Sofia Palace Hotel by HMG

Pros +

• Location a short stroll from the main tourist area, many places to eat within a 10-15 minute dander. 'Safe area' to walk in but one must always watch their step (more so in the dark) as the pavements were full of trip hazards with broken paving, etc - not the fault of hotel but of local municipality. Staff welcoming, helpful and informative about the area. The room we booked had a seperate sitting area, which was most welcome as extra space. Fridge in room with minibar if you wanted it (chargeable). Complementary Kettle, tea, coffee, water in room available daily. Self-service breakfast was a good selection of cereals, fruit, breads, meats, cheeses, drinks, more than adequate to set you up for the day. Overall good value for money
• The Hotel is close to the center, so you can walk around. The breakfast was very nice and enough to give you energy for the day. The room was bigger than expected, so it was very comfortable.

Cons -

• A socket came out of the wall - just ignored it, it's the Balkans! Central air conditioning still on 'winter mode' so no cool air in room (one of our days it was 25C). Hotel did apologise for this at start of our stay and recommend we keep window open. Did this, and not disturbed too much by city noise but gave a few blood suckers (muzzies) a chance to invade the room at night. Nothing else negative.
• Time has begun to show its signs in the hotel.. Maybe it's time to think about starting the renovation processes. Of course, this does not affect the whole very good image of the hotel.