Santa Marina Studios Reviews

Flight

Flew with Balkan Holidays. We were slightly delayed but that was problems with traffic at Newcastle Airport and NOT Balkan's fault!! We have flown twice with them and although they are a no frills airline, ie no entertainment, we had no complaints. First time we had a roll, ham andd cheese for a meal, second time it was hot food. The Rep at our accommodation was pleasant and she answered all the questions we had.

Accommodation

Arrived at Santa Marina at 4am. Location is 2km outside of the resort of Sozopol. We checked in and were met by a member of staff who carried our bags to our room, a god send as quite a steep hill and then stairs into the apartment block. We were lucky to have a pool and sea view. Apartments have only just been built so were perfect, honestly 10 out of 10. Lovely and clean. Iron and ironing board, bliss no creased clothes for the week! Kitchen well equipped with fridge, microwave, coffee machine, hob, extractor and plenty of utensils. Best part was a welcome pack in the fridge of bread, butter, jam, juice, tea, coffee, milk and sugar, great at 4am when you are seriously peckish! Think that was a nice touch. Lovely big bathroom with power shower, very swish. We tend to choose cheaper accommodation on holidays as we only ever wash and sleep in it, we are never in, so this was not the usual shower which dribbles a little bit of luke warm water on you, very powerful or the bed with the matress and pillows that are an inch thick!! Clean towels every day. Beds were comfortable and bedding spotlessly clean. Lovely big wardrobe. TV with various channels on. Balcony large with patio furniture in place.

Pool area lovely. It appears small at first sight bit there are 2 extra levels build on one side, so plenty of sunbeds. Gardens well maintained and plants although new are well established. Pool bar on the other, serves reasonably priced snacks and drinks. There was a massage table under a lovely cool area set out in a gazebo with cushions.

The supermarket is not yet complet but you can pick your provisions up on your first visit into town.

There is alot of building work still going on on the complex as it expands to the planned 29 blocks of apartments, but the area right around the pool is finishes, so we were not bothered at all by noise from the builders.

Grounds are lovely. The complex is built on a hill of pine forrest. It is nice as they have built around the trees so everywhere you walk there is greenery, rather than a concrete jungle.

Beach

Beach is walking distance but there is no path along the road so be very careful. The beach right next to the accommodation is not all that good and there is a big camp site hidden in the trees. If you walk a bit further along, the sand is much better and you can hire beds, umbrellas, basic water sports, etc. Also, there are 2 beaches in the main town which are nice and clean, with plenty of beds and ummbrellas.

Transport to Sozopol

There is a shuttle bus from the hotel 4 times a day there and back / charge of 1 LEV. Be sharp for it though as only a small minibus and people do use it. If not, there are taxis outside or the hotel will call you one. Do not pay more than 5 LEV, about £1.65, very reasonable and the cars are clean and well maintained. Drivers speak reasonable Enghlish and were all polite.

There are 2 other Balkan Hotels, The Villa List and Hotel Selena in the resort. Both look nice and the sea view balconies look great but the other side of the hotel faces the road and all the shops in the new town. At least at Santa Marina, you are away from any hustle and bustle and even if no pool view, you will look onto other blocks of apartments which are really pleasant on the eye and as said, in the forrest. Actually this is the cheapest of the 3 accommodations.

Sozopol

There is an old town, with cobbled streets, an arena where the local children perform singing and dancing at night (free to watch), craft markets and alot of the restaurants look over the sea, so great for a meal when the sun comes down. We were able to get a large beer for about 40p, smashing! Food is very good quality and reasonable, around £10 to £15 for a big 3 course for 2 people plus a good bottle of wine. There is nowhere that we ate that I would not recommend. Clothes, shoes and jewellery very cheap so enjoy bargain hunting and do make sure you barter!

There is also a new town the other direction where there are shops, bars, restaurants and it is livlier as the night goes on. There were a few noisy bars, enought if you want music and a late night, but nothing major like the chasos of Sunny Beach. Went there in 2006 and it is too big, too busy and full of Brits. Saw loads of prostitutes and drug dealers there, none of that in Sozopol. If you go there for a week of scorching in the sun and drinking beer all day and night, great, but there is no culture whereas Sozopol has something for everyone. By the way, I don't think we spoke to any Brits all week, bliss, really feel like away from the UK!

Trips

We did Istanbul for the day. You can do a 2 day trip and stay overnight but we only had a weeks holiday so dicided to do the day trip only. We left the resort at 1030pm and arrived about 0500am, by coach, tiring and the people we went with were all Easter European and very ignorant indeed, no queueing or respect for fellow passengers ar all! We had breakfast and lunch in a hotel and tour of the mosques and some free time in the city. You can do a boat trip which is worth it as you see all the sights from the river. The toilet stops at the border and at a motorway cafe were not so good, hole in the ground, no loo roll and really smelly so be prepared ladies! Apart from that, worth doing as great place to see, got some great photos but not a place I would go for a holiday.

We also did the Rapatamo River trip and then a meal at the Windmill Restaurant. It was great for the people from Sunny Beach who kind of had a day out in another resort and free time, whereas we were already staying in the area so not as good value for money. Try and get the first boat in your party as by the time we passed in the second boat, the birds had flown off and the turtles had gone back in the water!!

Loved Santa Marina and Sozopol and are already researching 2008. Apparently the introduction of the Euro has been delayed so the prices should stay cheap for a bit longer. Remember guys, 40p a pint ha ha!!

Enjoy, Sozopol is a great place to see the real Bulgaria.

Andrea and Mick xxxx