Guest User
June 1, 2024
We have just returned from our first trip to Bulgaria... what a wonderful experience! We had booked 3 nights at the King's Valley Medical & Spa Hotel, but added another night as there is so much to do there! We will be back, and highly recommend. It is excellent value for money. (It's best to book direct with the hotel, to take advantage of their direct discounts and benefits). I have travelled around the world and have experienced some wonderful 5* hotels (for work), this hotel is right up there with the best! Our room was large, clean and very comfortable, with a wonderful view. Nature welcomes you every day... we woke to the sounds of the Cuckoos calling; and it was wonderful to experience the House martins swooping past our balcony. Whilst sitting in the outdoor thermal pool, we watched the Storks rising on mountain thermals, then glide high above us and off along the King's Valley. Nightingales sing all day long. These birds are now very rare in the UK. The Spa is large and very well designed. My therapists were exceptional, and spoke excellent English (whilst I didn't tell them at the time, I am also a trained massage therapist, so I know what's good & what's not). I had a relaxing massage and two facials, which were wonderful. I had the pleasure of meeting Ivan the Spa manager, who has clearly handpicked the therapists, and trained them in his international blend of therapy methodology, to an exceptionally high standard. We ate in all three restaurants: Trakia is casual and buffet style. Alba is quieter and more formal a la carte. Sofra serves Bulgarian food in large portions! (I thought I had ordered a Trout fillet, I was served a whole large trout, so best to be hungry when you dine there). The Bulgarian wines were really good too. The Lounge bar served fabulous whiskies. We hired a car and explored the Valley of the Thracian Kings; visited a local Rose Distillery and journeyed up into the Balkan Mountains to visit Etar ethnographic village, and Shipka mountain monument, and the archaeological museum in Kazanluk town. Downsides? the Bulgarians like to smoke, and there weren't any non-smoking areas on the outside terrace of Trakia restaurant. Some staff don't have the necessary 5* aplomb which is required in the international 5* hotel market (this will come with age & experience). The positives far outweigh the negatives. I highly recommend this wonderful hotel.