Secrets Sunny Beach Resort & Spa

Honest Review! My partner and I booked what was meant to be a relaxing, premium holiday, but it turned into a deeply distressing and unsafe experience that we feel was entirely unacceptable for a five-star resort and a Jet2 package holiday. Critical Issues 1. End of Season Closure & Misleading Location We were moved from the central Alua Soul to the remote Secrets Hotel. Upon arrival, we were informed that it was the end of the season, and the entire surrounding resort/strip was closed. The hotel felt completely isolated, with no nearby shops, bars, or restaurants operating. * No Warning: At no point during booking or before travel were we warned that the area would be completely shut down. Had we known, we would never have chosen this destination or travel date. * Early Closures: Critical facilities began shutting down while we were still there. The indoor pool heating was turned off on September 30th, and heating in public areas was switched off from October 6th as part of the hotel’s seasonal closure. The on-site shop was packing up and running out of supplies days before our departure. We paid for a full holiday experience; this is unacceptable. 2. Severe Flooding, Unsafe Conditions, and Illness During our stay, the area experienced severe flash floods. While the weather is uncontrollable, the hotel’s response was dangerous and wholly inadequate. * Unsanitary Conditions: The basement level, including the gym, spa, shop, and indoor pool, was flooded with raw sewage for over 48 hours. * Safety Hazards: The lifts were out of service for over 24 hours. Stairways were soaked and unsafe. Guests with mobility issues, including myself, were effectively confined to our rooms. * No Welfare Check: Throughout this time, no hotel staff checked on guests—especially those trapped in their rooms—to see if we needed food, water, or assistance. Guests were left completely on their own. * Widespread Illness: After the indoor pool reopened, my partner used it and became severely unwell. We heard from other guests who also became ill, with concerns raised about sewage contamination in the pool water following the flood. The high number of doctor visits to the hotel confirmed how widespread the illness was. We confined ourselves to our room for the rest of the stay out of fear for our health. * Neglected Debris: After the water receded, thick mud and debris remained around the hotel, creating significant additional safety hazards that were not promptly addressed. 3. Security and Noise Issues The hotel failed to maintain a safe and peaceful environment. * Brawls: On our second night, a violent brawl involving multiple guests broke out in the reception area. The same individuals fought again multiple times over the next two days, and no police were called, suggesting a serious lack of security protocol. * Domestic Violence: We experienced loud and deeply disturbing domestic violence incidents in the room above us during the last two nights of our stay, which were also not adequately addressed by the hotel staff. Other Facility and Service Failures * Overcrowding: Due to the poor weather and limited other options, the main lounge area was constantly overcrowded, leaving nowhere comfortable to relax. * Food Quality & Variety: The food was far below five-star standards, repetitive, and lacked the advertised themed nights (only 2 in 8 days). Options for vegetarians or those with dietary requirements were extremely limited. * Amenities Failure: Guests who paid for Preferred Club status were unable to receive the paid-for amenity of Nespresso coffee and pods, as the hotel ran out of pods on the first day and they were never restocked. Conclusion Our holiday was completely ruined by a combination of misleading information about the resort's operating status, dangerous and unsanitary conditions following the flooding, and a complete failure in duty of care to guests, particularly those with mobility issues. The experience was unsafe, unsanitary, and stressful. This hotel, at this time of year, does not meet the standards of a 5-star resort or a responsible package holiday provider.

Super relaxing I have just arrived home after the most relaxing week ever. The hotel is immaculately clean. The staff cannot do enough for you. I have read other reviews that say the staff are rude but that couldn't be further from the truth. I think the issue is the language barrier because the staff are all very polite when you speak with them. There is food available from the hotel 24/7. The main restaurant is open multiple times during the day (closed for replenishment), there is a grill restaurant on the pool level also and there are sandwiches and cakes available from the coffee shop on the lobby level. There is a good selection of drinks and cocktails, however it is disappointing that some cocktails carry a payment. While I was there I found the drinks a bit hit and miss. During the day the frozen Daquari's were absolutely amazing but as soon as 8pm came the bar staff seemed to pour half a bottle of Captain Morgans into one - one night in particular the tables outside were just full of abandoned Daquari's and we were laughing about this with the other guests 🙈🙈 The rooms are designed with quality in mind and all the fixtures, fittings, wall paper ect are high quality. Our room had a private balcony looking over the infinity pools and the sea. It was beautiful to just sit there and look out and watch the sunrise. The bed was the comfiest bed I have ever slept in and the pillows were like clouds. The hotel is very close to Flower street where there are many pubs, clubs, fairground rides and shops. The local people are wonderful and the prices are extremely reasonable. We strayed off the main path slightly to find somewhere for authentic food and we found some amazing places. Absolutely 5 ⭐

After waiting a year for our holiday we were extremely excited to arrive. The hotel is lovely but should be warned not to go in late September, everything had closed and the hotel was obviously windeing down also. A few restaurants were closed and this is something that you should be made aware of before booking. Food was a good variety but cold!! So I hardly ate. We also witnessed fights which wasn’t a good experience although it was quickly dealt with. The weather was horrendous and there’s literally nothing to do other than play cards drink and sit in silence. Very disappointed.

The hotel is located closer to Sveti Vlas than Sunny Beach. We arrived at 2230hrs on Thursday 25th September after 70 minutes on the coach from the airport. ( We were the penultimate drop off. ) Check in was quick and smooth and we were allocated room 717 on the 7th floor. The Market Cafe which normally closes at 21:30 had been kept open for late arrivals and there was a limited amount of food still available. The spacious room contained a 7 foot wide bed which was the most comfortable i’ve ever slept in. The air con worked fine and the shower was excellent. A good size balcony with a view of the pool, the sea, Sunny Beach and across the bay to Nesebar. Food is generally pretty good with a decent choice. We ate mostly in the Market Cafe as The Barefoot Grill closed a couple of days after we arrived. Sandwiches are available all day in the Cocoa Cafe but they looked pretty tired and uninviting. There is entertainment in the Night Club each evening. The comfy settees in the bar area are lovely. The pool although freezing cold is huge and is cleaned daily. Everywhere around the hotel is cleaned to a high standard. The staff are friendly and polite and Google translate comes in handy as Bulgarian is too difficult for us lazy Brits ! I mentioned earlier that the hotel is nearer Sveti Vlas than Sunny Beach. It’s quite a nice stroll along the front to get to Sunny Beach and there is an infrequent bus service which goes all the way around to Nesbar. (The summer timetable ended on the 27th) Nesebar is well worth a visit. Many bars, shops and hotels in Sunny Beach and Sveti Vlas were already closed down for the winter and as the weather this week has been unseasonably cold a lot have shut up shop earlier perhaps than normal. Each day more and more seemed to be closing with signs saying reopening May 2026. To sum up, it was a relaxing week at a lovely hotel despite the weather !

Lovely Hotel, Great staff, let down slightly by the food,Rooms lovely ,Bar staff Great,Cleanliness top class, I did not realise there were 5 A La Carte restaurants you could use between the 2 hotels 3 in Dreams and 2 in Secrets. lots of choice in Buffet area but never found anything really hot, tried the cookie order chicken tough as old boots need a steak knife to cut it . the girl cooking Omelette did a great job at breakfast