Hotel Studio

This was pretty much a perfect little "boutique" hotel. The welcome at reception was warm and friendly, check-in (having booked through booking.com) was simple and being shown to my room where the receptionist explained how to work the heating/aircon a nice little touch. The spotlessly-clean rooms are modern, stylishly-individual, and suited both for leisure or business travel with comfortable furnishings and functional workspace. Everything worked perfectly, including the freebie WiFi, and the mini-bar was well-stocked and reasonably priced.

Throughout my stay the staff were exceptional including looking up my transport options for a day trip to Tryavna and having phoned a taxi for me to the train station the receptionist came out with me to instruct the driver.

The only thing I wasn't particularly impressed with was the restaurant. Breakfast was merely OK - on my first morning I opted for the Bulgarian breakfast which would have been good except for the banitsa being obviously reheated in the microwave, thus rendering it soggy. I tried the evening food once (guests get 10% discount from the menu price) and found that quite disappointing too - more on my restaurant reviews. Service though was friendly and attentive (and very attractive) and my complaints were niggly rather than major and so not really worth voiceing.

Unique Quality: This was a very pleasant stay all round but the view from my room window lifted it to the realms of "A Great Experience". The night-time glory of the lit-up Tsaravets fortress was so stunning that I never closed my balcony curtains during the three days (and nights) of my stay. This is also a great place to catch the Tsaravets "Sound and Light" show and the hotel's rooftop terrace bar is one of the best viewpoints in town. Unfortunately there was no show during my stay but the view from the terrrace of both Tsaravets and over the city is nevertheless spectacular. See travelogue below for more pics.

The hotel's advertised rates are a little more expensive than average but I got a very good out-of-season rate via www.booking.com

Definitely worth checking out!

Directions: On a little side street heading towards the entrance to Tsaravets.

Stayed at the Hotel Studio on a recent trip to VT and we were very impressed with the hotel facilities and the staff.
Everything you expect from a Boutique Hotel.

Plus points
1. Good standard room and shower room, if a bit small.
2. Great breakfast with several options. Unusual for Bulgaria.
3. Roof terrace gives the best view in town of the light show.
4. Good Restaurant, but expensive.
5. Staff have good english.

On the down side
1. Dark decor may not be to everyones taste.
2. Bar and restaurant expensive for Veliko.
3. It's a bit of a hike up to town

We have no hesitation in recommending the Studio, and having stayed in a number of hotels in Veliko, it's fair to say that the Studio was on a par with any of them and excelled in a number of areas.

Unique Quality: Breakfast was very good.
View for the light show was excellent.