Albena , Albena Beach Club Hotels Reviews

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Good Points: Staff, Service, Food, Beach Location,

Bad Points: Main Pool location, Bar Opening/closing times

General comments: We had some bad reviews prior to going, but we enjoyed it.
The hotel is actually 2. Hotel M (where we were) and hotel S which is joined to it. Both hotels could do with a bit of tidying up (paint, tiling etc) but both were very clean. Rooms are changed daily. All staff were very helpfull and polite - reception staff spoke very good English and most bar and restaurant staff could understand.
Food was buffet style but very varied and of good quality. They tend to cook their pork on the pink side but apart from that no complaints. Even had shark on the menu which I tried for the first time and liked.
The restaurant was very clean, rarely very busy except at peek times.
We found that breakfast was best before 08-15, lunch before 13-00 and evening meals before 19-00.
Snacks are available from the pool bar consisting of beefburgers, chicken nuggets, pizza, spaghetti, chips etc.
The all-inclusive package is pretty good, most local spirits, wine, beer, ice-cream. Though cocktails are to pay for (though I'm sure they could be made from local gear)
The hotel is sat right on the beach - hop over the pool bar wall and you're stood on the sand with a 20 second run to the sea.
The beach has enough sunbeds and parasols for everyone without "reserving" but then you have to pay on the beach. 2 lev a bed, 3 lev a parasol - i think.
Sunbeds and parasols are free around the pools and usually available up untill about 08-30 when they are all taken or "reserved"
There are 3 pools. 2 small pools at Hotel M side - next to the pool bar. They are not paddling pools as some people seemed to think and are quite deep. The other main pool (which is featured in the brochures) has slides etc and is located next to Hotel S but actually belongs to Hotel Gergana. The bar next to this pool belongs to Gergana and as such you have to pay here. You can go into Hotel S reception and get inclusive drinks from the bar there but it does detract from your enjoyment of the pool. We stayed by the small pools and had 2 teenage children and 2 aged 7 and 5. They loved it.
Entertainment is pretty basic - for those used to the First Choice animation teams will be dissappointed. The animation team are Bulgarian and think that darts on the beach is the bees knees. Again, evening entertainment is at the pool bar next to Gergana so you are trapsing around for inclusive drinks or you just bite the bullet and pay. Beer isn't as cheap as you may have been led to believe. Tales of 50p a pint are greatly exagerated! If you got a pint for £1-50 then you got a good deal.
Off site and you can walk into Albena resort in about 15-20 minutes. It's a nice walk with restaurants and bars along the way that you may want to check out. Or you can take the Noddy train which runs every 20mins and costs 2lev wherever you get dropped off.
Albena has plenty of bars, restaurants. A bowling alley, bazaar and and an amusement park with some pretty dodgy and scarey rides.
The biggest let down was the bar times. Pool bar opened at 09-00 the others opened at 10-00. All inclusive finished at 23-00 though the bar stayed open!!! Then you got your wallet out.
Well recommended.