A family vacation by the sea, with slides, many pools, not too expensive, and all-inclusive was the requirement this year. My friend is a native of Bulgaria, and since she naturally visits her family, they always continue on to vacation by the sea. We really wanted to vacation with them again, so for the third time, we decided on a beach holiday in Bulgaria. For this, we chose the Hotel Sunset Resort in Obzor – Pomorie. We flew for a week during the summer holidays in August. Here are our experiences:
The Hotel Sunset Resort in Bulgaria – Obzor – Pomorie
The 4.5-star hotel is located only about 10 minutes from the airport and about 5 minutes from the old town. Right next to the hotel is a water park. It is a large hotel with many possibilities and is great for children. It is actually 5 hotels side by side, each with a pool, a bar, and a lounge.
The complex is really spacious but still well-laid out, so our children found their way around quite quickly. Unfortunately, the hotel is showing its age; you notice that some repairs are necessary: broken tiles, plaster coming off in places, umbrellas were sometimes wobbly, and the doors to the toilet next to the small restaurant could not be locked. But everything was clean. The chips on the wristbands are practical, so all 4 people can go to the room independently without cards. At the beach, you have to pay for the loungers, which I find a bit of a shame, as you don't get them any cheaper as an AI guest; furthermore, they don't have cushions like at the pool, making them (more) uncomfortable. There were always loungers available at the pool, which I thought was great; we always found loungers even after 10 a.m.
Room
We decided on a family room with 2 rooms and a side sea view. We liked that very much: finally our own beds for the children and not a couch. It was like an apartment, with 2 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom (2 showers and a bathtub) and a toilet (in the bathroom). Always clean, with air conditioning and a balcony. The air conditioning was in the living room, which I thought was totally great because you weren't being blown on directly. We just left the rooms slightly open, and it was really pleasant, not too cold and not too warm. We didn't leave the windows open; unfortunately, there are quite a lot of mosquitoes.
The only thing that is tedious: the rooms are not soundproof; in the morning and also in the evening, furniture was constantly being moved around, it was unfortunately really loud, and we were usually woken up early because of it. We were accommodated in Building E, which was great, a bit quieter with its own pool and its own bar; even in the evening, you could sit there a little, unfortunately also here a bit too few seating options for the evening.
Beach
The beach is a beautiful sandy beach, right in front of the hotel. Here, as mentioned, the loungers are not included, the bar is also there, and you have to pay extra. The loungers and umbrella cost 10 LEV each, and you didn't even get a cushion. (That would be 60 LEV = 30 EUR for us 4 for one day). Since the loungers at the pool were very good and always free, we always lay by the pool. The beach was full of seaweed every now and then, but I personally don't find that bad. Unfortunately, there are jellyfish in the sea, which I find rather bad. My husband unfortunately got stung by one; it burns quite a bit, but then goes away again. The sea is pleasantly warm; you could spend hours in it. There were hardly any waves, or just enough for the children to play with them great.
Sports and Entertainment
There are several pools in the hotel complex, which are really great. At one pool, there are 3 slides. There are always shallow areas for toddlers, many entry areas, and always a pool bar nearby, as well as toilets.
The animation team is eager, but for example, I don't understand why the great animation with darts, archery, water polo, and table tennis for children only takes place from age 13. Before that, the children have to go to the Kids Club, which might no longer be suitable for the older children. I always had to laugh because the entertainer always asked me and my husband, but our children would have actually liked to try something out.
In the hotel, there is a fitness room, which my husband visited often. He said it was okay.
The water park right by the hotel, which is included for AI vacationers, is really, really great. Definitely try it out; it's really good. Just be careful: children from 130 cm are allowed to slide.
In the complex, there is a bowling alley: 6 lanes, where children's balls are also available. Also billiard tables and table football, but this is not included in the AI and must be paid for extra. But it's not that expensive and really fun. We really enjoyed the bowling.
Water sports on the beach are available: jet skiing, various things pulled by jet skis, but unfortunately, they are quite expensive.
I tried the massage and can highly recommend it; that was pleasant.
Regarding evening entertainment, there is room for improvement: I don't find it so exciting when the animation team (yes, they were eager!) jumps around on stage and is supposed to put on a show for adults. Having professionals do music or something similar would be more appropriate. In the evenings, you also didn't really know where you were allowed to sit; on the terrace, the cushions were cleared away quite quickly after meal times, and you were ushered out. It would be nice here if you could just stay seated. They can close everything, but on the balcony or on the terrace, it would be nice if you could still sit. There were some shows that then take place on the stage in front of the main building.
Food service
Here you can really eat and drink around the clock. We arrived quite late in the evening and were able to start right away with a very good dinner in the form of a buffet. We had AI and were always only at the buffets. The food is very good; there were always different warm dishes, salads, and many desserts. Especially for children, always classic things like spaghetti, nuggets, etc. We were mostly in the main building and at noon at the smaller restaurant in the middle of the complex (try the wraps here!).
In the morning, there is a great breakfast buffet; if you miss that, there is a late riser breakfast afterwards. I thought that was great.
There are 4 a la carte restaurants – Fish restaurant Mediterraneo, French restaurant La Boheme, Asian restaurant Asia, and Italian restaurant Venezia, but we didn't try any of them because the children preferred the buffets.
The Vienna bakery is really great with really good cakes and cookies. There was always space; we really only had to wait once for a short time. Bars were also everywhere, at the pools and even in our Building E. The thing here is that the drinks that are included don't taste sooooo good. We were therefore mostly at the bar in the main building, on the 1st floor; you have to pay for the drinks there, but they tasted really good. Here you can also get a really good coffee frappé during the day.
Excursions
The location is top: the airport is only 10 minutes away and about 5 minutes by taxi to a small town Pomorie Kam starija grad – old town, where you can stroll and shop a little (you can buy great souvenirs here). In front of the door, there is a taxi stand right away; you say you want Pomorie Kam starija and pay about 20-25 LEV. In the old town, there are some shops; you can buy really nice souvenirs here. In the hotel, there are also a few shops. When you come out of the hotel, right to the right, along the street, is an ATM where you can withdraw LEV.
The hotel is directly on the beach, but you can't take long beach walks because the harbor starts right there. You could also stroll into the old town; it's about a half-hour walk, but we didn't do that.
As already mentioned, the water park is right next to the hotel, for which you have to cross a street and don't have to pay anything extra there as an AI guest. You can spend the whole day here. There is also a bar for AI guests of the hotel.
We didn't take any further excursions; the children were super happy in the complex and in the water park.
Offer for children
There is a Kids Club in the complex where children up to 13 years old can go. Here, crafts are made, T-shirts are painted, and much more. It's quite nice, but our children at 13 years old weren't that interested.
Price for the family vacation in Bulgaria
We paid € 3,093 for the hotel with flight for 4 people (2 adults and 2 children aged 13) for 1 week.(As of 2022)
Conclusion
We really enjoyed the vacation in the hotel; it was very relaxing and great for our purposes. A clear highlight is the water park; even my husband and I slid a lot; you definitely have to try it.
We also liked the rooms very much; that was really great with the 2 rooms.
It's a pity that the loungers on the beach are quite expensive, so that as a family of 4 you would pay quite a lot in total. I also didn't find the jellyfish in the sea so exciting; that's really a pity. Also, the hotel is showing its age; the plaster is crumbling, the tiles in the pools have partly disappeared or are loose.
The food was very good; I always found something; at the cocktail bar (the one that costs money) there was always enough space, the drinks were really good. It was also great that you always got loungers by the pool. Everything was very clean, the staff very friendly, always very accommodating at the reception. With a few drawbacks, you can have a nice rest here.
Photos by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
Read also: Review: Hotel Sol Luna Bay & Mare Resort in Bulgaria – Obzor
