Hotel Casa Art

We stayed here for one night over the Christmas 2021 holiday. There are some good points and some bad points. First of all though, I should point out that the price was right at the top end of what I would expect to pay in Bulgaria for such a room. The good points: The room we took was described as a suite, and this is fair enough, given that there is a separate living areas, bedroom and bathroom. However there was also a bunk bed (unused in our case) in the living room, which cuts down the available space by a certain amount. The living area isn't huge but the booking site did make the floor space (in square metres) clear. It is very comfortably furnished in an individual style that we found very pleasant. It was also very warm despite the weather outside being on the cold side: there was a fairly heavy snowfall overnight. The bed was very comfortable and extra pillows and blankets were available in the wardrobe, not that we needed them. The bathroom was also very good except that the shower is over the bathtub and there is no shower curtain! This had the predictable effect of ensuring that water gets spread over a much larger area than you would like. The bare wooden frame of the bathroom mirror was clearly already suffering from repeated soaking by the shower. Breakfast was fantastic. It was a lovely surprise to come downstairs in the morning to find a table reserved specifically for our room. It's almost certain that there will be something you like for breakfast and everything seemed of high quality. The restaurant area was also decorated for Christmas in a very charming way. I just wish I'd had a bit more appetite. The whole hotel is decorated with artworks apparently by one of the owners. It seems there are demonstrations, exhibitions and workshops run by the hotel on art-based themes as well. Information about these is easily accessible. You can by bowls, cups, plates and so on also made by the same person, and they are very nice but also rather expensive. The not-so-good points: There is no safe in the room. When we arrived we found reception unstaffed, and there was a notice - IN BULGARIAN - saying "look for us in the restaurant." Well at that point, we didn't know where the restaurant was of course (there are no signs), and if I'd been unable to understand Bulgarian, I would have been completely lost at that point. After a long journey, the last thing you need is to have to go searching through a hotel to find a member of staff. When we did find someone, she seemed blissfully unconcerned at what had just happened. This is not really acceptable in a hotel that markets itself as it does. The room was on the first floor and there is no lift, so you have to lug your suitcases upstairs. No help was offered at all. When we asked if there was a lift, the member of staff just said "Oh it's only on the first floor," once again appearing to be unconcerned for the impression she was making, i.e. not a good one. Fortunately we are suffic