I arrived back two weeks ago from hoilday abroad, and the question being asked by my colleagues at work and my friends was 'Why Bulgaria?' It had continued a love affair with Eastern Europe that had begun when six years ago I travelled East to Poland, a wonderful experience which whetted my appetite for more. For whatever reason, the Tour company had cancelled the usual excursion to the small Czech town of Trebon, so whilst scouting about for alternatives, we stumbled upon the town of Nesebar,Bulgaria, situated on a peninsula overlooking the Black Sea.

Bulgaria in many ways was (is) the forgotten man of Eastern Europe. Adherents of Bulgarain internal affairs used to joke that it was the '16th Republic of the USSR' so slavish was its adherence to the Soviet line.Its KGB equaivalent, the DS gained fleeting infamy when they assassinated a dissident on London Bridge using a poison - tipped umbrella.For two decades the country was ruled by the Stalinist Todor Zhivkov,who although not as infamous as his Romanian counterpart,Nicolae Ceaucescu, was in the same mould of socialist dictator.

The airport at Bourgas (Bulgaria's third city) is only served from London by the Bulgarian airline Hemus. I must confess to a degree of apprehension as I saw the Russian made Tupolev on the runway - but the cabin crew were very polite - the meal,although far from cordon bleu was not entirely inedible and the flight in general passed quickly , with a flight time from Gatwick to Bourgas of three and a half hours. Upon arrival in the early hours we were struck by the temperature.Bulgaria is hotter than England and although temperatures are not at the heights of Greece or Southern Spain, they would not disappoint any but the most dedicated sunseekers.

Although not teeming with life, Nesebar possesses considerable charm - one of the most striking aspects of being there was how friendly the people were- across from our hotel, a group of ski-instructors had brought a bar for the summmer and they all spoke English with varying degrees of fluency, and we were treated very well every time we went in. On the language side, Bulgarian itself is rendered difficult by the fact that it uses the cyrillic alhpabet, but English usage is on the increase, although for communication purposes I would say German would be more widely understood.

If I had to venture any criticism of the town it was perhaps a little too small for a large group of young people - however, the remedy lies nearby (a 14p bus ride) in the resort of Sunny Beach. A vast, characterless sprawl of a resort with swathes of beaches ,bars,Apartments and restaurants. The ideal Package tour destination, especially for those travelling with young families. Its main drawback is its sheer size, measuring about 11 miles across, you find yourself neeeding to use buses to get from one side of the resort to the other. In addition, it really could be anywhere in the world - Nesebar has a more Bulgarian feel to it.

In conclusion, thus,Bulgaria was a fantastic holiday destination, and I would urge anyone seeking warm weather, hospitiality, good food and a value for money excursion, to set aside prejudices,forget the Costa del Sol, and head for the East - I promise you will not be disappointed.