716jeffreyl
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We stayed in the Grand Hotel and Spa Primoretz for four nights in October, which is very definitely out of season, but our stay was no worse for that. The hotel is grand in setting as well as name. It sits inside the Sea Gardens, actually a large wooded area which stretches from the edge of the port north along the promenade to the start of the serviced beach area.||The public spaces of the hotel are spacious and well set out. We opted for a large double room which was in effect a suite size, 60 square metres and felt very relaxed as a result. |The decor of the room and some of the public areas comes from an era of dark wood and paintings of questionable taste. The style is old-fashioned, the sort of old-fashioned that might have been old-fashioned when it was new. Predictable for the era in which the hotel was built but perhaps not for when it was renovated.||Entry to the spa came as part of our room rate, and was appreciated. The spa area has an indoor swimming pool, a steam room, a sauna and an aroma sauna. The pool however was kept at as cool a temperature as I’ve ever encountered in an indoor pool. Bracing. The rest of the spa however was fine. The aroma sauna is small but well designed, and the ordinary sauna was at a good temperature, whereas the steam room was underheated.||Reception staff were helpful and reliable. We asked for a takeaway breakfast on our departure, because we were catching an early train. It was provided, and fresh, and was available exactly when we had asked to collect it. ||The ordinary breakfast was a mixed experience. The cold cuts and fruit and all the other items provided were of a good quality. The ‘hot’ food wasn’t.. .hot. Each of the containers in which the bacon eggs and beans were kept had an independent electrical control, which seemed to guarantee that the heat was switched off for long periods. Basically the hot food was cold, and therefore both unappetising and a disappointment. This is a very simple matter. A more vigilant management system would recognise the issue and deal with it, or rather prevent it occurring in the first place. It was out of keeping with the values which the hotel espouses and largely delivers on.||The Grand Hotel is a solid representative of its class of hotel. It is well situated, being at the end of the long promenade area, and literally next to the western end of the very extensive port, cranes visible from the inland-facing rooms. It is also less than a ten minute walk to the major city bus station and the train station which are next door to each other, so transport links are nearby and easily accessed. It therefore has the location and the feel of a beach and city centre hotel at the same time.||All in all our stay was as we had expected. It was relaxing; we found the hotel a good place to stay for a first visit to Burgas. The style of the hotel is from a previous era, but it is well maintained and staffed and comfortable.