearby.

General:
Despite working very long hours the staff are all cheerful and friendly but being typical teenagers they thought it was fine to have dance music blasting from the stereo during breakfast! Their hygene was questionable and being served food by a sweaty boy in a vest top isn't very nice at all. Teenagers are children and they need to be supervised!

The Manager stayed in the office most of the time and never mucked in with assistance or support during the busy times. She did appear occasionally to rant and rave and generally humiliate the staff following a complaint from a guest. Thus making guests feel unable to complain without causing more problems for these shattered kids who are being paid a pittance to work 16 hour days with seemingly no adult guidence or support.

Summary:
Overall we enjoyed our holiday. It was truly an experience to stay in a small private hotel and see the Bulgarian hospitality industry in a way you never could if you stayed at an international chain hotel. But we all agreed that we couldn't have coped if we had to stay at this hotel for two weeks! And that's a shame because essentially it has all the right ingredients for a great hotel - wonderful food, great location, friendly staff, fantastic pool area, good sized rooms.

If the staff had some adult supervision this hotel might stand a chance of deserving it's 3 star rating. As it is it barely deserves 2 stars.

The rooms were clean, with clean towels everyday, although the bed sheets were never changed.The food was inedible, we tried on a few occasions to eat something but ended up with stomach upsets.The location wasnt too bad, it was quiet, crossing the road to the beach was dangerous and scarey at times. Some of the hotel staff were friendly, apart from the teenagers running the restaurant. No entertainment in the hotel at all. We would not use this hotel again.

We booked a half board holiday expecting to get breakfast and an evening meal. This was available but after the first night we knew that we wouldnt be eating there again. Nothing was covered up and flies seemed to enjoy the sludge that was supposed to be 'food'! The bread was mouldey and served again the next day for breakfast. After this we ate out every night at the local bars/restaurants as we had all had an upset stomach from the hotel food! This was an added expense that was not expected!

The pool area is NEVER cleaned and with the hundreds of birds that surround the hotel the pool and the floor was covered in droppings! The steps to get in/out of the pool are dangerous and one gentleman fell in the pool and the residents had to save him from drowning - the hotel staff saw this but chose to ignore it!

The hotel is situated at the end of sunny beach. There is no entertainment and it is about a 30 minute walk to get to the busy part of the resort. Again if a taxi is needed the cost of the holiday overall increases.