Outstanding, central location close to tourist and business sights
Huge rooms have old-fashioned, elegant decor and marble-clad bathrooms
All rooms come with hairdryers, bathrobes, desks, and safes
Fine-dining restaurant serving international cuisine, casual cafe, and lobby bar
Full-service spa with sauna, hot tub, small gym, and treatment rooms
Upper-tier rooms receive perks like jetted tubs and airport transfers
Free yoga mat and DVD delivery to rooms
Business center and meeting rooms available
Free parking and Wi-Fi throughout
Some room furnishings, like carpets, need replacing
Gym is small and doesn't open until late (9 a.m. during our visit)
Lower-level rooms lack tea- and coffee-making facilities
Small and slow elevators
One of the city's top places to say, the Grand Hotel Sofia retains the stately, old-fashioned charm of traditional luxury European hotels. The hotel is elegant and formal, from its Shades of Red restaurant to the jewel tones of its 122 rooms. Given its immediate proximity to popular tourist spots and ministry departments for business travelers, it attracts a mixed clientele, though most guests fall into the latter category. Carpeted rooms are spacious, and come with small flat-screen TVs, minibars, and green marble-clad bathrooms. A full-service spa, multiple dining outlets, and free Wi-Fi are provided. Travelers looking for a less formal and more modern design should consider the stylish Sense Hotel, which adds a rooftop bar and pool to its offerings.
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Scene
2004-opened hotel with grand, old-fashioned decor
The nine-floor Grand Hotel Sofia, opened in 2004, carries on the stately, elegant tradition of top-tier European hotels. There's not much that's modern here in terms of decor -- instead, expect a formal, somewhat heavy interior filled with more than 400 original oil paintings and lots of dark-wood paneling and furniture. The overall vibe is sophisticated and quiet, however, some areas -- particularly carpets and the quirky days-of-the-week mats in the elevators -- are beginning to show signs of wear. The hotel is primarily popular with business travelers, and it caters to them with its convention center and accompanying suite of meeting rooms. Couples on vacation, and some families, have also laid there head here though. While not a huge inconvenience, some guests have complained of small and slow elevators.
Location
Centrally located within easy walking distance of most top tourist destinations
Located about as centrally in Sofia as you can get, the Grand Hotel Sofia is within easy walking distance of the city's top sights and attractions. The National Theatre, city art gallery, national concert hall, national art museum, Russian Church, St. Sofia Church, archaeological museum, ethnographic museum, and national history museum are all within a 10-minute walk. For business travelers, the country's ministry offices (of defense, agriculture, education, etc.) are all within a 12-minute walk. The closest subway station, Serdike, is a five-minute walk away. The airport is about 20 minutes away by taxi, and the city's train station is a 10-minute drive from the hotel.
Rooms
Rooms are huge and elegant, if growing dated
Rooms and suites here aren't the most modern, but they're incredibly spacious for a city hotel, starting at 50 square meters (538 square feet). The rich emerald and ruby jewel tones of the carpets, curtains, and bedspread are old-fashioned in a grand, elegant way, as are small sculptures, dark-wood furniture, and oil paintings. However, some rooms could use a refresh, as their wallpaper, upholstered headboard, and carpeting have seen better days. Large bathrooms are beautifully outfitted in dark-green marble, and all have a shower stall and separate bathtub -- jetted tubs are available in some higher-category rooms. They're stocked with free toiletries (Aroma toiletries in lower-tier rooms), bathrobes, hairdryers, and slippers.
Standard amenities include minibars with free bottled water, flat-screen satellite TVs, free Wi-Fi, and work desks. Due to safety regulations, there are no ironing boards or irons provided, though a pressing service is available for a charge. Other perks are available at different room levels, like various levels of access to the wellness center, airport transfers, tea- and coffee-making facilities, and L'Occitane toiletries.
Features
Fine-dining restaurant and comprehensive wellness center, but gym opens late
The Grand Hotel's Shades of Red restaurant is decidedly formal, with burgundy and gold carpet, white linens on the tables, and tall, tapered candles. It overlooks the garden and serves lunch and dinner from a menu featuring fine-dining dishes like lobster bisque, caviar, New Zealand lamb, and steaks alongside traditional Bulgarian food and seasonal specials. A truly excellent buffet breakfast, with continental choices and Bulgarian specialities, is available for a fee. There's a more casual option for breakfast and light dishes, too: the delicious Grand Cafe, with a beautiful conservatory-style dining room and a terrace that extends into the adjacent park. Downstairs, the hotel's bustling Lobby Bar is open around the clock.
The hotel's health center incorporates a full-service spa with treatment rooms that provide aromatherapy, massages, and facials. Guests can also use the sauna, hot tub, infrared cabin, and solarium -- free for those staying in upper-tier rooms and available as a day pass to other guests for a reasonable fee. A small but well-equipped fitness center is also available, but it has limited hours (9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during our visit). Guests can also get a yoga mat and DVD delivered to their rooms for free.
Additional features include an in-house florist, hair salon, art gallery, and an accessories shop inside the hotel. Meeting rooms and a business center are also on-site. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the property, and self parking in the garage is free.
