Sat, Jul 04 2009
Varna-based company Albatros Ve EOOD has erected the ground floor of the aparthotel Soley, which is the first concrete construction on the beach of the Black Sea village of Skorpilovtsi between Varna and Bourgas, close to the Stara Planina slopes. The only accommodation on the beach to date was the longstanding campsite but there are also other plans to construct hotels, Albatros office employee Ani Angelova told The Sofia Echo on August 5.
Albatros is now selling its project and its additional construction for 2.5 million euro, Angelova said.
Soley is 150 m from the beach. It comprises more than 2798 sq m, 1081 of which will be built on, Bulgarian-language daily Dnevnik reported on July 31. It is planned to be a five-storey development with 90 apartments. Prices of flats will vary between 1100 and 1550 euro a sq m depending on size and location. Additional parking spaces and garages will also be sold for 8400 and 10 500 euro respectively. A restaurant and piano bar are also planned to entertain guests.
Spa tourists will not miss out either because Skorpilovtsi is also home to the nearby natural mineral water springs. The beach has been free of construction for many years because Skorpilovtsi is close to a nature reservation for rare plant and animal species.
Apartments are already up for sale, Angelova said. According to Albartos manager Violeta Vicheva, Russian investors have already expressed an interest in buying apartments in Soley.
The project will be financed by the Bulgarian Bank for Development, and the Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas, or Jessica Programme, although the report has so far failed to reveal the total cost of the vast enterprise.
The strategic plan envisages the conservation of the nature "for decades ahead", and it was formulated by a municipal team headed by professor Ivan Nikiforov, backed by Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev.
Once the overhaul and reconstruction of the Sofia–Vidin line is complete, it will cut travel time to three hours, as the train will be able to reach speeds of up to 160 km/h, shortening the journey to three hours.
Marriott however has made it clear that is not interested in investing in construction, but rather to occupy and manage existing buildings. Its strategy is to obtain management contracts.
Investors realise that it’s not viable to have a building remaining empty over the course of a year – so it's better for them to employ more flexibility to offset that loss.