Bulgaria

[BadSanta]

Anyone been to bulgaria lately?
is there anywhere you would recommend going to/ avoid?
im looking at the barcelo royal beach in sunny beach...
2 young couples going.

any thoughts welcome.
thanks

 

[rachelg]

If you wanting a nice beach, lots of night life, clubs, happy hours, tat stalls, lots of holiday makers then Sunny Beach is for you. If you want a more relaxing holiday in not such a 'party' atmosphere and not so built up try further south towards Turkish border or move inland.

 

[Lollix]

If you wanting a nice beach, lots of night life, clubs, happy hours, tat stalls, lots of holiday makers then Sunny Beach is for you. If you want a more relaxing holiday in not such a 'party' atmosphere and not so built up try further south towards Turkish border or move inland.

Or go somewhere civilised; try Spain or Portugal, prices have dropped there and compare well with the kip that is Bulgaria.

 

[joer]

Have to agree with you Lollix. I was there a few years ago and will not be going back.We stayed in the fantastic Majestic hotel,but we did not like the food,it wasnt a nice place to stroll around,especially in the evening time.I would also recommend Spain, Portugal , Malta , Madiera,Italy.

 

[rachelg]

Has anyone blasting Bulgaria actually travelled inland and away from the built up and horrible resorts such as Sunny Beach? There is much to offer away from these resorts - alot of archaeology (Thracian tombs, Perperikon, caves), beautiful cities such as Veliko Turnovo and Plovdiv, amazing countryside for walking in the Balkans, massive lakes for water sports and fishing such as Sopot, Koprinka, Dospat.

The food is fantastic if you get out of the resorts built around the tourist industry. All fresh produce, great salads, amazing fruit and veg. Much has changed in the last few years. I would not suggest going to places like Sunny Beach but you can rent a lovely rural house, often with swimming pool, inland and have a great holiday.

 

[spursfan1234]

rent a lovely rural house in bulgaria??? you must be joking. you might as well just invite the burgulars in

 

[emaol]

Went to a ski resort in Bulgaria this year. Skiing facilities were great, but:
- packs of dogs roaming the town
- rubbish everywhere
- open manhole at front of hotel
- 700 (joke!) souvenier shops selling exactly the same thing

Bulgarians we spoke with rated Sunny Coast more, but looking at what they found acceptable in their own town, hmmmm.....

 

[gearoid]

Has anyone blasting Bulgaria actually travelled inland and away from the built up and horrible resorts such as Sunny Beach? There is much to offer away from these resorts - alot of archaeology (Thracian tombs, Perperikon, caves), beautiful cities such as Veliko Turnovo and Plovdiv, amazing countryside for walking in the Balkans, massive lakes for water sports and fishing such as Sopot, Koprinka, Dospat.

The food is fantastic if you get out of the resorts built around the tourist industry. All fresh produce, great salads, amazing fruit and veg. Much has changed in the last few years. I would not suggest going to places like Sunny Beach but you can rent a lovely rural house, often with swimming pool, inland and have a great holiday.

I thought you had been banned travelbug? Vested interest again. How many of your customers made money out of the whole Bulgaria property debacle? The words brass and neck come to mind.

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=50804&highlight=travelbug

 

[gilh]

Try St Vlas north of sunny beach. very nice

 

[rachelg]

rent a lovely rural house in bulgaria??? you must be joking. you might as well just invite the burgulars in

This makes no sense???? Do you know anything about rural Bulgaria? Have you ever been?

- packs of dogs roaming the town
- rubbish everywhere
- open manhole at front of hotel
- 700 (joke!) souvenier shops selling exactly the same thing

Yes unfortunately stray dogs can be a problem. I have never come across any aggressive ones but you do need to be careful. The Bulgarians have a stange view that castration is cruel but allowing dogs and cats to breed uncontrolled isn't. So you get many unwanted litters and those that survive end up living on the streets and forming small packs. Dogs are social animals after all. There are a few charities trying to do what they can and every so often the local government round up the dogs and kill them but long term solutions are needed.

Not been to Bansko or Borovets in over a year but not too much rubbish when I went, although this can certainly be a problem in some places where the communal bins are not emptied enough. In the ski resorts I expect some of this is due to massive growth in number of people living and going there, yet no investment in increased rubbish collection by municipality.

 

[spursfan1234]

bulgaria is an over hyped country that has very little to offer to families or anyone else for that matter. very dangerous, very annoying problems (rubbish, dogs, homeless people everywhere if u leave the hotel)

anyone i have ever talked to would not go back

 

[rachelg]

Yes the resorts are certainly over hyped but it has much to offer families and others. It is not very dangerous at all, this is completely wrong. I have felt much safer in Bulgaria in towns and cities than I did in the UK. Yes the rubbish dumping can be annoying and the attitude to stray dogs and cats is heart breaking. There is most definitely not homeless people everywhere. In fact hardly ever see homeless people in towns and cities near me. You do get some gypsies taking glass, metal and cardboard from bins to recycle for money.

I am not sure where in Bulgaria you went or when but you cannot class a whole country on your limited experience.

Everyone I have talked to loves the country and returns regularly.

Every country has its problems. There are many homeless people in the UK. Many dangerous cities and towns. Would you tell people not to visit the UK?

 

[spursfan1234]

you cant compare the uk to a semi third world eastern european country

 

[Jetblue]

Ski'd in Borovets last year, really enjoyed it especially the food. Pigs and lambs roasting on spits, traditional stews etc. All the old style rustic food that our grandparents were reared on. Also of course pizzas and pastas. Hotel was a little basic but no shortage of heat or hot water and the massages were great and great value.
Did a trip to Plovdiv airport during the daytime and I must admit that the countryside, villages and cities looked decrepid and very poor though. Plovdiv airport is nothing to write home about either.

 

[gearoid]

rachelg,
How many people are going to spend their annual holiday in an obscure rural "idyll" somewhere in Bulgaria every year??

I've seen your site again (travelbug.org). I would suggest to you that the homes your selling have little or no economic value and that I might as well put my money on a 200-1 nag in the 2.30 at Taunton, as invest where you are suggesting. At least I might stand to make some money on the nag.

There are picturesque and remote rural areas throughout Romania,Bulgaria, Moldova with properties such as these, so there's no uniqueness and no market.

The whole basis of this market was that the prices were so reasonable compared to boomtime Ireland and UK prices that they must be cheap. This is not the case.

Whatever about two years ago your business model must now be dead, given the current conditions.

 

[meatmonger]

- open manhole at front of hotel

I'm getting a giggle out of the rural possibilities in Bulgaria! Nice pitch.

What wasn't so nice was a month ago in bansko lifting a fello Paddy out of an uncovered manhole with what turned out to be a broken leg. Serious stuff. two unfortunate friends bought in that town 18 months ago. So much will never be finshed.

 

[spursfan1234]

any people that still own property in bulgaria have gotten / will get very burnt. you couldnt give them places away now and its becoming less and less popular with tourists. in a few years if they dont clean up their act (which they wont ) then the countries economic growth will be dead in the water.

 

[kilty]

I have to agree with the posters who slate Bulgaria. The resorts along the coast and in the ski areas are dire, I don't know anyone who would make a second trip there, except maybe for the poor unfortunate suckers who bought into the hype and invested/threw away their money there.

The OP was looking for advice for two young couples going there on holidays. Best advice I would give them would be to stay at home, or as another poster said, to go somewhere civilised like Spain or Portugal that is nearer home, has proper facilities, is easier to get to, and has better weather and better food. No contest, and no difference in cost when you add in flights etc.

 

[rachelg]

rachelg,
How many people are going to spend their annual holiday in an obscure rural "idyll" somewhere in Bulgaria every year??

I cannot give you numbers but I have many friends that have holiday homes in Bulgaria that come back for a few months each year. They tend to work in the UK through October to May and then spend the summer in the sun in their holiday home in Bulgaria. There are many more that do come to spend a couple of weeks in a rural, but not obscure, village house. There is often a pool, close to cities and towns, water parks, beaches.

I've seen your site again (travelbug.org). I would suggest to you that the homes your selling have little or no economic value and that I might as well put my money on a 200-1 nag in the 2.30 at Taunton, as invest where you are suggesting. At least I might stand to make some money on the nag.

Well you are welcome to your opinion and thank you for visiting my site. Feel free to put your money on a horse. Personally if you are only paying a few thousand for a old house with half an acre of land, then you cannot go too far wrong in the long term. But to say a house and land has no economic value is just short sighted and narrow minded.

There are picturesque and remote rural areas throughout Romania,Bulgaria, Moldova with properties such as these, so there's no uniqueness and no market.

Yes this is true, there are many places with picturesque rural properties. There are many in France, Spain, Scotland....It all just depends on what you are looking for. There is no uniqueness with many properties, but does not mean it is not a decent investment or what people want.

The whole basis of this market was that the prices were so reasonable compared to boomtime Ireland and UK prices that they must be cheap. This is not the case.

Whatever about two years ago your business model must now be dead, given the current conditions.

Well I do not think you can still compare UK prices and Bulgarian prices. I certainly do not know of anywhere in the UK you could buy a 3 bedroom, renovated house with large garden, outbuildings, all mod cons for under 70,000 Euros. And you certainly would struggle to get a building plot of 1000sqm for under 4000 Euros in the UK or an old house needing renovation for under 10,000 Euros.

There are still many people looking for a change of lifestyle, want better weather, cheaper living and are considering moving abroad, be it to Bulgaria, rural France, Spain or other such places. These are not investors out for a quick buck. This I think is the difference.