HVD Reina del Mar

We paid around €400 per night to stay at HVD Reina del Mar, a 5-star Ultra All Inclusive resort, and unfortunately the experience was nowhere near the standard or price we expected. The problems started the moment we arrived. The hotel parking was full, so we were directed to park in what was basically a dirt and grass lot between trees. We could barely get our luggage out of the car because of the uneven dirt and grass. We were then told to walk to the lobby and ask someone with a golf cart to come back for our luggage. When we entered our first-floor room, there was a very strong mold/musty smell. Then I opened the cabinet to put my clothes away and found a huge amount of spider webbing inside. There were also spider webs and a spider in the bathroom. The photos speak for themselves. This is simply not the level of cleanliness I expect from any hotel, never mind a 5-star resort charging €400 per night. The phone in our room didn't work either. When I needed an iron, I had to walk back to reception. Instead of apologizing, I was told that I should have checked the bathroom because there was another phone there. I also told them about the mold smell. Their response was basically that they would tell housekeeping. Nobody came to inspect the room, nobody addressed the smell, and nobody followed up with us. The resort was also extremely overcrowded. Finding a chair around the pool was nearly impossible. Guests would put towels on chairs early in the morning and leave them there for hours without actually using them. Kids at the adults only pool. The overcrowding continued at night. There were nowhere near enough outdoor tables around the lobby for the number of guests, and finding somewhere to sit was difficult. The à la carte restaurants were fully booked, so during our stay we didn't even get the opportunity to experience something that is supposed to be part of the Ultra All Inclusive experience.The food was another major disappointment — bland and almost tasteless, and the alcohol being served felt cheap and low quality. Communication was also surprisingly difficult because many of the staff we dealt with couldn't communicate properly in either Bulgarian or English. I understand that hotels can be busy during peak season, but when you market yourself as a 5-star Ultra All Inclusive resort and charge around €400 per night, guests should not have to deal with dirt-lot parking, a mold-smelling room, spider webs, broken equipment, overcrowded facilities, and being unable to access the à la carte restaurants. We came here expecting a premium 5-star experience. Unfortunately, what we received did not come close to matching the price or the 5-star rating. Very disappointing.

We stayed at the hvd reina del mar in August for 1 week and were blown away, it was AMAZING. We were given room 1521 which was huge with a balcony. Overall the room was very good but there were a few minor niggles; bathroom door was worn out, shower water pressure was unpredictable, one of the 2 sinks was blocked. Positives were; cleaning service was very good, plenty of storage, comfy beds. The main restaurant was HUGE and catered for all needs, babies, children, those with dietary needs. The supply of food was endless. There was a salad station, dips, cheese, meats, breads, pizzas and then cooked foods which varied each day. We had dinner at the other 4 restaurants and were impressed, particularly by the Asian and Italian restaurants. We liked that you could visit the other restaurants (bar the Asian) for breakfast and lunch too. The resort was seriously impressive and huge. We did an average of 10000 steps each day without even trying. The walk from the main hotel to the beach was lovely, through beautiful well kept gardens and past a number of pools. The beach was well maintained and sunbeds were always available, whether at 11am or 2pm. The pools were clean and again had sunbeds available at any time of day. The evening entertainment was really good, great dancers. We even had a pool party and beach party, plus fireworks on the beach Sunday night. The children's entertainers were super friendly and inclusive. The indoor spa was fairly small as was the gym. It got very crowded one morning when there was a rain shower. Otherwise they were a great addition to the hotel and we used the gym most days. We liked that there were very few British families there so it felt like we were really away from home, but this might not suit everyone. There were no English channels on the TV but this didn't bother us too much. Overall, we would definitely recommend this hotel and would consider returning.

I had heard positive reviews about this hotel, and while some aspects are great, the service was deeply disappointing for a 5-star establishment.THE POSITIVES:Beautiful Grounds: The hotel has lovely, well-maintained facilities and a vast territory.Great Beach: The beach is beautiful and endless (though these are simply the natural perks of Bulgaria's coastline).THE NEGATIVES (SERVICE & DISCRIMINATION):The Issue: The staff includes international workers (Ukrainians, Turks, Indonesians). While there is nothing wrong with hiring foreign labor due to local shortages, these employees must respect the guests and follow local regulations.Unacceptable Behavior by Server Ozan: I am a guest who uses crutches. A waiter of Turkish origin named Ozan showed a negative attitude toward me from day one and flatly refused to serve me at both the pool and the evening bar.The Consequences: When confronted, he made poor excuses to his managers, claiming he was 'too busy'. Today is my fourth day here, and I am forced to get my own drinks from the pool bar and the amphitheater. Meanwhile, Ozan deliberately walks past me with a raised tray, covering his face to ignore me.CONCLUSION:It is unacceptable that I am forced to speak English in my own country just to avoid going hungry or thirsty in a 5-star hotel. If someone does not want to work, they should quit so that competent, responsible young people can take their place. If this type of discrimination against a disabled guest happened in Turkey, this waiter wouldn't have kept his job for another day."

A 5-star hotel with 1-star service – disappointing from the very first day This is only our first day at the hotel, and unfortunately the level of service has already been shockingly poor. The hotel itself may be nice, but that becomes almost irrelevant when the attitude and professionalism of the staff are so far below what you would expect from a 5-star property. The worst experience so far was with the bellboy/luggage attendant. Before check-in, reception explained that we should not take our luggage ourselves because we first had to park the car elsewhere, and that the luggage would be taken to the luggage room. When we politely asked the luggage attendant to help us with this, he actually raised his voice at us and complained that, since we had not checked in yet, he did not understand why he should have to deal with our luggage and supposedly “do the same thing four times.” In reality, the luggage only needed to be taken to the luggage room once, as we would collect it ourselves from there later. Whether his shift had just ended or not is completely irrelevant from a guest’s perspective. If there was an issue, it should have been handled internally or communicated politely. A guest at a 5-star hotel should never be shouted at for simply following the instructions given by reception. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be an isolated incident. From our interactions on the very first day, the general attitude of several members of staff has felt unwelcoming and poorly trained. The luggage attendant simply took it to another level. The experience before arrival was not much better. We emailed the hotel asking whether early check-in might be possible and received no reply even after approximately 12–14 hours. The arrival procedure itself is also surprisingly inconvenient. You are apparently not allowed to drive into the hotel grounds before completing the check-in/payment process. Instead, you have to find somewhere to leave your car on the street — in our case at least around 300 metres away — walk to reception, complete the formalities, and only then are you allowed to return to your car and drive onto the property. We were told that early check-in was not possible, which is perfectly understandable if the hotel was full. What is difficult to understand is the complete lack of hospitality surrounding the situation. At a genuine 5-star hotel, even when a room is not ready, you expect staff to welcome you, explain the situation professionally, take care of your luggage and perhaps suggest where you can comfortably wait or what facilities you can use in the meantime. Luxury hospitality is not defined only by the building, the rooms or the number of stars displayed at the entrance. It is defined by how guests are treated. And based on our experience from the very first day, this hotel may have five stars on paper, but the service we have received so far is nowhere near a 5-star standard. We still have the rest of our stay ahead of us, and I sincerely hope our experience improves. If it does, I will gladly update this review. But for a hotel positioning itself in the 5-star category, this has been an extremely disappointing first impression.

We had a wonderful stay at Reina Del Mar at the end of July. One thing that really stood out was the food. I don't eat meat so always worry that the buffet won't provide enough variety, but it was incredible. I could have eaten there 3x a day every day and eaten something different at each meal. The other restaurants were also fantastic. We travelled as a family with 2 children (5 and 2 years) and it was incredibly family friendly whilst still feeling like a luxury resort for adults. Our children loved the different pools and the entertainment, and there was always something for them to eat. The cleanliness of the hotel was second to none. Every morning you can see the staff meticulously cleaning ever sun lounger, floor, light fitting etc. It was spotless! I am a travel agent so look at hotels daily and my standards are high. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending Reina Del Mar to my clients! And hopefully we will come back again too.