Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko

We spent three nights at the hotel. There is no doubt that the hotel meets all the standards expected of the Kempinski chain. The hotel manager (Mr. Roger) walks around among the guests all day, is interested in their well-being and gives good recommendations regarding spending time in the city. One of the evenings (on the recommendation of the hotel manager) we ate at the sushi restaurant in the hotel. Excellent food. The chef cooks in front of you and serves not only excellent food but gives a performance. Recommended!!!

Super............

First of all, I must mention the high level of service at the reception - everyone is very kind and pleasant and helpful. The rooms are large, very clean, the air and the view from the balcony is amazing. The beds are comfortable, there is both a shower and a bathtub. The cleaners come twice a day, there is no shortage of toiletries. The spa is excellent. Things to improve: The shower has no handle to hold onto to prevent falls. It would also be nice if there was also a shower that could be pulled out and not just hung. The food is not the most varied for a 5 star hotel. There is no coffee machine and it feels unpleasant to rush the waiters to bring a refill of coffee There are almost no sockets in the room, especially the lack of a socket in the bathroom - not even one. That way, if I brought a hair dryer from home or electrical appliance that I want to use, such as an electric brush or a shaver, it's not possible. And in the room itself there are not enough sockets even if you want to charge electrical appliances and at the same time prepare a drink. Most importantly - on the site it states that there is air conditioning in the rooms. In practice the central air conditioning controlled by the hotel. It was impossible to set the temperature to less than 21 degrees (we checked with the staff), and the hotel offered to open the window as a solution, but then smoke entered the room from the neighboring balconies, so the solution is less suitable.

We stayed for a week and had a very nice stay in this beautiful hotel. We took a two and a half hour taxi from Sofia airport, but it was worth it, & the motorway is a dream!! We had a beautiful view from our spacious mountain view room. Very large balcony, lots of storage, very comfortable bed, & well stocked fridge, although we'd have appreciated coke zero and Bulgarian sparkling water (delicious).The bathroom was also very large, immaculate, & well stocked with complimentary toiletries. Really appreciated the turn down each evening & my birthday cards must have been noticed by the hardworking housekeepers, as I was surprised when we returned & found a beautiful & delicious birthday cake in the room. Thank you so much for your kindness ❤️ It made my day! Our only issue with the room was the air conditioning which was set at 21 degrees!! That's heating, not AC. Not used to heat in England, we need to cool off quickly after a hot day. A fan in the room would have helped too. Another review erroneously described this hotel as dated. NO ! It's a traditional, Immaculate,charming hotel. The staff were lovely, polite & helpful. English wasn't widely spoken, but we were understood. Thank you for your patience . Breakfast was very good, although ordering coffee was a bit haphazard & disorganised at times. We ate twice in the only restaurant open during summer,Prima, the food was delicious and good value. The verandah was a beautiful area, we were disappointed that it closed at 7pm and sofas covered, as we'd have loved to have spent the evenings up there. Also, the drinks were never chilled enough unfortunately. The Spa, WOW!!! Stunning, absolutely loved it. Two small but perfect outside pools & a beautiful indoor one. Saunas, steam rooms, warm stone beds, perfect Best spa I've been to outside of the UK. A lovely, lovely place to spend a day - or week. Each day we were treated to cold oil infused flannels or canapes, a very nice & appreciated touch .Really enjoyed the Jacuzzis too. Theres a small children's pool & play area. The children were delightful & well behaved, so it was still a relaxing place to be after a day hiking up or down the beautiful mountain, or through the many trails in the woods. The position of this hotel is perfect for the gondola, walks & the town. It's not OUT of town as someone described, it's just up from town. It's a lovely short walk down to the beautiful quaint town, with many good traditional restaurants, bars & nice shops. Many locally made goods to buy, and delicious honey & jams. We enjoyed good food at Lovna Shresta tavern (lovely garden) & Mehana Bai Kotse tavern. Explore the beautiful back streets early morning & evening, then people watch in the town square. We booked quad bikes opposite the hotel. Wow , what a great, fun hour & a half we spent exploring the beautiful countryside around Bankso. Highly recommend. The little touches at this hotel really made it stand out for us We will be back, & w