Secrets Sunny Beach Resort & Spa

Arrived late at night. The market cafe was open with a few snacks, so was nice the hotel provided refreshments for people. However this initial impression was quickly dampened by the behaviour of staff behind the bar, particularly one member of staff ‘Valentin’ who jokingly started talking in Bulgarian to his colleagues when we asked for drinks. Not a great first impression to be honest-particularly for a ‘5 star’ hotel. Room & bed massive. Mini bar-excellent feature. Sea view fantastic. There were a few maintenance issues in the room on arrival-safe was locked by previous people, the window blind wasn’t sliding properly & air con not turned on. Maintenance quickly rectified the issues (not the air con) Important to note that air con isn’t turned on until June. Food good in Market Cafe restaurant. Food ok in the Portofino Restaurant-felt could have had same food in main restaurant. Best restaurants were the Oceania & The Speciality Bulgarian restaurant in the Dreams hotel next door. Quality of drinks good. Bit strange you have to pay for some cocktails, but the ones in the all inclusive package were still good quality. Outdoor pools amazing & indoor pool with spa excellent! The main disappointment of the hotel is the attitude of the staff. Some staff members looked like they couldn’t be bothered to be there, we also noticed when we entered the main restaurant some staff asked some people what drinks they wanted and others they didn’t. Bit odd! We also noticed them talking about guests in a negative manner-in front of other guests, which was really unprofessional. Overall, we would return to the hotel due to the location & overall facilities-but definitely in May when it’s a lot quieter.

We are 4 days into our week at Secrets, Sunny Beach with Jet2 and despite a grey day today the weather has mostly been lovely. We'd prepared for bad weather so it's been a nice surprise to have sunshine! We are in a junior suite on the 9th floor which has an amazing sea view - the room is really spacious with a large balcony and a lovely bathroom. My only issue is the heating which is impossible to control from the room - reception say it's controlled by the hotel and the a/c too so we've taken to sleeping with the balcony door wide open (luckily no mosquitos) as it's so hot at night. The lifts are quite slow and busy so we tend to walk down the stairs then get the lift back up. The staff are extremely hardworking and seem to do 12-14 hour shifts so they're permanently exhausted but we love Hrisi in the restaurant and Mark at the Coco bar. The main supervisor in both restaurants is extremely efficient and professional, friendly and helpful. The chefs do a wonderful job with the food - although repetitive and reinvented on a daily basis - everything is well-cooked and tasty, the quality is high and there is plenty of everything. Breakfast and dinner times are very overcrowded at peak times and we have felt a bit claustrophobic being squashed into a table right next to other guests with no space around us. The outdoor pools are beautiful but freezing cold, as is the sea but we've been in the indoor pool which is small, (considering the amount of guests here) but clean and lovely to swim in. The showers seemed to be leaking and broken when we were there so a bit hazardous. There are lovely areas to sit both around the pools and in the reception area but sadly most of the outdoor areas are for smokers - I've done more passive smoking in the last 4 days here than any hotel I've been to before. It's impossible to avoid the smoke when you're outside as the designated smoking areas are right next to all the other areas with no doors, screens or ways to avoid it. Even on our balcony we couldn't avoid the smoke from the next balcony along which was a real shame. The hotel is really lovely despite the thoughts above - clean, comfortable, beautifully landscaped and in a fabulous location. Everywhere is clean and most of the staff are friendly and helpful, some are sullen and culturally perhaps not given to smiling all the time but it's impossible not to praise their hard work and dedication. The issues we've mentioned may just be because it's the beginning of the season so things may change and improve. Overall the holiday has been extremely good value and I would recommend the hotel to others.

Located across the bay from the old town of Nessebar (easily accessible by local bus and in the summer, by water taxi, weather permitting), this part of Sunny Beach is the quieter end. If you want a peaceful, relaxing holiday, go early in the season (May) or towards the end (September). If you prefer busy beaches, lots of pop up shops, bars and restaurants, go in June, July or August. temperatures are much hotter and the nightlife heats up, too. We've just spent a lovely, relaxing fortnight at this beautiful, all inclusive, adults only hotel with it's indoor and outdoor pools, numerous sunbeds and private area of beach. There's a private path - shared with the sister hotel next door - which makes a pleasant short walk to a viewpoint. There's also a promenade which runs from the hotel right along the coast as far as Nessebar itself. The hotel is immaculately clean everywhere; staff are always cleaning and tidying and the whole place is spotless. For those with mobility problems, there is access to all levels of the hotel and the pool area but there are steps to the beach which may be more problematic. There are several restaurants; the main one where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served, has a huge variety to choose from, including catering for allergies and food intolerances. It would be impossible to visit this restaurant and not find plenty to eat. The bars are fully stocked with a wide variety of spirits as well as beers and wines. They make a pretty impressive range of cocktails, too. The bar and restaurant staff are friendly and very efficient. I saw a review from someone who was there for a week at the start of the season, advising that the whole hotel smelt of raw sewage; this is not the case. Most people who have travelled regularly will know that many countries use recycled water for weatering gardens, flushing toilets and other such tasks. As the hotel was newly opened that week, the smell was noticeable for a couple of days but soon wore off. This is a great hotel, thoroughly recommended.

We recently stayed here on an all-inclusive plus package and overall the experience was mixed. There were definitely positives, but unfortunately our interaction with reception left a very poor final impression. Shortly after checking in, the bathroom weighing scales shattered when my partner accidentally nudged them. We contacted reception immediately and someone came to the room around 15 minutes later. During that time the glass continued cracking, which was concerning. What disappointed us most was that nobody asked whether she had been injured. Later that day I went to reception regarding another issue, as the room temperature was around 27°C and we were informed the hotel air conditioning was completely switched off. As we were leaving reception, a member of staff told us we would need to pay for the broken scales. I explained that they had not been misused, were only lightly knocked, and that bathroom scales should not shatter so easily. We were then told “I’ll let my manager know,” and nothing further was mentioned during the stay. However, at checkout we were informed there was a €25 charge on our account for the scales. When we disputed it, we were told “you pay here or you pay at the airport” and that our passports could be scanned there. This felt unnecessarily intimidating and handled very poorly. In the end we paid the charge simply to avoid further issues before our flight. My issue is not really the €25 itself, but the principle. We reported the damage immediately, nothing was intentional, and at no point did we try to hide anything. We were respectful throughout, so the way the situation was handled by reception staff was extremely disappointing. There were some other negatives too. The Italian à la carte restaurant was poor — the spinach tagliatelle with truffle and pecorino was essentially overcooked spinach pasta with very little flavour, and the tiramisu seemed partially defrosted. The lifts were also frustrating because they operate independently, so guests constantly press every button which leads to long waits. That said, not all aspects of the hotel were bad. The rooms and public areas were clean and well maintained, the main buffet was decent, and all staff outside of reception were friendly, helpful and pleasant throughout the stay. Overall, this hotel has potential, but the handling of guest issues by reception really damaged the experience for us. A more reasonable and customer-focused approach would have made a huge difference.

We recently stayed at Secrets Sunny Beach Resort & Spa and unfortunately, the experience didn’t live up to expectations. As a preferred guest, I expected a higher standard of service throughout our stay. Upon arrival at 9.20pm check-in process was disappointing and not the preferred guest check-in detailed. The welcome felt cold and uninviting, the man clearly lacked the capability of friendly greeting. We weren’t offered a drink or any refreshments on arrival, which is usually a basic touch at hotels of this level. On departure, the experience was just as poor, with a male reception staff not even saying thank you or wishing us a safe journey, he couldn’t care less. When I pay for a holiday, it shouldn’t matter that it’s slightly out of season it’s an open hotel, I still expect the hotel to provide what was advertised. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here, with several restaurants listed being closed, and this not clearly communicated in advance. It was a buffet every day, like a school canteen. Even at Dinner it was bright without an any attempt to create a more dressy feel. They mention dressing up for dinner, but when it’s lit like McDonald’s fast food, jeans and T-shirt almost feels fine. And most guests make no effort whatsoever. The biggest issue throughout the stay was the overall customer service all round . Many of the restaurant waitresses appeared uninterested and were often standing around on their phones, chatting to each other rather than attending to guests. It was difficult to get their attention at times, whether to order a drink or have plates cleared. Even more frustrating was that restaurant managers seemed to allow this behaviour, with no visible effort to improve the situation. They were equally as bad at time, grouped together chatting away. Food quality was a mixed experience. While the dishes themselves tasted very good, they were frequently served luke warm , along with cold plates, which took away from the overall enjoyment eating almost cold food. Customer service goes a long way, and unfortunately, this is where Secrets falls short. The hotel has potential, but without significant improvements in service and attention to guests, it doesn’t meet the standards it promotes and I wouldn’t recommend this hotel due the failings in staff. On one positive Medi our cleaner was amazing. She is wonderful works so hard. A real pleasure.