Sunny Beach, Bulgaria. Any thoughts?

[doglover]

The title says it all really! We're looking for a 'chill-out' week, AI, and haven't any experience of Bulgaria. If you've any thoughts, we'd love to hear from you. TIA.

I don't I have any personal experience, but my ex took our dc's there last year as his Mum has an apartment somewhere in Sunny Beach. The dc had a great time, they tell me they liked the waffles and the pancakes the most. Sorry I can't be of any real help!

Thanks for replying! My dds would be suitably impressed!

Hmm watching this with interest as DH wants us to go to Bulgaria this summer.

I'm not keen based on a holiday there approx 17 years ago - it was awful. Dirty, scruffy, hotel was horrible and weather was bad.

I have heard its vastly improved though but still, that's all I can think of when Sunny Beach is mentioned.

Soooo, watching to see what it's like now

Let's hope we get some more knowledgable folk along later, TMB!

worst holiday of my life
20 years ago mind...

the equivalent of Blackpool imo.

Go to Elenite, Bulgaria instead - it's only a 15min taxi ride from Sunny Beach.

and FWIW I'm going to Blackpool next weekend with friends, but I would not like to spend two weeks there...

I went there last July. DH really wanted to go, but I'd never really given it any thought, so didn't know what to expect.

Lovely weather, lovely beach, nice hotel. But very very touristy. The hotel, same as the majority, was just over the road from the beach, and the beach road was all T-shirt shops, ice cream and hot dogs by day, and karaoke and happy hours by night. Had to fight for a sun lounger by the pool, but spent most time on the beach with DS.

we went AI (which wasn't necessary given the amount of restaurants around) but ate out several times, and visited the old town, which was rather lovely, lots of nice cafes and restaurants.

Depends what you want from a holiday really. It was a cheap(-ish) and chearful holiday, but very very touristy, but with fewer brits than your usual Majorca/Tenerife type places (I imagine). Our hotel was at one end of the main road, so it wasn't too loud at night, but I can imagine it gets a bit full on in the thick of it.

Hope that helps.

flywiththecrows sums it up perfectly. It was like Blackpool, but with better weather

oh don't remind me about the weather in Blackpool, I'm there next weekend with a bunch of friends and I'm taking wellies, hats and scarves!

This is no joke: Once I was walking along the prom in BP and a fish fell out of the sky, the weather was that bad it had blown the poor thing from the sea and onto the path in front of me!

sorry to hijack thread

I stayed in a place called Nessebar almost 20 years ago which was very beautiful and got the ferry to sunny beach for a visit. Sunny beach was very touristy, it had a big line of modern hotels (bit like Lido de Jesselo). It was ok but I am sure there are nicer places to go. I went to Croatia in 2010 and would recommend that.

The reason we've been looking at Bulgaria is primarily cost. Our dds criteria is basically pools / flumes / lazy rivers etc and we all enjoy the AI experience for one lazy week. The more mainstream Med locations seem to be alot more expensive for a very similar holiday. Many thanks for your comments - useful to add to the mix!

Hi dog lover, I have posted a similar topic then come across yours! I am too looking at sunny beach for a week's break in June with our 2.5 yr old, not sure what to expecting but reading 'Blackpool' of Bulgaria scares me a little! Defo don't do chav! But we are on a tight budget so the cost is very attractive.

Reading trip adviser our hotel seems to be on the quieter section of sunny beach, the hotel is nice and clean (4stars) so maybe it will be ok? I am looking at half board so only need to venture out of the hotel for lunch if nothing better is on offer..

Hmmm...

I stayed at Nessebar (which was lovely) and visited Sunny beach during the first week of June and the weather was very warm, definitely beach/ pool weather. I didn't like Sunny beach, it was full of big hotels and really commercialised. There are certainly lots of nicer places in Europe to go.

We've been to Bulgaria the last 2 years. I can't comment on the beaches as I avoid beach holidays like the plague.

However, Bulgaria is very cheap, hot and interesting. Sandanski has some nice pools though no flume that I can recall. We tend to rent apartments. DD and I go swimming while DH takes his camera off on long walks to photograph wildlife.

Last year our apartment in Velinka Tarnova cost us 30 euro per night we topped and tailed this with 5 star hotels in Plovdiv booked through cheap Internet deals.

If you go outside the main resorts bear in mind the language uses the Cyrillic script and you are more likely to encounter the shake of the head for yes and a nod for no. This would drive DH insane as he would order a beer only for the waitress to shake her head at him

Were off to Sunny Beach this May. This will be our 5th time to Bulgaria but only second to Sunny Beach but first as a family!

We really enjoy Bulgaria. Normally the beaches are cleaned twice a day! Really looking forward to our LOs first timne abroad!

:)

Sunny Beach is cheap and affordable and is a nice place for a family holiday.
If you are concerned about the safety - there is good news.

300 new high-tech models of video surveillance cameras will be installed before season to start 2013. These anti-crime measures are obligatory because the most of the cameras installed in 2006 are not functional or function badly at night.