Stayed in the Hotel Bulgaria recently and found that this hotel is in a good location surrounded by nice shops bars resturants and the park. Outside of this area the city seems to be ugly and tower blocks mainly.
In the hotel the lifts are very slow especially when a large group of people are waiting at the same time. The breakfasts are of a very poor standard and not what western vistors would expect. My room was basic but clean and if you expect a 3 star hotel room thats what you get but a bit dated looking.
On the plus side the people are very friendly and dont change too much money as it is hard to spend at 3 euro for a dinner or a bottle of wine. Credit cards not taken widely and cash is king.
In the resturants food quality can vary widely but they are still learning about what the new standards will have to be so this will improve more