Do not try to go to this realm of rudeness and arrogance. We arrived with a girl on 21.07. 2018. to check in from the Teddy Kam Travel Agency. At the reception sits a boorish blonde of about 50 years old, who did not open the closed door for us, although she sees that you are waiting. Then she will tell you that she does not care who you are, that travel agencies do not pay her for your service.
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Do not try to go to this realm of rudeness and arrogance. We arrived with a girl on 21.07. 2018. to check in from the Teddy Kam Travel Agency. At the reception sits a boorish blonde of about 50 years old, who did not open the closed door for us, although she sees that you are waiting. Then she will tell you that she does not care who you are, that travel agencies do not pay her for your service. This was followed by a refusal to distribute wifi to contact a representative of the travel agency, and while we were looking for a way to contact, she sarcastically said that the Portuguese had been waiting for her for 7 hours and she didn’t care. A company representative was not available. As a result, after a call and removal of the brain to a representative of the Intercity company in Belarus, a 20-year-old boy arrived with the keys. All questions were ignored. He opened the room and silently left. It is understandable - then we ended up in the so-called "studio room". There is a dirty rusty non-working microwave on the cabinet, which closes, attention, on the "latch". Kitchen - there is an old refrigerator, on it is a jar with one fork, spoon and knife - this is just an unprecedented attitude. Everything is dusty, there is no bedspread on the bed, the sofa is covered in hair and stains, the sheet is covered in brown spots, the watering can in the shower is almost above the toilet, it stinks of dampness, cobwebs are everywhere near the bedside table. There are boards next to the bed. When asked what they are doing there, the answer should be - you are young, you can clean the number yourself. Take it somewhere. The pool is closed in the evening, that is, when you most often want to swim there. If you really want to live in apartments, then it’s better to go to another place already - they won’t look at you as a tourist who has come in large numbers
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So, the trip to Bulgaria took place! My fears about the hotel were not justified (I was very worried that there were no reviews). Right after landing, after checking in, we were picked up by representatives of the travel agency and taken to the hotel. We were worried that the check-in was after 14.00, but to our joy they settled us upon arrival at 9.
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So, the trip to Bulgaria took place! My fears about the hotel were not justified (I was very worried that there were no reviews). Right after landing, after checking in, we were picked up by representatives of the travel agency and taken to the hotel. We were worried that the check-in was after 14.00, but to our joy they settled us upon arrival at 9.00. The staff are all friendly. Our room was overlooking the pool and the surrounding nature. The room has: a balcony, air conditioning, TV, kitchenette, and, of course, a bathroom. Regarding the kitchen corner - it had: a kettle, 4 plates, 2 spoons, 2 forks, 2 table knives, 2 glasses, 2 mugs, a sink, an electric stove and that's it. I didn’t see the point in having an electric stove - after all, there was no frying pan or saucepan. And I didn’t want to go and buy something from kitchen utensils. There was no hair dryer or iron in the room. Of course, you could use the laundry service, but for the money.
Our package included breakfast (buffet). Breakfast was from 8.00 am to 10.00 am. They ate the same food for 10 days. The menu included: dry breakfast in the form of cereal, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, fresh cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, cheese, butter, olives, Italian sausage, 2 types of fried sausage, ham, bread, sometimes mayonnaise, and, of course, fruit (melon, watermelon, plums). Tea, coffee and juice from the machine. I note that if you come after 9.00 hours, then the menu has decreased several times and you will have to eat what is left, because. food is not brought.
Room service: towels are changed every other day, bed sheets once a week. The room is cleaned: garbage bags are changed, the bathroom is washed. Dust, unfortunately, is not removed, the balcony too. They even left tips on the bedside table, but the maid did not take them.
The trip to the sea took 15 minutes. Moreover, you can get to this sea only through the territory of various hotels, because they are located very close to each other. Some of them are not even fenced in anything, and you pass next to the vacationers near the pool. When we walked back from the sea (at 12-14 o'clock), the barkers of coffee shops and restaurants throughout most of our journey constantly tried to lure us to them for lunch. I have always wondered how they determine that we are Russians, because vacationers there are of different nationalities (Germans, Poles, Romanians). They always spoke to us in Russian, and to others in another.
The exchange rate in Sunny Beach = 1 euro = 1.91 lev, in Nessebar - 1 euro = 1.93 lev, in Varna - 1 euro = 1.94-1.95 lev. So, try to change where it is more profitable.
On the beach, you can relax both on the first page, paying in advance, or on the second - for free. The first lane is municipal, and the cost of an umbrella and a sunbed is 8 levs each (roughly speaking - 4 euros). You could only take an umbrella. And this is for the whole day. You leave your towel there and leave, come back and continue to rest in the same place. If you took a towel (well, or another thing, for example, a bedspread), then your place can be handed over to someone else. The sea was beautiful all 11 days! The water is warm and clear. Algae appeared only 2 days after lunch, but in the morning they were gone. The last 3 days of our vacation at sea were waves and it's super! An unforgettable experience when you jump on the waves!
During our vacation, we went to Old Nessebar, it is very beautiful there. The water park also gave us an unforgettable experience with its slides! We went to Varna, Aladzha rock monastery (very beautiful), dolphinarium, and, of course, the Bulgarian village. All excursions are very interesting!
Well, here is my brief description of a vacation in Bulgaria - Sunny Beach - Aphrodite Hotel! I really liked it there. There were, of course, small flaws, but where they do not exist. If you take everything together, then the rest was a success!
I wish good luck to all vacationers!
Our package included breakfast (buffet). Breakfast was from 8.00 am to 10.00 am. They ate the same food for 10 days. The menu included: dry breakfast in the form of cereal, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, fresh cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, cheese, butter, olives, Italian sausage, 2 types of fried sausage, ham, bread, sometimes mayonnaise, and, of course, fruit (melon, watermelon, plums). Tea, coffee and juice from the machine. I note that if you come after 9.00 hours, then the menu has decreased several times and you will have to eat what is left, because. food is not brought.
Room service: towels are changed every other day, bed sheets once a week. The room is cleaned: garbage bags are changed, the bathroom is washed. Dust, unfortunately, is not removed, the balcony too. They even left tips on the bedside table, but the maid did not take them.
The trip to the sea took 15 minutes. Moreover, you can get to this sea only through the territory of various hotels, because they are located very close to each other. Some of them are not even fenced in anything, and you pass next to the vacationers near the pool. When we walked back from the sea (at 12-14 o'clock), the barkers of coffee shops and restaurants throughout most of our journey constantly tried to lure us to them for lunch. I have always wondered how they determine that we are Russians, because vacationers there are of different nationalities (Germans, Poles, Romanians). They always spoke to us in Russian, and to others in another.
The exchange rate in Sunny Beach = 1 euro = 1.91 lev, in Nessebar - 1 euro = 1.93 lev, in Varna - 1 euro = 1.94-1.95 lev. So, try to change where it is more profitable.
On the beach, you can relax both on the first page, paying in advance, or on the second - for free. The first lane is municipal, and the cost of an umbrella and a sunbed is 8 levs each (roughly speaking - 4 euros). You could only take an umbrella. And this is for the whole day. You leave your towel there and leave, come back and continue to rest in the same place. If you took a towel (well, or another thing, for example, a bedspread), then your place can be handed over to someone else. The sea was beautiful all 11 days! The water is warm and clear. Algae appeared only 2 days after lunch, but in the morning they were gone. The last 3 days of our vacation at sea were waves and it's super! An unforgettable experience when you jump on the waves!
During our vacation, we went to Old Nessebar, it is very beautiful there. The water park also gave us an unforgettable experience with its slides! We went to Varna, Aladzha rock monastery (very beautiful), dolphinarium, and, of course, the Bulgarian village. All excursions are very interesting!
Well, here is my brief description of a vacation in Bulgaria - Sunny Beach - Aphrodite Hotel! I really liked it there. There were, of course, small flaws, but where they do not exist. If you take everything together, then the rest was a success!
I wish good luck to all vacationers!
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Review about Bulgaria. We rested for 14 days (from 16 to 30 July 2012). Tour operator - Bi-Tour (Minsk). Resort - Sunny Beach. Hotel - Aphrodite II. First of all, of course, we will talk about the organizer of the tour - the Belarusian travel company Bi-Tour. We chose this tour operator not by chance, we were advised by friends as the most competent partner in the Balkan countries and, in particular, in Bulgaria.
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Review about Bulgaria.
We rested for 14 days (from 16 to 30 July 2012). Tour operator - Bi-Tour (Minsk). Resort - Sunny Beach. Hotel - Aphrodite II.
First of all, of course, we will talk about the organizer of the tour - the Belarusian travel company Bi-Tour. We chose this tour operator not by chance, we were advised by friends as the most competent partner in the Balkan countries and, in particular, in Bulgaria. Contacted Bi-Tour in April. Manager Julia E. quickly and clearly offered us a variety of options for holidays in Bulgaria. Since we were going on vacation with the whole family (two adults and a 9-year-old girl), our choice fell on the Aphrodite II hotel (3.5 or 4 stars - that's where it says), located on the second line from the sea (10-15 minutes walk) . As it turned out later, we made the right choice, since the nightlife in the resort is in full swing until the morning and, as a result, quite understandable problems could arise at night if you wanted to relax calmly. And so, I wanted to have a good time - 5-10 minutes and you are in the very heart of Sunny Beach, enjoying communication, music, food, drinking and other components of the fantastic nighttime atmosphere of this famous Black Sea resort...
… So about the organization of the B-Tour…. You know, as a person who is not particularly experienced in such travels, I can say that, in my opinion, this tour was organized by the Bi-Tour employees almost flawlessly. How could it have been done better? If you dream up, then, perhaps, somewhere in the distant future, it will be possible to instantly teleport clients to anywhere in the world from the office of a travel agency in order to avoid these queues at airports, shaking on buses, fussing with luggage, passport controls, personal searches and all other troublesome and not very problems that accompany any trip. Yes… Well, if we return to reality, then I have no complaints about the quality of the work performed directly by Bi-Tour specialists. I always try to strictly and clearly fulfill my obligations in providing the necessary documents and in paying for the services of my service partners. At the same time, I expect (and sometimes demand) the same adequate attitude towards me on their part. Of course, there are various force majeure situations (for example, in the middle of the way the bus broke a wheel - in any case, no matter how cool and reliable the tour operator is, the driver will still need some time to fix this breakdown). Unfortunately, not all people understand this, and most importantly, among consumers there is a significant percentage of those who NEVER like ANYTHING. That is, perhaps they like something (or it suits them more or less), but they react to everything with such an unhappy and lean face that....It is especially touching that sometimes such clients expect to receive quality service and the service of a five-star hotel for $ 300 for 14 days....
The airport. meeting in Bulgaria.
We decided to get to Bulgaria by plane instead of the proposed options by bus and train, since the flight takes about 2 hours, while by bus it takes about 36 hours, and even more by rail - 42. The departure took place from the airport "Minsk-2 "on a Belavia Boeing 737 aircraft. By the way, some of my friends poured more than one tub of dirt on this airport, both for the organization of its work and service, and for its appearance. It is possible that our airport will not be able to compete with the airport, for example, in Vienna or London, but at the same time, in our native Minsk-2, the work has been done exemplarily compared to the airport in the Bulgarian city of Burgas. Upon arrival in Burgas, we were met by an employee of the host - the Lot Tour company, who drove us to the hotel by car. On the way, we talked on the phone with the guide, agreeing on a personal meeting tomorrow morning. By the way, a few words about the guide... Before the trip, I got acquainted with the contents of the Internet regarding the opinions of tourists about holidays in Bulgaria. So, basically everything that was said about the guide fit in the following: swindlers, rogues who want to profit from tourists and be sure to breed and sell as many different excursions as possible in order to squeeze out more bobbles. No, we couldn't say the same about our guide. A very charming and pretty woman, sociable and unobtrusive. She immediately told me the most necessary information, advised me to contact the doctor if necessary only through her, since it would be absolutely free and that's all. No impositions, persuasions and other annoyances. A couple of days later she came to visit us again and asked if everything was normal with us. She left her phone and asked to call if anything.
Hotel.
The hotel accommodated immediately upon arrival (it was about 18:00). The hotel is small with a pool. The first week there was a feeling that the hotel was occupied by a maximum of a third - everything was quiet and calm. There were no queues in the dining room for breakfast and on the platform near the elevator. The staff is very welcoming, friendly, efficient (on the second day they were asked to provide a clothes dryer, since there were no devices for this on the balcony - they brought it in three minutes), almost everyone speaks Russian. It is impossible not to note the burning attractiveness of local girls, reception workers. Imagine a very dark (like a mulatto) slender girl with European features. In fact, Bulgarians are even very attractive. The room turned out to be cozy, the same as on the advertising booklet. The room had everything you need - air conditioning (worked well), TV (with 4 Russian-language and blocked porn channels), a double bed for my wife and me, a folding chair for a child, a refrigerator, a kitchen with built-in tiles and necessary utensils. The bathroom was equipped with a shower with sliding doors, a washstand with a mirror and, in fact, a toilet. A boiler installed here was used to provide hot water. In principle, everything is quite decent and practical, without pretentiousness and any frills. On the shelf in front of the washstand, 3 soap sachets and 3 bottles of chocolate-scented local shampoo were neatly arranged. 3 sets of towels neatly hung on the walls. The room was cleaned quite regularly, although the quality of cleaning is usually standard - changing towels (if you throw them on the floor) and taking out the trash. Change of bed linen once a week. Several times we left a tip for the maid - 2 leva.
Number flaws. At the same time, there were some shortcomings in the room, which I soon discovered.
Firstly, there were no night lamps or sconces in the room, with which you could read something at night. To be honest, when I previously went to some resort where it was supposed to stay on the sea beach, I always took some entertaining book with me. Well, I can’t just fall asleep comatose on the beach and sunbathe, while doing nothing. I like to sunbathe actively - swimming, playing badminton and other outdoor games, but if I'm passively relaxing, I prefer reading. So, about the lighting - there was general lighting in the room, there was a backlight on the kitchen cabinets, and hidden lamps were installed in the backs of a large double bed. But, unfortunately, these lamps were directed upwards and, therefore, were not intended for reading by vacationers. By the way, on the advertising booklet on each side of the aforementioned bed there were bedside tables with table lamps. We didn't have them in our room.
Second, the view from the balcony. As Bi-Tour representative Julia told us, all responsibilities for accommodating clients at the hotel are assigned to the host. As soon as we came to the reception at the hotel (on the day of arrival), we asked, if possible, to check us into a room overlooking the pool. Some of my friends did not advise taking a room overlooking the pool, because according to their stories, various noisy karaoke parties are often held near the pools in the bar. Nevertheless, we decided that since we came to rest on the sea, and we couldn’t see the sea from the hotel, then it would be something like spiritual relaxation for us to admire the view of the pool from the window of the room. However, unfortunately, at that time there were no rooms overlooking the pool (according to the receptionist) and we had to take the key from the apartment located in the corner of the hotel on the 3rd floor. As the haberdasher Bonacieux D * Artagnan said when he offered him a room in his house: “Look at the view from the window... And the air !! ! Fairy tale!!! ". When I stepped out onto the balcony, I, too, saw a view that would stupefy the most outspoken minds of visiting tourists. No, nothing special. From the height of the 3rd floor, a magnificent view opened in all its glory....construction sites and trash cans. Under our windows were stacked construction pallets, bags with some construction mixtures, but most importantly, every morning, at about half past seven, we were woken up by a local garbage truck, whose workers serviced those same garbage containers. By the way, I wasn’t entirely lucky with the balcony either, since the room is corner and, as a result, the balcony is very small (in fact, one plastic chair is placed, that is, the idea of dining there with the whole family can be buried in advance), while in ordinary rooms on the balcony there is a plastic table and two chairs.
But this is not the most important thing. Anyway, these little things (and I consider these small shortcomings in the rest nothing more than little things) could not spoil our overall impression, both from the hotel and from the rest in general. As I said, the Aphrodite II hotel is quite small. At the time of our stay, the hotel was populated mainly by Russian-speaking tourists, there were a few Germans, Bulgarians.
The shops. Compatriots.
About our compatriots (I mean not specifically Belarusians, but all Russian-speaking tourists) is a separate conversation - you will recognize ours from afar. I remember we went shopping at the Mladost supermarket - the cheapest and most affordable store in Sunny Beach. The prices here are very, very good, even compared to our Belarusian realities. For example, a wedge-shaped piece of cheese with mold costs about 3 and a half leva there (i. e. about 1.8 euros = 18-19 thousand Belarusian rubles), while we have (I personally saw it yesterday) 46 thousand Belarusian rubles, i. е. prices vary more than 2 times not in our favor. Another example: a bottle of 0.5 liters of the most popular Bulgarian moonshine (crayfish) Burgas 63 costs 16 levs - 8 euros, Bulgarian brandy Slynchev Bryag and Pliska - about 7-10 levs, i. e. 3.5 - 5 euros. Now compare these prices with the cost and quality of wine products on the shelves of our stores. The comparison will obviously not be in our favor... So, I'm standing in the "Mladost" near the window, I choose sour milk (sour milk), the choice here must be given to them due, great. I hear some kind of lamont on the right, and then a woman’s cry to the whole store: “Vanya, we need to buy more sausages. ” I look, to my right, right at my flank, such a 120-kilogram woman with a height of a meter and fifty maximum is rushing (by age, she could be given both 30 and 50 years old), literally sweeping away everyone in her path. And rushing absolutely without complexes - the face is a felt boot, I don’t notice anyone - I go where I want. She pushed and shoved everyone with the casual ease with which a bulldozer rakes up fallen leaves with its metal bucket. Why is there a bulldozer - a locomotive! Behind her, trudging and dragging a basket with a handle (the basket is made in such a way that it can be carried by two handles like ours, or rolled along the floor holding on to one long handle, by analogy with suitcases on wheels) bent Vanya - a frail little man, kilograms 60, no more. If this Dora the Bulldozer was standing at the window and choosing a product, and I would move along her course, then, of course, observing the norms of decency, I would certainly bypass her. But now, I decided that it was her duty of courtesy to get around me, and I was not obliged to give way to her, given her boorish behavior towards others. The weight in me is a centner, come on, I'm not your 60-pound Ivan, I think I'm calmly choosing a product. Suddenly, I began to feel a nervous sniff on the right and undisguised pressure. I stand calmly, choosing a product. In the end, the "compatriot" realized that I was not going to leave her path and give way. For a moment our eyes met, after which, with unconcealed laziness and displeasure, she deigned to take two steps to the left and bypass me.
Another case comes to mind, concerning the peculiar behavior of our compatriots. I write from the words of my wife. It was in the water park in Nessebar. Those who have ever been to water parks know that often due to a large crowd of people there are queues on the way to any slide. This is especially felt on those slides where they ride on special devices - double or single circles-boats, which, of course, are not enough for everyone. In order to even take a turn to the hill, you need to get this same boat. And this procedure always takes some time, as some visitors to the water park ride on each slide several times. This is their right, and no one disputes this right. At the same time, one group of our compatriots (5-6 people) decided to amend the existing water park regulations. They took a few boats, took a ride several times and, in order not to stand in line for the boats later, they decided to make everything simple - they went to rest on the sun loungers, and the boats were folded around them. That is, according to the principle - we rest, we don’t ride, well, there’s nothing for others to ride . . My wife saw it all, who was sunbathing on a sun lounger nearby. A little later, this family was approached by people who asked to give them boats - anyway, because they are lying around idle. The compatriots refused this request. Then these people approached the worker of the water park, after whose intervention our compatriots were forced to give up these boats.
Restaurants and other eating places.
What is in abundance in Sunny Beach is various food and snack outlets, including restaurants, cafes, bistros, pizzerias, stalls, etc. and the range of prices and quality is really very wide. When we arrived, we were downright stunned - along the central resort artery, there are places where you can eat deliciously and not so much. In this case, you should take into account a bunch of persistent, and sometimes obsessive offers to go to one place or another. Sometimes I saw that the barkers of these restaurants not only briskly offered, but also poured various alcoholic drinks to passing customers with the sole purpose of luring the customer into the snares they had set up. In general, during the rest we visited about a dozen different places. As I said, the quality of cooking, and prices here can differ by an order of magnitude. I remember one of the first days, we were looking for a place for lunch and accidentally went to the restaurant "Azzuro" - a fairly large restaurant, with wooden terraces and furniture. There, opposite the entrance, there is a human-sized figurine of a cook with a protruding thumb of his right hand. The figurine itself seemed to be inviting tourists - come in! We are all delicious! Cool! Cool! That's probably what we bought into. We went in and ordered soup and juice for our daughter, lasagna for my wife, and kebabs for me. From drinks, I took a glass of beer - it was very hot, and a bottle of semi-sweet red wine for my wife and I - we are in Bulgaria. When the soup was brought, my wife took a spoon and took a sample and gave a verdict - very mediocre, I already knew what to expect next. Then they brought lasagna and kebabs. There was half-baked minced meat in the lasagne, and the kebabs didn’t impress me much either. In general, we went there for the first and last time. The same can be said about the tavern, located right on the beach near the hotel "Burgas". The tavern itself is designed in the form of a schooner with masts, sails, yards. The soldering there is very mediocre, that is, everything is designed for those who do not eat, but only have a snack. Eatery on the beach. My beef stroganoff with pork was prepared at the level of our catering canteen. Yes, and also - the most interesting thing is that the toilet there is paid for everyone - 50 stotinki, and even from customers who made an order. For Bulgaria, this is nonsense.
The same can be said about the restaurant "Malibu", which is located near the hotel "Meridian". Impressive here is live music (the musicians play really well) and showcases with raw mouth-watering kebabs. Yes, even here in the evenings magic shows are shown. And in the kitchen, everything is just like in a tank, and even served with dead dishes and dirty burnt tablecloths.
If we talk about the place where, in our opinion, they cook the most delicious food, then this is, of course, the Arena. "Arena" is located near the hotel "Chrysanthemum" on the way to the hotel "Kuban". We chose this place by chance - we were walking from the sea and decided to have lunch somewhere. As I said in Sunny Beach, there are just a lot of different places where you can eat tasty and not so much. We were a little tired, it was the sun on the street - the middle of the day, the asphalt melts, the brains boil, in the mouth - the Sahara Desert in July noon. We accidentally stop near one cafe, the name is not visible. There are no visitors, the barker begins to offer us an assortment of dishes served. Let's take a closer look. The interior is nothing special, there are dozens of such cafes, but at the same time, order, cleanliness and some kind of comfort are striking. Placed on the ground, made an order, waiting. Clean appliances are brought, tablecloths are ironed, and even on top of the tablecloth the waitress puts a branded napkin with the image of a warrior from the times of ancient Greek Hellas with the name of the institution. They brought me beer, ordered soup for my daughter. Then they brought veal julienne, a salad for my wife. All dishes were prepared very well, just like homemade. Subsequently, we went to this place constantly and always, like the first time, the quality of the dishes was at the highest level. Subsequently, we learned and were very surprised that the "Arena" is not a restaurant at all, but a pizzeria. By the way, the pizza here is very decent, it costs 8 leva - 4 euros. So, given the way they cook here and the overall quality of customer service, unfortunately, we have to admit that not all establishments in Minsk that carry the proud name “restaurant” on their signs will be able to compete with the Arena pizzeria. And both in terms of price and quality.
We rested for 14 days (from 16 to 30 July 2012). Tour operator - Bi-Tour (Minsk). Resort - Sunny Beach. Hotel - Aphrodite II.
First of all, of course, we will talk about the organizer of the tour - the Belarusian travel company Bi-Tour. We chose this tour operator not by chance, we were advised by friends as the most competent partner in the Balkan countries and, in particular, in Bulgaria. Contacted Bi-Tour in April. Manager Julia E. quickly and clearly offered us a variety of options for holidays in Bulgaria. Since we were going on vacation with the whole family (two adults and a 9-year-old girl), our choice fell on the Aphrodite II hotel (3.5 or 4 stars - that's where it says), located on the second line from the sea (10-15 minutes walk) . As it turned out later, we made the right choice, since the nightlife in the resort is in full swing until the morning and, as a result, quite understandable problems could arise at night if you wanted to relax calmly. And so, I wanted to have a good time - 5-10 minutes and you are in the very heart of Sunny Beach, enjoying communication, music, food, drinking and other components of the fantastic nighttime atmosphere of this famous Black Sea resort...
… So about the organization of the B-Tour…. You know, as a person who is not particularly experienced in such travels, I can say that, in my opinion, this tour was organized by the Bi-Tour employees almost flawlessly. How could it have been done better? If you dream up, then, perhaps, somewhere in the distant future, it will be possible to instantly teleport clients to anywhere in the world from the office of a travel agency in order to avoid these queues at airports, shaking on buses, fussing with luggage, passport controls, personal searches and all other troublesome and not very problems that accompany any trip. Yes… Well, if we return to reality, then I have no complaints about the quality of the work performed directly by Bi-Tour specialists. I always try to strictly and clearly fulfill my obligations in providing the necessary documents and in paying for the services of my service partners. At the same time, I expect (and sometimes demand) the same adequate attitude towards me on their part. Of course, there are various force majeure situations (for example, in the middle of the way the bus broke a wheel - in any case, no matter how cool and reliable the tour operator is, the driver will still need some time to fix this breakdown). Unfortunately, not all people understand this, and most importantly, among consumers there is a significant percentage of those who NEVER like ANYTHING. That is, perhaps they like something (or it suits them more or less), but they react to everything with such an unhappy and lean face that....It is especially touching that sometimes such clients expect to receive quality service and the service of a five-star hotel for $ 300 for 14 days....
The airport. meeting in Bulgaria.
We decided to get to Bulgaria by plane instead of the proposed options by bus and train, since the flight takes about 2 hours, while by bus it takes about 36 hours, and even more by rail - 42. The departure took place from the airport "Minsk-2 "on a Belavia Boeing 737 aircraft. By the way, some of my friends poured more than one tub of dirt on this airport, both for the organization of its work and service, and for its appearance. It is possible that our airport will not be able to compete with the airport, for example, in Vienna or London, but at the same time, in our native Minsk-2, the work has been done exemplarily compared to the airport in the Bulgarian city of Burgas. Upon arrival in Burgas, we were met by an employee of the host - the Lot Tour company, who drove us to the hotel by car. On the way, we talked on the phone with the guide, agreeing on a personal meeting tomorrow morning. By the way, a few words about the guide... Before the trip, I got acquainted with the contents of the Internet regarding the opinions of tourists about holidays in Bulgaria. So, basically everything that was said about the guide fit in the following: swindlers, rogues who want to profit from tourists and be sure to breed and sell as many different excursions as possible in order to squeeze out more bobbles. No, we couldn't say the same about our guide. A very charming and pretty woman, sociable and unobtrusive. She immediately told me the most necessary information, advised me to contact the doctor if necessary only through her, since it would be absolutely free and that's all. No impositions, persuasions and other annoyances. A couple of days later she came to visit us again and asked if everything was normal with us. She left her phone and asked to call if anything.
Hotel.
The hotel accommodated immediately upon arrival (it was about 18:00). The hotel is small with a pool. The first week there was a feeling that the hotel was occupied by a maximum of a third - everything was quiet and calm. There were no queues in the dining room for breakfast and on the platform near the elevator. The staff is very welcoming, friendly, efficient (on the second day they were asked to provide a clothes dryer, since there were no devices for this on the balcony - they brought it in three minutes), almost everyone speaks Russian. It is impossible not to note the burning attractiveness of local girls, reception workers. Imagine a very dark (like a mulatto) slender girl with European features. In fact, Bulgarians are even very attractive. The room turned out to be cozy, the same as on the advertising booklet. The room had everything you need - air conditioning (worked well), TV (with 4 Russian-language and blocked porn channels), a double bed for my wife and me, a folding chair for a child, a refrigerator, a kitchen with built-in tiles and necessary utensils. The bathroom was equipped with a shower with sliding doors, a washstand with a mirror and, in fact, a toilet. A boiler installed here was used to provide hot water. In principle, everything is quite decent and practical, without pretentiousness and any frills. On the shelf in front of the washstand, 3 soap sachets and 3 bottles of chocolate-scented local shampoo were neatly arranged. 3 sets of towels neatly hung on the walls. The room was cleaned quite regularly, although the quality of cleaning is usually standard - changing towels (if you throw them on the floor) and taking out the trash. Change of bed linen once a week. Several times we left a tip for the maid - 2 leva.
Number flaws. At the same time, there were some shortcomings in the room, which I soon discovered.
Firstly, there were no night lamps or sconces in the room, with which you could read something at night. To be honest, when I previously went to some resort where it was supposed to stay on the sea beach, I always took some entertaining book with me. Well, I can’t just fall asleep comatose on the beach and sunbathe, while doing nothing. I like to sunbathe actively - swimming, playing badminton and other outdoor games, but if I'm passively relaxing, I prefer reading. So, about the lighting - there was general lighting in the room, there was a backlight on the kitchen cabinets, and hidden lamps were installed in the backs of a large double bed. But, unfortunately, these lamps were directed upwards and, therefore, were not intended for reading by vacationers. By the way, on the advertising booklet on each side of the aforementioned bed there were bedside tables with table lamps. We didn't have them in our room.
Second, the view from the balcony. As Bi-Tour representative Julia told us, all responsibilities for accommodating clients at the hotel are assigned to the host. As soon as we came to the reception at the hotel (on the day of arrival), we asked, if possible, to check us into a room overlooking the pool. Some of my friends did not advise taking a room overlooking the pool, because according to their stories, various noisy karaoke parties are often held near the pools in the bar. Nevertheless, we decided that since we came to rest on the sea, and we couldn’t see the sea from the hotel, then it would be something like spiritual relaxation for us to admire the view of the pool from the window of the room. However, unfortunately, at that time there were no rooms overlooking the pool (according to the receptionist) and we had to take the key from the apartment located in the corner of the hotel on the 3rd floor. As the haberdasher Bonacieux D * Artagnan said when he offered him a room in his house: “Look at the view from the window... And the air !! ! Fairy tale!!! ". When I stepped out onto the balcony, I, too, saw a view that would stupefy the most outspoken minds of visiting tourists. No, nothing special. From the height of the 3rd floor, a magnificent view opened in all its glory....construction sites and trash cans. Under our windows were stacked construction pallets, bags with some construction mixtures, but most importantly, every morning, at about half past seven, we were woken up by a local garbage truck, whose workers serviced those same garbage containers. By the way, I wasn’t entirely lucky with the balcony either, since the room is corner and, as a result, the balcony is very small (in fact, one plastic chair is placed, that is, the idea of dining there with the whole family can be buried in advance), while in ordinary rooms on the balcony there is a plastic table and two chairs.
But this is not the most important thing. Anyway, these little things (and I consider these small shortcomings in the rest nothing more than little things) could not spoil our overall impression, both from the hotel and from the rest in general. As I said, the Aphrodite II hotel is quite small. At the time of our stay, the hotel was populated mainly by Russian-speaking tourists, there were a few Germans, Bulgarians.
The shops. Compatriots.
About our compatriots (I mean not specifically Belarusians, but all Russian-speaking tourists) is a separate conversation - you will recognize ours from afar. I remember we went shopping at the Mladost supermarket - the cheapest and most affordable store in Sunny Beach. The prices here are very, very good, even compared to our Belarusian realities. For example, a wedge-shaped piece of cheese with mold costs about 3 and a half leva there (i. e. about 1.8 euros = 18-19 thousand Belarusian rubles), while we have (I personally saw it yesterday) 46 thousand Belarusian rubles, i. е. prices vary more than 2 times not in our favor. Another example: a bottle of 0.5 liters of the most popular Bulgarian moonshine (crayfish) Burgas 63 costs 16 levs - 8 euros, Bulgarian brandy Slynchev Bryag and Pliska - about 7-10 levs, i. e. 3.5 - 5 euros. Now compare these prices with the cost and quality of wine products on the shelves of our stores. The comparison will obviously not be in our favor... So, I'm standing in the "Mladost" near the window, I choose sour milk (sour milk), the choice here must be given to them due, great. I hear some kind of lamont on the right, and then a woman’s cry to the whole store: “Vanya, we need to buy more sausages. ” I look, to my right, right at my flank, such a 120-kilogram woman with a height of a meter and fifty maximum is rushing (by age, she could be given both 30 and 50 years old), literally sweeping away everyone in her path. And rushing absolutely without complexes - the face is a felt boot, I don’t notice anyone - I go where I want. She pushed and shoved everyone with the casual ease with which a bulldozer rakes up fallen leaves with its metal bucket. Why is there a bulldozer - a locomotive! Behind her, trudging and dragging a basket with a handle (the basket is made in such a way that it can be carried by two handles like ours, or rolled along the floor holding on to one long handle, by analogy with suitcases on wheels) bent Vanya - a frail little man, kilograms 60, no more. If this Dora the Bulldozer was standing at the window and choosing a product, and I would move along her course, then, of course, observing the norms of decency, I would certainly bypass her. But now, I decided that it was her duty of courtesy to get around me, and I was not obliged to give way to her, given her boorish behavior towards others. The weight in me is a centner, come on, I'm not your 60-pound Ivan, I think I'm calmly choosing a product. Suddenly, I began to feel a nervous sniff on the right and undisguised pressure. I stand calmly, choosing a product. In the end, the "compatriot" realized that I was not going to leave her path and give way. For a moment our eyes met, after which, with unconcealed laziness and displeasure, she deigned to take two steps to the left and bypass me.
Another case comes to mind, concerning the peculiar behavior of our compatriots. I write from the words of my wife. It was in the water park in Nessebar. Those who have ever been to water parks know that often due to a large crowd of people there are queues on the way to any slide. This is especially felt on those slides where they ride on special devices - double or single circles-boats, which, of course, are not enough for everyone. In order to even take a turn to the hill, you need to get this same boat. And this procedure always takes some time, as some visitors to the water park ride on each slide several times. This is their right, and no one disputes this right. At the same time, one group of our compatriots (5-6 people) decided to amend the existing water park regulations. They took a few boats, took a ride several times and, in order not to stand in line for the boats later, they decided to make everything simple - they went to rest on the sun loungers, and the boats were folded around them. That is, according to the principle - we rest, we don’t ride, well, there’s nothing for others to ride . . My wife saw it all, who was sunbathing on a sun lounger nearby. A little later, this family was approached by people who asked to give them boats - anyway, because they are lying around idle. The compatriots refused this request. Then these people approached the worker of the water park, after whose intervention our compatriots were forced to give up these boats.
Restaurants and other eating places.
What is in abundance in Sunny Beach is various food and snack outlets, including restaurants, cafes, bistros, pizzerias, stalls, etc. and the range of prices and quality is really very wide. When we arrived, we were downright stunned - along the central resort artery, there are places where you can eat deliciously and not so much. In this case, you should take into account a bunch of persistent, and sometimes obsessive offers to go to one place or another. Sometimes I saw that the barkers of these restaurants not only briskly offered, but also poured various alcoholic drinks to passing customers with the sole purpose of luring the customer into the snares they had set up. In general, during the rest we visited about a dozen different places. As I said, the quality of cooking, and prices here can differ by an order of magnitude. I remember one of the first days, we were looking for a place for lunch and accidentally went to the restaurant "Azzuro" - a fairly large restaurant, with wooden terraces and furniture. There, opposite the entrance, there is a human-sized figurine of a cook with a protruding thumb of his right hand. The figurine itself seemed to be inviting tourists - come in! We are all delicious! Cool! Cool! That's probably what we bought into. We went in and ordered soup and juice for our daughter, lasagna for my wife, and kebabs for me. From drinks, I took a glass of beer - it was very hot, and a bottle of semi-sweet red wine for my wife and I - we are in Bulgaria. When the soup was brought, my wife took a spoon and took a sample and gave a verdict - very mediocre, I already knew what to expect next. Then they brought lasagna and kebabs. There was half-baked minced meat in the lasagne, and the kebabs didn’t impress me much either. In general, we went there for the first and last time. The same can be said about the tavern, located right on the beach near the hotel "Burgas". The tavern itself is designed in the form of a schooner with masts, sails, yards. The soldering there is very mediocre, that is, everything is designed for those who do not eat, but only have a snack. Eatery on the beach. My beef stroganoff with pork was prepared at the level of our catering canteen. Yes, and also - the most interesting thing is that the toilet there is paid for everyone - 50 stotinki, and even from customers who made an order. For Bulgaria, this is nonsense.
The same can be said about the restaurant "Malibu", which is located near the hotel "Meridian". Impressive here is live music (the musicians play really well) and showcases with raw mouth-watering kebabs. Yes, even here in the evenings magic shows are shown. And in the kitchen, everything is just like in a tank, and even served with dead dishes and dirty burnt tablecloths.
If we talk about the place where, in our opinion, they cook the most delicious food, then this is, of course, the Arena. "Arena" is located near the hotel "Chrysanthemum" on the way to the hotel "Kuban". We chose this place by chance - we were walking from the sea and decided to have lunch somewhere. As I said in Sunny Beach, there are just a lot of different places where you can eat tasty and not so much. We were a little tired, it was the sun on the street - the middle of the day, the asphalt melts, the brains boil, in the mouth - the Sahara Desert in July noon. We accidentally stop near one cafe, the name is not visible. There are no visitors, the barker begins to offer us an assortment of dishes served. Let's take a closer look. The interior is nothing special, there are dozens of such cafes, but at the same time, order, cleanliness and some kind of comfort are striking. Placed on the ground, made an order, waiting. Clean appliances are brought, tablecloths are ironed, and even on top of the tablecloth the waitress puts a branded napkin with the image of a warrior from the times of ancient Greek Hellas with the name of the institution. They brought me beer, ordered soup for my daughter. Then they brought veal julienne, a salad for my wife. All dishes were prepared very well, just like homemade. Subsequently, we went to this place constantly and always, like the first time, the quality of the dishes was at the highest level. Subsequently, we learned and were very surprised that the "Arena" is not a restaurant at all, but a pizzeria. By the way, the pizza here is very decent, it costs 8 leva - 4 euros. So, given the way they cook here and the overall quality of customer service, unfortunately, we have to admit that not all establishments in Minsk that carry the proud name “restaurant” on their signs will be able to compete with the Arena pizzeria. And both in terms of price and quality.
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