Getting to the Black Sea coast was an arduous journey by bus. When we booked, we knew it would be an overnight trip, but we envisioned watching the sights until nightfall then sleeping through the night. But we underestimated the geography, how much of a haul it would be to get here, and how crossing borders through Serbia would affect our trip. But that’s our fault, not Serbia’s.

It would have been faster to fly, but a lot more expensive. Summer holiday for England started July 22, and flights were crazy expensive since our disembarkation from Carnival Pride was also that day. With the Bulgarian Black Sea coast as our destination, we used Google Flights to find cities in the region that we could easily and cheaply fly into and then transit from. That’s how we chose to visit Pula and Ljubljana.

After nine fun days of exploring Pula and Slovenia we boarded an overnight bus to Sofia, where we would then transfer to a second bus to Sveti Vlas.

The bus was just about as bad and a little bit worse than we had imagined. It was sauna-hot and every seat was taken. Boarding was difficult as there were some dudes sitting in our reserved seats who refused to move. The bus driver was reluctant to help (and spoke zero English) but eventually made them find other seats. The ordeal created a tense environment with a lot of side eye going around.

Why didn’t we just take other seats? It is only a few dollars more to reserve a seat, and we can then sit together for the entire trip without getting bounced around by others who board at a later stop (with their own reserved seats).

The overall trip was scheduled for 15 hours. The first leg was a quick trip to Zagreb, Croatia, then crossing the entire length of Serbia before reaching Bulgaria. Every border crossing required two visits to passport control. First everyone left the bus and lined up to exit the country. Then we all got back on the bus, the bus drove ahead for about 45 seconds, then we all filed off and stood in line to enter the new country. We had to do this for Serbia even though the bus did not stop there! That’s a new fun passport stamp story to add to the books!

All this to say that we didn’t get much sleep since we were awoken every few hours for this exercise.

Making it worse, there was a not so sleepy child a few rows behind us, several people on speakerphone calls, and others watching movies on their tablet with no headphones. That’s my biggest travel pet peeve!

During the times that we were standing around outside we would take small sips of the water and wine we packed in our cooler. We also took bites from our homemade charcuterie board to-go. We wore masks for the entire bus ride, so the outdoor pit stops had their benefits too.

We made it to Sofia about an hour late without making any wrong turns this time. I believe the long lines and wait at each border stop slowed us down.

Our “layover” at the bus station gave us just enough time to use the bathroom and figure out where our next bus was (oddly, it was across the street from the bus station we were dropped at). We are very proud of ourselves that we were able to avoid using the toilet on the bus!

Our next bus driver was just as grumpy as the previous but at least we didn’t need to kick anyone out of our seats. We traversed the entirety of Bulgaria during daylight. The bus went from Sofia to Plovdiv before going east to Burgas. (Bulgaria is about the size of Ohio in case you’re contemplating the scale.) We saw endless acres of sunflower fields from west to east. Then we went north up the coast through a number of coastal towns.

Many people (including some Bulgarians!) have asked us…

Why Bulgaria?

This notion dates all the way back to 2012! It was late summer and I was working a short contract for Holland America at the same time I was looking for an entry level Human Resources position. It was hard to break into the field, so I went back to ships to make some money and spent a few months back in Alaska.

I was offered a contract HR Assistant role at Zillow the same day that Holland America offered me a contract sailing around the Mediterranean and Black Sea. It was an extremely difficult decision but ultimately I chose the HR role. It ended up being a lackluster position but having that on my resume opened a lot more work opportunities down the road.

But I always had the Black Sea in the back of my mind. A foreign body of water and new countries around it to explore, halfway around the world from Seattle. The Black Sea has been on my bucket list for all these years!

Not to mention that Bulgaria has a long and interesting history with influence/government by the Thracians, Romans, Byzantines, Bulgars, Slavs, and Ottomans. The country is rich in culture and still remains off the radar, which is right up my travel alley.

There are other practical reasons why we chose Bulgaria. You can get a lot of bang for your buck (or luxury for your leva)! This is an affordable place even in peak summer season. It’s easy to blow your summer budget in Italy or France as the price for hotels inflates with the heat.

The other reason is that Bulgaria is not in the Schengen Area, 26 European countries who have abolished passport control at their mutual borders. This is great to avoid the passport control issues we experienced on the bus trip (Slovenia is in the Schengen but Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria are not). But for Americans, we are limited to 90-days in a rolling 180-day period, and having spent some time earlier this year in France and Spain, we want to let some of those Schengen days roll off. Bulgaria has a similar 90-day rule, but is not yet part of the Schengen Area.

How did we choose this hotel and location?

To choose the Bulgarian cities we would stay in, we did research on the entire Bulgarian coastline. I even joined Bulgarian groups on Facebook. Airbnb reviews were also helpful in determining what the neighborhoods were like in certain areas.

We looked for a town that was connect by public transportation, with a laid-back atmosphere, and not just a giant party scene for young foreigners. That party hotspot is a resort town called Sunny Beach. We chose Sveti Vlas, just north of Sunny Beach, because there is still good transportation, but without the party pitfalls.

We wanted to be near a sandy beach that was affordable, and to avoid all-inclusive hotel options. (When we have done the math, all-inclusive options tend not to be worth the money, compared to being able to dine and drink around a city.)

Our apartment, Sveti Vlas, and the Black Sea have exceeded my expectations!

Watermill Complex, Dinevi Resort

The Dinevi Resort is a complex of dozens of vacation buildings (condo/apartments and hotels), which over 30-years of construction have transformed Sveti Vlas into a beach resort town.

We have been staying in a spacious one-bedroom unit with a kitchenette, balcony, and air conditioning. Our complex has its own pool with a typical Bulgarian restaurant, and we have had a number of our meals there. We have a nice view of the pool and of the sea. We have a few minor complaints but overall have been quite comfortable and enjoyed the amenities. The total cost per night, during peak season, is about $66 per night. The prices vary according to the time of year, and July and August have the highest rates.

The pool has been clean, refreshing, and fun. I’ve preferred floating in the pool most days rather than splashing around in the sea.

People here are friendly. The usual folks around the pool are mostly British, but there’s also Ukrainian, Bulgarian, and French families. We are the only Americans around and the talk around the pool was nailing down our accent! There was apparently a bit of debate of whether we were American or Australian.

We’ve been toting around pool hammocks since we left and haven’t been able to use them since we were in Mexico. (Carnival Pride lifeguards wouldn’t allow us to use them in the pool.) It’s been so nice to lounge in the sun in the afternoon. We haven’t seen any similar pool floats here and many people have asked us where we purchased them. So I stand by my decision to backpack the globe with pool toys… even if every time we pack up we grumble over how much “stuff” we have. (Thanks to Tracy for turning us on to floating hammocks and thanks to Mojito for always holding our drinks.)

At the pool restaurant, you can get two rounds of cocktails and a filling lunch for about $20. The food there has ranged from good to great and has always been fresh.

Stay tuned for a post all about Bulgarian food! I’ve been a cheesecake quest and we have been trying a lot of different food.

Sveti Vlas

The city overall is small, easy to navigate, and has nice beaches and affordable restaurants. It is only a five minute walk down to the beach, and our accommodation includes daily tickets for two beach loungers and an umbrella. We don’t visit the beach daily but it’s nice to have that option!

The beach food is different than what I’m used to in America. Each beach and location will vary but the typical food available is corn dogs (yum!), hamburgers, pizza, etc or there is an upscale fish restaurant. While you can see pizza on every menu in Bulgaria, including on the beach, we’ve also had tasty pasta and fresh salads.

Black Sea Coast

This stretch of coastline is situated on the north side of the Burgas Bay. The Bay is large and pretty, and there are many small half-moon coves lining the area between Sveti Vlas and the historic city of Nessebar, including some long stretches of sandy beach.

The beaches here have clear and warm water, golden sand, and a nice mix of umbrellas, beach bars, and open spaces. Each person can find what they’re looking for around this area.

Summer Weather

The weather has been fairly consistent and pleasant. The highs are usually around 86 and at night they drop to about 76. The first few days were hot and dry. Then it cooled off slightly and we had some warm weather with windy afternoons.

It has only rained once and that lasted for about an hour then the sun peeked out again.

We are so thankful to have AC and have been sitting in the apartment during the hottest part of the day when the UV is the strongest.

Activities

For the last two weeks we have prioritized relaxation. We really needed a good rest after the horrendous bus ride but also after so many cruises this summer. It can be tiring waking up in so many new cities and countries, so we have been recharging our batteries.

We’ve slept in, caught up on some TV shows, pieced together the next several months of our trip, and lounged around the pool and beach. We’ve played tennis once and also enjoyed a Thai massage in one of the tents on the beach.

I have been studying Russian on Duolingo. Bulgarian is not an option but both languages use the Cyrillic alphabet. It’s been easier to pick up than I thought and fun to learn the basics of a new language! I can now vaguely decipher menus and street signs.

We’ve taken a few side trips to nearby beaches and towns and we will post about those experiences separately.

Soon we will move about 30 minutes south to Nessebar South Beach area, where we will stay for a month. Then we will board the bus again (ugh!) to stay a week in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital. After that we are catching a plane to Florence, Italy. Please send us your top Florence tips!

To see what other cities, countries, and cruises are in store for our future, check out our destinations page. We update that regularly as our plans progress!