Sofia Journals

Sofia, So Good

A travel journal to Sofia by fizzytom

Quote: Spending a few days in the Bulgarian capital? Hopefully I can inspire you with some ideas for things to do and into the bargain recommend a budget hotel and some good places to eat.

Hotel Enny

Hotel | "Enny Room at the Inn?"

Quote:

Hotel Enny is a modest, budget hotel situated a few minutes walk from the heart of Sofia. It is somewhat basic but it is perfectly adequate and would be a reasonable choice for people wanting somewhere a bit quieter than a hostel but still on a limited budget. It is located quite near the main train station and on a quiet street off a much busier road that connects the station and the city centre. Nearby there is a bustling food market as well as cafes, cheaper restaurants and pizza joints and plenty of shops. It’s not an up-market area but it seemed safe enough at night and, naturally, this is reflected in the price. Central Sofia isn’t teeming with hotels and those in the very centre tend to be pretty expensive.

We were there in July, a busy time in Sofia and were able to get a room simply by walking in off the street. The exterior is pretty uninspiring; the hotel is directly on the street and although it’s just a narrow lane connecting two bigger roads there is quite a bit of traffic during the day. However, the street was almost free of traffic in the evenings. I would say it’s probably best to take a room at the other end of the courtyard away from the street, if you can, because the hotel is close to the market and there are lots of stores opening up early in this area meaning a lie in might not be possible due to the noise.

The receptionist spoke enough English for us to be able to get a double room with en suite bathroom. There were cheaper rooms with shared bathrooms but these were slightly smaller and although I was assured these were doubles, the bed looked teeny. On the other hand our en suite "double" contained a single and a double bed which was useful because the floor space was so small that we needed the single bed for somewhere to put the rucksacks. Fortunately the room was bright and airy with two decent sized windows so, although it was small, it didn’t feel oppressive.

The floor was tiled which was an improvement on other cheap places we’d stayed in which had grotty old carpet. The walls were white and some colourful bedding brightened the room up. Although the furniture was clearly rather cheap, the overall look of the room was good considering the price we’d paid.

The hotel has eight double, six single and five triple rooms; some are in the "front building" which is on the street, the others are in a building at the other end of the courtyard. This was good as it meant that there were only a few people crossing the courtyard at night; our room was on the ground floor and we weren’t disturbed by any noise from people going to other rooms.

The en suite belonging to our room was very small but very clean and there was always plenty of hot water. Each floor also has a shower room and separate toilet which are really intended for the rooms with no en suite but we did make use of the toilet once or twice when we both wanted to use it.

The courtyard was nicely presented and had a handful of patio tables and chairs and a small bar in the corner serving hot and cold drinks. Although we didn’t buy any ourselves there were occasionally guests sitting there enjoying the sun. The hotel doesn’t offer breakfast and has no additional facilities. The rooms all have cable television with lots of Bulgarian and Russian channels and a handful of English-language ones.

For the price we paid one would have to very picky to be vexed; currently, according to their website, a double room with en suite (toilet and shower) costs just €30 a night which is excellent value for a capital city. Rooms with shared bathroom facilities cost just €20 and a triple is even better value still at €30. This would be a good choice for backpackers who want some privacy and don’t want the noise of bustling hostels but also for weekend visitors who don’t mind basic accommodation and don’t want to spend too much. Breakfast may not be provided but there are plenty of places nearby to get some.

Prices quoted from the website August 2009 Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on August 7, 2009

Hotel Enny
Pop Bogomil Str. 46
Sofia, Bulgaria
+ 359 2 983 43 95