Anca

I don't understand the poor reviews. I've spent 4 nights at this hotel and for me was the perfect stay. I've booked the hotel at very short notice. Unlike other hotels I've tried to book, the customer service was great. I was informed straight away (other hotels asked me to ring back in a few days, as their system was not up to date, or they have contracts with agencies so they do not know if the rooms are still available) that there is a room available. Moreover, when asked if they have a baby cot the answer was positive, for 12 lei/day I can have one. This was great news for me, as majority of hotels offer the cot without a charge, however they cannot guarantee the availability. Stupidly enough, if you try to book a room and the cot is available, they will not reserve it for you and if somebody else will want one at reception, you will end up without a cot. This was not the case at Anca Hotel. In terms of price, I've paid about 250 lei/day in July, out of about 8 hotels I've tried, this was the best price I've got. The hotel is located 1 minute walking distance from Belona beach, right in between the busy and the quiet part. The hotel has a pool but this was closed. This information was on the website, as well the receptionist informed me of the situation, over the phone, prior my booking. I was told that the pool will be functional again, but this may not happen this year. The hotel consists of 2 buildings. The older building has 2 floors, rooms facing the Belona lake or the pool/parking, rooms at first floor with balcony, at the ground floor without balcony. The other building is taller and modern, made of glass. The architecture is a bit strange, you don't get much natural light, as the rooms have no balconies, they only have a small window, facing Techirghiol lake and the motorway. The rooms have also big windows on the side where the door is, but what is the point of these, as without curtains, everybody in the corridor can look into your room. The rooms are modern and VERY spacious, by far the biggest rooms I've seen in a 3 star hotel. You have a double bed and you can easily fit another 2 beds. I was told that there are 2 triple rooms in the hotel, with double bed and expandable sofa, this costs one third extra. If you want a double room with an extra bed, this will be a quarter extra of the price of the room. The bathrooms are huge, the only issue is that the shower cannot be taken off its support, so quite difficult to wash your feet of sand of to wash your children. The room without the balcony is perfect and safe if you have children. You can dry your clothes on the provided rack, this can be in the bathroom, or outside of your door. Flat screen Tv, air conditioning, fridge, also safe, however all the safes in the hotel are operated with one key, so if you need to use it, the receptionist has to come and open it every time you need access. Outside there is a big play area for children, ping pong table, chess, pool table, also coffee vending machine at good prices. From the reception you can purchase beer, coffee, snacks, ice cream, all at reasonable prices. There is a 24/7 shop around the corner where you can buy these, also food, cigarettes, etc. I was told that there are facilities for breakfast if you pay 25 lei/day, however I have not used this. Most of the hotels at the Black Sea are 'forcing' you to purchase breakfast, or all the meals, not at this hotel, which is really nice. The staff was discreet but helpful, they were able to give all the answers in a reasonable manner and when I've tried to tip them, I was refused. By far this was the best 3 star hotel I've ever stayed at the Black Sea, very modern, clean, spacious, with pleasant staff. Pros: - location close to the beach but in the same time in a quiet area. - very quiet hotel, despite the fact it is located metres away from motorway - very clean - provides baby cots - helpful staff - safe for children - you are not pushed to purchase extra services or to spend your money only in the hotel, you can bring food, water, etc in the room - easy to book a room - great play area for children - modern and clean hotel, huge rooms and bathrooms - parking on site Cons: - the internet is very poor. It works in the reception area, but in the room the signal is poor or not existent. My room was on the first floor, close to the reception, I could only receive signal if I had my door open. - lack of balcony. This could be a plus if you have children, as you will have no worries of any accidents. However, if children sleep and you don't want to have noise from the TV, you can only stare at the ceiling or read a book, as you don't have a balcony to relax and the internet does not work. - The bed sheets were stained. Not dirty, but stained. - Pool closed, according to a member of staff, the hotel was not in a position to pay for a life guard. - Fixed shower, difficult to wash yourself properly. - Unable to use the safe. In my opinion this hotel has great potential and it is above the majority of the 3 star hotels at the Black Sea. We had a very pleasant stay there and we will be back. I recommend this hotel if you have children, you have all the facilities on site and the location is very close to the beach.