Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko

“Amazing Autumn stay, but was it worth it?”

Our visit was out of snow season. Many of the nearby pubs and restaurants were closed but that’s to expected. Breakfast had one of the best buffets ever! Amazing yoghurt, a chef on hand to make you omelettes how you want, and proper barista coffee makers, who don’t mind making you more than 1 cof… more

Our visit was out of snow season. Many of the nearby pubs and restaurants were closed but that’s to expected. Breakfast had one of the best buffets ever! Amazing yoghurt, a chef on hand to make you omelettes how you want, and proper barista coffee makers, who don’t mind making you more than 1 coffee. Loads of helpful staff. Staying here with my family, there was a kids club, though my 8 year old was to cool for that. Several pools and some heated. Whilst next door was a massive jumping feature (much more than a castle) kids from 4-11 could have stayed on there all day. The inflatable was meant to cost 10 leva for 20mins but some days there were no one there and when my kids time was up and I tried to pay more they would not take it. Rooms are old, but clean and featured a lot of wood, loads of storage and reasonable size. Restaurants in the hotel, like the hotel itself, are rather expensive. There was a great alternative 10m up and across the road, which served a variety of food. Though I do recommend walking to main village centre and trying a tavern with local cuisine. A few times we went to reception and could not find anyone available and after waiting usually gave up. The most amazing aspect for me, was the spa relaxation zone, Which included a “Shower experience”, multiple sauna’s with differing degrees, a few hot steam boxes again with differing degrees, and an ice box which had ice/snow but wasn’t that cold. I haven’t experience all this before coming from Australia so I thought it was pretty cool to give all these a go and my skin felt wonderful afterwards. Also the toiletries are Salvatore Ferragamo were wonderful. During the warmer months there is plenty of hiking trails and that sort of thing, but next time if I ever get a chance to come back to Bansko it will be in the winter months. I would love to stay at the Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko again, but the biggest drawback was cost!

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“Our vacation in Kempinski”

First of all, I must mention the high level of service at the reception - everyone is very kind and pleasant and helpful. The rooms are large, very clean, the air and the view from the balcony is amazing. The beds are comfortable, there is both a shower and a bathtub. The cleaners come twice a day,… more

First of all, I must mention the high level of service at the reception - everyone is very kind and pleasant and helpful. The rooms are large, very clean, the air and the view from the balcony is amazing. The beds are comfortable, there is both a shower and a bathtub. The cleaners come twice a day, there is no shortage of toiletries. The spa is excellent. Things to improve: The shower has no handle to hold onto to prevent falls. It would also be nice if there was also a shower that could be pulled out and not just hung. The food is not the most varied for a 5 star hotel. There is no coffee machine and it feels unpleasant to rush the waiters to bring a refill of coffee There are almost no sockets in the room, especially the lack of a socket in the bathroom - not even one. That way, if I brought a hair dryer from home or electrical appliance that I want to use, such as an electric brush or a shaver, it's not possible. And in the room itself there are not enough sockets even if you want to charge electrical appliances and at the same time prepare a drink. Most importantly - on the site it states that there is air conditioning in the rooms. In practice the central air conditioning controlled by the hotel. It was impossible to set the temperature to less than 21 degrees (we checked with the staff), and the hotel offered to open the window as a solution, but then smoke entered the room from the neighboring balconies, so the solution is less suitable.

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“Good Expirience”

This hotel was good, and the cleanless was really good,the staff was so friendly. The beds were so comfy you can even sleep all day, the food was okay. The pool was clean and beautifull. It has a beautifull garden. The location is good. It would be better if they had more food choices such as cavia… more

This hotel was good, and the cleanless was really good,the staff was so friendly. The beds were so comfy you can even sleep all day, the food was okay. The pool was clean and beautifull. It has a beautifull garden. The location is good. It would be better if they had more food choices such as caviar,lobsters sushi etc.. I am from Macedonia if your planing a car drive it would take atleast from 1-10 hours.

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“A very lovely hotel in a beautiful location ”

We stayed for a week and had a very nice stay in this beautiful hotel. We took a two and a half hour taxi from Sofia airport, but it was worth it, & the motorway is a dream!! We had a beautiful view from our spacious mountain view room. Very large balcony, lots of storage, very comfortable bed, … more

We stayed for a week and had a very nice stay in this beautiful hotel. We took a two and a half hour taxi from Sofia airport, but it was worth it, & the motorway is a dream!! We had a beautiful view from our spacious mountain view room. Very large balcony, lots of storage, very comfortable bed, & well stocked fridge, although we'd have appreciated coke zero and Bulgarian sparkling water (delicious).The bathroom was also very large, immaculate, & well stocked with complimentary toiletries. Really appreciated the turn down each evening & my birthday cards must have been noticed by the hardworking housekeepers, as I was surprised when we returned & found a beautiful & delicious birthday cake in the room. Thank you so much for your kindness ❤️ It made my day! Our only issue with the room was the air conditioning which was set at 21 degrees!! That's heating, not AC. Not used to heat in England, we need to cool off quickly after a hot day. A fan in the room would have helped too. Another review erroneously described this hotel as dated. NO ! It's a traditional, Immaculate,charming hotel. The staff were lovely, polite & helpful. English wasn't widely spoken, but we were understood. Thank you for your patience . Breakfast was very good, although ordering coffee was a bit haphazard & disorganised at times. We ate twice in the only restaurant open during summer,Prima, the food was delicious and good value. The verandah was a beautiful area, we were disappointed that it closed at 7pm and sofas covered, as we'd have loved to have spent the evenings up there. Also, the drinks were never chilled enough unfortunately. The Spa, WOW!!! Stunning, absolutely loved it. Two small but perfect outside pools & a beautiful indoor one. Saunas, steam rooms, warm stone beds, perfect Best spa I've been to outside of the UK. A lovely, lovely place to spend a day - or week. Each day we were treated to cold oil infused flannels or canapes, a very nice & appreciated touch .Really enjoyed the Jacuzzis too. Theres a small children's pool & play area. The children were delightful & well behaved, so it was still a relaxing place to be after a day hiking up or down the beautiful mountain, or through the many trails in the woods. The position of this hotel is perfect for the gondola, walks & the town. It's not OUT of town as someone described, it's just up from town. It's a lovely short walk down to the beautiful quaint town, with many good traditional restaurants, bars & nice shops. Many locally made goods to buy, and delicious honey & jams. We enjoyed good food at Lovna Shresta tavern (lovely garden) & Mehana Bai Kotse tavern. Explore the beautiful back streets early morning & evening, then people watch in the town square. We booked quad bikes opposite the hotel. Wow , what a great, fun hour & a half we spent exploring the beautiful countryside around Bankso. Highly recommend. The little touches at this hotel really made it stand out for us We will be back, & we do highly recommend this wonderful hotel for a great relaxing spa break and summer walking holiday in Bulgaria

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