Crystal Palace Boutique Hotel

This is an outstanding hotel right next to Sofia University. The staff members go out of their way to be helpful, the rooms are VERY spacious and clean, and the breakfast is incredible (eat outside for a lovely way to start the day). I was in Sofia for a work conference, and I felt right at home. Any concern or question was immediately addressed. And for the quality of the accommodations the rates are very reasonable.

Spacious rooms and bathrooms. Restaurant and breakfast below average. A lot of staff.. not sure what they were doing besides reading newspapers and talking. Cleaning below average Not a good choise if you prefere effectivness and good Quick service,

A pleasant hotel in the city centre. At first sight, the reception does not give the impression of the rooms or even the bar, because they are very well kept. The restaurant perhaps leaves something to be desired.

Having spent the last week up in the Rhodopi Mountains in a small hotel that couldn't do enough for us; it was a bit of a shock arriving at the Crystal Palace Hotel! The lobby looked lovely with it's spiral staircase & marble floors but as our group checked in, there was a distinct lack of friendliness from the receptionist & the rest of the staff! As we entered our spacious room, we were greeted by a smell of stale cigarette smoke so had to throw the windows open to disperse it! We saw that we were at the back of the hotel & were overlooking a bar area where people were sitting drinking-this became a problem when we went to bed as the party carried on until 1am 7 could be heard even through closed windows! The room had brown, old fashioned furniture which made it dark & the bathroom had wallpaper peeling off & several hairs in the bath! There was no milk for drinks & no answer when we rang down to reception! The hotel is very much 'style over substance' for us-we would prefer good, friendly customer service rather than sullen, non interacting staff! The only saving grace was the food which was lovely, especially the buffet breakfast which had a lot of choice although we would have preferred some traditional Bulgarian food being as we were in the capital! When we checked out, we tried to pay by cash for our bar bill only to be told that they had no change! The receptionist tried to make us pay by credit card but we did not want to do this so managed to get smaller notes to only give a small tip-we would have preferred not to! Asked how our room was, we explained about the noise outside only to be told, "We don't think it's a problem".......why ask then? The hotel is 20 minutes away from the airport & is centrally positioned in Sofia but the lack of customer service means that we will not return!

For me the best thing about this hotel was the location, being very close to the Alexander Nevski Cathedral. We had a standard room and it was surprisingly spacious, including the bathroom, but dated. Getting in and out of the bath could be a problem for some people as it is very high, we just about managed it without injury. The hair dryer was not very good, so if a decent blow dry is important to you, bring your own. Servicing of the room was hit and miss, one person was very good the other not so much. L`Occitane toiletries' were a nice touch. I would suggest asking for a quiet room as the hotel is on a busy cobbled road. Our room was at the back overlooking the out door patio. The breakfast was OK, three of our five days it was very quiet on the other two days it was very busy. On our last morning they ran out of many of the items and these were not replenished.

I stayed for two nights in May and the room was tiny, smelled heavily of smoke and alot of noise from room next door. Breakfast was limited and not worth the money I payed. There was no dinner option in the hotel for the evening as the restaurant was closed, but there are options in the neighbourhood, albeit expensive and low quality. The Health Club is a nightmare and not even 1 star. The sauna kept switching off, and the heat source is infront of the sauna door, which is very dangerous !! The steam room is very dirty and smells - not to mention very slippery especially with the hotel slippers. The shower had no shampoo and when I asked the staff they said they ran out. The jacuzzi water was totally murky and probably infested with germs, be careful. The staff are ok and speak decent English - but I guess it is expected? All in all the hotel was not worth the money they expect and next time I will stay at the Intercontinental or the Hyatt which I am told are new hotels.