Albena, Hotel Ralitsa

Balkan 4* Ralitsa excellent - not to be mixed up with Ralitsa 3" with First Choice. First package holiday we had for ten years but with three children, 14, 13 & 9, we certainly have no complaints at all. Hotel great, very clean. Food excellent, lots of choice - something for everybody. One private pool for Ralitsa 4* which tended to be mostly Germans but ok and very clean and peaceful. You also had a choice of a further two pools which the kids perfered as they were busier but also occupied by the Ralitsa 3* so quite noisy. Only a 5 - 10 minutes walk to beach (or free bus service every half hour) and 5 minutes walk to the main street in Albena.

This holiday wouldn't suit if you wanted lots of entertainment at night. There was one show which lasted 45 minutes and that was it. At 11 pm the all inclusive drinks stopped and basically it was bed time!

Would certainly recommend this holiday.

This was our first all inclusive holiday to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. On arrival at the Hotel Relitsa in Albena, all seemed OK. We did not know what to expect. This was at 04.30am. At 08:15am we were awake due to the noise of either cleaners or children. The walls were very thin. The food was not up to our standards, and we found the selection very poor. Breakfast and dinner was not an option. Our evening meals consisted of a banana sandwich and some fruit. This was after 5 days due to the upset stomach we had. We did go to the resort and found suitable eateries. Also, you have to be vigilant as regards personal belongings. My wallet fell out of my pocket one evening at the karaoke. I found out within minutes, but all my money was gone. Finally, the al a carte restaurant was the worst of all... Poor food and poor service. It made me appreciate good English food. Maybe the standard is good for the Bulgarians and Germans, but not for myself and my wife.

This was not a good experience for the pair of us.

On a lighter note, the flight home very good.

After reading all the hotel reviews, we were somewhat apprehensive about staying here. We are a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children aged 9 and 11.

We stayed in the 4 Star Ralitsa Superior, Albena, Bulgaria and had a lovely time!

We flew out with First Choice and were not impressed with the miserable staff and unsuitable so-called family film shown, rated 15!

The 4 star hotel is lovely and clean. It is surrounded by trees, so there is plenty of shade. Our family room was perfect, 2 en suites, a sea and pool view! It was kept spotless everyday by the maids.

The food was really delicious and a good variety everyday. The staff were very attentive.

The pool was warm and kept spotlessly clean. It is such a large complex that you could walk around it and walk off your large meal! The drinks were fine to us, they didn't seem watered down. If you want a cup of tea, being English, then ask for the milk in a separate cup and add it yourself!

The animation team were very professional and produced excellent shows.

Albena town is lovely and is so clean! It's only a 10 minute walk. It is just perfect for getting holiday souvenirs/bargains. There is a little train to take you to and from your hotel if you don't fancy the walk! We can't comment on the town at night, as we stayed on the complex in the evening.

The beach is clean, the sea is warm and it wasn't crowded! There is a shuttle bus, which takes 10 minutes, to take you there.

In you want a lovely souvenir, then book Dimitrov, the artist at the back of the complex, to do a fantastic sketch of your children or yourself. Book him in advance as he gets booked up quickly and also you have to collect your sketch a few days later.

Yes, there are a lot of Germans and the sunbeds do get taken at 8am every morning!

Yes, there is a lot of smoking in the hotel but you can escape this by sitting outside or going for a walk.

The staff on reception do need to learn a little more English and smile but we did not notice any preferential treatment.

We flew back with Bulgarian/Balkan Holidays with a very professional Cabin Crew, unlike our flight out with First Choice!

We would have given it 10/10 but have deducted a point each for the smoking and the miserable reception staff!

Overall, this was a lovely, relaxing holiday and we are so pleased we went.

In fact, we are hoping to go again.

Enjoy your holiday, you will!

I have just come back from Bulgaria and I stayed at the Ralitsa Hotel. Before going on holiday I had read a lot of negative comments about the hotel which made me a little pesimistic. However I cannot see why because everything was immaculate and clean at the hotel. Our travel company were first choice and we had two reps. They were at the hotel 7 days a week and if you had any problems or queries they were very helpful. The hotel staff were also friendly and didn't favour any guest. There was a variety of food at the hotel from salads/cakes/meat/chips and much more. Also my boyfriend nor I got ill from the food which I had read a lot of complaints about. The animation team were excellent, no matter what time of the day there was always activities from water gymnastics to darts, french bowls and club dance and much more. The shows at night were excellent too, they were also interesting and had a variety of different things each week from an Abba night to a Cocktail show. The pools were also very clean and as there were a variety of different pools they were never so busy that you couldn't move! We payed £500ea inclusive for 2 weeks and had outstanding value for money. The resort itself was suitable for families with young children or older couples, if you want something busier with more clubs I would reccomend going to Sunny Beach or Golden sands as they are more 18-30s resorts. I would reccomend the hotel Ralitsa and bulgaria to anyone. I hope this review has helped anybody who's going or thinking about going to Bulgaria.

The hotel is very clean, the pool is lovely, the animation team are very friendly and helpful, the food is nice although the same thing most of the time.

There are 2 hotels with the same name (Hotel Ralitsa) in Albena, Bulgaria. One is 3* (First Choice), and the other is 4* (Bulkan). The 3* are not allowed into certain areas of the complex, or certain pools. The all inclusive finishes @ 11pm. The entertainment is in a school hall, with chairs in rows and no drinks allowed. If you do get a seat outside for a cocktail show, the Germans stand in front of you, around the dance floor and you can't see anything. We ended up spending a lot of time out of the hotel and wished we had not gone all inclusive.

Myself and my family stayed at the Hotel Ralitsa in Albena, Bulgaria for 2 weeks, and we had a fantastic holiday. The pool was brilliant, and so was our First Choice Rep. The bar staff were also lovely. The resort isn't the biggest, but I feel it is good for families, especially those with younger children, and getting to Golden Sands costs about 40 lev return. Food at the Ralitsa was good and offered a good choice.

It wasn't very happy with reception staff, and they definitely treated the English as second best to the Germans, but we all had a great time, even though we suffered with a tummy bug for most of the holiday, but people get those things wherever they choose to go on holiday.

The Hotel Ralitsa in Bulgaria is a lovely place, and the cleanest hotel we have ever stayed in. The food was great and the bar staff were very good, except I am sure that they are told to serve the Germans first. Don't go out late at night on your own.

I have heard a lot of bad things about the food at the Hotel Ralitsa in Bulgaria, but it was excellent with lots of choice and not under cooked. The staff were very friendly, and we went out with them on some occasions. There was always room by the pool. The resort is a bit quiet, and more suited to older people or families. I would definitely go again.

I came back from the Ralista last friday I went with my mum, dad and my best friend.

We meet loads of people and made freinds with a few of the bar/ waitering staff. Specaily dido he was brill. Before we went I read some of the reviews on the net I noticed that some people said the food wasn't very nice but I thought it was I ate every night and was never ill.

The town isn't a long walk either only about 5- 10 mins. There's a great night club just down the hill were most of the teenagers from the hotel went. There was lots of English people at the hotel but we made freinds with a variety of different countries. Well what else can I say bulgaria is fantastc the hotel is fab i would love to go back again