VARNA - http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/varna


ALBENA
 is the place where the sea meets the sand. Sport and recreation facilities, numerous entertainment spots, nightlife in bars and beauty facilities - Albena has it all.
 Albena is a BLUE FLAG winning resort, located in a picturesque and ecologically clean gulf on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, famous for its flower gardens, close to Varna international airport.
Albena - a delight for all ages - sandy beach, crystal sea, and as much or as little action as you need, Albena has something for everyone. 
It has 1 four-star, 17 three-star and 22 two-star hotels. The resort's hotels are located in a natural environment, either right on the beach or on the nearby hills which command a splendid views of the sea.
H O T E L S   &   R E S T A U R A N T S
39 hotels, three villa zones, 64 luxury bungalows, campsite, satelite TV 102 catering establishments, ranging from top class restaurantsto fast food outlets to suit any taste and pocket Year-round climatic and spa center in the Dobroudja Hotel: hightly trained medical staff, 120 kinds of medical procedures making wide use of natural factors, special cosmetics programmes
S P O R T S F A C I L I T I E S
Yachting clubs, horse-riding club, football field, wind surfing, 8 tennis courts, paragliding, 9 swimming pools, bowling alley, water skiing, boat-driving banana and other sport entertainments
Bar Variety and Casino - congress center with conference halls and simultaneous translation facilities in 4 languages Children's amusement park - fun fair with kid's discos, mini trains, inflatable castles .

GOLDEN SANDS
The name Golden Sands comes from an old legend: Pirates dug in huge golden treasure in the seaside north from Varna. The land took revenge on the bandits and transformed the gold into wonderful sand.
Golden Sands is famous of its nice golden sand and long beaches.
The Black Sea beaches are covered with fine sands. Because of its natural beauty,   Bulgarian Black Sea coast has become famous international resort area. 
The Golden Sands resort is 18 kilometers north of the city of Varna and near the Golden Sands National Park. It is a magnificent resort, the largest one on the Northern Black Sea coast, with richly wooded hills, white golden beach and clear blue sea.
There are a lot of very famous and ancient mineral water springs, which have a flow of 150 m/sec and were known already to the Thracians and the Roman Caesars. The resort’s beach strip is 3, 5 km. long and up to 100 m wide. The average air temperature in Summer is 27-30 degree and the water temperature is 25-28 degree.
 Golden Sands suits both sun-worshippers and sightseers being near Varna - the third largest town in Bulgaria, the pearl of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast with a great number of places of interest. The resort has wonderful conditions for recreation, entertainment, sports and spa treatment. It is a paradise for children and restful holiday for parents. It has been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag international ecology prize several times.

WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND A STAY IN GRAND HOTEL VARNA ! - view the gallery

SUNNY BEACH
In medieval times, the bay situated between Cape Emine and Nessebur had two large fresh water wells; residents earned a living by selling drinking water to Nessebur, which had none of its own. This area is now known as Sunny Beach. Started in 1958 and the largest of the country's beach resorts. Today, the wide, six-kilometer-long beach is generally regarded as the best on the coast.

Sunny Beach definitely lives up to its motto of "Where families come first' and only the most jaded of kids could get bored here, with the likes of kiddie trains, well-equipped playgrounds, clubs with foreign language-speaking nannies, organized festivals, campfire sessions, kids' discos, donkey safaris, sand-castle building competitions...
It's not just kids that get all the fun things to do. Sports include windsurfing, sailing, parasailing, speed boating, scooter-driven parachuting, pedalboat-ing, water skiing, horseback riding, archery, mini-golf, roller and in-line skating, bowling, tennis, bicycling, wall climbing (for the truly bored), and beach volleyball. To soothe sore muscles from all that physical activity the some hotels  have mineral water spa treatment centers. Night Life runs the range from floor shows and variety acts to casinos to clubs and discos.

With 120 - and counting - hotels (45 more than runner-up Golden Sands) accommodating some 45, 000 visitors. Early on, hotels were built with just three or four floors; additions and high rises came later. Most hotels are not on the beachfront but are spread over a large area, where numerous small shaded parks and gardens do alleviate some
of the congested feel.
 There are at least a zillion eating establishments of all shapes, sizes and descriptions featuring a wide range of cuisine.  Traditional Bulgarian folk-style mehanas are well-represented by the Vyaturnata Melnitsa (Windmill), Buchvata (Barrel), Chuchura (Fountain), and a host of others. The most unusual is the Hanska Shatra (Khan's Tent) which sits atop a hill several kilometers north of Sunny Beach. Set in a secluded wooded setting with beautiful views of the coast below, the spot is supposedly the one where ne of the famous Bulgarian rulers -Khan Krum had a military encampment in 812. The large, rounded structure has twenty curved concrete columns inside which connect at the top, resembling a huge tent such as was used by the Proto-Bulgarians. The interior is decorated with mosaics, one of which depicts the Khan feasting. Waiters wear period costumes. Live folk music starts nightly at seven, followed by an hour-long elaborate floor show. Predictably, the place is touristy - and expensive - but, what the heck, it's a vacation!