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Sunny Beach 2007
Our family has long dreamed of relaxing in Bulgaria, and now the dream has come true.
Travel agency in Belarus "Ecology-tour", the host travel agency "Landis". We rested in Sunny Beach at the Smolyan Hotel 3 * + (Smolian), in the summer of 2007, we traveled by plane (the price for an adult at that time was 235 US dollars)
In general, everything went great: everywhere we were met by representatives of travel agencies, there were no delays with the transfer, we settled where we were promised. But still, upon arrival home, it was possible to organize a bus that would take us from the airport at least to the metro, but more on that later.
Road to the airport
Three main ways to get to the airport
• by your own car, even if the person who brings you flies away with you, there is a guarded parking lot at the airport 10 days will cost 90.000 BR, for a month 135.000 (the prices are on the website of the "Minsk National Airport") - this is an acceptable way for those who does not live in Minsk and travels with a large family.
• Taxi is a fast, comfortable but expensive way to get to the airport for 60.000 BR. Travel time is 30-40 minutes from the city center.
• And finally, by shuttle bus. Ticket price within 5.000 BR. Travel time is 1 hour 20 minutes + the bus also has legal stops in the suburbs, so the journey time is 1 hour 20 minutes. The schedule is available on the Internet, but it is not always updated - it is better to check through the information desk or at the station. Problems arose only on the way home. The fact is that we landed at 19.00 at 19.35 already passed all the customs, the bus that was at 19.20 had already left, the next bus at 20.55, the next at 21.30. Taxi 60.000, there is no desire to wait an hour and a half - the only way out is to collect 4 people ready lay out 15 thousand each and thus get to the center (as we did, by the way).
Customs and check-in
At any airport there is a system of “packing things to protect against damage and theft” (quote from a sign at Burgas airport). The cost at Minsk-2 airport is 10.000 BR in Bulgaria, it will cost you 6 leva. Upon arrival in Burgas, the luggage of our plane, about 200-250 bags, was unloaded in 20 minutes (the time from landing at the airport to the end of customs clearance and baggage claim). Imagine if this can be done quickly and accurately at the same time? ! As for thefts, I do not have statistics, but if... then I have no idea where to look for ends later.
There are 2 corridors in customs - green and red. If you have everything within the allowed quantities of export or import, you go on the green one (the majority goes on it), otherwise you go on the red one and you just need to declare everything. What is possible and how much is again on the website of the National Airport Minsk. There is generally enough interesting and curious information from the import and export standards to the decoding of the symbols on the ticket (for example, the free baggage allowance in kg is indicated in the “ALLOW” column, where we had number 20)
As it turned out, it was impossible to carry bottled drinks in the cabin (apparently, in order to combat terrorism). Our cultural and intelligent border guards simply asked to drink a sip from the container of water that you take with you on the plane, unlike the Bulgarian ones, who forced you to throw away a closed bottle of drinking water bought on the road. As for the Dutifree in Minsk, it was closed, but everything worked in Burgas. The usual Dutifree set: alcohol (we bought a liter martini for 6 euros), perfumes, cigarettes and all sorts of rubbish on the little things. I also had to buy a half-liter bottle of water in the departure hall for a whole 3 leva - you still have to look for such a high price for water even along the beach.
We flew away when it was raining in Belarus, and here in just 2 hours we ended up in a warm and sunny country. At the airport, they filled out some kind of cards that no one knew how to fill out and the customs officers themselves were of little interest in this document. On the way back, the hotel will also give you address cards, which we also did not need, but this does not mean that you will not need them. Another difference: in Minsk, boarding the plane at departure, and upon arrival was through the sleeve, which is much more convenient than buses, unlike Burgas
sunny Beach
And here it is the largest, famous and recognized resort on the Black Sea.
Sunny Beach (Slinchev bryag, Sunny Beach) is the largest Bulgarian resort located in the bay, 36 km north of Bourgas (airport, transfer takes 40 minutes). Humidity on the coast is much less than in Belarus, so the heat is much easier to bear and without debilitating thirst. There is no time difference with Belarus and Ukraine, those who live in Moscow time will just have to set their clocks back an hour.
There are 3 mobile operators in Bulgaria, you can buy a SIM card without a subscription fee for only 15 lev. You can call home from the post office (near the hotel "Kuban" on the main street), and everywhere you will find private mini-call offices right on the street. Calling from a mobile phone to Russia is slightly more expensive than from a call center. Calling to Belarus using a SIM card of a local operator is not economically feasible. It only makes sense to send SMS or receive calls - incoming calls are free. You can also call by card - automatic machines at every turn, there are 2 types of them and each has its own type of phone cards, respectively.
Sunny Beach is one of the most dynamically developing resorts. The infrastructure of the resort is completely updated. Service as close as possible to the European and, accordingly, the prices. Today, the main income of the country is 5 million tourists a year, but this is far from the limit in the future, it may well accept 20 million (according to Internet sources). There are about 200 hotels in the resort and 50 more hotels under construction - this is mainly on lines 3.4, 5, this is not counting that on the one hand the city smoothly passes into Nessebar, and on the other into Stary Vlas, where there are also many hotels and apartments.
The national composition of vacationing tourists: British, Swedes, Germans, Bulgarians together, 75 percent, Russian-speaking tourists from the former Soviet republics, unfortunately, no more than 10%. Walking along the beach, you can meet tourists from other countries, but their number, apparently, is the level of statistical error. Thus the main languages on the coast are English, German, Bulgarian and Russian.
This is a resort in every sense of the word. There are at least local residents, mostly vacationers. Everywhere there are solid restaurants and bars, hotels, mini-golf shops and all kinds of other entertainment.
Here are hotels of all categories - the bulk of the hotel is 3 and 4 stars. At the same time, on the first line of hotels, it is quite possible to meet 2 (Pomorie) and 3 star (Nessebar Beach). 5 * are striking in their beauty (Victoria Palace is truly a palace, Majestic, Helena Resort). From 4 * there was a hotel next to us "Chrysanthemum" is a very beautiful building, a swimming pool with a lawn is competently separated from the road and prying eyes by thick and tall shrubs.
Of the 3 * stars, I would also like to stay at Kotva, a large hotel (it used to be 3 hotels, which were then merged into one) located on the 1st line. The southernmost hotel (where Sunny Beach turns into New Nessebar), very close to Nessebar, less people than in the center, there is no noise and at the same time everything is nearby and from its windows you will not see a single building in the immediate vicinity.
Hotel
Hotel "Smolyan" 3 * + (Smolian) is located on the main street of Sunny Beach resort. On the other side of the street are the hotels "Meridian", "Arda", "Yantra", "Trakia Plaza" and "Chrizanentema", and the hotels "Maria", "Bohemi" are located directly next to it.
In the hotel (Total 63 double rooms):
• lobby bar (next to the Reception, here you can order cocktails, tea, coffee and watch TV on an armchair or sofa)
• Restaurant with a bar, another bar directly by the pool
• elevator
• safe (payment 5 leva per day)
• sauna, fitness room and billiards for a fee
• parking for 15 places.
• outdoor swimming pool for adults, which adjoins the children's. There is no water slide!
• currency exchange at the administrator at the rate of 1.8 (it is ideal to change 5-10 euros on the first day,
rent a safe for a couple of days, and then, having found a bank with a good rate, pay the remaining days)
In the room :
• bathroom with shower
• balcony with 2 plastic chairs and a mini-table
• satellite TV (50 channels, but only TVC and Channel One come from Russian channels)
• telephone (only internal)
• mini-bar (empty refrigerator for drinks, hidden in the cabinet under the TV), 3 glasses and an ashtray.
Pros :
• Small by local standards, quiet and peaceful hotel
• Built 3 years ago
• Demanding administration
• Located near the beach on the 3rd line, in the evening crowds of vacationers do not wander around the hotel as on the 1st and 2nd line of hotels.
• Apart from the buffet, good cuisine (if you just order something from the menu for a fee)
Minuses :
• "located on the main street" - in fact, this is not just a street, but a real highway with very heavy traffic. Local drivers, unlike Belarusian ones, do not give way to pedestrians at a pedestrian crossing; I generally keep quiet about observing the speed limit. This street, 10 meters wide, must be overcome when going to the beach, in principle, this is an insignificant drawback, but one must be extremely careful, especially vacationers with children. Another good thing is that the road is not near the hotel fence, but at a distance of 25-30 meters.
• Those who have a room on the second floor and the windows will face the same main street will face the fact that their balcony and terrace on the roof of the restaurant are almost one; to get to your balcony from the terrace, you just need to climb over the railing.
• The buffet is very modest and monotonous to the limit. A set of dishes that did not change during the 12 days of rest: scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, fried sausage, bread and toast, cheese, ham, cucumbers, tomatoes, bananas, watermelons, butter, honey in packages of 10-15 grams, buns, cookies, strawberry and an orange drink, milk, coffee and tea bags - all this looks beautiful only on paper, in practice, I personally got sick of the buffet on the 3rd day, all products are of low quality and not always the first freshness. There is video surveillance - you can’t stand anything especially, but nothing is impossible for the Slavs (though there’s nothing special to take out of the table). There is no free wine and soft drinks - all this is for a fee at the bar.
• Nearby are a couple of hotels under construction, but in the summer there are no builders or equipment and everything looks like a frozen long-term construction.
• There is no normal sidewalk to get to the bus stop, because not all the area around the hotel has been developed by builders yet.
Currency exchange
This just needs to be explored in more detail. To begin with, I will give the exchange rates for the summer of 2007 and then all prices will be indicated in levs (local currency 1lev = 100stotinok).
In Belarus at the time of departure, approximately 1 euro = 3000 BR, 1 dollar = 2200 BR. In Bulgaria, the average euro exchange rate = 1.90 leva (the highest purchase rate I found was 1.95); 1 dollar 1.4 leva.
Now the most important thing: in no case do not change money in exchange offices, but only in Banks. This will be told to you more than once at the hotel and your tour representative. This is not Belarus, where it does not matter where you change the currency in a bank or in an exchanger. They fool people in a terrible way, it is useless to prove one's case in the exchanger, especially since most tourists do not know Bulgarian. If you are very indignant, get acquainted with the guards of this exchanger.
Walking on the first day of your stay in the country, you will be busy finding the most suitable course for you. Here you see the rate of 1.96 on the billboard of the exchange office, go in, change money, start counting, it turns out that you were counted at the rate of 1.59. Error... no! the true buying rate is posted on the back. It is not difficult to calculate that in such a non-cunning and relatively honest way, the followers of the legendary Ostap Bender earned about 37 stotinki from each of your hard-earned euros, or as much as 37 levs from a hundred euros.
There is also a way when “kupuva” and “sell” are written on the outside (buying and selling, respectively, in Bulgarian), everything seems to be fine. In practice, it turns out that from the outside the rate of the local national bank, and the real rate of this exchanger is hidden inside this booth and is somewhat different. There are many ways and you can invent new ones, but you should not learn from your mistakes.
Going on the road, I found information about this scam on the Internet, and in almost all the reviews about Bulgaria of our compatriots. On vacation, just for the sake of experiment, I went to the first exchanger I came across, made sure of this and at the same time became an innocent witness to a similar situation, but it was already too late and it was impossible to help the Slav brothers. How I understood that these are our people is not difficult to guess.
Beach
At the entrance to the beach, you may or may not be met with an announcement with the following content:
Beach "Sunny Beach"
working hours 08.00 -18.00 hours
Welcome. The beach has paid and free zones.
Paid zone:
price-list
• sun umbrella 6 lev
• sunbed 6 lev.
1. It is not allowed to freely use the beach in the area and in front of it.
2. It is forbidden to use portable umbrellas.
3. It is forbidden to use sun loungers and umbrellas outside working hours.
On the beach, 1 umbrella is used by 4 people.
Free zone (behind all umbrellas and sunbeds 30 meters from the sea):
Without payment. Minimum 20% of the total beach (usually 4 meters from the beach fence)
Place for free rest on the beach. The Concessionaire (Beach Authority) is not responsible for lost, forgotten or stolen items.
Please follow the instructions.
Employees renting umbrellas and sunbeds, unfortunately, rarely have the skill to properly communicate with tourists, but, as a rule, they are fluent in Russian profanity, in order not to spoil your good mood by communicating with these people, you must either follow the rules or sink to their level. There is a third option to come to the beach after six in the evening, when there are few people and the sun does not bake so much. In general, at noon on the hot sand it is simply impossible to stand, let alone lie down.
Many experienced tourists take umbrellas with them and put them in luggage (on arrival we had about 20 umbrellas in our luggage) plus you can take an air mattress with you and as a result you don’t need to rent any sunbed and umbrella. For those who like to read under the rays of the sun: there are books in Russian, though at very high prices, I have not seen newspapers, it is best to stock up on all this in advance. I would also like to say that the sea here is very beautiful and clear, and due to the fact that the resort town is located in the bay, from the beach you can observe the unique panorama of Sunny Beach and old Nessebar. But the most amazing thing about this sandy beach is that it faces east, so the day here begins earlier than in other places, as soon as the sun appears above the water.
Excursions
Excursions could be purchased through the travel agency hosting us in Bulgaria.
In my opinion, Istanbul (Turkey) is the most interesting - it turns out that you visit 2 countries in one vacation (one-day or two-day, with and without excursions, but the main goal of our citizens visiting this country is most likely shopping) For this excursion, you must additionally apply for a visa in advance in the motherland.
There are excursions to Varna, Plovdiv, Sozopol, Rose Valley (keep in mind roses bloom from mid-May to mid-June).
Those traveling with children will probably be interested in an excursion to the Dolphinarium in Varna.
For lovers of free wine - Bolgarskoye Selo: in the evening you are taken to a Bulgarian-style dinner with national cuisine, Bulgarian dances and songs, as well as dances on coals and Bulgarian wine in unlimited quantities.
There is also a jeep safari tour. You will be taken in jeeps through the mountainous part of the country, off-road in some places, they will show you an ancient Bulgarian village, they will offer you to try and buy honey from mountain herbs, and you will also be taken to a mountain waterfall, where you can swim in icy water (but usually only Russians swim, the Germans and the British stand, look and wonder at the mysterious Russian soul). In general, the excursions are monotonous and often intersect with each other.
There are 2 water parks on the coast (one in Nessebar, the other in Sunny Beach), where free minibuses run every 15 minutes. A day from 10.00 to 19.00 costs 28 BGN for adults, from 15.00 to 19.00 - 20 BGN. Children's ticket (height 0.9-1.3 meters) 16 and 10 leva respectively. Children up to 0.9 m tall are admitted free of charge. Sunbeds and umbrellas in the water park are free, there is a safe 2 leva, restaurants and bars. Remember that this is still an extreme form of recreation: before my eyes, 2 children received minor injuries in the form of small abrasions, and one child, about 2 years old, almost drowned thanks to his mother - she managed to put him on her knees and move down the most high-speed slide. Everywhere there are warnings about which slide is intended for which age, for some attractions you need to be able to swim well. In general, it is very interesting, you get an adrenaline rush, an unforgettable experience.
The Botanical Garden, as it is marked on all maps, in practice turns out to be an ordinary greenhouse where palm trees are grown in huge pots, and then sold to hotels - there are no excursions there and there is nothing to see there, this is not the Nikitsky Garden in Crimea.
shopping
There are a lot of shops on the coast, prices increase proportionally when approaching the sea. In general, nothing special, everything is the same as everywhere else, souvenirs with the inscription Bulgaria and “made in China”, T-shirts. The only thing that deserves attention are rose perfumes, ceramics, spices and honey in beautiful clay jars - these will really be souvenirs from Bulgaria. On the streets you will see grinders knitting various napkins and handkerchiefs and immediately selling them for a lot of money - in short, for us there is nothing exclusive in this. I remember the Orenburg shawls at the Povorino station, this is really beauty, and how cleverly the sellers pass them through the wedding ring, this is really real Glamor.
In general, if your primary goal is shopping, through any travel agency you can buy special short tours to Burgas or Varna or get there on your own (they sell things much better than in Sunny Beach).
Speaking of independence: everywhere you can rent a car and explore the country on your own. Prices from 50 euros per day, which already includes insurance. Prerequisites: At least 23 years of age and at least 2 years of experience. As for Bulgarian drivers, they treat each other more favorably than pedestrians. For all the time I went on several excursions and at the same time I saw only one accident, where no one was injured and only a motorcycle slightly crushed the wing of a foreign car.
In terms of buying alcohol and groceries, the lowest prices were in the Mladost supermarket (this is the only real supermarket on the coast, everything else that is called supermarkets for some reason is just shops). it Bulgarian national vodka "rakia", drinking water, salads, bread - in short, all the attributes of a modern supermarket. I would like to dwell on local yogurts, which are called “sour milk” here - I was not impressed with the usual yogurt.
The only thing that is most familiar to us in the taste of “fruit sour milk” is something like our liquid yogurt, in principle, a delicious thing. There are always a lot of people in the supermarket - apparently, not only the Slavs like to save money during their holidays. How to get to it. It is necessary to find an intersection (it is best to buy a 4 leva card at the reception), where the Bohemi, Trakia Plaza and Chrysanentema hotels, the Multi Place nightclub are located. Cross it so that Bochemi is on the left, at night club "Multi Place" on the right and go on the right side of the street past the apartments "Kamelia-1" and "Kamelia-2", then turn right and the supermarket is within your sight.
Also, if you are suddenly drawn to your usual Russian cuisine, from the same intersection you can walk to the Swan cafe (Swan). There is also borscht and dumplings, and half a liter of beer is just on the left. This, of course, is not the most fancy place in the resort, but the owner and at the same time the waitress is our former compatriot, who knows how to cook Russian dishes perfectly.
At the same intersection, you need to cross the street from the side of "Bohemi" to "Multi Place" and go not along the main street but along a small lane all the time straight, on the right you will have to see "Chrysanthemum", then you will reach the Bus Station, cross the street and on the left see this cafe. Bon Appetit.
If you walk along the same lane longer, you will come across a market, where prices will also be slightly lower than in other places. Here, almost nearby is the bistro "Gianni", designed for 800 visitors, in the evening you will recognize him in turn next to him. The prices are average, and the kitchen would not say that it's just super. Another landmark can be the Kuban Hotel, from which you can get to this bistro by walking from the sea along the street crossing the central one.
Bulgaria has good leather, but if you want really excellent leather, then buy it in the branded Leather Stores of the ART-93 chain. In Sunny Beach, they are located in the hotel "Helios Palace", "Laguna Park", and next to the hotel "Crown". There are really high-quality belts, wallets, bags, although more expensive than in other places.
The cheapest fruits and grocery stores can be bought at grocery warehouses. They are located near the bus station. There are cheap peaches and watermelons, but even bananas and oranges are more expensive than Belarus. If you want to have a good rest and not overpay, buy a map and explore the city thoroughly. Firstly, it is not as big as it seems at first glance, and, secondly, walking is very useful - after all, you are on vacation, strengthen your health.
Instead of an epilogue
In general, we liked it. Arrived tanned, satisfied and rested.
This is a truly European resort with all the ensuing consequences. The only upsetting fact is that prices here are growing faster than my well-being, we will not be able to afford this place at such a pace in three to five years (real estate prices have overtaken Minsk and almost caught up with Moscow). But I am an optimist and I will hope for the best.
Have a pleasant and unforgettable holiday.
INFANT
Our family has long dreamed of relaxing in Bulgaria, and now the dream has come true.
Travel agency in Belarus "Ecology-tour", the host travel agency "Landis". We rested in Sunny Beach at the Smolyan Hotel 3 * + (Smolian), in the summer of 2007, we traveled by plane (the price for an adult at that time was 235 US dollars)
In general, everything went great: everywhere we were met by representatives of travel agencies, there were no delays with the transfer, we settled where we were promised. But still, upon arrival home, it was possible to organize a bus that would take us from the airport at least to the metro, but more on that later.
Road to the airport
Three main ways to get to the airport
• by your own car, even if the person who brings you flies away with you, there is a guarded parking lot at the airport 10 days will cost 90.000 BR, for a month 135.000 (the prices are on the website of the "Minsk National Airport") - this is an acceptable way for those who does not live in Minsk and travels with a large family.
• Taxi is a fast, comfortable but expensive way to get to the airport for 60.000 BR. Travel time is 30-40 minutes from the city center.
• And finally, by shuttle bus. Ticket price within 5.000 BR. Travel time is 1 hour 20 minutes + the bus also has legal stops in the suburbs, so the journey time is 1 hour 20 minutes. The schedule is available on the Internet, but it is not always updated - it is better to check through the information desk or at the station. Problems arose only on the way home. The fact is that we landed at 19.00 at 19.35 already passed all the customs, the bus that was at 19.20 had already left, the next bus at 20.55, the next at 21.30. Taxi 60.000, there is no desire to wait an hour and a half - the only way out is to collect 4 people ready lay out 15 thousand each and thus get to the center (as we did, by the way).
Customs and check-in
At any airport there is a system of “packing things to protect against damage and theft” (quote from a sign at Burgas airport). The cost at Minsk-2 airport is 10.000 BR in Bulgaria, it will cost you 6 leva. Upon arrival in Burgas, the luggage of our plane, about 200-250 bags, was unloaded in 20 minutes (the time from landing at the airport to the end of customs clearance and baggage claim). Imagine if this can be done quickly and accurately at the same time? ! As for thefts, I do not have statistics, but if... then I have no idea where to look for ends later.
There are 2 corridors in customs - green and red. If you have everything within the allowed quantities of export or import, you go on the green one (the majority goes on it), otherwise you go on the red one and you just need to declare everything. What is possible and how much is again on the website of the National Airport Minsk. There is generally enough interesting and curious information from the import and export standards to the decoding of the symbols on the ticket (for example, the free baggage allowance in kg is indicated in the “ALLOW” column, where we had number 20)
As it turned out, it was impossible to carry bottled drinks in the cabin (apparently, in order to combat terrorism). Our cultural and intelligent border guards simply asked to drink a sip from the container of water that you take with you on the plane, unlike the Bulgarian ones, who forced you to throw away a closed bottle of drinking water bought on the road. As for the Dutifree in Minsk, it was closed, but everything worked in Burgas. The usual Dutifree set: alcohol (we bought a liter martini for 6 euros), perfumes, cigarettes and all sorts of rubbish on the little things. I also had to buy a half-liter bottle of water in the departure hall for a whole 3 leva - you still have to look for such a high price for water even along the beach.
We flew away when it was raining in Belarus, and here in just 2 hours we ended up in a warm and sunny country. At the airport, they filled out some kind of cards that no one knew how to fill out and the customs officers themselves were of little interest in this document. On the way back, the hotel will also give you address cards, which we also did not need, but this does not mean that you will not need them. Another difference: in Minsk, boarding the plane at departure, and upon arrival was through the sleeve, which is much more convenient than buses, unlike Burgas
sunny Beach
And here it is the largest, famous and recognized resort on the Black Sea.
Sunny Beach (Slinchev bryag, Sunny Beach) is the largest Bulgarian resort located in the bay, 36 km north of Bourgas (airport, transfer takes 40 minutes). Humidity on the coast is much less than in Belarus, so the heat is much easier to bear and without debilitating thirst. There is no time difference with Belarus and Ukraine, those who live in Moscow time will just have to set their clocks back an hour.
There are 3 mobile operators in Bulgaria, you can buy a SIM card without a subscription fee for only 15 lev. You can call home from the post office (near the hotel "Kuban" on the main street), and everywhere you will find private mini-call offices right on the street. Calling from a mobile phone to Russia is slightly more expensive than from a call center. Calling to Belarus using a SIM card of a local operator is not economically feasible. It only makes sense to send SMS or receive calls - incoming calls are free. You can also call by card - automatic machines at every turn, there are 2 types of them and each has its own type of phone cards, respectively.
Sunny Beach is one of the most dynamically developing resorts. The infrastructure of the resort is completely updated. Service as close as possible to the European and, accordingly, the prices. Today, the main income of the country is 5 million tourists a year, but this is far from the limit in the future, it may well accept 20 million (according to Internet sources). There are about 200 hotels in the resort and 50 more hotels under construction - this is mainly on lines 3.4, 5, this is not counting that on the one hand the city smoothly passes into Nessebar, and on the other into Stary Vlas, where there are also many hotels and apartments.
The national composition of vacationing tourists: British, Swedes, Germans, Bulgarians together, 75 percent, Russian-speaking tourists from the former Soviet republics, unfortunately, no more than 10%. Walking along the beach, you can meet tourists from other countries, but their number, apparently, is the level of statistical error. Thus the main languages on the coast are English, German, Bulgarian and Russian.
This is a resort in every sense of the word. There are at least local residents, mostly vacationers. Everywhere there are solid restaurants and bars, hotels, mini-golf shops and all kinds of other entertainment.
Here are hotels of all categories - the bulk of the hotel is 3 and 4 stars. At the same time, on the first line of hotels, it is quite possible to meet 2 (Pomorie) and 3 star (Nessebar Beach). 5 * are striking in their beauty (Victoria Palace is truly a palace, Majestic, Helena Resort). From 4 * there was a hotel next to us "Chrysanthemum" is a very beautiful building, a swimming pool with a lawn is competently separated from the road and prying eyes by thick and tall shrubs.
Of the 3 * stars, I would also like to stay at Kotva, a large hotel (it used to be 3 hotels, which were then merged into one) located on the 1st line. The southernmost hotel (where Sunny Beach turns into New Nessebar), very close to Nessebar, less people than in the center, there is no noise and at the same time everything is nearby and from its windows you will not see a single building in the immediate vicinity.
Hotel
Hotel "Smolyan" 3 * + (Smolian) is located on the main street of Sunny Beach resort. On the other side of the street are the hotels "Meridian", "Arda", "Yantra", "Trakia Plaza" and "Chrizanentema", and the hotels "Maria", "Bohemi" are located directly next to it.
In the hotel (Total 63 double rooms):
• lobby bar (next to the Reception, here you can order cocktails, tea, coffee and watch TV on an armchair or sofa)
• Restaurant with a bar, another bar directly by the pool
• elevator
• safe (payment 5 leva per day)
• sauna, fitness room and billiards for a fee
• parking for 15 places.
• outdoor swimming pool for adults, which adjoins the children's. There is no water slide!
• currency exchange at the administrator at the rate of 1.8 (it is ideal to change 5-10 euros on the first day,
rent a safe for a couple of days, and then, having found a bank with a good rate, pay the remaining days)
In the room :
• bathroom with shower
• balcony with 2 plastic chairs and a mini-table
• satellite TV (50 channels, but only TVC and Channel One come from Russian channels)
• telephone (only internal)
• mini-bar (empty refrigerator for drinks, hidden in the cabinet under the TV), 3 glasses and an ashtray.
Pros :
• Small by local standards, quiet and peaceful hotel
• Built 3 years ago
• Demanding administration
• Located near the beach on the 3rd line, in the evening crowds of vacationers do not wander around the hotel as on the 1st and 2nd line of hotels.
• Apart from the buffet, good cuisine (if you just order something from the menu for a fee)
Minuses :
• "located on the main street" - in fact, this is not just a street, but a real highway with very heavy traffic. Local drivers, unlike Belarusian ones, do not give way to pedestrians at a pedestrian crossing; I generally keep quiet about observing the speed limit. This street, 10 meters wide, must be overcome when going to the beach, in principle, this is an insignificant drawback, but one must be extremely careful, especially vacationers with children. Another good thing is that the road is not near the hotel fence, but at a distance of 25-30 meters.
• Those who have a room on the second floor and the windows will face the same main street will face the fact that their balcony and terrace on the roof of the restaurant are almost one; to get to your balcony from the terrace, you just need to climb over the railing.
• The buffet is very modest and monotonous to the limit. A set of dishes that did not change during the 12 days of rest: scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, fried sausage, bread and toast, cheese, ham, cucumbers, tomatoes, bananas, watermelons, butter, honey in packages of 10-15 grams, buns, cookies, strawberry and an orange drink, milk, coffee and tea bags - all this looks beautiful only on paper, in practice, I personally got sick of the buffet on the 3rd day, all products are of low quality and not always the first freshness. There is video surveillance - you can’t stand anything especially, but nothing is impossible for the Slavs (though there’s nothing special to take out of the table). There is no free wine and soft drinks - all this is for a fee at the bar.
• Nearby are a couple of hotels under construction, but in the summer there are no builders or equipment and everything looks like a frozen long-term construction.
• There is no normal sidewalk to get to the bus stop, because not all the area around the hotel has been developed by builders yet.
Currency exchange
This just needs to be explored in more detail. To begin with, I will give the exchange rates for the summer of 2007 and then all prices will be indicated in levs (local currency 1lev = 100stotinok).
In Belarus at the time of departure, approximately 1 euro = 3000 BR, 1 dollar = 2200 BR. In Bulgaria, the average euro exchange rate = 1.90 leva (the highest purchase rate I found was 1.95); 1 dollar 1.4 leva.
Now the most important thing: in no case do not change money in exchange offices, but only in Banks. This will be told to you more than once at the hotel and your tour representative. This is not Belarus, where it does not matter where you change the currency in a bank or in an exchanger. They fool people in a terrible way, it is useless to prove one's case in the exchanger, especially since most tourists do not know Bulgarian. If you are very indignant, get acquainted with the guards of this exchanger.
Walking on the first day of your stay in the country, you will be busy finding the most suitable course for you. Here you see the rate of 1.96 on the billboard of the exchange office, go in, change money, start counting, it turns out that you were counted at the rate of 1.59. Error... no! the true buying rate is posted on the back. It is not difficult to calculate that in such a non-cunning and relatively honest way, the followers of the legendary Ostap Bender earned about 37 stotinki from each of your hard-earned euros, or as much as 37 levs from a hundred euros.
There is also a way when “kupuva” and “sell” are written on the outside (buying and selling, respectively, in Bulgarian), everything seems to be fine. In practice, it turns out that from the outside the rate of the local national bank, and the real rate of this exchanger is hidden inside this booth and is somewhat different. There are many ways and you can invent new ones, but you should not learn from your mistakes.
Going on the road, I found information about this scam on the Internet, and in almost all the reviews about Bulgaria of our compatriots. On vacation, just for the sake of experiment, I went to the first exchanger I came across, made sure of this and at the same time became an innocent witness to a similar situation, but it was already too late and it was impossible to help the Slav brothers. How I understood that these are our people is not difficult to guess.
Beach
At the entrance to the beach, you may or may not be met with an announcement with the following content:
Beach "Sunny Beach"
working hours 08.00 -18.00 hours
Welcome. The beach has paid and free zones.
Paid zone:
price-list
• sun umbrella 6 lev
• sunbed 6 lev.
1. It is not allowed to freely use the beach in the area and in front of it.
2. It is forbidden to use portable umbrellas.
3. It is forbidden to use sun loungers and umbrellas outside working hours.
On the beach, 1 umbrella is used by 4 people.
Free zone (behind all umbrellas and sunbeds 30 meters from the sea):
Without payment. Minimum 20% of the total beach (usually 4 meters from the beach fence)
Place for free rest on the beach. The Concessionaire (Beach Authority) is not responsible for lost, forgotten or stolen items.
Please follow the instructions.
Employees renting umbrellas and sunbeds, unfortunately, rarely have the skill to properly communicate with tourists, but, as a rule, they are fluent in Russian profanity, in order not to spoil your good mood by communicating with these people, you must either follow the rules or sink to their level. There is a third option to come to the beach after six in the evening, when there are few people and the sun does not bake so much. In general, at noon on the hot sand it is simply impossible to stand, let alone lie down.
Many experienced tourists take umbrellas with them and put them in luggage (on arrival we had about 20 umbrellas in our luggage) plus you can take an air mattress with you and as a result you don’t need to rent any sunbed and umbrella. For those who like to read under the rays of the sun: there are books in Russian, though at very high prices, I have not seen newspapers, it is best to stock up on all this in advance. I would also like to say that the sea here is very beautiful and clear, and due to the fact that the resort town is located in the bay, from the beach you can observe the unique panorama of Sunny Beach and old Nessebar. But the most amazing thing about this sandy beach is that it faces east, so the day here begins earlier than in other places, as soon as the sun appears above the water.
Excursions
Excursions could be purchased through the travel agency hosting us in Bulgaria.
In my opinion, Istanbul (Turkey) is the most interesting - it turns out that you visit 2 countries in one vacation (one-day or two-day, with and without excursions, but the main goal of our citizens visiting this country is most likely shopping) For this excursion, you must additionally apply for a visa in advance in the motherland.
There are excursions to Varna, Plovdiv, Sozopol, Rose Valley (keep in mind roses bloom from mid-May to mid-June).
Those traveling with children will probably be interested in an excursion to the Dolphinarium in Varna.
For lovers of free wine - Bolgarskoye Selo: in the evening you are taken to a Bulgarian-style dinner with national cuisine, Bulgarian dances and songs, as well as dances on coals and Bulgarian wine in unlimited quantities.
There is also a jeep safari tour. You will be taken in jeeps through the mountainous part of the country, off-road in some places, they will show you an ancient Bulgarian village, they will offer you to try and buy honey from mountain herbs, and you will also be taken to a mountain waterfall, where you can swim in icy water (but usually only Russians swim, the Germans and the British stand, look and wonder at the mysterious Russian soul). In general, the excursions are monotonous and often intersect with each other.
There are 2 water parks on the coast (one in Nessebar, the other in Sunny Beach), where free minibuses run every 15 minutes. A day from 10.00 to 19.00 costs 28 BGN for adults, from 15.00 to 19.00 - 20 BGN. Children's ticket (height 0.9-1.3 meters) 16 and 10 leva respectively. Children up to 0.9 m tall are admitted free of charge. Sunbeds and umbrellas in the water park are free, there is a safe 2 leva, restaurants and bars. Remember that this is still an extreme form of recreation: before my eyes, 2 children received minor injuries in the form of small abrasions, and one child, about 2 years old, almost drowned thanks to his mother - she managed to put him on her knees and move down the most high-speed slide. Everywhere there are warnings about which slide is intended for which age, for some attractions you need to be able to swim well. In general, it is very interesting, you get an adrenaline rush, an unforgettable experience.
The Botanical Garden, as it is marked on all maps, in practice turns out to be an ordinary greenhouse where palm trees are grown in huge pots, and then sold to hotels - there are no excursions there and there is nothing to see there, this is not the Nikitsky Garden in Crimea.
shopping
There are a lot of shops on the coast, prices increase proportionally when approaching the sea. In general, nothing special, everything is the same as everywhere else, souvenirs with the inscription Bulgaria and “made in China”, T-shirts. The only thing that deserves attention are rose perfumes, ceramics, spices and honey in beautiful clay jars - these will really be souvenirs from Bulgaria. On the streets you will see grinders knitting various napkins and handkerchiefs and immediately selling them for a lot of money - in short, for us there is nothing exclusive in this. I remember the Orenburg shawls at the Povorino station, this is really beauty, and how cleverly the sellers pass them through the wedding ring, this is really real Glamor.
In general, if your primary goal is shopping, through any travel agency you can buy special short tours to Burgas or Varna or get there on your own (they sell things much better than in Sunny Beach).
Speaking of independence: everywhere you can rent a car and explore the country on your own. Prices from 50 euros per day, which already includes insurance. Prerequisites: At least 23 years of age and at least 2 years of experience. As for Bulgarian drivers, they treat each other more favorably than pedestrians. For all the time I went on several excursions and at the same time I saw only one accident, where no one was injured and only a motorcycle slightly crushed the wing of a foreign car.
In terms of buying alcohol and groceries, the lowest prices were in the Mladost supermarket (this is the only real supermarket on the coast, everything else that is called supermarkets for some reason is just shops). it Bulgarian national vodka "rakia", drinking water, salads, bread - in short, all the attributes of a modern supermarket. I would like to dwell on local yogurts, which are called “sour milk” here - I was not impressed with the usual yogurt.
The only thing that is most familiar to us in the taste of “fruit sour milk” is something like our liquid yogurt, in principle, a delicious thing. There are always a lot of people in the supermarket - apparently, not only the Slavs like to save money during their holidays. How to get to it. It is necessary to find an intersection (it is best to buy a 4 leva card at the reception), where the Bohemi, Trakia Plaza and Chrysanentema hotels, the Multi Place nightclub are located. Cross it so that Bochemi is on the left, at night club "Multi Place" on the right and go on the right side of the street past the apartments "Kamelia-1" and "Kamelia-2", then turn right and the supermarket is within your sight.
Also, if you are suddenly drawn to your usual Russian cuisine, from the same intersection you can walk to the Swan cafe (Swan). There is also borscht and dumplings, and half a liter of beer is just on the left. This, of course, is not the most fancy place in the resort, but the owner and at the same time the waitress is our former compatriot, who knows how to cook Russian dishes perfectly.
At the same intersection, you need to cross the street from the side of "Bohemi" to "Multi Place" and go not along the main street but along a small lane all the time straight, on the right you will have to see "Chrysanthemum", then you will reach the Bus Station, cross the street and on the left see this cafe. Bon Appetit.
If you walk along the same lane longer, you will come across a market, where prices will also be slightly lower than in other places. Here, almost nearby is the bistro "Gianni", designed for 800 visitors, in the evening you will recognize him in turn next to him. The prices are average, and the kitchen would not say that it's just super. Another landmark can be the Kuban Hotel, from which you can get to this bistro by walking from the sea along the street crossing the central one.
Bulgaria has good leather, but if you want really excellent leather, then buy it in the branded Leather Stores of the ART-93 chain. In Sunny Beach, they are located in the hotel "Helios Palace", "Laguna Park", and next to the hotel "Crown". There are really high-quality belts, wallets, bags, although more expensive than in other places.
The cheapest fruits and grocery stores can be bought at grocery warehouses. They are located near the bus station. There are cheap peaches and watermelons, but even bananas and oranges are more expensive than Belarus. If you want to have a good rest and not overpay, buy a map and explore the city thoroughly. Firstly, it is not as big as it seems at first glance, and, secondly, walking is very useful - after all, you are on vacation, strengthen your health.
Instead of an epilogue
In general, we liked it. Arrived tanned, satisfied and rested.
This is a truly European resort with all the ensuing consequences. The only upsetting fact is that prices here are growing faster than my well-being, we will not be able to afford this place at such a pace in three to five years (real estate prices have overtaken Minsk and almost caught up with Moscow). But I am an optimist and I will hope for the best.
Have a pleasant and unforgettable holiday.
INFANT
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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