Shipkovo Spa Hotel

As an American (and first time visitor to Bulgaria), my friend booked us the Shipkovo Spa Hotel so we could be in the middle of everything he wanted to show me. I didn't know what to expect, but this hotel pretty much beat it all out. The hotel was extremely clean with a few modern touches to an older style (glass bowl bathroom sinks in an otherwise somewhat outdated decor) and while there were some notes of wear and tear (buttons in the bathtub being worn away and not all jets functioning like we would have liked, somewhat worn robes as well ), it's quite obvious extra touches were added to include the towel warming rack, the overhead light switches by the bed, and the decorative waves found in not only the bathroom tiles but on all the etched glass doors in the building. The manager, Dochka Dochera, I felt went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed (including me and I don't speak a lick of Bulgarian and she doesn't speak any English). She was always willing to offer advise of where to visit or how to get there or where to find anything we might need. She greeted us daily with a smile on her face and a friendly word. I can't say enough about how welcomed we felt at this hotel and for that alone I'd go back again. Aside from the hospitality, the food was good and fresh with a friendly staff and the hotel really did sit in a quaint area with easy driving to many places including Troyan, Veliko Tarnovo, the Glozhene Monastery, and many other places. Even when we left in the wee morning on our last day, they made sure we had sandwiches and water to go. I will admit the hotel has its frayed edges, but I truly enjoyed staying here and would recommend it to anyone coming to the area.