How we research

Bulneo is researched and written by Denis Podorozhkin, who lives in Bulgaria. Every guide, destination and hotel page shows who wrote it and when it was last updated.

We rank sources by how close they are to the fact:

• Official bodies first: the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism, municipalities, EU institutions and national operators such as the BDZ railway.
• Reference sources next: the thermalsprings.ru catalogue of mineral springs, Wikipedia (Bulgarian and English) and published research.
• Hotels' own websites and booking sites, for facilities and prices.
• Our own observations, which we label as such and date.

For local facts we read Bulgarian-language sources first, because they are usually the most complete and current. Important numbers such as water temperatures, mineral content and entry fees are checked against at least two sources. Where sources disagree, we say so or use the more cautious figure. Each page lists its sources at the bottom, under "Sources & verification".

We visit the places we write about whenever we can. Photos we take ourselves are captioned with the place and the date and credited to Bulneo. Location data is removed from them before they are published, and we do not photograph recognisable bathers without their consent. How you may use our photos is set out in our Terms of Use.

For fees, opening times and recent changes at public baths, recent visitor reviews on Google Maps and Booking.com are often the only current information. We read them to check facts, then write our own summary; we never copy or quote individual reviews. Guest ratings on hotel pages name their source and the number of reviews behind them.

We use AI tools to help with research, drafting and translation. They do not decide what is true: every fact on a page is checked against the sources listed on that page, and anything we cannot source is removed. A person reviews and edits every page before it is published.

Bulneo is not a medical site, and nothing here is medical advice. Our editor is a software developer, not a doctor, and our health-related content is not reviewed by a doctor. Health statements are checked against the cited sources, with the help of an AI cross-check, and removed if no source supports them. Where the evidence is weak, we say so: our guide What is balneotherapy? explains what research does and does not show.

Talk to a doctor before starting a course of treatment, especially if you are pregnant, have a heart condition or high blood pressure.

Hotel profiles are compiled from public information unless a hotel has claimed its listing, and each profile says which. Hotels cannot pay us to change our editorial assessment. A hotel that claims its listing can update facts about itself, such as facilities and prices, and the page then says so; guest ratings and reviews stay independent of the hotel.

Some booking links are affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.

Prices, fees and opening hours change. The "Updated" date on each page shows when it last changed. If you spot a mistake, please tell us. We check every report and correct confirmed mistakes.

Our research is done mainly in English and Bulgarian. The German pages are adapted from it rather than translated word for word, and native speakers are reviewing them.