Hotel Samokov

Wouldn't have had any problems with this hotel if it had not been for the issues I had on check out. We had prepayed for 50% of the total prior to arrival, however on check out was charged 100%, totaling 150% of the rooms rates. When the error was spotted (after charging the card) it was rectified but could only be paid as cash (offer was made to bank transfer but would have taken upto five working days, and possibly additional calls to chase and resolve). Terrible customer service to resolve the non sterling transaction charges incurred as a consequence of their mistake. Will never book directly always via 3rd party. Excellent hotel, terrible accounting and customer service.

I loved it! The location is amazing, the SPA is amazing, the pool too and they got very talanted massagers. If you are looking to go on a ski vacation, this hotel is perfect for this case. It has very good ski storage. The views from all the rooms are amazing. Surely recommending!

We stayed at the Samokov for a week in a twin room with sofa bed. Myself, my husband and our 16 yr old daughter. No, it's not the best hotel but it was cheap and fitted the bill. Plenty of storage for clothes, decent sized bathroom with a bath and a separate toilet. The beds were fairly firm but comfortable enough and the sofa bed a bit soft but fine for our daughter. It's basic accommodation but if you are just looking for a room to sleep in as you'll be out skiing all day then it's absolutely fine. It can get quite warm in the room and we cracked the balcony door open slightly most nights which then lets in the noise from the local bars which do go all night but we all had earplugs and were knackered from a day of skiing so really didn't notice. We went for the breakfast only option as eating out or getting takeaways are cheap enough. Breakfast was plentiful and there are loads of options. Bacon, scrambled eggs, beans, hash browns or french toast are all completely edible. There is also cheese, salamis, hams for a more continental style breakfast, lots of cereals, fruit and yogurt. It's Bulgaria, don't expect it to be perfect but it is filling and tasty enough to get you through a day on the slopes. I didn't see anyone eating the pasta offered but it was still there every day if that is your thing! There's a fridge in the room, handy for cold drinks and leftover takeaway food. The TV doesn't offer much choice but we took our firestick and a Smarty wifi dongle. We did get the Samokov wifi in the room but it was very slow and I wouldn't trust the open network for anything sensitive on your phone. We didn't try the spa or pool but we did use the games room, you can buy tokens from the machine and there was air hockey, table football and a few arcade games. We did go to the bowling alley one night which was fun. Yes, it says 4 star, no it's not 4 star like we might expect in the UK but seriously when it's that cheap you shouldn't be expecting that anyway. If you can put up with the odd stain and cheap carpets then it's absolutely worth the money it cost.

We booked through @balkanholidays , 4* half board hotel samakov. The hotel is more like -4*. The rooms are beyond tired and look like they haven't been updated since the cold war. The sheets wernt changed once and were full of stains. There were nail clippings in the bathroom. None of the plug sockets worked. The bath wasn't sealed around the edges so when you showered the bathroom floods. The shower head doesn't hold up, we had to tie the shower head up with a belt. There was no plug for the bath, and when we asked for one at reception it didn't fit the plug hole. The pillows were 1 small flat rock hard pillow. The pull out bed looked like a torture device and the mattress was full of holes with springs sticking out.. the sort of thing you might see at a dump. The curtains were hanging off the windows. There were marks, scuffs, dust, grime, damage all over the rooms and hall ways. The carpets torn and scraggy. Dead plants in the halls. The restaurant was absolutely unbelievable. The food was not fit for consumption and it was anyone's guess what it even was. Needless to say after 1 attempt of dinner and 1 attempt of breakfast we didn't return. The good things are the reception bar area, the Irish bar and games area. But the actual hotel accommodation and catering need condemning. We raised our concerns with Balkan Holidays and they have just palmed us off completely. Their customer service is non existent. They have had our money and that's all they care about. We have said that this should not be advertised as a 4* because your misleading people into believing they will have a good quality hotel to stay in but infact that couldn't be further from thw truth. We have emailed their customer services with the photos we took and they still don't care so I'm writing this as an honest review yo pre warn anyone booking through Balkan and anyone planning to stay and eat at the samakov.

I recently stayed at the Samokov Hotel for a ski trip with my teenage daughter, booked as part of a package through Crystal Ski (TUI). The whole experience with Crystal Ski was mostly fantastic — everything was well-organised, and the support they provided throughout the trip was excellent. I wouldn’t hesitate to book with them again. The hotel itself is a budget option in Bulgaria, and while the décor is tired and a little dated, it’s functional and clean — exactly what you'd expect for the price. Our room was comfortable, with adjustable heating via the radiator, which worked well throughout the day and night. The beds were surprisingly comfy. One downside was the noise — the walls are quite thin, so we could hear people coming back late from après-ski while we were already asleep. That’s to be expected in a ski resort where nightlife is a big part of the experience for many, though it was more noticeable for me than my daughter. The sound of flushing toilets from neighbouring rooms was also quite loud, which could be a bit disruptive at night. The bathroom is a plastic wet room — I noticed some reviews complaining about missing bath sealant, but it’s simply not designed that way. The wet room style might be different from what some people are used to, but it was practical and worked perfectly fine. Breakfast was basic but adequate — enough variety to set us up for a day on the slopes. It’s not a luxury spread, but we never left hungry. The location is a real highlight — right by the gondola, making it incredibly easy to get to the slopes. I’d definitely recommend taking the gondola up the mountain, even if you’re not skiing, just to experience the stunning views — it’s absolutely worth it. A word of advice for first-time skiers — while dry ski slope lessons back home can give you a feel for the basics, I’d suggest keeping them to just a taster session. Even if you’ve done some dry slope practice, I’d still recommend joining the beginners’ group at ski school when you arrive. Learning on real snow is completely different, and the instructors go through all the basics again anyway. In hindsight, I wouldn’t have done more than a brief dry slope session — the real learning happens on the mountain from day one of ski school. A major downside to be aware of is the sickness bug (diarrhoea and vomiting) that seems to be a constant issue in Borovets, season after season. It’s not limited to a particular hotel, or caused by water, ice, or food — it most likely spreads through the crowded, poorly ventilated bars and the generally low hygiene standards in some places. The John Smith’s pub and White House had the worst bar toilets we saw, which likely doesn’t help the situation. From what we experienced and heard from others, at least half the travellers seemed to get the bug during their stay, often losing a day or more of their holiday to illness. What’s concerning is that there appeared to be no infection control in the hotel. I saw a cleaner in