Review Marina Beach Hotel - Golden Sands

By: Mike  (August 29, 2006)
Hotel name: Marina Grand Beach *****
Hotel location: Golden Sands Resort, Bulgaria
Comment: Lets get one thing straight - Varna airport is a joke with a capital J !! Expect a long and hot wait for your baggage inbound, and an even longer wait outbound whilst every piece of baggage is put through a SINGLE baggage scanner BEFORE you get to check-in. The hotel has a disco in the basement which goes on until very late. We had a junior suite (enormous rooms) on the top (8th) floor and could still hear some music from the street cafe around the hotel. As has been mentioned, unless you get up really early sunbeds are at a premium, so........don`t lay in !! Food ? OK, but so repetative and they have a real problem cooking poached eggs - most of them are under-done. Reception staff were generally very helpful and you get a good exchange rate. Poolside was always clear and tidy as were all the rest of the hotel areas. Plenty of bars in the hotel (including a 24 hour one) and drinks are cheap - 3 lev (Ј1) for a pint of local lager. Cocktails between 5 and 7 lev (just under to just over Ј2). A lot of russians and a few germans but everybody was pretty well behaved (no drunken mayhem that we saw). Lots and lots of stalls just across the road mostly selling usual tourist tat but stallholders do not hassle you. Bulgaria is very cheap for food and drink - 4 people could easily eat and drink for well less than Ј20. We took a day trip to Varna which was not such a good idea when the temp was well over 100F. However, go and have a look at the Cathedral - it is well worth a look even if you are not religious. Would we go back ? With Varna airport you cannot be serious - it is enough to put you off for life. The duty free shop in the airport consists mainly of alcohol, local cigarettes, crisps and cosmetics - so don't both.
------------------
By: Thomas  (August 26, 2006)
Hotel name: Marina Grand Beach *****
Hotel location: Golden Sands Resort, Bulgaria
Comment: The hotel was very clean and rooms spacious. However in the whole week at the hotel was unable to get a sunbed!!! A real downside. Had to go to the Hotel Sophia and pay for beds and umbrellas. Although their pool was far nicer.
Food was ok, very repetitive. Reception staff were very helpful and pleasant but he waiters in the restaurant could have done with some lessons in customer service. No entertainment in the hotel in the evenings. Resort was very busy with very little to do in the evening. Don't waste your money going to aqua park, very poor. Had experienced all the slides within an hour.
------------------
By: Dave, Elaine and Jack - Hatfield  (July 2004)
Hotel name: Marina Grand Beach *****
Hotel location: Golden Sands Resort, Bulgaria
Comment: I will keep this Brief. This is absolutely the Best Holiday I have ever had! Bulgaria is Fantstic, the people are great, Golden Sands, although purely a holiday resort, is unspoilt. The Beaches are beautiful, the sea is warm, there is plenty to do for all the family. The Marina Grand is a first class hotel, the rooms were well equiped with air con and a miny bar, we even had a brand new cot put in our room complete with bedding for the baby, and much to our surprise, it was better than the travel cot we lugged out there. The main thing about the hotel though was how clean it was and how well it was maintained. Clean towels and bedding every day, rooms hoovered and polished everyday. The Food in the Hotel, although a bit repetitive, was well cooked and presented and there was plenty of variety. I cant say enough about how great this resort is. Will I be going back? Absolutely! We didn't want to leave. If you are thinking about The Marina Grand and Golden Sands, don't, just book it and enjoy yourselves.
------------------
By: (June 2003)
Hotel name: Marina Grand Beach *****
Hotel location: Golden Sands Resort, Bulgaria
Comment: Marina beach hotel was good standard of hotel at the end of the resort. Directly over the road from the beach. The pool around the hotel was clean and good, the Germans hogged the sunbeds, from early morning. The food in the hotel was very much focused on the Germans and was rather poor quality and very repetitive. Hotel rooms very high standard and also bathroom. Rooms cleaned very well every day and clean towels everyday. Towels can be provided for around the pool for a deposit which is returned when you return the towel. Entertainment at night very pool, one night club with local dancers. No day time entertainment. Very close to local shops and bars and restaurants, the beach is very clean and the sea is also very clean and safe.
------------------
By: Dave Piercy - wirral (October 2003)
Hotel name: Marina Grand Beach *****
Hotel location: Golden Sands Resort, Bulgaria
Comment: To say we were pleased with the hotel would be an understatement. We didn't just have a room we had a suite with two bathrooms a lounge two setees two televisions and a huge bed. Our huge balcony overlooked the black sea and to get to our room we had to pass a bar which was open 24hrs (Heaven!!!) The food was excellent with at least three meat dishes every night as well as the usual salads and veg. The desserts were delicious and the breakfasts were magnificent. The service in the hotel was first class the staff could not have been friendlier and when you consider how lowly paid they are it is amazing. The only disappointing thing about the holiday was that because it was the end of the season the resort was beginning to close down and the entertainment was very limited, there just seemed to be a few bars with entertainment in the form of a couple of people singing and playing guitars. The beaches are magnificent with plenty of beds although I thought these were quite expensive if you use them everyday about 15leva (£6) a day for two. A word of warning the duty free shop at the airport on the homeward journey does not take Bulgarian money (only english money and euros) so get rid of it before you leave. The weather was very hot in the daytime but it went a bit chilly at night so take a jumper if you go at this time of year. Despite reading some bad comments about the flights we were on am airbus 320 which was quite comfortable, the meal was very basic but edible and we were served with soft drinks twice. The fact that there was no alcohol or duty free sales was no great hardship so we were pleasantly surprised on this aspect of the holiday too.
All in all despite our reservations before the holiday I am glad to say they were all unfounded and we had a very nice holiday.
Well done the Marina Princess and well done Bulgaria.
------------------