Golden Sands
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. In Turkish times, it was called Ouzounkoum – the long sands.
The resort is abundant in lush vegetation and with the numerous bushes and trees it resembles a real park. The mineral water running out of several big pipes onto the beach, as well as the marvelous wood bordering the Frangen Plateau turn Golden Sands into one of the pearls of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
The construction works commenced in the around the year of 1950, and is still going on. Most of the alleys are tarmac-covered, the shore is paralleled by small streets, nice cosy hotels with beautiful parks around them, steps leading to small bays on both sides of the resort. The constant temperature of about 27°C and the microclimate of Golden Sands throughout the season make it a wonderful place for having a rest and fun.
Entertainment
There are casinos, many bars, mini-golf playground, horse-carriages and carts, water slides, good conditions and equipment for practicing 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.
Restaurants
Anyone can find something on his taste. Bulgarian traditional food, Italian, English cuisine, oriental, Indian, Chinese, Mexican kitchen…. there are many various restaurants offering different kinds of specialties and entertainment in different styles. All restaurants attract the customers by displaying at the entrance pictures of the dishes they serve inside. Most restaurants offer live music and shows.
We are mentioning some of the most interesting places to spend an evening, with the remark that any place picked randomly while walking in the resort, can become a wonderful experience: Hemus Resturant, Happy, Sindbad – Lebanese food, 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.
Tip: the chicken in Bulgaria has a special taste and chicken dishes are superb in this place.
There are a lot of snack-bars, fast-foods, grill-and toast bars, cocktail bars, fancy café shops and various other ways to service the tourists.
Exchange offices and bankomats numerous and easy to find.
The transport between Golden Sands and the big city of Varna is well organized. Apart from the bus lines connecting the resort to the city and to the airport as well, there are a lot of minibuses and private taxis. Because of the big competition the prices of the tickets are moderate.
Some interesting places to visit near Golden Sands are Alaja rock monastery. 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.
Because Golden Sands is an internationally famous beach resort it gets very busy from May till late September.
