Mercure Sofia City

Whatever you do in this life or the next, do not stay here! From the outdated facility, the no circulation, the cold air conditioning that made the hotel hotter, I got so sick inside this place that I actually left early and sacrificed my final paid for night. Leaving and losing money was a gift…that’s how bad this place was.

The hotel looks nice and our room was spacious & clean but had a problem on 2 nights with music from bar or Restaurant at the back of hotel which went on until 3am not good when you have early start in the morning...food in hotel was disaster had Dinner first night we arrived ordered a chicken dish the chicken was pure raw so didn't eat there again. Breakfast was just about ok...the staff were very slow to refill the bowls of fruit ect when they were empty...They were the most unfriendly staff I have ever met not a smile from any of them looked as if they didn't want to be there...food expensive there... we were a group of 12 that evening and had our dinner choices pre ordered and they still couldn't cope...it's really only suited to bed & breakfast

We have spent 2 nights in this hotel during the New Year. Rooms are huge, clean, quiet, warm. Bathroom is also very clean, with hair dryer, bath tub, towels are changing every day. Room has tv, mini bar, table with chairs, huge bed, extra pillows... Food was basic but enough for breakfast: several salads, hams, cheese, eggs, cereal, drinks like tea, coffee, milk. Our room was on the mountain side so the view was spectacular. Stuff is nice, always ready to help. Hotel is well connected with the city center by tram no 7. You need 15-20 minutes ride to NDK from where you can take a walk through Vitosha Blvd. Near the hotel is shopping mall.

Stayed two nights in this hotel for work nearby. Location is good for accessing main areas of Sofia. Arrived late, the Evening receptionist was overwhelmed with people trying to check in or people on the phone with queries. It took 20 mins to check in. The room was basic, bathroom was ok, shower was not very powerful, air con was dirty. We wanted to eat as it was late, reception told us that the restaurant shuts at 10pm. We went straight to Hotel Restaurant, it was 70% full, must people finishing their meals. We sat down and waited for 5 mins before anyone took an interest and offered us some menus. We ordered a bottle of wine, 6-7 starters to share, our main course, desserts. My main was a steak which was ok , price was LEV30.99 – which wasn’t even on the menu, the waiters suggest it. At the end of the meal we were bluntly told we had to pay in CASH ONLY, no cards, no add to hotel room. At no point was this explained at the beginning of the meal or during. Other guests were paying by card and adding to room. SCAM – be very wary – we were bullied into getting cash from the Cash machine in reception. There was a horrible standoff for 20 mins – waiters were very firm and rude, one was even drunk by this stage. I did mention this to the receptionist and he shrugged his shoulders – must be part of the extra service. Apart from the restaurant scam – hotel was ok.

I stayed in this hotel last weekend. Quite classy and luxury interior. My room was excellent and I loved that they took consideration of my pillow request, Great chat at reception- George was very helpful and sent me to a good massage :). The restaurant has a new menu- with oriental dishes and loads of vegetarian options. I would recommend the wine list, as it seems they own their wineries and the prices are ridiculously cheap for the qualities of the wines. I got a wine I can't remember the name of, but it had few medals for under 20 EU.... Good WIFI and look onto Vitosha mountain. Few cozy places to set your meetings if you want to. Do go there if you are in a quick business stop in Sofia.

Although it is a large hotel and very clean it has a tired look and needs some attention to detail. The dining room is quite sad and uninspiring. Dinner was fine, was a fixed menu. Breakfast was a reasonable assortment, however the hot food was not hot!! I wasn't so keen on its location as it is out of town, there is a shopping mall close by to pass some time away. Be careful if you take a taxi, friends were charged the same amount going into Sofía but on the return journeys sone drivers asked up to 3x the price they had paid going in. Be advised to check the price before you take a ride!