No, neither had we! Bulgaria seems to be a fairly new package holiday destination on offer at the moment. Should you have Bulgaria on your radar when looking to book a holiday? I think you should.
This holiday took us by surprise a little bit. We were so busy being parents to two munchkins, rather than just the one munchkin that we sort of forgot may half term was just around the corner. Our initial reaction was, it’s ok… lets just take it easy for a week… we don’t need to go away… it would be a good opportunity to go and see our parents…….
Five minutes later my husband was on the phone to Thomas Cook, high off our package holiday experience with Mallorca looking for the best deal possible for May half term!
Weather
The weather was glorious. May half term runs from the end of May to first week of June and we were in 28 degree heat.
It was perfect for the beach and the pool, albeit the pool was a little on the cold side for the kids.
The evenings were pleasant and the nights comfortable.
Sunny Beach
The Sunny Beach resort sits on a piece of long sandy coast line that belongs to the Black Sea.
The waters are clean and beautifully blue with a sprinkling of fish playing in-between your toes at the waters edge. The sand is a little coarse so it’s perfect for building sand castles!
The beach is where we spent the majority of our holiday. Our little girl loves the water and the sand with the same exuberance and is happy to spend her days here playing and exploring.
We didn’t do any excursions, even though every other shop in Sunny Beach offered boat cruises, traditional dinner dances and 4×4 experiences to name a few. Instead we did a day trip to Nessebar on the local bus.
Nessebar
Nessebar is an ancient city with three millennia of history running through it.
It’s a gorgeous place to take a packed lunch and explore the small streets and shops if you’re trying to keep costs down or splash out on a lovely sea facing restaurant, which are in abundance as the city sits on it’s own island.
The bus ride is around 20 to 30 minutes each way and is 1 lev.
The bus can get crammed though, making it feel a little bit like your travelling in a cattle cart. In hot weather this can be just a little bit uncomfortable, but the journey doesn’t last long.
It is possible to walk to Nessebar, but it would take a good hour if not more. However, if you have the time and the kids can do it, it might be a lovely addition to the day walking along the Sunny Beach coast line.
Sunny Beach Promenade
We also spent many hours in the day and evening walking the fun filled, restaurant ready, shopping extravaganza that is Sunny Beach promenade.
We loved it. A lot of the shops were a bit samey, but we didn’t tire of it and our little girl loved looking around them.
There were also lots of massive bouncy castle set-ups for children and the whole place was very child friendly.
We even had a fish spa for £5! We tried to get the little one to have a go, but she didn’t like the idea of fish eating your feet. I have no idea why….
Is it Affordable?
Bulgaria is pretty darn cheap. If you choose a self-catered holiday or B&B option, it’s not going to cost an arm and a leg as eating out is relatively inexpensive. We loved our 20p coffees on our walk down to the beach.
If you are wanting an easy holiday, that’s cheap, on the beach, with good weather and has lots to do, Sunny Beach is the place for you!
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Thinking of another family holiday? Here are 8 fun and easy thing to do with kids in Cala d’Or, Mallorca
