Travel review: Bulgarian resort ticks all the right boxes

Sunny Beach is the largest resort on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast and is a wonderful place to unwind, while thrill seekers can search out the watersports on offer.

There is also a lively promenade with shops, stalls and restaurants, with the ability to rent a scooter if the walking gets too much.

Evening entertainment includes clubs, casinos and live music bars.

From mellow acoustic guitar duos to rock cover bands, one of the liveliest areas is on Flower Street and is well worth a visit, but there are bars and restaurants in many places along the promenade.

The best news is that it won’t break the bank, with a pint of beer costing as little as £1 and you can get a three course dinner with drinks for a family of four for around £30.

There’s plenty for families to do as well, with mini golf courses, aqua parks and playgrounds dotted about the resort.

Booked through Balkan Holidays, we enjoyed a week-long break at the four-star Hotel Bellevue, which stands just metres away from the hotel’s private beach and is about a 40-minute drive from Burgas Airport.

Our room was very clean and spacious with a balcony that had a fantastic panoramic view of the coast.

Staying on an all-inclusive basis, the main restaurant had a varied selection of buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a themed Bulgarian night once a week that included a traditional performance with dancers.

There was a good selection of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes available, alongside a salad bar, dessert table and ice cream freezer.

A four-course meal is also included at the a la carte restaurant on site once a week for all inclusive guests, and the hotel has two bars serving soft drinks, beer, wine, local spirits and cocktails.

The hotel, which has 270 double rooms, family rooms or suites, also has a large outdoor swimming pool, gym, mini market, games and sun terrace.

A 25 lev deposit is required to get a towel card, which can be exchanged for a towel during a two-hour window in the mornings and evenings, or guests can use their own towels if preferred.

Balkan Holidays is the leading tour operator to Bulgaria and also runs a range of excursions, including sporting events, cruises and traditional Bulgarian entertainment nights.

We took a sightseeing trip to Nessebar, one of the most ancient towns in Europe and a UNESCO world cultural heritage site.

A coach was sent to pick up guests along the resort and a trip to a honey farm and Khan’s Tent, with lovely panoramic views of Sunny Beach, are included in the stops along the way.

Nessebar is split into two parts, with an old and new town.

A large and impressive windmill sits at the entrance of the old town, which has its own charm of narrow cobbled stone streets, numerous Christian temples and wooden houses.

There are many souvenir shops and restaurants predominantly serving seafood dishes.

It is a nice place to wander around for a few hours and it is also served by a mini-train and regular buses.

Nessebar has an archaeological museum and the collections laid out provide a fascinating insight into its long history.

Set on a rocky peninsula, the site was first settled by Thracians, who founded a town known as Mesembria.

It was later taken by Greeks and then by Romans and in the ninth century Mesembria was renamed Nessebar.

There is an attractive church near the centre of the old town called Church of Christ Pantocrator and the Ethnographic Museum also recreates domestic life as it was lived in the 18th century residence.

There are displays of traditional local costumes worn for various seasonal rituals.

We also opted to go on another of Balkan’s excursions – its three-in-one shopping and wine tasting trip.

This started with a trip to a flea market before heading to Burgas on the Black Sea coast, which has been voted the best city to live in the country.

As well as its large pedestrianised shopping area, also filled with plenty of restaurants, its massive Sea Garden park is a great place to relax in the sun.

There is much to see and do and we could have happily spent more than the hour-and-a-half we were allowed to explore.

The final stop was the Pomorie town wine cellar to taste some locally produced wine, all complemented by a selection of breads, meats and cheeses, and a pleasant end to the trip.

All in all we had a very enjoyable and relaxing stay and certainly didn’t want to say goodbye to our hotel room view.

Sunny Beach has a lot to offer, whether you want a place to unwind, shop, have a go at watersports or enjoy the nightlife.

It’ll tick all those boxes.

Fact box

*Balkan Holidays has operated specialist holidays to Bulgaria for 52 years. It also operates to Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Romania.

*A seven night break at Hotel Bellevue Beach costs from £499 per person in July, including return flights from East Midlands to Burgas and transfers to and from the resort, staying in a twin room on a half board basis. There are also flights from Birmingham, Manchester and other regional airports.

*To book go to balkanholidays.co.uk or call 0207 543 5555.