"We stayed at Meliá Sunny Beach for 10 nights in mid-August as a family of four – two adults, our 5-year-old son and 11-month-old daughter. It was our first time in Bulgaria; we normally go to Turkey for all-inclusive holidays. We paid around £3,000 including flights from London, while Turkey for the same dates started at £3,500–£4,000, so Meliá offered excellent value.
Even before arrival, customer service was outstanding. We emailed several questions about baby food and requested a high floor, and always received quick, detailed replies. We arrived around 1pm and were checked in immediately. We had a pool-view room on the 7th floor of Block A, with a beautiful view towards the mountains.
The room was very spacious, although the décor and bathroom looked slightly dated. However, the cleanliness was exceptional – genuinely one of the cleanest hotels I’ve ever stayed in. Housekeeping was excellent. Air conditioning worked perfectly, beds were comfortable and the large balcony had a drying rack. Bathroom toiletries were full-size Rituals products, which was a lovely touch. We also received Bulgarian wine, sweets and a handwritten welcome card.
The customer service deserves a special mention. Our son accidentally pulled a curtain off its hooks; staff came quickly, fixed it and even left sweets. We later lost our daughter’s swimsuit somewhere in the resort. Reception found it within a couple of hours, delivered it to our room and brought little gifts for the children. Absolutely exceptional service.
Food was excellent. There are three main buffet restaurants with Bulgarian, Italian and Spanish themes, plus other restaurants. Initially the buffets looked smaller than what we’re used to in Turkey, but during 10 days we never got bored. Food changed regularly and was genuinely delicious, with lots of seafood. Breakfast had eggs, pancakes, yoghurt, porridge, sausages, cold meats, cheeses and vegetables. I loved the Bulgarian sirene, banitsa and especially the incredible Bulgarian tomatoes!
If the Chinese restaurant is open, GO! The hot pot was fantastic – you choose your broth and ingredients and cook everything at your table. We went several times.
Drinks were also surprisingly good, especially the wine and evening mojitos. One downside is that after around 9pm there is virtually nowhere to get food, although there is a reasonably priced supermarket nearby.
The pools are good, although there is no proper shallow baby pool. The children’s pools are around 90cm deep. The slides have quite limited opening hours. Pool/beach towels are provided and can be changed daily.
Huge credit to Meliá for actually stopping people reserving sunbeds with towels and disappearing! Staff genuinely monitored this. However, at around 11am it could still be difficult to find several sunbeds together.
My biggest criticism is the cleanliness of the communal areas. The rooms were spotless, but there simply weren’t enough cleaners around the pools and snack bar for the number of guests in peak season. We saw rubbish, empty plates and cups left around. One woman was smoking beside the children’s pool despite a No Smoking sign and throwing cigarette ends on the floor; nobody challenged her or cleaned them up.
I also really dislike the disposable paper cups used around the pool. They quickly become soggy and, in windy weather, blow around the resort. Reusable washable plastic cups would be much more practical and environmentally responsible.
The Wi-Fi was terrible – our phones sometimes connected but nothing loaded, so I used mobile data throughout the holiday.
Soundproofing isn’t great either. You can hear neighbouring rooms, and the main evening entertainment is loud and continues until around 11pm, which is worth knowing if your children go to bed early.
The hotel is huge (over 1,000 rooms) and the grounds are relatively compact, so yes, it is BUSY in August. But personally I don’t think it’s fair to book a huge family resort in peak season and then complain that there are lots of people. We choose large resorts precisely because of the infrastructure – pools, Kids’ Club, play areas, slides and entertainment for children.
The beach is only a few minutes’ walk away and is beautiful, with lovely sand and a very gentle entry into the sea. However it was extremely busy in August. We arrived around 11am one day and all the Meliá sunbeds were taken, so we paid €16 for two in the public area. The Meliá beach facilities could also be better: only a couple of toilets and very limited food (mainly sandwiches).
There are shops, a pharmacy and supermarket close to the hotel. Public transport stops are nearby too. We took a taxi to the Old Town for around €15 – my advice is to agree the price and don’t be afraid to negotiate.
Check-out at 12 noon was another big plus. We left our luggage at reception and continued using the hotel until our transfer at around 6pm. Showers and toilets are available, which makes a late departure much easier. The transfer to the airport took only around 40 minutes.
Would I return? Yes.
For around £3,000 for four people for 10 nights in peak August, I think Meliá Sunny Beach offered excellent value. The highlights were the outstanding customer service, exceptionally clean rooms, delicious food and great family facilities.
If the hotel improved the cleaning of busy communal areas and replaced those paper cups with reusable ones, it would be an even better family resort.
If you’re looking for a tiny, quiet boutique hotel, this isn’t it. But if you want a large, lively family all-inclusive with plenty for children to do, good food and excellent service, Meliá Sunny Beach is a very good choice."
