Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko

We spent three nights at the hotel. There is no doubt that the hotel meets all the standards expected of the Kempinski chain. The hotel manager (Mr. Roger) walks around among the guests all day, is interested in their well-being and gives good recommendations regarding spending time in the city. One of the evenings (on the recommendation of the hotel manager) we ate at the sushi restaurant in the hotel. Excellent food. The chef cooks in front of you and serves not only excellent food but gives a performance. Recommended!!!

Super............

An imposing hotel in an excellent location opposite the main ski gondola. If you are skiing, this hotel is hard to beat with it's own serviced boot room in the basement and you can purchase a VIP lift pass which allows you to skip the infamous Bansko queues (it costs extra but will save you 20mins+ queuing in the mornings). It's also effectively ski-in/ski-out...you can ski all the way down the ski road to the boot room entrance. The other major plus points are a very good car valet service and the fabulous amenities at the hotel which includes: heated indoor and outdoor pools with jacuzzis, a spacious thermal spa area with multiple saunas, steam room, infrared room and novelty snow room (the thermal spa area opens from 9am to 9pm). There's also a good size gym. On the negative side was our bedroom. Whilst it was extremely spacious for a ski resort room, it was very dated, had uncomfortable beds, and a non-functioning air conditioning unit. At night, there's live music in the relaxing lobby bar with its open fire. Breakfast consisted of a large buffet with an egg/pancake station for cooked-to-order options. All things considered, this has to be one of the best places to base yourself if you are skiing in Bansko.

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.