Эти загадочные Голубые Жемчуга… These mysterious Blue Pearls...

I want to say right away that I liked the rest, and the BLUE PEARL *** hotel, without prejudice, I can quite advise you to choose, despite a few “misunderstandings”, for which I want to prepare careless, completely overworked tourists.
We started preparing for the holiday at the beginning of spring. We chose for a long time (I won’t tell about trips to travel agencies and the tour exhibition). And when one of the Minsk agencies offered us the BLUE PEARL *** hotel in the Bulgarian resort of Sunny Beach, we were just happy: the hotel (attention!!! ) on the first coastline, brand new, beautiful (we were shown pictures from the Internet), not in the center, but also not far from the center (this was also read on the Internet right in front of us). For four two-room suite with a large balcony, both rooms are spacious, with huge windows, there is a small but comfortable kitchen (in one of the rooms). And the price, considering the flight, is quite acceptable. And it didn’t even alert me that half of the photos found on the Internet were “not live”, but rather looked like a project of a hotel under construction. Waiting for holidays. . .
Arrived! Here the “misunderstandings” began - on the way from the airport, the representative of the host country cheerfully lied to us about exchange rates, about the weather, etc. To top it off, we were unloaded at the reception of some foreign hotel RIVIERA BLUE and “made by hand”. In a foreign hotel, it turns out, they were waiting for us. There we were issued documents for settling and... we were escorted to a neighboring building without identification marks - nowhere on our hotel was there an inscription BLUE PEARL (such... against the backdrop of a shell), which I saw with my own eyes on the photo of the hotel on the Internet. And another "misunderstanding" - we, four adults and tall ladies, were settled in a room with a large, for two, bed and a small children's sofa. But overlooking the pool. At the reception for some time, no one categorically understood Russian, then we managed to catch an “understanding” girl, whom we cried about. Quite in the evening they brought us an extra bed (in fact, a folding bed), and in the morning they moved us to a room suitable for our true size. But with a view of the neighboring brand new hotel, windows to windows (fortunately, the rooms in front of us have not yet been populated). More about the rooms (perhaps these are simple truths, but, for example, I didn’t know about this situation before): all the rooms in the hotel (apart-hotel) are different - with a different set of furniture, household appliances, etc. The rooms (apartments) have owners who furnish their apartments based more on their own needs and taste. I understand that the owner, when he does not use his apartment, entrusts it to the hotel. When meeting guests, the hotel, perhaps, selects a room that matches the request received either from the Minsk travel agency, or from the Bulgarian host... we still did not understand who was to blame. I teach: all the details like “I want a sea view” or “I want 2 separate beds” or “Coffee maker is required” or “I don’t want guys from the hotel opposite to look into my windows”, etc. must be entered into the contract or annex to the contract while still in Minsk. Otherwise, you can only rely on the hospitality of the hotel staff. We were lucky in this regard, everything was decided, we liked the new room, settled down, unpacked. Vacation has begun! We dressed up like a beach - and went to the sea... We walked around the hotel from all sides...

Oops! Surprise! And there is no sea! This is on the first coast! Here it is - the biggest "misunderstanding". We did not go to the reception to ask - when we appeared there for the 25th time in a day with the 35th question about resettlement, the hotel workers... in general, we took pity on them (I assure you, we did not scandal, did not lose heart ourselves and did not spoil mood to anyone! even later on the beach we were once taken for pure-blooded-cold-blooded Englishmen, how... ). So, we went to look for the sea on our own. It was not possible to establish the direction by the sound of the surf or the salty wind - there was not even a hint. Kind tourists helped (they understood our speech surprisingly well). So, it turned out: it took about 10 minutes to walk to the sea with a brisk pace, with a run across the active roadway (careful! This is not Minsk with its polite drivers (thanks, dear ones! ). When we estimated the distance to the sea, we experienced SUCH disappointment! And for a couple more days they were offended... Then, when everything was considered, they decided: actually, it’s normal. It turned out that we, on the periphery, are quieter, and the cafes nearby are cheaper, and it’s useful to walk on foot. Everything is just OK, if you know in advance. Sediment is left. . .
Then the "misunderstandings" with the weather began, thanks to which, not knowing where to apply ourselves, we dug up the master's map of the Sunny Beach resort in the chest of drawers and found the BLUE PEARL hotel... not at all where we were lucky enough to settle. BOOM! They just calmed down, were satisfied, one might say, with what we have, and here again the “misunderstanding”. Dressed warmly and, guided by the map, went to look for the "other" Blue Pearl. So: in the Sunny Beach resort, we saw TWO BLUE PEARL hotels with our own eyes. The first is our own (closer to the resort of St. Vlas, approximately on the sixth or seventh coastline), and the second is at the other end of the resort (also not in the center), closer to Nessebar, on the first coastline, but it has not yet been completed (this fact we recorded in June-July 2011). Remember, I talked about pictures on the Internet that look like a project? So this is the “other” BLUE PEARL! To be honest, for the uninitiated, the photos of the two Pearls are very similar to each other, but there is a difference - the new hotel is multi-level, there are buildings both lower and higher. Our hotel has 5 floors. And also look at the balconies, they are different - in the new hotel they are more intricate. On the hotel under construction, the very inscription BLUE PEARL was found on the background of the shell. In general, when you look for “your” Pearls on the Internet, take a closer look, do not clap your ears like some do. I warned you.
The general conclusion about the hotel we got is that we settled down there, we liked it. Everything regarding the room itself, which was promised to us by the travel agency, and what I wrote at the beginning of the report, is true (only there was no hair dryer). There were also "misunderstandings" with the change of linen and towels, but they coincided with our only meeting with an intelligent representative of the host, Any. She sorted out the problems with one hand, clearly answered all the questions, gave good advice. Thanks. And one more thing: apparently, the neighboring hotel will soon be filled with tourists (or apartment owners), and if I were you, back in Minsk, I would insist on the requirement “I don’t want guys from the hotel opposite to look into my windows. ” By the way, almost no one spoke Russian at the reception for 2 weeks... But we took away from Bulgaria, as a nice souvenir, the phrase “Pray! Don't drink! (pronounced with the intonation of Faina Ranevskaya, like "Mulya! Don't make me nervous! ").
About the cafe: in Sunny Beach, I especially liked the Condor bistro-garden (not far from the center of the resort, the entrance to the territory directly from the road along which city buses run) and the Windmill cafe (also visible from the road, at the exit from Sunny Beach in the direction of St. Vlas, look on the left side, look higher - a mill on a mountain; folk and nestinar dances are performed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 pm; from "our" BLUE PEARL - 30 minutes on foot, but you can also take a bus) . Hello to Valentin Yudashkin (“Condor”) and cute waitress grandmothers (“Windmill”). And, of course, we were simply fascinated by the unforgettable cafes in Nessebar and Sozopol - on the very seashore, a sort of multi-terraced, romantic, fabulous. . .

About excursions: we went on our own. Highly recommend! To Nessebar (this is elementary, on a city bus), to Sozopol (a bus leaves from the bus station at 10.00 to Sozopol, at 16.00 - from Sozopol back; round-trip fare - 10 + 10 leva, one way ride 1.5 hours) . Nessebar and Sozopol, I love you! We never got to St. Vlas, the rain just impudently drove us from the stop several times. Instead of the excursion "Bulgarian village" we went to the cafe "Windmill".
About shopping: fruits and vegetables were bought in a shop near the ZORA store closest to our hotel. For other food, we went to the Mladost store 2-3 times - really much cheaper. We also bought shoes, loose olives, Turkish delight, sharen salt. Souvenirs - a beautiful Trojan ceramic bowl, a couple of blotches on the refrigerator, Sozopol (grandmother's) walnut and fig tree jams. Look for condiments, pink cosmetics and Teo soap in the Mladost store. And, of course, we bought wine.
About wine: it’s inconvenient to admit - I didn’t make out. We did not like the fact that the price was suitable for every day. But in Nessebar there is a special wine shop (in the center, not far from the carpet shop, Nessebar, Slavyanska St. , 5, http://www. hristiswinery. com), where you can first taste the wine, and then buy it. Expensive but tasty. We bought wines for 18-20 leva a bottle. And we also tried “Snow” wine for 36 levs - awesomely tasty and awesomely expensive. We didn't buy it, but we tasted it. Twice.
About the beach and the sea: everything is just wonderful! Now, if the paid zones were to be reduced and moved a little further away from the sea, they are practically empty... And if we had the weather...
About the climate of Sunny Beach: ideal for those who do not tolerate high humidity.
The general conclusion about holidays in Bulgaria is pleasant, informative (if you are inquisitive), unobtrusive and somehow everything is natural, or something, somehow free. No one warns “Don’t go there, go here, sit here, don’t go beyond the fence” - where you are interested, go there. There is a desire to repeat.
So, welcome to the club "Lovers of Bulgaria"! You are interested to know how to translate “Pray! Don't drink! "?
And if you are already in the club, you should know this. Do not know? Then new wonderful discoveries to you!