Location: The resort of Golden Sands is the largest one on the Northern Black Sea coast (more than 1800 hectares). It is situated 19 km north-east of Varna, 490 km east of Sofia. North of the resort is the village of Kranevo and south is Chaika holiday village. Golden Sands merges with the St. St. Konstantin and Elena Resort and Riviera resort. The area is famous for the purest sand on the Black Sea coast and also abounds of trees and bushes. Mineral water springs, as well as the marvelous wood bordering the Frangen Plateau turn Golden Sands into one of the pearls of the Bulgarian coast. There is a casino, many bars, mini- golf playground, horse-carriages and attractive carts, water slides, good conditions and equipment for practising all kinds of water sports. A number of famous events take place here: the Strongest Man Competition, Miss and Mister "Golden Sands" Competition, competitions for all breeds of dogs, Satellite Tennis Tournament, Old-fashioned Auto Rally, International Festival for Standard and Sport Dances, etc. Golden Sands Resort offers 61 hotels and 10 luxury villas. The 4-star hotel category includes Yavor Hotel, Morsko Oko Hotel and Zlatna Kotva Hotel. The following hotels are of premium quality - Mars Hotel, Zora Hotel, Riviera Complex, Ambassador Hotel. Some of the hotels have swimming pools and fitness halls; most of them have currency exchange offices.
History: In Turkish times the area was called Quzounkoum, meaning literally "long sands". It was not inhabited up to the 50ies of last century. The resort's construction started in 1957 and in about two decades, the area was transformed into a modern holiday complex with more than 100 hotels, numerous restaurants, bungalows, camping sites, etc. Places of Interest: The impressive Aladzha rock monastery is one of the best preserved rock monasteries, scattered all over the Dobrudzha region. It is situated only a few kilometers above the resort and is also a part of the Zlatni Pyasatsi natural park. It hosted Hesychasts in 12th century and has an interesting history. Nowadays only a small part of the frescoes are preserved but the experience of being in a monastery nestled on a high steep rock is unforgettable. The monastery is declared a cultural sight and houses a small museum. Relatively close to Golden Sands (about 30 km.) is also the town of Balchik with its beautiful palace and botanic garden.
Catering: As usual, each hotel has a snack-bar or a restaurant. There are many various restaurants offering different kinds of specialties and entertainment in different styles. As a rule the best artists of the northern Black Sea coast dance and play here in Golden Sands. The following establishments are interesting for their architecture, entertainment programme and cuisine: Vodenitsata (The Water Mill), Tsiganski Tabor (Gypsy Tabor), Kosharite (Sheepfolds), Zlatna Ribka (Golden Fish), Kriva Lipa (Crooked Lime-tree) and Dionisus. The Indian restaurant has a chef from India and is of special interest to the visitors. There are a lot of snack-bars, fast-foods, grill- and toast-bars and various other ways to service the tourists.
Climate: The climate is similar to that in the famous Mediterranean resorts, the average daytime temperature during summer months is 27°C. The climate conditions are suitable for sunbathing from May. The beach strip is 4 km long, covered with fine golden sand that has named this azure coast. The sandy sea bottom is flat and gently slopes into the sea. The absense of sharp rocks and animals dangerous to human health is ideal for scuba diving and fishing.
Transport: Transport between Golden Sands and Varna is remarkably well organised. Apart from regular bus lines connecting the resort to the city and also to its airport, there are a lot of minibuses, private route taxis and ordinary taxis. Because of intense competition, fares are moderate. |