Imperial

Imperial Hotel, Sunny Beach

We have just returned from a weeks holiday at the Imperial hotel, and whilst the hotel is beautifully decorated (Egyptian theme), and the rooms and bathrooms are large and very clean, we were not at all impressed by the food and total lack of entertainment. The bar is very small.. only one person serving, very few seats, and long queues at the bar all the time and the drinks are served in soft plastic glasses. Not something you would expect from a 4 star hotel. There was absolutly NO entertainment (when we asked at reception we were informed that it has stopped for the year now) despite the hotel being packed to the brim. The meal times are really early (breakfast till 9am, Lunch 11.30-1pm, Dinner 6.30-8pm), which doesn't give you time to go out as you are always rushing back for meals. We gave up in the end as the food was mainly catered for Europeans and not English, tea and coffee, when available was tasteless and cold. The heating in the rooms did not work and we were very unfortuante to have had 3 very cold, wet days whilst we were there, and that didn't help.
We ended up eating and drinking out most of the time(highly recommeded John Smith's pub next door.. live music and karoke nightly till the early hours of the morning,happy hour from 6pm-3am or later, inexpensive food,extremly friendly staff and great atmosphere). We were there every night till 2-3am and the pub was still buzzing when we left.
The restaurant across the road is very good (BULGARI) but the staff are very unfriendly, which was a bit of a put off, considering the food tastes great there. Lots of supermarkets, food stalls (pancakes, kebabs etc) across the road from hotel and shops selling souvenirs and beach stuff.
A "tourist train" from outside the hotel, takes you to the center of Sunny beach and Old Nessebar every half hour and there are also Horse and Carts, and buses that run every 12 mins and all are very cheap to use. The buses do get very packed, but worth it for less than 50p travel.
The pools in the hotel were not heated so no-one was using them. The spa center (beautifully themed in Egyptian style) is very expensive for treatments but the pool (not heated) is FREE.
The rooms are very clean and big, so are the bathrooms with very large shower cubicles. Mini-bar is not part of All Inclusive.
In the lobby there are a few seats but no where near enough for the number of guests the hotel holds, so in the evening there is no-where to sit and benefit from the All Inclusive Bar. There is a Piano bar attached to the hotel, but it is also, NOT part of the All inclusive and very expensive.. you have to pay for the music as well there, which the hotel don't tell you when you check in.
We had a great time there, as we chose not to let the food at the hotel put us off and ate out most of the time.

Unique Quality: The hotel is very beautiful, and worth the visit as it is central for everywhere. There are endless eateries in Sunny beach, so you will never go hungry and eating out is very cheap. Just be prepared for that when you budget for your holiday and you will have a great time. Sunny Beach and Nessebar are buzzing places to visit and you will find that you end up going there most days as there is so much to see.
There are also endless shops/stalls selling silver and gold jewellery, fake designer bags/clothes/shoes, souviners, sunglasses, belts, perfumes etc very cheaply. Just go out there with an open mind and you will have a great time. The staff at the hotel do speak English (apart from the maids) so that wasn't a problem, and if you have any problems the staff at reception are quick to put it right or speak to your holiday rep. This is the first year of All Inclusive and they have a lot to learn. No tea/coffee making facilities in the rooms either.
All in All, a great holiday at the Imperial.