Bulgaria AI with kids?

alwayspuzzled

Hi I'm looking for some advice on a family holiday please. I want to take my mother and my 4 kids (13, 11, 5, 1) abroad this summer holidays. I have a max budget of £3000. I have decided on AI after research (including here) and the nag factor of the kids swings it for me, 2 weeks of saying no wouldn't be very relaxing lol! I've found a hotel in Bulgaria ( Hotel Royal Park, Elenite) that even offers the watersports ds1 is desperate for but trip adviser has very mixed reviews.

Has anyone been to Bulgaria and got advise please, we haven't been abroad since before the 2 youngest were born and I'm worried about getting it wrong.

[Deleted User]

Have you read the reviews on trip advisor- the food seems to get bad reviews. (Think this is the right hotel)

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g635767-d584653-Reviews-Royal_Park_Hotel-Elenite_Burgas_Province.html

alwayspuzzled

Thats the one thanks, yes its the bad food reviews thats making me so unsure, moms just recovering from cancer op and kids are young so the idea of battling lots of russians for food seems very off putting but some of the reviews seem very possitive, I've never used trip adviser before and don't know how much to rely on it?

Incapuppy

I realise that this is OT but before you book anything please do check out the situation re: travel insurance for your Mum. Her condition will need to be declared and you may find that some insurers will decline cover for anything relating to her current situation or that the premiums are excessive.

Please remember too that if you would wish to cancel or curtail your trip because of your Mum's ill health you will need to fully declare her condition to the insurers you choose for you and your children also.

mcfisco

£3K will be pushing it for school hols

TBH, I'd rather go for 1 week to somewhere nice [like Seaside Hotel Los Jameos Playa in Lanzarote] than have 2 weeks at somewhere mediocre.

Saying that, kids are quite immune to a lot of the things that annoy us adults so maybe I'm talking tosh again

stephb34

The biggest amount of complaints centre around the food in Bulgaria, there's several reasons :-
They don't serve their food piping hot like we do but usually there is a microwave in the restaurant.
The Brits are in the minority in Bulgaria so the menu will be more european, they do cater a lot for the russians, germans, dutch, belgiums etc, so if you like their style of food you'll be fine but if you expect a full english breakfast etc then you're going to be disappointed and they generally don't know what queueing means.
They do charge for random things as well, some hotels charge for sunbeds and parasols even if you're staying in that hotel. A lot of places when your out and about charge you to use the toilets. In our all inc hotel there was no evening entertainment so we went out every night which although it was cheap we didn't expect to do that.
The food in the local restaurants was good value and plenty of british choice. If you do decide to go, book with a tour operator that is predominately british so that your rep speaks good english and understands what you are complaining about or what info you require, because the foreign operators are very good at not understanding what you want. But generally they do have lovely long hot sunny days so if its the weather your after and somethig different this could be for you.