I'd attended art receptions and dance performances at the Guest Haus, and what I saw of the property at those times impressed me; the grounds and furnishings are lovely, and I always wanted to... More

I'd attended art receptions and dance performances at the Guest Haus, and what I saw of the property at those times impressed me; the grounds and furnishings are lovely, and I always wanted to return for a stay. No longer! About a month ago, my parents booked a room for my boyfriend and I, to celebrate my 32nd birthday and make his last visit to Ann Arbor (at the time of this incident, a long distance relationship) extra-special. The owner's reluctance to rent a room with a bathtub to "young couples... because [Vitosha has] had problems with all the splashing," despite my parents' repeated assertion we were adults, was slightly off-putting, but we were happy to receive a letter confirming our reservation a couple days later. Last week, two days before our "confirmed" stay, the owner contacted my parents to say the room was no longer available, as its current guests had elected to stay an extra day. She never apologized for the inconvenience, but offered to relocate us "kids" to smaller rooms with inferior views (one in an upstairs corner which they normally kept closed and only used as their "overflow" room); one had two twin beds and the other lacked a private bathroom. She requested we reschedule, dismissing my parents' protests that this was the last day that my boyfriend and I would actually be in town at the same time. She offered no discounts for the inconvenience, and when my mother said her suggestions weren't good enough, the owner snapped, "Well, what do you want, [word banned by Citysearch]?," and hung up. She refused to pick up or return subsequent calls. The following day, my parents were notified by e-mail that their reservation had been refunded, and that, "ironically, [they] had overlooked the sister room [to the one we'd reserved], which was available." Again, no apology. Absolutely egregious - I can no longer suggest this place to anyone, and discourage everyone from even attending events there. They don't deserve any support. Pros: lovely grounds and furnishings Cons: stunningly rude and dismissive owner
Less

My husband and I were recently married and were given a night at one of Vitosha's nicest rooms as a gift by our friends. When we arrived, we were told by a member of the staff that the room we had... More

My husband and I were recently married and were given a night at one of Vitosha's nicest rooms as a gift by our friends. When we arrived, we were told by a member of the staff that the room we had reserved was not available because the fireplace was broken so we accepted a different room, one with a bathtub. For some reason, the owner told my husband and I that this bathtub was "not to be used as a playground." She treated my husband and I like we were teenagers out for a raucous night. I was appalled. We are both 27 years old and are respectable, courteous people. This room was beautifully furnished but was very very cold. We tried to adjust the radiator to no avail. The next morning when the owner asked us how we slept, I told her how cold we were, to which she replied that we did not open the radiators properly. She promptly marched up to the room we had slept in and marched back down, telling us that we did not open them all the way. I sincerely doubt this. Also, she mentioned that it would "cost a fortune" to heat the place during the night. But it was precisely during the night when we were cold. She basically attacked us, it was terrible. The people we sat wtih at breakfast told us they were cold too. Then I asked her why we were not shown the room we had originally booked. She then told me that someone else had been given this room, making it clear to us that the fireplace in that orginal room was not at all broken, which is what we had been told when we arrived the prevous day. The owner had lied to us. I could not believe it. We were not at all made to feel welcome. The owner of this place needs a serious attitude adjustment and perhaps a course in customer service. It's hard to believe that somebody who makes a living trying by hospitality could be this awful. It was as though we were intruding her space. If you don't believe me just look at other reviews of this place on other travel sites. Pros: nice furniture Cons: the awful owner who made us feel like suckers
Less