stay WHERE TO
Hotel Laguna Park This four-star all-inclusive property boasts great facilities, making it popular with families. Its outdoor area has a water park, poolside bar and five pools. The hotel’s proximity to the beach, a short walk from the promenade and next to local shops, is a great selling point.
Hotel Trakia Garden As the name suggests, this family-run property is situated in a beautiful garden, among hundreds of flowers and plants, along with the owner’s rabbits and tortoises. With only 140 rooms, Trakia Garden is on the smaller side, but about 60% of customers are repeat visitors. Although it’s only 250m from the beach, the property is a peaceful respite from the bustle of Sunny Beach.
Hotel Globus This beachfront hotel is a convenient place to stay if your customers want to be near the centre of the resort. The rooms are spacious and guests can stay on a half- board or bed-and-breakfast basis. The hotel has three restaurants, and a spa and health centre.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Church of Christ Pantocrator; Nessebar; Sozopol; the fam group PICTURES: Shutterstock
the variety of restaurants, shops and attractions make it a popular destination for those looking for a great-value break.
But look beyond the main strip and Sunny Beach is in an ideal location for those who want to leave the bars behind and explore some authentic Bulgarian towns and villages, enjoy the glistening sea, or take a trip into the country’s fourth- largest city, Bourgas.
Nessebar is the next town
along from Sunny Beach. Only a 10-minute drive or a short boat ride away, you don’t have to venture far to experience one of the most picturesque towns on the Bulgarian coastline. Along with the church ruins, visitors can also pop into quirky shops or head to one of the beautiful beaches just outside the old city. “Always recommend that if someone stays in Sunny Beach, they have a day out in Nessebar,” says Chris Rand, head of trade sales at Balkan Holidays. “It’s a truly
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beautiful town with cobbled streets, gabled houses and restaurants that look out to sea.”
History and heritage It’s not just Nessebar that showcases Bulgarian heritage at its finest. I’m wandering through the historical town of Sozopol, an hour south of Sunny Beach. Either side of me are traditional, partly wooden houses, while the cobbled streets also double up as beds for the local cats, which snooze under the
Look beyond the main strip and Sunny Beach is ideal for those who want to explore some authentic towns and villages
morning sun. On my right, there’s an occasional gap in the buildings, and I steal quick glimpses of the bright-blue sea. Sozopol is one of the oldest
settlements on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, dating from as far back as the seventh century BC. It has an old town, home to ancient ruins and beautiful churches, as well as a more modern area offering shops, restaurants and hotels. On my walk through the town, I was struck by how many front doors of houses have posters stuck to them – one way Bulgarians acknowledge loved ones who have died. The town is ideal for
experiencing Bulgarian life, and there are many hotels here if visitors want to stay on a quieter part of the coast. Between Sozopol and Sunny Beach is the city of Bourgas. It’s home to the Sea Garden, which is the perfect place for an afternoon stroll while enjoying sweeping coastal views. We walked down a set of steps on to the beach
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