Sun, sea, sweetcorn and swingers (Sosopol)

Member Name: fizzywizzy

Product:	Sosopol
Date:	31/10/06 (203 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice beaches, good seafood

Disadvantages: A bit grubby, few facilities

"We like very much to come here because the hotel has a roof terrace where you can be nudie"

How do you respond when the Swiss couple sharing your table want to chat?

How about when she says, blushing, "He says he wants to take me to bed"?

Bernard and Marta (not their real names) are typical Sozopol holiday makers in that they perfectly fit the old-fashioned British saucy holiday postcard image. Sozopol may be in Bulgaria but its spirit is firmly entrenched in the working class English seaside resorts. Curious then that the area should attract so many Germans, Swiss and Czechs…

Bulgaria is a hot destination right now - whether it be for property investment, cheap winter sports or summer sun bargains. We spent over three weeks in Bulgaria this summer, one week of which was a much needed break, hitting the beach at Sozopol.

Sozopol is situated a thirty minute bus ride south of Burgas on the Black Sea coast. It has two sandy beaches, an attractive old town, a not very picturesque fishing harbour and a smattering of bars, restaurants and shops. The town climbs up the hill from the beach and building work is going on all to expand the town southwards.

Arriving at the small bus station on the narrow bit of land that joins the island-like old town with the mainland, visitors are apprehended by local ladies offering rooms. My advice as always - check exactly where it is before you go and don't hand over any money till you've seen the room and discussed exactly what you're getting. If you like a bit more structure, there are lots of accommodation agencies in town dealing not only with private rooms but also holding a database of hotels with vacancies. This is how we got our studio room five minutes from the beach. Accommodation runs from private rooms to massive hotels with endless amenities; the latter are mostly situated at the southern end of the town where most of the building is going on. If you are booking for Sozopol, do your research or risk lots of noise.

THE BEACHES

It seems that most visitors to Sozopol come for the beaches. Unusually for us, we spent six days of seven on the beach and saw the same people every day. The more sheltered town beach appeals more to families and the other longer, more open beach tends to be frequented more by couples and single sex groups of young people; however, many families do use it too. This beach is backed by a high fence which separates it from the road which runs its length; along here you'll find loads of bars, cafes serving greasy food and stalls selling beach toys, towels and sun cream. Every day we would walk along here to the quieter part of the beach; "running the gauntlet" we called it - trying to get through "Burger alley" before we were sick. The stench of chip fat hangs in the air and ugly Russian men stroll along, their huge paunches resting over a strained g-string.

The beaches are clean and safe; there are enough bins although they could have usefully been emptied halfway through the day. There are a couple of cafes on the beach itself, selling cold drinks (including beer), ices and sandwiches, burgers and crisps. If you don't want to leave your lounger, you can buy ice creams, fruit or sweetcorn from the young men who walk up and down the beach all day. The water is clean and stays shallow for quite a distance and the longer beach has a sandbank a few metres out where it becomes shallow again. Again, the town beach is probably better for younger children as the waves are not usually as strong.

THE OLD TOWN

Sozopol has a lovely old town though many holiday makers do not even get to see it. To get there you walk along a narrow strip of land which has the town beach on one side and the dingy fishing harbour on the other; the land opens out again and leads you into the old town with its wooden houses and narrow lanes. A street market selling mostly tacky souvenirs is held just as you come into the old town, starting late afternoon and going on until around 10.00pm.

Sozopol's more appealing bars are to be found in the old town; some are particularly striking with cutting edge design - swish, sleek upholstery and designer prices to match. For something more traditional and more romantic, there is a stretch of restaurants built into the cliff walk that follows the whole outside of the island. Here you can find prices to suit all pockets, but wherever you eat, you look out over the bay, and see the lights twinkling in the not so refined part of town.

EATING AND DRINKING

Decent food can be had in Sozopol but you have to know where to look. For example, if you didn't know about the Old Town you might think that the height of culinary perfection in Sozopol is provided by an old lady boiling a pan of sweetcorn. Or maybe by a spotty teenager idly spooning batter on a crepe cooker. The majority of Sozopol holiday makers seem content to eat on the hoof or to cook at their accommodation - most people staying here tend to rent self-catering apartments.

Fish lovers will find themselves well-catered for in the Old Town with everything from a whole bass to a fish sandwich on offer. A Chinese restaurant may be of use to vegetarians and several restaurants offer pizza on the menu. It's easy to avoid going to one of the dubious looking burger joints on the other side of town.

There is one frustrating thing about Sozopol though; considering that so many people come to the town and stay in self-catering flats, it's not that easy to buy food. There is one small store selling fresh bread cheese, cooked meats and tinned goods and a couple of outdoor stalls selling fruit but there is not really a decent sized supermarket which we found surprising. Where, we wondered do the resident population of the town do their shopping?

As for drinking, unless you go into the old town proper, the best thing to do is extend your stay in a restaurant and drink there after your meal; this is much more preferable to drinking in most of the town's watering holes.

OUT AND ABOUT

Although, on the surface, it looks like most visitors to Sozopol spend their whole holiday on the beach, there are plenty of trips to be had; just look out for the boards outside the agency offices. Trips advertised included Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Burgas and Varna, Rila Monastery and even an overnighter to Istanbul!

We took the service bus to Burgas for the day and there was a handful of other tourists on the bus too. Burgas is a modern port with a not very appealing beach but plenty to please serious shoppers (the "Everything's a Euro" shop was a hit with me!)

Heading south we also took a bus ride to Kiten which our guidebook promised was a quiet little resort with little commercialisation; however, since then Kiten has undergone a transformation and has become the favourite haunt of Czech tourists - try to find a menu that is in English - go on I dare you! They are all in Czech! Presumably the Czechs must spend a good deal of time in Kiten's cafes and bars since it is impossible to find either of the beaches the guidebook says Kiten has. We gave up in the end headed back to Sozopol to join the families of thong-wearing, mahogany-skinned Bulgarians, Romanians and Russians on the beach.

THE PEOPLE

Who do you want to know about? Do you want to know more about the Swiss swingers - they've been to Sozopol eight times in eight years you know! He has three SIM cards from three countries in order to get the best deals on tariffs. He even e-mailed me the name of his mobile provider in Lichtenstein. He likes country music and country music singers with large breasts. Maybe you think I've made him up; sadly I haven't.

Do you want to know about Noddy Starstruck the foul-mouthed club comedian - he had his wife and son over to spend a few days with him while he works the summer season doing his dodgy act in a strip joint.

How about Mr White - the palest man ever? So why was he lying in the shallows at the hottest point of the day - doesn't he realize that the water intensifies the sun's rays! Seeing his almost translucent torso on the beach each day made ME feel sunburnt just looking at him.

People-watching in Sozopol is fun - a lot of fun!

MY VERDICT

I have encountered several people recently who have holidayed on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria and who have been disappointed with the experience. It's all very well travel companies emphasizing how cheap Bulgaria is but in the end you only get what you pay for and Sozopol really doesn't offer very much. Away from the beach there's not much to do and very little geared towards children.

Perhaps the Bulgarians, with less money to spend than tourists from western Europe, are happy to spend their evenings in their flats but I would think that British tourists would prefer to have more entertainment on offer.

Even shopping in Sozopol is geared towards the beach - sarongs, swimsuits, sunglasses, inflatable pillows, sun cream, sun-shades. It's almost like nobody is interested in anything else!

So who would enjoy a holiday in Sozopol? Well, if you like only to soak up the sun and aren't interested in any cultural pursuits then you'd probably find it OK. However, its really not that much cheaper than a bargain break on one of the Costas and facilities are more limited.

Our week in Sozopol served its purpose; sea, sun, sand and some top people watching. If you go for nothing else, Sozopol is worth a visit just to see a living saucy postcard!

Summary: A saucy Sozopol postcard