Sun-seekers flocking to Black Sea resorts this summer have a wealth of choices for accommodation.
Bulgaria’s burgeoning tourist industry is spawning rapid development of new hotel accommodation of standards suitable to make even the most discerning international traveller comfortable.
Many hotels and tourist agencies now offer online booking (see below). Your choice of destination, however, is likely to be influenced by whether you opt for a popular resort, of which most offer a spectacularly wide range of activities for adults and children, or somewhere off the beaten track.
Among the most popular resorts is the northern Black Sea coast resort of Golden Sands, which has 61 two, three, and four-star hotels, many recently fully renovated. The resort, 17 km north of Varna, is an attractive combination of a calm and warm sea, forested slopes near the beach, mineral springs and a tempting choice of good quality restaurants.
There are ample water sport facilities, and after dark, Golden Sands’ night clubs and casinos come alive.
The resort’s natural allure has earned it the prestigious Blue Flag international ecology prize several times.
Sunny Day tourist complex, 10 km north of Varna, has four hotels ranging from five stars to two, offering a total 1,020 beds. The resort also has two well-equipped spa health centres, with treatments from mud baths to laser therapy to aromatherapy available.
Thirty km from Varna, Albena, a major drawcard on the Black Sea, has 40 hotels, three holiday villages, 64 luxury bungalows and a camp site. Water sports, from yachting to parasailing and skiing, a children’s amusement park, and many fine restaurants complete the picture. At summer’s height, Albena buzzes with holidaymakers.
Forty km north of Albena, Roussalka offers a quieter option. For those not hankering for glitzy night life and top-drawer hotels, the Roussalka alternative is 350 self-contained two-bed bungalows, a smaller choice of water sports, and all-day kindergarten, and 38°C mineral water showers.
Also on the northern Black Sea coast, Riviera has six hotels, ranging from a five-star magnet with indoor swimming pool, sports, sauna and massage room, while the other five, of four and three-star category, have close to 200 sea-facing rooms, all with telephones and satellite TV. On the southern Black Sea coast, Sunny Beach has 108 hotels and holiday villages, with a total of about 27,000 beds.
Sozopol, about 30 km south of Bourgas, has a smaller range of hotels, with about 1,800 beds between them, but once accommodation in private dwellings and bungalows is counted in, the number soars to about 32,000 beds. As with many other Black Sea resorts, holidaymakers are well advised to endeavour to find out in advance about the quality of the accommodation on offer in private dwellings. The safe option usually is to book into a reputable hotel.
Nessebur, named a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 1983, draws about a million visitors annually, and its narrow, historically venerable streets, are often choked in mid-summer with tourists sampling its culinary delights and shopping for memorabilia. The town, which dates back about 9,000 years and is famed for its beautiful medieval churches, has a competitive range of hotels and private accommodation.
For those seeking something off the beaten track, there is Varvara, a tiny fishing community 82 km south of Bourgas, offering a small selection of private rooms and hotels in the village. But be warned: Varvara is for the alternative lifestyle folk, with most travellers there being of an artistic bent fond of making do under their own bivouac shelters on the beach. Rather like those who try to save money by opting for a camping holiday, visitors may find themselves longing for air-conditioned comfort and, perhaps, a chocolate on the pillow.
In all, the tourist is spoilt for choice along Bulgaria’s 378 km Black Sea coast, and can take confidence in the fact that many Bulgarian beaches have been awarded the European Union Blue Flag for their environmental excellence.
Bulgaria’s burgeoning tourist industry is spawning rapid development of new hotel accommodation of standards suitable to make even the most discerning international traveller comfortable.
Many hotels and tourist agencies now offer online booking (see below). Your choice of destination, however, is likely to be influenced by whether you opt for a popular resort, of which most offer a spectacularly wide range of activities for adults and children, or somewhere off the beaten track.
Among the most popular resorts is the northern Black Sea coast resort of Golden Sands, which has 61 two, three, and four-star hotels, many recently fully renovated. The resort, 17 km north of Varna, is an attractive combination of a calm and warm sea, forested slopes near the beach, mineral springs and a tempting choice of good quality restaurants.
There are ample water sport facilities, and after dark, Golden Sands’ night clubs and casinos come alive.
The resort’s natural allure has earned it the prestigious Blue Flag international ecology prize several times.
Sunny Day tourist complex, 10 km north of Varna, has four hotels ranging from five stars to two, offering a total 1,020 beds. The resort also has two well-equipped spa health centres, with treatments from mud baths to laser therapy to aromatherapy available.
Thirty km from Varna, Albena, a major drawcard on the Black Sea, has 40 hotels, three holiday villages, 64 luxury bungalows and a camp site. Water sports, from yachting to parasailing and skiing, a children’s amusement park, and many fine restaurants complete the picture. At summer’s height, Albena buzzes with holidaymakers.
Forty km north of Albena, Roussalka offers a quieter option. For those not hankering for glitzy night life and top-drawer hotels, the Roussalka alternative is 350 self-contained two-bed bungalows, a smaller choice of water sports, and all-day kindergarten, and 38°C mineral water showers.
Also on the northern Black Sea coast, Riviera has six hotels, ranging from a five-star magnet with indoor swimming pool, sports, sauna and massage room, while the other five, of four and three-star category, have close to 200 sea-facing rooms, all with telephones and satellite TV. On the southern Black Sea coast, Sunny Beach has 108 hotels and holiday villages, with a total of about 27,000 beds.
Sozopol, about 30 km south of Bourgas, has a smaller range of hotels, with about 1,800 beds between them, but once accommodation in private dwellings and bungalows is counted in, the number soars to about 32,000 beds. As with many other Black Sea resorts, holidaymakers are well advised to endeavour to find out in advance about the quality of the accommodation on offer in private dwellings. The safe option usually is to book into a reputable hotel.
Nessebur, named a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 1983, draws about a million visitors annually, and its narrow, historically venerable streets, are often choked in mid-summer with tourists sampling its culinary delights and shopping for memorabilia. The town, which dates back about 9,000 years and is famed for its beautiful medieval churches, has a competitive range of hotels and private accommodation.
For those seeking something off the beaten track, there is Varvara, a tiny fishing community 82 km south of Bourgas, offering a small selection of private rooms and hotels in the village. But be warned: Varvara is for the alternative lifestyle folk, with most travellers there being of an artistic bent fond of making do under their own bivouac shelters on the beach. Rather like those who try to save money by opting for a camping holiday, visitors may find themselves longing for air-conditioned comfort and, perhaps, a chocolate on the pillow.
In all, the tourist is spoilt for choice along Bulgaria’s 378 km Black Sea coast, and can take confidence in the fact that many Bulgarian beaches have been awarded the European Union Blue Flag for their environmental excellence.
