I try and mention all the little things that I guess people search for in the comments section. My Wife and I stayed for 11 nights in a sea view room on the 7th Floor block A between 19th June and the 30th June. This is my impression of the resort. ARRIVAL We arrived around 1:30am and were checked in quickly. We were given our wristbands which also double as a room key which I thought was a great idea. We were on the 7th floor in block 1 or A which ever you call it. We were given our pool cards which you can exchange for pool towels between 0830 & 1830hrs or get fresh towels. We were advised that there was a late buffet available, however this was just cheese, bread and ham which you made yourself. There was no information provided about opening times of restaurants etc. A porter took our luggage to our room for us and showed how to use the safe. THE ROOM We had paid the extra for a pool view room which I recommend. The bed was comfortable however the duvets were for singles. The Aircon worked quite well and can be kept on. Storage was a little disappointing as there was no drawers anywhere. There was a large wardrobe and smaller one which contained shelves and the safe. The larger wardrobe had a number of hangers and room for your own should you bring some. There were only two sockets, one on the dressing table and one near the floor at the side of the bed. There was a chair for the dressing table. Lighting was ok with plenty of fittings but not very bright. There was a sofa which turned into another bed should you need it. There was also a table and another chair in the room. The safe was free to use and of a decent size. Please remember not to lock it when checking out as next guest will have to get reception to open it with a key so you can put your own code in (Yes this happened to us!). The bathroom was good except the shower was over a bath which can be an issue with less mobile people. Water pressure was good as was available hot water. There was a fixed hair dryer which my other half did not complain about so apart from having to dry her hair in bathroom was good. Towels were changed daily and bed linen I think weekly. There’s a volume control outside the bathroom which will pipe music into the bathroom. The bed was only made when the linen was changed but we do tend to keep it tidy anyway. The balcony was good with 2 chairs and a table with hash tray. There was also a clothes airer and the railings where of a decent height. The view allowed us to see all 3 pools and was fun watching people putting towels out in the mornings. There was a decent flat screened TV in the room. This did not work as the UHF lead to it was faulty. I reported this to reception and it was quickly fixed. There are only a few English-speaking channels DW English, Al Jazeera news, and Euro news Channel. No BBC world Service here I’m afraid. I know you don’t come on holiday to watch TV but its good to keep up with the news while your other half is getting ready. There were 2 glasses and 2 cups but no kettle. We had brought our own coffee and hot chocolate so I went down to request a kettle. The reception manager advised that there was over 1500 rooms and so not practical. Before I could complain he advised that each floor had a machine that did coffee, Hot Chocolate and Hot water. We tried it I found it excellent. The Cappuccino coffee was fab and we always had a Hot Coco at night. Why other hotels do this I don’t know. WIFI Wi-Fi is free to use although sometimes I had issues logging in FOOD The larger blocks A,B & C all have restaurants, however during the majority of our stay only one in block A seemed to be in in use especially at Lunch. I think block C opened later in the Holiday but only for breakfast and dinner. The hotel was relatively busy so you can imagine what meals times were like. It was manic during peak times with hordes of people moving between serveries. Finding a table could be difficult although there was additional seating around the indoor stage area. There was a limited number of tables outside however this was taking your life in your hands as the seagulls took no prisoners. They constantly circle the pool areas both day and night and will devour any food left unattended. The food was of a pretty good quality but got a bit repetitive. Breakfast was certainly the best. The English bacon counter was excellent and was available every day except one. My full English was fab with hash browns, scrambled egg, fried egg, English bacon, sausage and baked beans. There was also a large selection of other offerings which seemed to be the same every day but were good. It meant after a couple of days you knew where to get what you wanted quickly. Drinks where self service but were good, fresh orange from machine but things like pineapple juice for a jug. Lots of soft drinks and various coffees available. Lunch and Dinner was a little disappointing as the meats on offer where general the same e.g. pork steak, pork kebab, turkey, veal, fish and sometimes beef. There were always chips and the salad bar was pretty good. At Lunch and Dinner there’s self-service beer and wine (white, Red & Rosie) as well as soft drinks and coffees. Deserts on the over hand were very good. All with fresh cream and very tasty. There was a selection of ice cream lollipops available. The staff worked tirelessly to ensure anything was super clean. It took seconds to refresh a table which was always sprayed and laid perfectly for the next guests. It was quite amazing watching the staff who despite being run off their feet were always courteous and helpful. The serveries although mega busy were quickly restocked and I never waited too long. Breakfast was from 0730hrs to 1000hrs. A late breakfast option was available from the pool snack bar which opened at 1000hrs. Lunch was between 1230 & 1430hrs and Dinner 1800 to 2100hrs The poolside snack bar was open 1000 to 1600hrs with last orders at 1545hrs. The snack bar served a late breakfast 1000 to 1100hrs. Then from 1200hrs to closing served Hamburgers, Hot dogs, Pork Ribs, Chicken wings and chips. I must say it was excellent and always very popular. In the afternoon a trolley with biscuits would appear near the pool bar and again this was very popular. AI DRINKS All Drinks inside hotel and are served in glasses. Drinks around pool are served in paper cups. The Beer was self-service as was coffee, hot chocolate, and soft drinks. There was a limited number of cocktails but not too bad. Shorts, Cocktails and ice if required were served at the indoor and the pool bar. Measures were not bad really but the beer tasty but not really strong. The pool bar staff were amazing. They could be making several drinks and taking multiple orders at the same time. They were always pleasant and because they were super-fast it never took long to be served. POOL There are 3 main pools with a number of small children’s pools and pool with an octopus children’s slide which looked quite good. There also a heated indoor pool with limited loungers. The 2 pools between blocks A & B are identical as are the blocks themselves. There are no ladders but there are steps at each end with railing so getting in and out was easy. These freshwater pools were 1.45m in the shallow end and 1.70m in the deep end. They both seemed very cold and there was no sign of any heating. The other large pool outside block C was 1m deep with good access via steps. It was very popular with children and was heated. Although it seemed cold if you were dry, it seemed like a hot bath if you had been in the other pools. The children’s octopus pool was not heated and as with all the smaller pools was 30cm deep. The indoor pool looked good and displayed temperature was warm but did not have many loungers. It quickly filled up when the weather was inclement. There were 3 water slides, the red one being quite fun. They operated from 1000 to 1200 then from 1500 to 1700. There were life guards on all slides and pools although at times certain guards seem to be missing in action. There are loads of sunbeds, however they are packed in quite tightly. There are a number of parasols and small tables but not enough. Problem is a parasol and table nearly take up the space of a sunbed so more parasols mean less sunbeds. This can become an issue when it’s hot. With the early morning towel brigade, it was common to see parasols being moved all over the place as they reserved their favorite spots. This can cause friction which I do know about as I got embroiled in a heated argument over the stealing of a parasol while at lunch. If you do need a parasol and none can be found just ask a member of staff who will try and find one for you. They have concrete bases so are not that easy to move anyway. My other half uses a wheelchair so we really needed to be near the steps. When we first got there, we could get a decent location around 8am. Be time we were leaving if you had not put your towel down by 7am you struggled to get anywhere near the steps. Large groups seem to be block blocking sections with towels and not turning up till the afternoon which is not fair really. The hotel as signs in the lifts not to reserve beds but no one takes any notice. All you can do is play the game unfortunately. If June is not the busy period, then I would not like to see what it’s like in August BEACH The beach can be accessed by going out the front of the hotel. Then across a small road and over a so-called bridge which is really loads of small boards across the ground than feels like a hump backed bridge. Once over you are on the promenade. You then turn left for around 300 feet and you will see a sign on the right next to path saying Melia Sunny Beach. The private beach area is around 60ft up the path. The Hotel as a section with a large number of free loungers with parasols. There is a beach bar serving food and drinks from 1000hrs and a couple of Toilets. Infront of the Melia sun loungers are some other paid for loungers not linked to the hotel. The beach is lovely soft sand and it’s a good 150 feet to the waters edge. The sea itself was clear and relatively shallow although there is a slight drop in level at the edge of the surf. Temperature wise the sea was not bad and certainly warmer than the pools. We did not use the sunbeds on the beach as it was too much hassle with the wheelchair. ENTERTAINMENT The Animation team put on kids activities and adult competitions during the day. I tried the Rifle Shooting and Archery and it was good fun. If you win the get presented with certificate at the evening show. There was also Table Tennis, Yoga and Aqua Gym. The Kids evening entertainment starts at 2030hrs and lasts till 2100hrs. They call it the Mini Mini Disco and do the same stuff every night but the kids love it and I must admit the songs do stick in your head. The adult entertainment although Kids do take part starts at 2130hrs and lasts till 2230hrs. Some of the shows are excellent and are professionals brought in. The Magic show was amazing so please do not miss it. Most of the others are pretty good except live music which turned out to be Karaoke! The seating for the show is not that great as it’s a covered outside stage but most of the seating is open to the elements and split into two by a toilet block. Two nights when it was packed the heavens opened and a stampede happened. The second time we were all asked to move to the indoor stage however that doubles as a dining hall so it was crammed to say the least. OUTSIDE HOTEL Its like Blackpool but seems to go on forever. If you go out of the front of the hotel there are shops selling all sorts of stuff. Turn left and after a short distance there is a fun fair and a bit further on you will intersect with Flower Street. This is where most of the young ones hang out. Plenty of bars and clubs although its quite quiet during the day. Turn right on flower street and within a couple of hundred feet you will be on the promenade. This goes for miles with none stop souvenir shops, bag shops, tee shirts, shooting galleries, bars etc. The good news is that drinks and food are cheap. You could get a large beer for 1.90 Leva which is around 87p just off flower street and 2.90 Leva on it. We decided to have a trip to Nesebar old town which is a must really. We decided to catch the road train of which there are plenty and ended up catching the wrong one and paying for a taxi for the rest of the way. It costs around 30 Leva for a Taxi to Nesebar. I recommend getting the water taxi from the pier at the end of Flower Street. Its 15 Leva each which is around £6.88. It takes 30mins and goes to the old town Harbour. Nesebar old town is lovely. Its an Island with and manmade causeway for vehicle access. The Town fortifications are impressive although not all intact. We went round the perimeter of the island on a wide path and stopped off at some lovely bars over looking the sea. The town itself as cobbled streets and quint shops with lovely cafes everywhere. A beer here costs 4.5 Leva although we found a lovely café and had a main course with 2 drinks for around £13 for both. TIPPING I liked the way the Hotel worked. We went to Turkey a month earlier and did a five star AI. We found the level of service you received was linked to how much you tipped everyone. I don’t like this so I was very impressed that everyone got excellent service no matter if you tipped or not. There are tipping boxes in the restaurant’s reception and bars but I always tip for receiving good service and not to get good service so well-done Melia. CURRENCY EXCHANGE There are plenty of places to exchange money and to be honest they are pretty much the same to within a tenth of a Leva. The rate we got in the Hotel was 2.18 Leva per Pound. We found this to be very competitive with outside booths including the ones with a crown symbol either the same or slight lower. We did around £50 at a time but at the end of the Holiday we had quite a bit left so decided to change it back. It cost around 2.27 Leva to the pound to buy back. We ended up buying Euros as this was a good rate and we could use them for future Holidays. Two things to note. Firstly, the Airport is mega Expensive. A medium latte at the Airport is 10 Leva so be aware. The second thing is that Bulgaria is changing to the Euro in 2025 so unless your coming back before then get them changed. CHECK OUT Check out is at 1200hrs. We did not need a late check out so cannot comment on charges etc. We had exchanged our pool towels back to cards so simply handed them in at reception. Our wrist bands were cut off and we waited in the seating area. CONCLUSION Would I come back, No as we tend to try different places… Would I recommend it… Yes if the price is right. TOP TIP Get a pool view room it’s well worth it …
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.