Sofia so good!

Advantages: Not too busy, good value for money, green
Disadvantages: Not many "attractions", not much for children

...Our visit to Sofia didn't get off to an auspicious start. The other half spent the eve of the trip throwing up in the only bathroom of a hostel in Veliko Tarnovo and we would have stayed there another day to permit his recuperation had we not already reserved and paid for our tickets to the capital. By the following day I was off my food and the day after that I was availing myself of the bathroom facilities, making sure I got my moneys worth! I suppose the ill thing was due - almost three months of rich food, too much alcohol, late nights and living life to the full was bound to catch up with us sooner or later. All of which begs the question - what exactly do two invalids get up to for three days in Sofia? ATTRACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES Sofia is a rather compact city so, while it has trams and a short underground line, weekend...

fizzytom 24.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Sofia (Bulgaria)

Sofia, so good!

Advantages: Great large town, that's compact and safe to explore
Disadvantages: Probably only enough for a weekend; the Cyrillic language

...For the first time theediscerning is hereby dabbling in foreign climes - no, not a first trip abroad, but a debut excursion into the esteemed realm of Ciao travel writers. That's what these competition thingies are for, of course. To start with, a smallish city both tucked away in the middle of Eastern Europe's old Soviet / Warsaw Pact areas, yet far enough away from us in the UK to have some of the mystery and oddity the near east brings - Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. You will increasingly see this as a location for a long weekend holiday, for it is yet another fine eastern European city falling under the tourism industry's eye. With Bulgaria possibly entering the Eurozone in 2007, the urge is to go before it all gets changed. The history of the country is far too complex to summarise here, but just one corner of Sofia...

theediscerning 27.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of Sofia (Bulgaria)

Queen Sofia Was Obviously Not A Night Owl

Advantages: Fine if you fly during the day
Disadvantages: I didn't...

...It has recently come to my attention that there are two types of airports out there. There are nice, large international ones like, say, Manchester or LAX, which served numerous destinations worldwide and which have more shops and restaurants than some town centres. And then, there are the others which, well, don’t. These others are often in the type of resorts tourist go on package holidays, and since they are usually barely used by business travelers, they seem to forget their duty as airports (to keep me busy in the 2 hours between check in and take off) and see themselves solely as big fields where the odd aeroplane lands and takes off. Tenerife has two such airports – an old one in the north and a new one in the south, and we flew from the latter, aka Reina Sofia (official website www...

zoe_page 18.02.2003 · Read review
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Review of Reina Sofia Airport Tenerife - Spain

Blowing through the JASMIN of my mind

Advantages: Great location, lovely, friendly hotel
Disadvantages: None

...After a long, and I mean LONG, drive through Serbia, we eventually arrived in the outskirts of Sofia just as darkness began to descend. A bit of a blessing really, Picturesque it ain't. Our hotel was just off the ring road...bit of a misnomer really. Oh, it rings the city true enough, but road seems like a far-fetched description of the pot-holed suicide-run we found ourselves bumping and grinding along on. Not a problem. We had prebooked the Jasmin Hotel and all we had to do was follow the instructions I had printed off with the booking confirmation...only I hadn't. After several abortive forays off the 'ring road', things were looking pretty desperate but at last we got the right turn-off and found our digs. Good job really or this review would be stopping right about now. Each road we had previously tried seem to plunge us into...

proxam 11.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Jasmin, Sofia

:Plus and minus points about Sofia Hotel

Advantages: Excellent position in a relaxing resort
Disadvantages: Rooms basic with no view

...The Sofia hotel is in a good position just off the road so you are not disturbed by traffic noise. It is only a 3 minute stroll to the sand and shingle beach which is not crowded. Considering it was only a Continental breakfast it was much better than we expected with a different dish each day. The swimming pool and surrounding area was small but peaceful. Free Sunbeds available. There was great poolside bar open during the day and in the evenings and this was extremely well run and was the focal points for the guests. The rooms were basic nut what you would expect for Greece. However we had virtually no outlook overlooking another room in the next block. The bathroom suffered from severe Greek plumbing problems and floor never dried. Air Conditioning was available but very expensive and we prefer to go somewhere where it is included in...

Hove 23.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Sofia Hotel, Kambos

Enny room at the inn?

Advantages: A short walk from centre of Sofia, cheap
Disadvantages: No breakfast, no air con

...Hotel Enny is a modest, budget hotel situated a few minutes walk from the heart of Sofia. It is somewhat basic but it is perfectly adequate and would be a reasonable choice for people wanting somewhere a bit quieter than a hostel but still on a limited budget. It is located quite near the main train station and on a quiet street off a much busier road that connects the station and the city centre. Nearby there is a bustling food market as well as cafes, cheaper restaurants and pizza joints and plenty of shops. It?s not an up-market area but it seemed safe enough at night and, naturally, this is reflected in the price. Central Sofia isn?t teeming with hotels and those in the very centre tend to be pretty expensive. We were there in July, a busy time in Sofia and were able to get a room simply by walking in off the street. The exterior...

fizzytom 07.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Enny, Sofia

Reina Sofia, can she come here?

Advantages: no long waits
Disadvantages: not many shops

......

scuba_angel 15.09.2007 · Read review
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Review of Reina Sofia Airport Tenerife - Spain

You don't know what you're missing!

Advantages: Compact, Affordable
Disadvantages: Communist architecture

...I've been living in Sofia since September 2004, so I've learnt quite a lot about it which might be of interest to any intrepid travellers out there who are thinking of going, or even better, may be I'll spark off a new interest in someone who's never previously considered it. A little history Bulgaria used to be a communist country and has the unusual accolade of being an ex-communist country that voted the communists back in once they got the free vote! Economically, it's had its ups and downs, particularly in 1996 when everything went haywire and the average standard of living plummeted. But things are on the up. Bulgaria is looking forward to probable EU entry in 2007, and this can only boost the economy in my view. For the visitor Sofia is not a beautiful city in the usual sense of the word. But it has a faded glamour...

Tricksty 15.02.2005 · Read review
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Review of Sofia (Bulgaria)

Cold beer and Gorgeous Girls

Advantages: Cheap interesting and friendly
Disadvantages: Expensive to get too

...Sofia is probably not your first idea of a holiday destination. Especially in winter!! It is, however wonderful. Dont go looking for stunning buildings expansive parks or world class cuisine. Instead, go looking for friendly and genuine people, cheap but good food and ice cold beers at 30p a pint. Stay in a family run hotel, travel on public transport and drink with the locals. Bulgarians are very inquisitive people. They love to know about you, your home and mostly your opinion on their country. I am lucky enough to have some very good Bulgarian friends who introduce me to so many of Sofia's delights. The city itself is compact enough to walk around and every street has a bar, or a cafe to refuel in. The sites are limited but each has a fasanating history. Sofia has been a crossroad of trade for many centuries and there are many...

Jasonrow 28.02.2001 · Read review
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Review of Sofia (Bulgaria)

Ooooh Im going to the Sheritan for tea and scones

Advantages: good standard of carpet/furniture, very warm and cosy in a very cold city
Disadvantages: advice is sketchy they recommend rip off companies

...affects my trust in the staffs integrity the man charged for everything he could charge for, even the ticket for parking outside the hotel. I dealt with this unfair treatment but the hassle shouldn't have been put in front of me as their is some much better car hire companies especially in the capital Sofia. The food is reasonable and reasonably priced maybe a bit expensive by Bulgarian standards but you do pay more for quality so that would probably be expected. Really really good quality hotel but I'm going off expensive retreats not just for financial reasons, and would rather have a half decent restaurant and a basic room. Just as good but a lot cheaper and the staff tend to be more grounded. If you want all mod cons and comfort this hotel is a great retreat but just as a hotel and the food anything more such as car hire, taxis, advice...

floater 31.12.2007 · Read review
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Review of Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan, Sofia