Golden Sands - Black Sea Coast - Resorts Guide

Overview: Golden Sands ( Zlatni Piasaci) is one of the biggest holiday resort complexes along the northern coastline, famous for its healing hot-water mineral springs as well as its beautiful two-mile (4km) stretch of fine sandy beach, making it a popular holiday destination. The resort is 11 miles (18km) north of Varna, and sits at the foot of the forested hills of the Zlatni Piasaci National Park, which is one of the oldest in the country and features a variety of interesting flora and fauna. Golden Sands offers the whole family ideal holiday conditions with plenty of entertainment, sporting activities, warm and clean water, year round luxury hotels and villas, restaurants, bars and spa treatments, making it one of the more desirable vacation destinations on the Black Sea Coast.

Shopping: Visitors can enjoy browsing in the numerous shopping arcades and outdoor bazaars while on holiday in Golden Sands.

Restaurants: Golden Sands has a range of restaurants, cafés, snack bars and local tavernas that serve a wide variety of first-class international cuisine, as well as traditional Bulgarian dishes, at reasonable prices and suit all diners' wallets. Bulgarian wine and brandies appear on most menus.

Nightlife: Golden Sands features a wide range of beach bars, discos and nightclubs where holiday visitors can keep the action going until the early hours. A casino will satisfy the gambling spirit and there is always a variety of shows and entertainment to be had.

Activities: The holiday resort of Golden Sands offers a huge array of activities for visitors of all ages, both in and out of the water. Available are indoor and outdoor swimming pools, some mineral, including waterslides; tennis and volleyball, bowling, mini-golf, fitness centres, horseriding and cycling. A wide range of watersports includes yachting, jet skis, waterskiing and a scuba diving centre. For the more adrenaline seeking, hang-gliding and parasailing is offered. A balneology centre provides treatments and medical programmes for those avid for a bit of pampering or seeking healing.

Negatives: Golden Sands is a large tourist complex and one of the biggest on the northern Black Sea Coast. For this reason it is a little characterless and visitors will miss out on what real Bulgarian life along the Black Sea is really all about.