Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
&
032/633 599;
www.hotelbulgaria.net; Mon-Fri 70
€
-84
€
/$89-$107 double;
€
€
Fri-Sun 65
/$83-$94 double; rates include breakfast) is a business-oriented
hotel that also caters for package tourists; rooms are perfectly serviceable and realisti-
cally priced. If you don't need the big-hotel vibe, a better deal is the tiny five-roomed
hotel right on Old Plovdiv's borders (technically part of it), and a stone's through from
the Dzhumaya Mosque: the aptly named
Hotel-Bar Central
(
&
032/622 348;
www.
hotel-bar-central.com; 40
-74
/$51 double) is wonderfully convenient, albeit apparently
staffed by a single disaffected receptionist. It's a slim building, with each room taking
up an entire floor, and floor-to-ceiling tinted glass wall providing a sense of space. If
you'd prefer to wake up surrounded by the wonderful architecture of Old Plovdiv's
National Revival homes,
B&B Old Town
offers a great location and two lovely old-
fashioned rooms with carved ceilings and wall frescoes. The surly manageress does not
speak English but the website makes for easy bookings, and this is a perfect place to
flop into after a hard day's sightseeing—around the corner from Arena, the outdoor
cafe/bar overlooking the Roman theater (
&
032/265679
or 0887 420 185; www.
Bulguide.com/bedbreakfast; 35
€
€
€
/$64-$96 depending on room and season).
Hebros
This grand little gem, located on a quiet cobbled street in the
heart of Old Plovdiv, is so completely head, shoulders, and feet above the competition
that it's almost worth arranging your trip around room availability here. Once the
place where top Communist party members relaxed when visiting Plovdiv, the opu-
lence of the materials and craftsmanship displayed in this typical National Revival
home are matched by the furnishings. You'll find Bulgarian and Italian antiques
throughout; windows draped in heavy velvet or edged with lace; dark varnished floors
invariably dressed with rich Oriental rugs; walls decorated with traditional frescoes or
timber clad. Book no. 5 if you can (with separate entrance of the courtyard it feels the
most private), or no. 3—the latter is the gorgeous room (only the modern-era TV
strikes a discordant note) where the dictator Todor Zhivkov liked to dream up more
ways to plunder the state coffers. If you're traveling alone, bag the single room, where
the bathroom is ingeniously placed in the large cupboard, a very good deal at 69
-55
Value
€
€
($166). Despite a lack of hotel facilities, including a proper reception (most just enter
through the restaurant), the most important aspects are taken care of: helpful staff,
excellent restaurant, and a charming atmosphere and location.
51 A.K Stoilov St., Plovdiv, 4000.
&
032/260180
or 625929. Fax 032/260252. www.hebros-hotel.com. 10 units. 95
€
($121) double. Rates include breakfast. MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant; Jacuzzi; sauna; room service; laundry. In room:
A/C, TV, minibar, Internet connection, hair dryer.
($88); groups or families ask for the apartment that sleeps four and costs 130
Old Town Residence
If your budget cannot stretch to the Hebros, or it
is full, the Residence is the best-value deal in town, but be warned: You may have to
put up with some rather surly service. Rumored to be the Plovdiv “holiday home” of
some heavies who built it with ill-gotten gains, this custom-built hotel is styled on the
neoclassical grand mansions of late-19th-century Old Plovdiv, but there's no mistak-
ing New Money, with its penchant for chandeliers, reproduction furniture, white mar-
ble, and bits of gold leaf. Rooms really are quite grand, rates are extremely good, and
the location—also in the heart of Old Plovdiv, but here with views of the city
sparkling at your feet—unbeatable. Try to book room no. 4 or 3 for the best views;
room no. 2 is wonderfully over-the-top (how else to describe a room with three chan-
deliers) but the bathroom (no tub; cheap fittings) is a bit of a letdown; studio rooms
Value
