Howdy all and welcome to another ‘Accommodation Review’. Today, I’m reviewing the somewhat interesting place I stayed when I was in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, which was a curious little guesthouse I guess which was in a lady’s house. I was hoping to keep the costs down at this point in my trip knowing that once I hit Western Europe I was going to get pretty severely especially in accommodation fees. So I find ‘Hotel Paradise’ as I found most of my hotels etc, via Agoda. Why they seem to always be lower than booking.com I don’t really know – it’s the same company. But that’s how it is!

It’s often hard to get a real lock on what you have booked until you get there, but in this case I was reasonably well prepared for what I was booking. I arrived in the evening by bus, and I was within walking distance of Hotel Paradise.

It was completely dark and around 9pm. So it wasn’t super late, but nevertheless I sent Hotel Paradise a message to let them know I was arriving late. I was still pretty surprised to find Sofia somewhat deserted when I got there. Yes, it was around 9pm but also I was well within the centre of town. I walked up the main road, appreciating I was in East Europe again with its trams and trolleybuses. A fifteen minute walk and I found myself on a suburban street near the middle of town.

I’m not sure I had seen a single person although a tram or two had rolled past me. A gate with a small sign ‘Hotel Paradise’ on it, buzzed in it was a house with a small yard and two floors. The lady lead me up the stairs to the converted second storey which appeared to have a few small rooms separated from the house. She pointed out a few features of the room and then I never saw her again.

The room was a bit pokey, felt smaller than the photos make it look. The beds were sufficient but not what you would call comfortable. The bathroom was pokey and the sort that gets wet all over when you use the shower. Usually these sort of places are basically ‘homestays’ and you get to hang with and meet the others staying here and perhaps get to know the family somewhat. I was out all day there but still there was not that sort of vibe. Noise from the next room was a bit of an issue as well.

The price was around $52AUD, or around $35USD. Which is cheap I guess but not a super bargain and doesn’t really compare to prices of 20 years back before Bulgaria was in the EU, which is not surprising but I still felt that considering the size, quality and kind of accommodation it was, not including breakfast, that it was a bit overpriced.

But at the end of the day, it was cheaper than most of the places I had stay in the previous four weeks, and was a budget option. Budget certainly is not what it used to be!

Andy’s Ratings:

Location: 3/5

Value for Money: 2/5

Noise: 2/5

Service: 2.5/5

Cleanliness: 3.5/5

Total: 13/25 [52/100]

Thanks for popping by! May the Journey Never End!