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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

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Original poster

Bulgaria...Sunnny beach?

17 replies

Hidingplace · 15/01/2024 11:47

Hi
We are being encouraged by family members to join them for part of their holiday to Bulgaria. They are going for 5 weeks but we'd only join for a week. We get on very well and it would be lovely to have some companionship and help with the kids (4 year old and 11 month old). But...just not sure about sunny beach area! Has anyone been recently? What is the beach like? Have heard it's not the best! Is there anything to do nearby other than a beach? Honest opinions really welcome as we are torn - we feel like it would be lovely to be with family but perhaps not quite the place for us!
Thank you!

OP posts:

121gigawatts · 16/01/2024 10:19

Hoping somebody who's been replies soon OP as looking at booking here myself but unsure as have heard negative things but this was many years ago.

Gettingbysomehow · 16/01/2024 10:26

I went in the 1990's and it was a shithole then. The whole place stank of sewage. It may have improved by now - I hope so.
It does what it says on the tin I guess, it's sunny and it's a beach.
It was typical of eastern block countries.
It could still be a nice little beach holiday for a week but I wouldn't stay any longer than that.

murasaki · 16/01/2024 10:27

It's party central, I wouldn't take kids to be honest. All teens, early twenties and cheap shots with the accompanying noise. A bit further down the coast is much nicer.

SparklyOwls · 16/01/2024 10:30

We went last Summer, the beach is beautiful and sandy and very clean, no odd smells at all. Just watch out for jellyfish as my child went in the sea and got stung.

PandaChopChop · 16/01/2024 10:35

Cheap and cheerful, I've been twice and I probably wouldn't bother taking kids. The beach at the time (granted it was a few years ago) was covered in litter and the sea was a horrible murky green. I like to see what I'm swimming in 🤣

Depends what you're looking for in a holiday really- there are some nice hotels and if they have waterslides etc probably great for kids. But if you want to go put and about you're looking at alot of travel and not much kid friendly stuff.

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 16/01/2024 11:01

It's where young Danes go. Nice beach.

idontlikealdi · 16/01/2024 13:02

Haven't been to SB but have been to Bansko and it was a shit hole.

toomanyleggings · 16/01/2024 13:05

Went there about ten years ago. Not particularly nice. I wouldn’t go again

Garrie · 16/01/2024 13:08

Nooo. It's really not nice

Namechanged4obviousreasons · 16/01/2024 13:15

I wouldn’t recommend. We went last year for the first time. We found it dirty and I didn’t feel safe in the resort either. There always seemed to be young Bulgarian men sat outside hotels watching holidaymakers leaving and a few people at our hotel, had money stolen by pickpockets when they went out. I had a constant feeling we were being watched for someone to thieve from us. I also found some of the men quite creepy with me and my daughter.

I’ve roughed it in other countries and don’t need luxury but wouldn’t return again, even if we got a bargain.

Original poster

Hidingplace · 16/01/2024 21:03

Goodness, thanks everyone...sounds pretty awful! I have been doing a bit of research and it looks like towards Nessebar is better -if anyone can either confirm or deny that!? It's such a shame as I'd love to company but I totally acknowledge a lot of these comments!

OP posts:

NewYear24 · 16/01/2024 22:50

I stayed in/on Nessebar 30 years ago and then went back for a day as a cruise excursion about 5 years ago. It’s a lot busier now, when I stayed we often went to Sunny Beach for the day or got buses and went in various day trips.

SparklyOwls · 26/01/2024 23:38

Really surprised by these comments, are we talking about the same place? Went few months back and can't relate to some of these comments at all.

EveryDayIsASchoolDayOnMN · 27/01/2024 13:24

What did you like/ disike about it @SparklyOwls ?
Ive booked to go there in September

Hobsons123 · 27/01/2024 16:14

I went approx 6 years ago and it was absolutely awful. I was desperately looking for flights to come home early. I wouldn't go again if you paid me!

SparklyOwls · 02/02/2024 23:36

We went to Sunny Beach and thought it was great, lovely clean sandy beach! I would definitely go again. Think you guys are talking about a different place.

BabyPapa · 03/02/2024 01:23

I visited Bulgaria many years ago on a Skiing Holiday (Borovets) and vowed to never return. My inlaws purchased a holiday home in sunny beach and in the time they owned it they never managed to convince me to visit.

My sis in law and husband visited and hated it as well. They described it as Benidorm if it was run by eastern European gangers

Bulgaria in general is just very seedy and dirty. I just with all good consciousness could never recommend it for a holiday. unless your 18 and want to get hammered every night!

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