Sunny Beach is the largest beach resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It annually attracts hundreds of thousands of holiday seekers from Germany, Ireland, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and a number of other countries. It was one of the most popular beach destinations in Eastern Europe during communism and has enjoyed spectacular growth since the start of economic and political transition. Sunny Beach is located about 30 miles from the Bourgas international airport with access to most major European cities. For independent travelers, getting from the airport to the resort is usually done by taxis or through one of the property management companies that routinely organize transfers. Many hotels and property owners give advice on transport or even provide transport to the airport.

Sunny Beach is located in a bay surrounded by Nessebar and St. Vlas. Nessebar is an ancient Greek town with beautiful cobblestone streets lined with preserved old houses. It has been designated a UNESCO historical destination and is visited by thousands of tourists on a daily basis. St. Vlas used to be a quiet village until a few years ago but has transformed into a resort with dozens of hotels and vacation homes. The entire bay spans about 20 km with 12 km of beaches. Regular and inexpensive public transportation take tourists to various attractions along the bay.

Sunny Beach has been one of Bulgaria’s main holiday destinations for decades but its current state offers only a distant reminder of the socialist era resort that used to feature outdated hotels and a few restaurants. Perhaps the most impressive development has been the construction of numerous apartment buildings along the beach. Whereas hotels used to dominate in terms of accommodation options, it is now the holiday apartments that are leading the way. The real estate boom during the last few years generated thousands of rental properties that have come on the holiday rental markets. These are in new buildings with modern facilities and brand new furnishing.

And they offer a great deal. First of all apartment rentals are often cheaper than comparable hotels in terms of facilities and location. Furthermore, tourists can save on meals utilizing the fully furnished kitchens. They can also rest more comfortably in a home-like environment and can accommodate more people in one rental. One of the main reasons for the affordability of the rental apartments is that property owners don’t have administrative overhead and heavy marketing campaigns. With little or no overhead they can offer good prices. Also, they are eager to generate some revenue to cover the various expenses related to owning a holiday home such as utility bills and property taxes. So what can one expect to pay? For example, based on recent prices obtained from international holiday rental websites, a one bedroom apartment that sleeps four can be rented for about 150 euro per week in the early season. Many apartments and the building are licensed as a three star hotel for comparison. Prices increase in the high season during July and August but are still significantly lower than alternative destinations in Europe. It is therefore well worth looking through a few apartments to decide whether to explore that option as opposed to going through a touroperator or booking a hotel. Chances are that travelers will find something that they like in terms of both quality and price.