I stayed at the Art Hotel in Varna, Bulgaria, in June 2008. I chose this hotel for the price and location, and I was not disappointed. (I was prepared for the negative points of the hotel by some of the other reviews on TripAdvisor, which I found to be quite accurate.) The hotel is right next to Nezavisimost plaza, the pedestrian area across from the cathedral; everything was within reasonable walking distance. I didn’t think it was signposted very well, as I was looking for an obvious sign on the building itself, but there is a banner suspended across the street in front of it and that’s how I finally found it. I got in early (~8:00) after taking an overnight bus, and the staff allowed me to use a restroom and leave my bag at reception so I could explore the city in the morning. I only stayed in the hotel one night, and the room was quite sufficient for my needs. Payment was required in CASH only, and was required at the time of check-in. (Not sure if this is policy, or if it was because I only stayed one night.) There was air-conditioning as well as satellite TV with several channels in English, and the bathroom was fairly nice, including a hair dryer, etc. I can’t say I was impressed with the room décor, but it was clean and my goal was to explore the city from a good base, and in that sense the hotel was perfect. I was disappointed with breakfast, served at the café across the street; by the time I went (9:00), there was only the option of a spinach pastry and a choice of various beverages. I should also note that there is no lift in the building, and that might deter some people, although I was on the 4th floor which seemed to be the top. I got differing views on when check-in is, but it seems it is sometime between 12:00-2:00 P.M. Checkout is by noon. After checking out the next morning, the staff again allowed me to leave my bag at reception for the entire day, as I was leaving on a bus that night. Although I was not overly impressed with some aspects of Art Hotel, I gave this hotel a rating of "Excellent" (5/5) because the staff were always very helpful and obliging, and this hotel was just right for the price.
Negative: décor a bit drab; breakfast somewhat unsatisfactory; hotel doesn’t take credit cards.
Positive: Location is excellent; staff are friendly and very helpful; price was quite reasonable.