Advantages: Great country to explore Disadvantages: Cyrillic, possibly, and Varna.
Bulgaria; land of errant waiters, too much cucumber, and an awfully over-developed holiday coast. What on earth would attract the likes of theed and his mother?
Well, the need to tick it off, as looking east it was about the nearest large country they hadn't been to. More importantly, the opportunity to see a lot more of the country, its sites and people etc, than those who go on bucket trips to Golden Sands do.
So please forgive theed for overburdening ... ...are supposed to stimulate a more competitive running list of latest ops. As regards his latest op, it is hoped the Sofia one is still fresh in the reader's memory, as this category has been taken to include some info and opinions about the rest of the country.
The good things about Sofia, now, you can repeat for many of the Bulgarian cities - they are by no means earth-shatteringly great, but they are really nice, pleasant large towns, and with ...
theediscerning 31.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Bulgaria
We decided to visit Bulgaria this year as it looked cheap, interesting culturally and likely to still be warm in October when we had to travel.Never having been to a Balkan country before it seemed like a good choice.
We decided to base ourselves on the Black Sea coast and found a nice spa hotel in Nessebar (prefering to stay somewhere away from the crowds in Sunny Beach) The Nessebar Palace Hotel is a Bulgarian 5 star hotel about a mile from the ... ...a super-king size bed, large bathroom,safe,mini-bar and balcony. However, after a couple of nights we had to ask to be moved because our room looked out over the road and was quite noisy. It was also north facing and did not benefit from the lovely sunshine in the afternoon.
The second room was much better,looking out over the pool and the sea which was always remarkably blue and twinkly.
This hotel has a spa centre,indoor and outdoor pools,shops,hairdresser, ...
JMPL 16.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Bulgaria
Advantages: Cheap hoilday, not overcrowded, friendly people,fantastic food,beer 30p a pint,Not a 'tourist trap' Disadvantages: Street vendors harassing you, hygiene in toilets, quite a long journey, can be crowded at PEAK times
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, ... ...peninsula overlooking the Black Sea.
Before relating my experiences of the holiday, perhaps it is best to undermine a few prejudices about Eastern Europe in general. For the better part of four decades, the countries of the Warsaw Pact languished under the ignominy of Socialist rule.Access was severely restricted , the people seemed unhappy and unfriendly, and although hostilities were not open, there was clear mistrust between the UK and the USSR ...
bwsr2 07.07.2001 (08.01.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Bulgaria
Advantages: cheap Disadvantages: food and digs are sometimes dodgy
I visited Bulgaria a number of years ago with my school on a ski trip and what a wonderful time i had while i was there. We stayed in cheap accommodation - which was not bad but had a lot to desire. But hey we didn't care we were on a school trip and there for a good time. The basic standards were poor compared to what we are used to here at home in the Uk - the shower had no shower tray for example. And the food at our digs was awful thank goodness ... ...had a great time. The locals were wonderful, really friendly and service in our digs was good. the night life was great as well - gosh they know how to have a good time. In general this country is dead cheap for buying things in such as tobacco products, drink and they do have some lovely food. The skiing aspect was great and we got to see some beautiful scenery . it was fantastic - the hotel next to ours was lovely i wish we had been staying there ...
LIZZIE241079 26.02.2001
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Advantages: Very cheap, friendly people, clean, lots to do Disadvantages: Not enough toilets
Just got back from Bulgaria on 12th July and have to say it was fantastic. Stayed at the Victoria Palace Hotel in Sunny Beach. This hotel has a 4 star rating and being Bulgaria I thought that the standards would be lower, but I couldn't have been more wrong. The hotel was amazing to look at, everything inside was co-ordinated and you could tell that money had been spent on the furnishings. The staff were friendly and spoke good english (among other ... ...there were people cleaning, the rooms were spacious. We had the half board option and have to say that the food was very good, lots of choice for both breakfast and dinner. The pool was something else, very big had two levels with fountains and a seperate area for small children. It has a pool bar and could not resist having my photo taken in there whilst sipping on a cocktail. The sunbed situation was a different matter - unless you were out there ...
magicwackymouse 21.07.2004
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Advantages: Very cheap, great beaches Disadvantages: expensive to get there
Varna is the third largest city in Bulgaria and is very close to the major resorts of Golden Sands, Albena and Saint Constantine.
I have been going to this city every year for the last 11 years and therefore I have seen the many changes which have taken place since the fall of Communism.
Varna is spread along several miles of coastline which all have very good beaches. Along the coastal strip is the "sea garden" which is a public park which stretches ... ...main focus of the city.
Tourists when going to Varna rarely go beyond the city centre. This is perhaps just as well as the city centre is quite pleasant, but away from the centre are hundreds and hundreds of "blocks" - many of which are not in good condition.
The city centre has been much improved in recent years with the arrival of KFC, McDonalds etc, but many of the smaller shops have benefited from investment. There are many interesting properties ...
nikiup 16.09.2000
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Advantages: VERY VERY CHEAP, FRIENDLY PEOPLE, GREAT NIGHTLIFE Disadvantages: LANGUAGE CAN BE DIFFICULT, LOTS OF RED TAPE!!!
Where shall I begin, A few years back my parents and I wanted to buy a place abroad and we spent a long time surfing the net looking for places in Spain, but everything was way out of our budget, so we had to start looking further afield, !!!BULGARIA!!!!, what a find it was too, houses from as little as £5000, we looked and looked for something in our budget but was also good enough to move straight into.
After a lot of searching we found a site ... ...in quite good order, after browsing their pages we spotted the ideal place, A bungalow with 2 bedrooms a big garden and a bar in the grounds.
We contacted the agency and arranged to go and view the property, it really was lovely!! and all for just £20,000!!! BARGAIN.
We spent the 2 weeks that we were there for the viewing in Sunny Beach or Slaenchi Briag as it's said in Bulgarian. We had the worst Hotel cheap and nasty but we didn't let it put ...
widdley24 12.10.2006
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hi, just back from our holiday in sunny beach.this was our second visit to bulgaria,the 1st time we stayed in golden sands,but as there was 8 in our group instead of the usual 4 we thought a bigger resort would give us more scope.we paid £404 each for 2 weeks b/b in the hotel which was 3* rated.1st impressions were not good as the hotel which is in a complex of 3 hotels[hence the tongue twisting name]was drab,but the rooms were clean,with a huge ... ...was for non~swimmers &kids,and the other a good sized family pool,both of which were clean.Breakfasts were the usual cold meats,cheese,bread and boiled eggs,but as in our last visit we soon found a good choice of places to have a full breakfast for about 7/8 levs which is about £2. The hotel had a nice restaurant with a good choice of dishes & we were happy to eat in on colder,windy nights which were quite frequent,though daytime weather was generally ...
rameses 17.09.2004
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Advantages: Cheap, different Disadvantages: Language barriers and toilets!
I arrived in Bulgaria feeling a little frazzled after some visa troubles in Romania. It is worth mentioning that I was in my most critical of moods! The train station at Sofia is lovely, I would recommend the pizza from the café - probably the best pizza I have ever tasted. Apart from not understanding a word of the language and not even being able to read their alphabet, things were fine. That is until we left the station. The first problem was ... ...the woman at the kiosk about 20 minutes to explain that we needed a ticket for them also. We got on the tram, but the locals told us we were going in the wrong direction, so we had to venture out once more onto the roads. There is a subway system (so you don't have to cross the roads) but it is busy and the traders who accost tourists can be tricky to shake off. When we eventually found the tram going in the right direction we didn't know where to ...
fam6 15.05.2001
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Advantages: cheap, hot, friendly Disadvantages: not many UK airports have flights there yet
Last year my family and I decided to go somewhere different and after hours looking through brochures decided on Bulgaria. We stayed at the Hotel Evrika in Sunny Beach all inclusive for 2 weeks. It was very cheap but very good. The hotel was clean and staff very friendly. The nightly entertainment was great and there were many other activities during the day. We all found the food at this hotel excellent - ate far more than we should have but most ... ...is very cheap for eating out, clothes, trainers, cigarettes, alcohol and gifts. The beach is very sandy and clean and the Black Sea is quite warm. The only things on the negative side were - many people do not speak alot of English but then you can't expect them to i suppose. This wasn't too much of a problem to us as i speak German and all Bulgarians seem to speak this as it is a big holiday destination for German people. Also on the negative was ...
cazz218 08.08.2004
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Once you have arrived in this relatively not very big town lying in the feet of Rila mountain,you will feel astonished to see so many young people around.Small and picturesque cafes,restaurants and the so called here "mehani" are full of beautiful girls,handsome young boys and the exciting atmosphere of youth.These young people,who are mainly the students of the two universities-the American University in Bulgaria and the South-West University,coming ...
antoanet 19.07.2000
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Advantages: Freedom to explore off the beaten track Disadvantages: Driving - yikes!!
The first time I hired a car it was from a sales lot in Veliko Turnovo. Can't remember the name of it but if you head out of Veliko on the main road to Sofia you will see it on your left.
This was in June 2006 and it cost 25 levs a day (roughly £10 I think). Just needed to show my passport and international driving license which you can get from AA etc. The car was an old (pre-power steering) Vauxhall Astra. I don't know if they have MOTs in Bulgaria ... ...that horrific but the handbrake was very weak. When I say 'weak' I mean it didn't hold on hills!
I have driven abroad before (in Spain) but wanted a quiet run out just to get back into driving on the right. We headed out of Veliko at about 5pm in pouring rain. It was a nightmare. I couldn't see where I was going and had no clue about which turnings to take. A lot of the slip roads from the main road just seem to veer off without any signs or white ...
juliedraysey 17.03.2007 (21.03.2007)
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After reading the report titled "Vulgaria" I feel I must pass my opinions on Bulgaria.Having visited the country seven times,my wife and I find it superb.Sunny Beach is the biggest resort.Set on one of the finest beaches in the World why, even Holiday Which rated the beach on a par with the Carribean.Food is very good,with a varied choice of meats,(never seen brains on any menue),but pork,chicken,beef, and of course the very tasty Black Sea fish.Eating ... ...fresh veg.being Organic.Never once have we seen any coackroaches etc.anywhere!Trees abound throughout Sunny Beach,making it a very green location.As for "Driving through Dracular Country" are you sure you were in Bulgaria?,becouse "He" is resident in Romania!!.Sunny Beach offers a holiday to remember,and for all the right reasons,the locals are most friendly,the prices for everything is low,climate super,food good and cheap.Bulgaria is Beautiful,do ...
redcat 06.08.2000
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Advantages: Cheap, sunny and friendly Disadvantages: It rained for 3 days.
I also went to Sunny Beach on holiday last year with my husband and had an absolutely wonderful time. Of course Bulgaria is a poor country but anyone who has been to Turkey will also know what it is like to have locals trying to sell you something you don't want. We just shook our heads and walked on. The hotel we stayed in was great, very clean and all of the staff were more than helpful. We stayed in Bulgaria and spent less than £300 which I think ... ...every night and brought lots of presents home for everyone.
I even recommended it as a holiday destination for my daughter and son in law and my 2 grandchildren, one of whom is only a toddler, if I believed they would not be safe or the place was un hygenic I would not have done this.
A lovely 2 weeks. ...
lizat 25.08.2000
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Advantages: Cheap booze Disadvantages: Everything else about it
Not having planned a holiday because we had just bought a new car, but fed-up with the non-summer we were having my husband and I decided enough was enough and started the process of looking for a cheap and cheerful fortnight in the sun. After a few weeks looking in Travel Agents windows and teletext pages we saw what we thought was a good deal, Golden Sands Bulgaria, B&B £300pp for two weeks. Great, we thought - I rushed to the Travel Agents and ... ...of smiling families having fun on the beach, clear blue sun-filled skies, and £1 for a bottle of vodka. Excellent - looks great, lets go. Our first concern came when we saw the plane that we were going on, how on earth was that rust bucket going to actually fly? But fly it did, mind you it was the worst flight I have ever been on. Arriving in Bulgaria we were held up for about an hour at passport control as they scrupulously checked every passport ...
Lad 17.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of General: Bulgaria
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