Hi everybody,
Just back from Sunny Beach (arrived back at East Midlands 2:30 am this morning).
Where do i start?...At the beginning i suppose.
We arrived at Sunny Beach last Tuesday (27th Sept.) for our first visit to the much talked about resort....Me, the wife and two kids aged 13 and 10.
Got to Hotel Chrisantema (Hrizantema) in the early hours and retired to bed.
Weather awful first morning (what a start!!) with dark clouds and rain but by mid-day the sun was trying for us and it improved as the day went on.
We were impressed by the hotel as it was clean and very modern and looked well worth its four-star rating. We could'nt wait to investigate breakfast!
Every meal in this all-inclusive hotel was buffet which i believe was a good thing because you could keep trying until you found something you liked.
They say first impressions count for everything and i must say i was impressed by the amount of different foods available at breakfast.
Trouble was it was all quite clearly geared to the German tourist and not the Brits. Same with dinner and evening meal....it was awful!!!!
We tried, as did all the Brits to carry on (stiff upper lip etc.) but by the middle of the week we were all suffering from stomach pains and the endless trips to the toilet (hence "the trots").
Also it said in the Thomson brochure that the pool was heated "at the managers discretion". Rubbish!! we spoke to staff there who informed us that the pool is never heated at any time during the season.
The kids managed to get in but very few adults braved the icy depths!
Then there was the bars - three in total - two outside and one in the lobby. All inclusive local drinks while 12 midnight it said in the brochure.
This was true but what it did'nt say was at 12 midnight all three bars closed down and you had to venture out into the resort to have a drink.
The bar staff were not very helpful and seemed more interested in serving our German "friends" than us.
The resort was superb and we had a great time while we were out and about and the weather did'nt let us down.
Which leads me to coming home.
By the end of the week all the Bits were complaining of the trots and we were all glad to be coming home to dear old Blighty!!!
We were through Bourgas Airport very swiftly and set off for home bang on time. It was all too much for one old dear who was taken ill on the flight losing control of her bodily functions and treating everyone on the back of the plane to her own version of the trots.
It must have been very embarrassing for the lady but the airline staff were magnificent in helping out. Luckily we were at the front of the plane and did'nt "catch the drift", so to speak.
We arrived at East Midlands 30 minutes ahead of schedule and had to sit on the plane for 20 minutes while the old dear was whisked off in an ambulance. The Captain explained to us that we had to fill a form in with all our names on it just in case it was "E-Coli" and not just a bad case of the trots which would have meant jabs for all!
What a holiday....surely nothing else could go wrong?
Guess what........Two out our four bags had been broken into at Bourgas customs resulting in presents, the wifes jewellry, kids designer trainers, England shirts and camcorder all gone.
All the fake stuff we bought over there was left untouched!
lots of other people had been robbed as well including a disabled wheelchair passenger.
Yes we are covered by insurance but that will not replace the memories captured on camcorder from a holiday which will not be forgotten for a long long while.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story.