What is included at a top-category all-inclusive in Sunny Beach?

At the top-category hotels in Sunny Beach, all-inclusive covers buffet meals through the day, snacks and local drinks during set bar hours. Imported spirits, a la carte dinners, spa treatments and the minibar vary from hotel to hotel. Ultra plans usually add more, so read each hotel's list of inclusions and extras.

All-inclusive vs ultra all-inclusive in Sunny Beach

On paper, all-inclusive bundles your meals, snacks and a set list of drinks into the stay. Ultra all-inclusive widens the drinks list and often adds a set-menu or a la carte dinner or extra facilities.

In practice the labels overlap. Among the five hotels, one standard plan pours imported bottled drinks while another charges for anything imported, and one resort sells a named plan of its own instead of either label. Read the list, not the label. For the general picture, see all-inclusive vs ultra all-inclusive.

Each hotel reserves the right to change hours and facilities, so treat the times below as a guide.

Meals and times

Noma Hotel sets out a full timetable: breakfast 07:30 to 10:00, a late breakfast at the lobby bar from 10:00 to 12:00, lunch 12:30 to 14:30, afternoon snacks 15:00 to 17:00, dinner 18:30 to 21:00 with themed evenings and show cooking, and a midnight snack from 21:30 to 23:30. Evening dress is smart casual. Check availability at Noma Hotel

Barceló Royal Beach serves buffet breakfast, late breakfast, lunch and dinner at its Chef's and Cape Emine restaurants. The pool bar adds snacks from 12:00 to 15:00 and pastries from 15:00 to 17:00, and drinks come with lunch and dinner. See dates at Barceló Royal Beach

Planeta Hotel builds its day around a main buffet with show cooking, an Italian buffet, a children's menu and three theme nights a week, with a pool-level restaurant for all-day dining. Book at Planeta Hotel

Nobel Hotel's package runs from breakfast with show cooking through a late breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack with ice cream to dinner with show cooking and a late-night snack. Theme dinners run four times a week, and there is a vegetarian menu. Check rooms at Nobel Hotel

Secrets Sunny Beach Resort & Spa has six restaurants, by Hyatt's opening release, and says its Unlimited-Luxury plan includes gourmet dining. Ask the hotel for current meal times and dress codes.

Bars and drinks

Barceló Royal Beach pours Bulgarian spirits, Bulgarian wines, draft beer, soft and hot drinks and cocktails at the Lobby Bar (08:00 to 23:00), the Pool Bar (10:00 to 23:00) and the Mako Bar (14:30 to 23:00). Imported drinks cost extra.

Noma Hotel includes imported and local bottled drinks. The NOEL Lobby Bar opens 10:00 to 23:00, the Brizee Pool Bar 10:00 to 22:00 for cocktails, draft beer and prosecco, and the Lounge Bar 10:00 to 22:00 for prosecco, wines and premium spirits.

Planeta Hotel lists soft drinks, beer, local and imported spirits, wines, cocktails and hot drinks. Nobel Hotel covers branded soft drinks, imported and local spirits, beer, wine and cocktails, but keeps a premium selection at the lobby bar as an extra. Secrets Sunny Beach Resort & Spa has four bars and says premium drinks are part of the stay.

New to how Bulgarian plans handle drinks? The guide to what all-inclusive includes in Bulgaria covers the basics.

A la carte dinners and their rules

Where a special dinner is included, it comes with conditions. Planeta Hotel gives one visit to its Grande Vista set-menu restaurant on stays of five nights or more, booked at reception. Nobel Hotel includes one three-course a la carte dinner at NOBO, with a seven-night minimum stay and a booking.

At Barceló Royal Beach and Noma Hotel, ask whether an a la carte dinner is part of your stay and how to reserve it. Secrets Sunny Beach Resort & Spa has six restaurants, so ask how bookings work there too.

Pools, spa, kids clubs and entertainment

Barceló Royal Beach includes more than 9,000 sq m of pools and gardens, pool sunbeds and umbrellas, daily pool towels, a kids club for ages 4 to 12 and entertainment by day and evening six times a week. The 1,200 sq m spa area, with a heated indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam bath, is open to guests, as are the gym and Wi-Fi.

Planeta Hotel includes an aquapark for adults and children, pool sunbeds and parasols subject to availability, the sauna from 14:00 to 16:00 and a 9th-floor gym from 07:00 to 22:00. There is a kids club for ages 4 to 12, plus sports and evening shows.

Nobel Hotel gives spa access to its heated indoor pool, sauna and contrast shower, with heated outdoor pools for adults and children. Fitness, yoga, water gym, evening entertainment and kids animation for ages 4 to 12 are included.

Noma Hotel and Secrets Sunny Beach Resort & Spa are adults-only, so there is no kids club to weigh up. Secrets includes activities by day and night; for Noma's pool and spa facilities, ask the hotel.

What usually costs extra

Barceló Royal Beach lists imported drinks, the refillable minibar, the hammam and treatments, the beauty salon and the airport transfer at extra charge. Sunny Beach is about 30 km from Burgas, and traffic can add time to the drive.

Nobel Hotel charges for massages and for the premium selection at the lobby bar, so treatments and top-shelf drinks are the extras the two hotels share. At Planeta Hotel, Noma Hotel and Secrets Sunny Beach Resort & Spa, ask for the list of paid extras before you book.

If the widest drinks list matters most, compare ultra all-inclusive hotels side by side.

Hotel comparison

To weigh these against other resorts on the same stretch of sand, browse Sunny Beach hotels.