Vita Park Hotel and Aqua Park

There are some negative reviews about Vita Park however I am basing this review based on realistic expectations for a 3 star hotel and the low cost of our holiday. We are a family of 5 with 3 children ages 10,6 and 5. We had an amazing fortnight and thank all the staff at Vita Park. I'll give some details on each aspect of our holiday: Hotel/Rooms: We had a 2 bedroomed apartment with was big enough to sleep 5 of us (I would recommend a maximum of 4 adults but the sofa bed was fine for a child). The apartment was fairly basic but clean and the bedding towels etc were changed every few days. There was 3 balconies and 2 air con units which kept the apartment comfortable temperature wise. The hotel is a little dated however there was a bit of retro soviet brutalist charm about it. The pool was lovely and kept clean by the pool attendants. There was always plenty of sun loungers and umbrellas. Facilities: Great facilities, the highlight being complimentary access to the aquapark. We spent several days at the aqua park and it's virtually in the hotel grounds so you can pop back to the hotel restaurant for lunch which adds to the value. The aquapark is designed for families, safe and with loads of great slides. It may be a little bit small for older children but for our kids, it was perfect. There was never long queues, even at busy times. The kids club was wonderful, our children loved it and it was nice for the adults to have some relaxing time. All the entertainment staff were great but I have to give a special mention to Nadya, who our children adored. Nadya was amazing with arts and crafts, absolutely brilliant at her job and the children really miss her now we're home. We only went to the beach one day. Vita Park have a free shuttle bus that takes you to and from the Vita Park private beach where each room has 2 free sun loungers and an umbrella. For lunch, ice cream or drinks, our all inclusive wristbands got us access to the beach restaurant Rai which was very nice. There is a football pitch, volleyball and tennis courts which we never used. The children's play park was great for our kids age group. The hotel pool was nice with 3 separate areas, one for swimming, one with two slides and a toddler area. The hotel is set in a large wooded areas which is lovely however inevitably, there is lots of wildlife, most of which is vest interesting but there is lots of biting insects and they do bite. Don't kill any spiders as they don't bite humans but they do eat the nasty insects that bite us!! We saw lots of lizards, a wild hare, lots of cool looking spiders and a european mantis. Food/Drinks: I didn't drink any alcohol so can't really comment on that other than there appeared to be a decent enough selection of local beers, wines and spirits. No premium brands but pretty much what you'd expect from a 3 star hotel. There was ample soft drinks. You can't eat 24 hours a day but breakfast is 7-10am, lunch 12:30-14:30 the dinner 18:00 - 21:30. There is food served at the pool bar between 15:00 and 18:00 so you are never likely to go hungry. The quality of the food was excellent. The restaurant is geared towards the eastern european market but I love eastern european food so that suited me fine. Fussy British or Irish tourists who expect bland roast beef of turkey & ham will be disappointed but in my opinion, if you want bland British/Irish food, then stay in Britain an Ireland. The restaurant serves a nice selection of grilled meats/fish, pasta, seafood, salads, potatoes, stews, vegetables, fruit and deserts. If you are open minded and willing to try european dishes, then you will love the food at Vita Park. The fresh pita bread straight from the wood fired oven was lovely. We ate in the restaurant every night except for one night where we ate out and everyone really enjoyed the food. The pool bar food was very good too. Staff: The staff were all excellent and friendly. Not all staff were fluent in English but were all very helpful and made every effort to communicate with us. Two staff members deserve particular praise - Deyana, the restaurant manager, who looked after us so well. Deyana was so friendly and even arranged a special table and cake for my son on his birthday. Nadya from the entertainment staff, (as mentioned previously). Nadya was amazing with our kids at the kids clubs, discos etc. When we left the hotel to go home at 0100am, the guy on reception gave our children a small gift each plus packed lunches to take with us on our travels. That was a lovely touch and the perfect end to a wonderful stay at Vita Park. Albena Resort: The resort is very family orientated therefore quiet and would not suit party animals. Lovely beach and a few nice restaurants. The centre of town is full of kids attractions, which are quite expensive but there are also lots of free play areas, sports facilities etc. Large parts of the town are pedestrianised, the roads are generally quite therefore it feels very safe for families. Summary: This is a great hotel and exceptional value for money. Looking at some of the negative reviews, I'm not sure what people expect from a 3 star hotel but I thought the food and facilities merited more than 3 stars - the aquapark access alone set Vita Park above other 3 star hotels that I've stayed in. Yes, the hotel is a little bit dated but that is reflected in the price. The staff were amazing, food and facilities were excellent for a 3 star hotel. I would highly recommend Vita Park for a good value family holiday and I would love to return in the future. Thank you to all the staff at Vita Park for helping our family to have a magical holiday and great memories!!