Bulgaria's Black Sea
resorts - Times Online
- [
A tourism bonanza has spread along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. After decades of plugging away at the bottom end of the market,
resorts such as Sunny Beach and Golden Sands are experiencing a new lease of life. Among those benefiting from this new interest is Mira, one of the many masseurs working the strand at Sunny Beach. And I, like you, can go to the
beach.” Mira’s workplace is warm and sunny but without being overpoweringly hot, with a sea that is clean and far less salty than the Mediterranean. Explore the wonders of the Golden State. For the families from Staffordshire, it has been a mixed experience. Globrix, the
property search engineLooking for a new home? Grand new hotels are sprouting up to accommodate a big increase in visitors, a good proportion of whom are British, trying out Bulgaria for the first time. Habitually, he too will have taken his holidays in Spain or Portugal, but “Minorca was so expensive last year, now they’ve got the euro,” he says. I can spend some time with my girlfriend. In the past three years the big guns of British package tourism — JMC, First Choice, Airtours, Thomson — have all announced new programmes to Bulgaria, while the long-term operator, Balkan Holidays, has enjoyed annual increases of 30 to 40 per cent. Initially, Bulgarian tourism was bouncing back after the loss of business caused by the Balkan crisis of the 1990s. Locals such as Mira are hard-working, cheerful and happy to be a part of a success story after many crisis years in the national economy. London-based Steve Moore, here with his parents David and Melanie, has been more adventurous, renting a car and setting off into the countryside. Meanwhile Bulgarian hotels had been refurbished, partly prompted by the need to raise standards for entry to the EU, and partly thanks to foreign investment by multinational tour operators. News International Limited, 1 Virginia St, London E98 1XY, is the holding company for the News International group and is registered in England No 81701. Play our brand new interactive game: with added functionality and daily prizesCareer/JobsSkip Career/JobsForget burnout, boreout is the new office diseaseAre you irritable when you return from work? Please read our Privacy Policy.To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here.This website is published by a member of the News International Group. Plus enter our great competitionSport Safety :We explore leisure activities that are safe and suitable for all of the familyPerfect Pets:Times Online's new TV show helps you make the right decisions for your petTotally California:Are you California dreaming? Popular short-haul destinations such as Spain are doing all they can to stanch an ebbing tide, but one former joke destination is having the last laugh: Bulgaria. Proximity to Bulgaria’s third
city, Varna, makes it seem more metropolitan, and it is popular with a young Scandinavian and German
beach and boogie crowd who get going after 10pm. Resort
prices, particularly for alcohol and restaurant meals, are low, and where once there were Stalinist blocks with plastic chairs, now there are newbuilds with architectural flair and designer style. That recovery coincided with an economic downturn in Western Europe that steered holidaymakers towards cheaper alternatives. The children have visited local attractions courtesy of the kids’ club, but the adults have largely stayed in
resort, making a foray into Varna for a shopping trip which “wasn’t quite as cheap as we were expecting”, according to Gayle. Their three-star family hotel, the Sirena, has been good, but the children have struggled with the half board-menu, and have had to top up with visits to McDonald’s. There’s
nightlife if you want it, but the main emphasis has been on a more mature market — and on holidays for families. Various factors play their part in this success. You can be suffering from boreoutPodcastsSkip PodcastsThe Bugle - Dead Hill WalkingJohn Oliver and Andy Zaltzman beg Hillary to pack it inDrivingSkip DrivingJeremy Clarkson's greatest hitsPrepare for some shock and awe, petrol lovers.