We wanted to go on vacation together with our friends; my girlfriend is a native Bulgarian. They like to spend their holidays in their home country, so we simply joined them and spent our family vacation in Bulgaria on the Black Sea. Our trip took place in August 2018, and we booked a family room with 2 rooms, side sea view, and all-inclusive. Here are our experiences:
The Hotel Sol Luna Bay in Bulgaria – Obzor
Large, very child-friendly hotel in a direct beach location with many possibilities. Very good and large selection at the buffets in the main restaurant and great activities for children to pass the time (lots of program in the mini-club, aquapark, animation for older children and adults). German and English are spoken in the hotel. There is a wellness area where massages are offered, a fitness room, as well as several shops (supermarket, jeweler, etc.) directly in the hotel. It is only a few minutes to Obzor by shuttle bus (prices and times were on an info sheet in our room, otherwise just ask at the reception), it is only about 2.5 km away. In the evenings, there are several bars and always a show.
The hotel is located directly on the beautiful sandy beach. It is quite quiet here; the other hotels are further away and there are no loud bars or restaurants near the hotel.
Unfortunately, we had bad luck with the transfer; our bus was already very, very old and took almost over 2 hours to bring us to the hotel, which was admittedly really tedious. Upon arrival, you receive a wristband so that you are identified as an AI vacationer.
Next to the hotel is also an aquapark, which can be used by us hotel guests; there are fun slides here that are not only fun for children.
Room
We had 2 rooms with a connecting door, so our children also had a very nice room (with real beds!!) with a balcony and bathroom. Each room had a balcony and was spacious. The beds were comfortable. Only the shower in our room flooded the bathroom because there was no shower tray. Our children had it 'classier', they had a nice bathtub. The rooms are easy to open and lock with a card. The location is very quiet, and I did not find the rooms to be noisy. The balcony was nice and large and the side sea view was really beautiful.
Beach
The beach is extensive and really beautiful. The hotel is located directly by the sea, so you can get from the hotel directly to the beach loungers. On the left side, the bay practically ends, and there is no hotel here anymore. To the right, there is a large distance to the next hotel and you can take really nice beach walks.
The sea is shallow, so our children could also get into the sea great. The sea was pleasantly warm and there were waves again and again, which provided fun. The loungers are included at the hotel.
Unfortunately, it is the case here that really all loungers are reserved very, very early. If you come later, you often have no lounger left. Either there are too few, or people reserve at the pool and at the sea. We mostly lay by the sea, it was really totally beautiful there, if we managed to get loungers.
Sports and Entertainment
For the size of the hotel, another pool would not be bad. Perhaps one for older children or smaller adults that is slightly sloping. There is namely a deep one and a children's pool. Also more loungers regardless of whether at the beach or at the pool. Everything is occupied quite quickly.
The hotel's animation is really quite great. There were sports offers, but not intrusive. Also for the children, there was a mini-club where they could really do great things (treasure hunt, baking pizza, making sand pictures, face painting) – our daughter was thrilled. For boys, small goals were set up in the sand for playing soccer, there is an air hockey table, a net for racket games, a play tower for smaller children, and of course the water slides, which are really fun.
Here it would be great if they also planned a bit more boys' games in the mini-club for boys aged 8-10 (our son always pointed to the teenager activities (bow and arrow, soccer, etc.))
On the beach, there were water sports opportunities: jet skiing, being pulled with all sorts of fun things. Our children liked it very much, but unfortunately, it is not that cheap.
In the evenings, there were really quite nice shows, whether external (magicians, Bulgarian dancers, etc.) or from the animation team, which were really great and made with attention to detail (Frozen, Mamma Mia). You also sat so nicely outdoors, of course with a bar in the back area. For me, the highlight was the beach party with fireworks!! That was very, very great!
Food service
There was a really large selection of food in the main restaurant in buffet form in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. The food was very tasty. There was even a chocolate fountain (a highlight for the children and honestly also for me!). Unfortunately, the noise level in the restaurant is quite loud, and of course, there are many vacationers in the high season, but there were always tables and you usually only had to queue for something for a short time.
Definitely try the Bulgarian restaurant, it is very cozy, there is a smaller selection in buffet form there and it is quieter because there are fewer tables; I liked it very much. Also during the day, there is something to eat at any time – very well done, especially if you have children.
In the afternoon, for example, our children got small cakes and a cocoa in the café.
In the evenings, there were several possibilities to let the evening fade away, a jazz bar, a bar directly in the hotel, a bar down at the beach – I think that's great because people spread out more.
Excursions
Anyone who wants to take a small trip to Obzor can take the shuttle bus in front of the door (costs only a few Lev) and is on-site quite quickly. Here you can shop and there are also bars and restaurants. The bus schedule was even in the room. I was able to buy many souvenirs and gifts here – it's worth it.
We didn't take any further excursions; the children were super happy in the complex and in the water park.
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 9) for 1 week. (As of 2018)
Conclusion
I liked very much that the hotel is really located directly on the beach. With children, it is ideal because everything is within reach and the children could move freely; nothing was nested here and you always found each other quickly. The slide park is right next door and there are hardly any cars on the road here.
The hotel is very child-friendly, the children have a lot to do, the mini-club was unfortunately rather girl-heavy; here it would be great if a little more was offered for boys up to 13 years.
The beach is dreamily beautiful and extensive. The loungers are comfortable, only unfortunately you have to be early to get some. The food was really good, especially in the Bulgarian restaurant. Unfortunately, it is really quite loud in the main restaurant. In return, there is plenty of space and we never didn't get a table. The entire staff is very friendly and accommodating. Our room was great, I thought it was great with the 2 rooms and that our children didn't have to sleep on the couch.
A big minus is unfortunately the jellyfish in the water. Unfortunately, my daughter caught one and then she didn't want to go into the sea anymore. Also, the pool is very overloaded, because there is actually only one large pool for everyone. In between, animation takes place here. That then all becomes a little tight.
With a few compromises, you can spend a nice vacation with children here.
Photos by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
Read also: Experience report: family vacation in Kos
