Sofia: Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan (5 Star Hotel)

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Address: 5 sveta nedelya square , Sofia , Bulgaria
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Lonely Planet review

Smack bang amidst Sofia's busy centre - with many ornate state buildings and monuments as neighbours - the 188-room Sheraton is probably Sofia's best located hotel. It's also historic. Built (as the Balkan Hotel) during the Stalinesque monument-making days of the 1950s, the Sheraton shows a rather aristocratic taste inside, with giant chandeliers looming over the marble lobby and wide hallways throughout.

In April 2006, the hotel completed a two-floor renovation. All rooms sport a royal, chintzy edge - with floral carpets, high ornate ceilings, striped marble bathrooms, and plush headboards to watch cable TV on. Rooms are a little smaller than those at Grand Hotel Sofia. Soundproof windows overlooking Vitosha Blvd don't always stop all traffic noise (which does slow down after hours). All furnishings are new - though the blueish carpet clashes slightly with the bright wallpaper. Guests can plug in laptops for Internet at the small work desks or use the lobby business centre. Meals are served in a nice ground-floor restaurant (including a breakfast buffet, included for some rates). The basement has a couple of souvenir shops, a salon, and a door leading to the back courtyard and the Church of St George (Sofia's oldest preserved building, which dates from the Roman days when Sofia was called Serdica).