Central Point Boutique Hotel is in the centre, like several other larger hotels. But it has no breakfast room. Never mind. The room has a fridge, empty, great for any medicines, and leftover food from restaurants, or bought in Lidl supermarket, The fridge is not filled with overpriced drinks. By the front door is a vending machine with coffee. You soon manage to translate the Bulgarian for coffee and chocolate. The free boiled sweets in the hallway bowl are coffee flavoured with a soft centre. Try one.
What of the rooms? Our room was upstairs, no lift. The hotel is on two floors, ground floor and upstairs. Our room, number 201 was at the back. The view was over a neighbouring garden with lawn, and the patios of the ground fllowoor back rooms below. I was temporarily disappointed. But a back room proved to be quieter, because the park opposite has bars where people talk and laugh until way beyond midnight. Plus point for a back room. We asked for a second stool so that both of us could sit at the desk.
No hairdryer. But lovely fluffy towels and bathrobes. Shower gel and shampoo supplied.
Free Water
You can fill up your water bottle in the spa below which has a large spa bath and sauna. Or the prolific fountains in parks.
Our bedroom's shower room has lights changing from blue to purples and back. At first it is amusing, then irritating, then I stopped noticing it.
The ground floor and upper corridor and bedrooms are delightfully decorated with huge pictures of the old city or old Bulgaria. You feel you are in Bulagaria alghough the hotel is modern.
Our room was a dull dark brown and gold. Other rooms seemed to be in brighter colours. Mostly smaller. According to the pictures on Tripadvisor and the couple of rooms I was able to see by asking other hotel guests.
You can buy water cheaply in supermarkets and the convenience stores dotted about. We were able to walk to the walking tour starting point and nearby restaurants and the nearby natural Hsitory museum (about which I wrote earlier).
Anybody in a wheelchair would need the ground floor room; there is also a flight of about three steps to the front door.
I liked the patio rooms because you could sit out and eat in summer. Others might prefer not to look out at a white wall but to have an upstairs room such as ours with a view over the lawn next door, or over the park at the front despite it being noisy at night - save ear plugs from an airline if you are bothered.
(Why no photos? I am having trouble loading up.)
The parks are full of statues.
Free Walking Tours
The free walking tour is nominally free, although most people are so delighted they gladly give a tip and come back for more walking tours.
Free Cathedrals And Churches
Entry to the cathedral and churches is free. See:
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. (Ladies are asked to remove their hats.
The Russian Church. (Tiny inside.)
Free Language Help
On the Culture tour which cost about 22 leva, you are given a card the size of a business card with the Cyrillic alphabet on it.
Sofia free monthly guide (I had the May 2019 issue) had a section at the back on language.
Useful Websites
HOTEL
email: centralpointboutique@abv.bg
booking.com
We got a discount from being regular users of booking.com
The Metro
A trip on the metro train from the airport to the city centre is about 1.70, in UK terms in June 2019, which was about 70p, under one pound sterling, per person, one way.
WALKING TOURS
FREE
www.freesofiatour.com
sofiagreentour.com
SHOPS
Lidl supermarkets are everywhere for food.
Mercari bargain shop for clothes, shoes, socks, etc. (Next to cafe Ma Baker and opposite Lidl.)
www.mercari.bg
Discounts
If you take the Free Sofia Tour they give you a booklet called Free Sofia Tour recommends which has offers such as ten per cent off selected restaurants.
Skiing
Start researching now for a holiday skiing in Borovets, south of Sofia.
Cheap flights
https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/
www.skyscanner.com
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
