Bulgaria
Annabel’s Amputee Assessment: 3 Star
The Festa Winter Palace classes itself as a 5-star hotel. Unfortunately it’s nowhere near… and that’s not just because I have one leg and it’s at the top of a slippery slope in a ski resort.
It’s very dated and reminded me of Hotel Transylvania. I emailed ahead to say I was an amputee and would rather have a room on the ground floor if possible, but I heard nothing back and was given a room on floor 2 – not a problem as the hotel has lifts (slow, but working), but the people were not particularly friendly.
The hotel’s highlight is definitely the pool and spa, free for everyone of all ages and almost empty every time I used it.
There’s a sauna, steam room, salt room, relaxation room and area where you can pay for massages – wonderful after a day on the slopes.
Everything else in the hotel was just okay. The room was okay. The food was okay. The distance to the slopes was okay. The Rila Hotel is definitely the closest though. Breakfast was fine, but the evening meals were cold in temperature and not particularly appetising so I chose to eat out at one of the many restaurants in town most evenings.
The Festa Winter Palace is a good choice if you want a bit of peace and quiet – the Rila – the most popular hotel in Borovets is massive and right in the centre of town.
Overall I’d say the Festa Winter Palace is more functional than five star, and more functional than friendly. Please watch my full video review below: