Rodina

Rodina Hotel

The Rodina Hotel is centrally located and extremely comfortable. A group of us stayed for seven nights and enjoyed ourselves very much. A few tips about this hotel:
The piano bar and nightclub do not actually belong to the hotel itself, but occupy space rented from the hotel. This can be problematic if you have a complaint about either of them.
The nightclub demands a five Euro cover-charge, which is actually an entrance fee. It has a wonderful atmosphere and I saw at least one topless dancer, so it's probably worth paying.
The piano bar has no cover-charge, but the drinks are a bit expensive. We were charged separately for the chocolate and the milk in our hot chocolate, and for the twist of lemon in our drinks. I've never before seen a bill broken up that way before.
There are nice bars on the Restaurant floor and in the main lobby, both owned by the hotel, where the quality of the service is a little better than in the penthouse bars.
The rooms were large and comfortable. If you're not European, you probably won't know how to open the large window in each room, so don't be embarassed to call Maintenance to show you.
Whenever we asked a bellboy to call a taxi for us, he called one from OK Supertrans, the decent company.
The casino has a very pleasant atmosphere. We also enjoyed the heated, indoor swimming pool.
There is convenient public transportation within one block of the hotel. The walk from the hotel to any of the tourist attractions of Sofia, such as Vistosha Blvd or the cathedral goes through interesting built-up areas and is an exellent way to familiarize yourself with the city. The central train station is less than 15 minutes away by tram, as is the huge Sofia City mall in the opposite direction.
As soon as we arrived at the hotel, the helpful people at the front desk handed us a large map of the whole city in English.
Although I've never stayed at any other Bulgarian hotels, I've stayed in plenty of hotels in other country, and absolutely recommend the Rodina.

Unique Quality: The spa is good, and they're working on improving it. The swimming facilities are fine. The food in the restaurants is good, and the prices are reasonable. The view of Sofia from the top floors is wonderful, even in overcast weather. The nightclub and piano bar are both good places for spending several hours either with friends or meeting new people. The room service is efficient and inexpensive. For those of you who like to take chances, there's a first-rate casino which you can enter directly from the lobby.