What ultra all inclusive includes at each top-category hotel in Bulgaria

Ultra all inclusive usually covers buffet meals, snacks between them, local and some imported drinks and a stocked minibar, but each hotel writes its own rules. One allows an a la carte dinner after five nights, another after seven. Some refill the minibar daily, others fill it once. Read the concept sheet line by line.

Ultra all inclusive: what is included, and where to find it

Few hotels publish one tidy document: some spread the timetable across restaurant pages, others bury it in a seasonal offer. Pull out six things: meal times, the a la carte allowance, imported drinks, the minibar, room service and paid extras.

Times are as printed; hotels may change them.

Buffet hours and the gaps between them

Most main restaurants serve breakfast from 07:30 to 10:00, lunch from about 12:30 and dinner from 18:00 or 18:30. The differences sit at the edges.

• Reina del Mar starts breakfast later, 08:00 to 11:00.
• Paradise Beach Residence keeps Eden, on the 8th floor, open for dinner until 22:00, the latest main sitting here.
• Grand Hotel Sveti Vlas runs lunch to 15:00 in its All Day Restaurant, then a snack until 18:30.
• Voya Beach Resort serves dinner at Chef's Market from 18:30 to 21:30, with late breakfast and tea time at Catch.
• Planeta Hotel opens lunch at 12:00 and adds a pool level snack bar from 10:00 to 18:00.
• Amelia Hotel serves a set late breakfast at Celebritta from 10:00 to 11:00 and a snack from 15:00 to 17:00.

At Arsena Hotel the package runs from lunch on arrival to breakfast on departure. Helena Resort starts it at 14:00 on arrival, ends it at 12:00 on departure, and asks for a hotel passport at the restaurant door. Nobel Hotel only says meals follow announced hours, so ask for the timetable. Check Nobel Hotel.

Included a la carte dinners: nights needed and booking rules

Concepts differ most here. Five nights unlocks one dinner at four hotels; two ask for seven.

Voya Beach Resort gives one dinner at Blanca or Noble from five nights, and two once a stay passes ten nights. The dinners cannot be combined, both restaurants close on Wednesdays, and a table depends on space. See Voya Beach Resort dates.

Planeta Hotel includes one Grande Vista evening, a four-course set menu with a sea view, for stays of at least five nights. It opens three times a week; book at reception. Check Planeta Hotel.

HVD Riviera Beach includes one dinner at the sea-view Romantica from five nights, booked ahead, smart casual. Its fish restaurant does not say whether a meal is covered, so ask. Look at HVD Riviera Beach.

Reina del Mar prints the same five-night rule on its Italian, Asian, Turkish and Mediterranean Beach Club pages, open from June to the first week of September. Ask whether that means one visit in total or one per venue. Check Reina del Mar.

Wave Resort asks for seven nights before one dinner at Lavanda or Oliva is included; book with the Concierge between 09:00 and 11:00 or 15:00 and 17:00. On shorter stays a cover charge applies, and repeat visits are charged. See Wave Resort dates.

Amelia Hotel works differently: a dine-around of one lunch and one dinner in theme restaurants per seven-day stay, with drinks at those meals not covered. Check Amelia Hotel.

Helena Resort names no a la carte restaurant; it runs thematic dinners three times a week from 19:00, booked with the restaurant manager.

Nobel Hotel includes one NOBO dinner from seven nights: a set three-course a la carte menu of salad, main and dessert. Reserve ahead, subject to availability, for an 18:00 to 19:30 or 19:45 to 21:15 sitting.

Imported or local: whose bar pours what

Most concepts mention imported spirits somewhere, but rarely at every bar.

At Grand Hotel Sveti Vlas imported alcohol is listed only at the lounge bar, from 10:00 to 02:00. Meals and the pool bar pour local spirits, beer and wine. See Grand Hotel Sveti Vlas.

Wave Resort pours imported drinks at the lobby bar, the summer pool bar and the amphitheatre cocktail bar. The Bistro and beach bar stick to beer, wine and soft drinks, and a premium selection costs extra.

Paradise Beach Residence lists Bulgarian and selected imported alcohol at Eden, the Sky lobby bar, the Deep pool bar and Night Bar Joy. Both it and Wave Resort refuse alcohol to anyone under 18. Check Paradise Beach Residence.

Reina del Mar describes top-shelf imported drinks and a lobby bar open from 07:00 to 01:00, though the premium spirit at its Mezzanine Bar is not marked as covered. Voya Beach Resort pours local and international brands round the clock at the lobby bar. Arsena Hotel lists local and imported brands at its lobby and pool bars. Check Arsena Hotel.

HVD Riviera Beach is vaguer: its lobby bar lists local beers, wines and soft drinks without naming imported spirits, so ask.

Minibar refills and room service

A daily refill is printed at Wave Resort (water, soft drinks, beer and a packaged dessert), HVD Riviera Beach, Reina del Mar and Voya Beach Resort. Paradise Beach Residence refills only water.

Amelia Hotel stocks water, juice, a soft drink and beer, and tops up coffee and tea daily. Arsena Hotel fills its mini fridge once. Grand Hotel Sveti Vlas fills the minibar at check-in and says nothing about refills. Helena Resort leaves water, soft drinks and beer for arrival but lists minibar consumption as paid. Check dates at Helena Resort.

Room service is the gap: Grand Hotel Sveti Vlas and Amelia Hotel offer it without saying it is covered, and no other hotel mentions it.

After 23:00

Late food appears in three concepts: a midnight snack at the Wave Resort Bistro Bar from 21:00 to 07:30, a midnight buffet at Grand Hotel Sveti Vlas from 22:00 to 07:30, and a light snack at Amelia Hotel from 23:00 to 00:30.

What the hotels print as still extra

• Wave Resort: the Deluxe Club, premium drinks, a premium a la carte breakfast, late check-out, underground parking, laundry, and spa and hammam treatments.
• Paradise Beach Residence: beach umbrellas and sunbeds (pool ones are free), sauna, steam room and treatments, water attractions, Game Room games and shaded parking.
• Helena Resort: minibar consumption, billiards, the tennis court, underground parking, spa treatments and laundry. One sauna or steam session is included.
• Amelia Hotel: the first two rows of beach sunbeds, parking, and laundry and ironing.
• Arsena Hotel: parking, early check-in, late check-out and the games room consoles.
• Grand Hotel Sveti Vlas: the local tourist tax. Planeta Hotel: private parking. Voya Beach Resort: some special wines.

Hotel Admiral names its restaurants, a patisserie and a swim-up bar but publishes no rules, so ask for the concept in writing. Check Hotel Admiral.

The concepts side by side

Compare the two plans in all-inclusive vs ultra all-inclusive and the standard all-inclusive guide. Sunny Beach has a resort-level breakdown, and the shortlist of ultra resorts covers pools and beaches. Start from every ultra all-inclusive hotel in Bulgaria.