Our holiday in Balchik
We rested last August in Bulgaria, in Balchik. We really enjoyed. I spent many nights before the trip on the Internet, studying the reviews of vacationers about different hotels and travel agencies. Once again I am convinced that reviews are more often written by those who did not like something. Such is human nature : ) After reading dozens of reviews, I tensed up a little: “Is it worth going to this Bulgaria, where the service is far from Turkish, and the hotels themselves cause so many complaints? ”. We began to learn from friends and acquaintances about Bulgaria. They advised us to stay in a private cottage with Zoya Kostadinova. She herself is Russian, but has been living in Bulgaria for 30 years. You trust recommendations from friends more than any other sources. So we did.
We went by bus. The trip is not easy. We rushed from Kyiv to Odessa without any problems. But after Odessa. . . The section of the road near the city of Rennie gave us a vivid idea of what the roads were like during the war right after the bombings! It became bitter and ashamed for our country, because foreigners from many countries come to us along this road! How greedy must be the officials in charge of the road in this area! When we entered Romania, after the Odessa roads, the Romanian ones seemed to us like German autobahns.
In Bulgaria, the roads were a little worse, but in general, normal. In the morning we drove into Balchik. Zoya met us and took us to her cottage. Only in the morning we were able to appreciate how lucky we were. We had a whole floor at our disposal with a huge hall and the same plasma, with a clean, tidy bedroom and a large kitchen where you could cook thanks to the large number of utensils and the presence of a refrigerator. Of course, on vacation you go not to cook, but to relax. But if we did not want to move out in the sun somewhere to eat, then a meal in the sunny hall - the hall was very pleasant and cozy. We tried not to "pig" : ), because the hall after all. Sometimes we had coffee on the balcony, which offers a great view of the sea. The only "minus" is the proximity to the private sector, in one of the yards of which lived a mean rooster, which, at no light, began to bawl at the top of his lungs. Although, it can be considered as ecotourism in its various manifestations : )
Balchik is a small town (by Kiev standards), but very cozy and peaceful. After the frantic rhythm of the metropolis, you find yourself in the realm of calm and contemplation. We loved to retire to the most remote cafe behind the palace of the Romanian Queen, opposite the fashionable 4 * hotel. Only seagulls and the best representatives of the feline tribe kept us company. How many fun pictures we took with these tailed ones! They, like experienced actors, condescendingly posed in front of us, leaving their obscure graceful silhouettes as a keepsake.
In previous reviews, someone wrote that it was inconvenient to enter the sea in Balchik, you need to go down and up the metal stairs among the slippery stones. According to our observations, similar slopes are located in the area of the Iceberg Hotel and further along the course from the center. Those who wrote this, apparently, were too lazy to go to the city beach, where the entrance to the sea is the most common, along the sand...
There is a beautiful Botanical Garden in Balchik, where tourists are brought from Albena, Varna and other resorts. The garden rests on the palace of the Romanian queen. The palace, in our understanding, is loudly said. Rather, it is the country residence of a monarch. Either way, both are a must-see. We visited the Botanical Garden several times with great pleasure. It is very cozy and attractive.
A separate issue is food. Zoya recommended us several establishments to choose from, where they cook deliciously and (which remains outside the gaze of vacationers) hygienically. We, having eaten in these establishments, opted for MIKADO. The choice of dishes is sufficient for both meat lovers and connoisseurs of seafood. Although someone might like a different restaurant.
MIKADO is located directly above the sea. Indeed, very tasty and at the same time inexpensive. The waiters are friendly and (which is important for Bulgaria) agile. We really relaxed in this cozy and bright restaurant. Huge portions of shopska salad with quality (! ) ingredients. We tried to have dinner at Starata Boat (as Olga from St. Petersburg suggested) and we didn't like it. Maybe 5 years ago it really was delicious, but last year it was no longer erotic: cheap ingredients, not very friendly staff, and prices are higher than in Mikado. I don't know, maybe we were unlucky that day. . .
During the day, we sometimes dined in the center in one of the inexpensive cafes, not far from the final bus going to the upper part of the city (70 meters on the right in the direction of the bus). The locals said that this is a Turkish cafe. There we were also satisfied with the speed of service, excellent quality and low prices. The only downside is that you can't see the sea. But after 4 hours on the beach, you can easily forgive this shortcoming. But in the evening - another matter! Dined a couple of times at the Blue Lion. Not bad, but again, the sea is not visible, and when you have only 8 - 10 days, dinner without a moonlit path is an unaffordable luxury!
Often we bought Bulgarian pastries (banitsa and others). Soulful and delicious! They were crazy about "Kiselo Mlyako". I'm generally not a fan of fermented milk products, but this Mlyako is very tasty and incredibly healthy. We liked the same bell pepper incomparably more than bought on arrival in Kyiv. Which, in general, is not surprising. Pepper - something Bulgarian: ) Very tasty beer Zagorka, Kamenitza liked less. I don't post prices. I don’t remember, and they change every year...
Yes, I forgot to write, Zoya has her own travel agency - Zora Tour. She recommended several excursions for us. We chose some of them, as we had few days and wanted to spend more time at sea. One was called Yacht Picnic. She was beautifully described by Olga Aleshina from St. Petersburg (the first review of Balchik on Turpravda). True, in my opinion, food and drinks were frankly cheap. But knowing our people, I can understand the organizers of this picnic. Although the main course was good. I was much more impressed by the yacht on which we traveled. Thanks to Zoya, we sailed on a magnificent, new French yacht with six of us. The captain treated us to a bottle of excellent quality wine, and we caught the envious glances of the passengers of two other yachts, stuffed like sprats in a jar on older yachts. We felt like representatives of high society on board this magnificent ship!
We also visited "Nuts Picnic". Olga described it in detail in her notes. We liked him too. The abundance of delicious and varied dishes, rakia and wine, national and modern dances gave the participants a lot of positive emotions. I'm sorry that I didn't feel well that evening. Therefore, the sensations were not as vivid as those of other participants in this action. It's good that Zoya organized the transfer and we returned home safely. As in that proverb: tired, but happy.
I also forgot to mention that Zoe has a swimming pool in the yard of her cottage. It was very useful to us when, after the sea, we climbed uphill at lunchtime. It is incredibly pleasant to plunge into the cool clear water of the pool after the lunchtime heat! In recent days, we began to take the bus a couple of stops from the beach to Zoya, and regretted that we did not do it from the very beginning. In the morning it is pleasant to roll down to the sea, and in the afternoon to climb uphill, albeit not for long, not very much. The bus removed all questions. You just need to know the schedule for lunchtime.
Of course, for those who want an active nightlife with a large selection of club discos, Balchik is most likely not suitable. But if you have a desire to relax in a peaceful environment, stabilize your psycho-emotional state and just enjoy the gentle sea, then Balchik is for you!
P. S. If anyone needs Zoya's contacts, write, I'll let you know.
