As the plane touched down on a hot sunny morning at Bourgas airport, our holiday to Sunny Beach in Bulgaria had finally begun. We had chosen Bulgaria as although they joined the EU in January 2007, they do not yet use the Euro, so we were hoping for quite a cheap standard of living while we were there and opted for a self catering apartment. On the subject of money, cash machines are plentiful but it is advisable to check with your card provider before you go that your card can be used abroad as they don’t accept all major cards as some other countries do. Travellers cheques are accepted in most major hotels and larger restaurants, but to avoid an additional exchange rate always take cheques in US dollars, pounds sterling or euros. You do not need a visa to travel to Bulgaria and you must have a minimum of 3 months left on your passport upon return.
Right…formalities over, let’s get down to business. We stayed at the Apartments Blue Marine, they were just newly built (end of 2005 I think) and looked lovely, we were just as pleased when we saw our room, although not overly spacious, it was enough for us and exceptionally clean (expected really due to newness of apartments) the apartments are spread over 6 floors and there are 4 lifts so no major queueing problems!! There was plenty of room around the pool and usually enough sunbeds (as long as you don’t stay in bed until lunch time!) The pool was lovely and there is also a children’s section. We ate at the cafe and restaurant on site during our stay and found the food great and prices very reasonable although there were cheaper options throughout the resort. The beach is fantastic and has a Blue Flag award for its cleanliness and seems to go on for miles (about 5 of then actually) the sea is calm and ideal for swimming and there are water sport opportunities scattered all along the beach. The tree line promenade is bursting with shops, bars and restaurants as are the streets immediately behind them. A mini train runs through the resort although the area is very flat and walking is easy and enjoyable, although we did encounter a few children begging which was a little sad but please refrain from giving them anything as once word spreads you will be followed for miles, fortunately that didn’t happen to us as our First Choice reps very kindly warned us about this, they must have known my wife has a weakness where these things are concerned!!
- Water Sports at Sunny Beach
We are not really excursion people as we like to relax by the pool and on the beach but we did go on the Bulgarian night. Our coach took us to the village of Bata where we enjoyed traditional salad for starters made with peppers and white cheeses, with a complimentary glass of rakia, the locally produced brandy, followed by cabbages stuffed with meat (tastier than it sounds) which was quite spicy. the entertainment was very colourful and ended with a traditional fire dance, the wine was free flowing and a great night was had by all.
Listening to people who had been to Bulgaria before, a few of them were moaning that the prices overall were more expensive then the year before, however compared to our last holiday in Spain we found it significantly cheaper we were paying 15 Levs for a meal which is about £7, and 2 Levs for a beer, about a pound. Locals are predicting though that as the euro devalues even further and places like Bulgaria become more and more popular that it may not stay so reasonable. My advice would be to go now, before everyone else does!!
Paul Harford, Mid Glamorgan.