If I had to pick one Bulgarian SPA hotel I keep coming back to with my family, it's this one. My husband and I have stayed here multiple times — autumn, winter, spring — with our two kids (a 4-year-old boy and a 5-month-old baby girl) and friends with kids the same ages. Three to four nights every time. The fact that we keep returning probably tells you everything you need to know.

The water itself is unusual. Hot Springs sits on top of mineral springs that get analyzed and posted publicly — fluoride at 82 mg/l, total mineralization around 295 mg/l, plus silica and a long list of microelements. Most Bulgarian SPA hotels don't share this level of detail. It's medical-grade thermal water, and you can feel the difference on your skin after the first soak.

The pool situation is what makes it work for families. There are three pools: a main indoor SPA pool, a separate indoor kids' pool, and an outdoor pool you can swim TO from the indoor side without leaving the water — a huge win in winter. In spring, they open outdoor thermal pools called "топила" with hot, cold, and medium-temperature water for contrast bathing. There are no age restrictions on any of the pools, so even my 5-month-old could go in. Try doing that at most Western European SPAs.

Hot Springs Medical & Spa indoor pool with family-friendly design.

The food is buffet-style. No dedicated baby food, but the hotel owns its own bio-farm — Чифлик Адрианови ливади (Adrianovi Livadi Farm) — where produce is grown using traditional Bulgarian methods. The breakfast and dinner buffets feature genuinely organic fruits, vegetables, eggs, and honey — you can taste the difference. Guests can even buy farm products to take home.