Hi Angela,

As the first season since Bulgaria joined the EU in January 2007 has only just started, we'll have to wait until the first visitors return & report before we will know what effect EU membership has had on prices in the resorts.

It will still be very cheap, compared to most package holiday destinations.
Keep an eye on this board for reports.

Baldur

we went to golden sands last year and went bed and breakfast. the food in hte hotel was disgusting and ate out for breakfast. there are loads of resturaunts in the town and they all want you to eat at theirs, so you can often barter with them to see if you can get any good deals. we ate out every night as a family of 4 for about 20 quid for all of us including a couple of beers and pop for the kids. a pint of beer(local) cost about 80p. we are going again in august for another hopefully as cheap holiday. the tour operators say the rate of the lev hasnt changed and they would need plenty of notice if it was about to. have a great time.

the tour operators say the rate of the lev hasnt changed and they would need plenty of notice if it was about to.

The tour operators are talking rubbish, if they told you that - the exchange rate changes daily in line with international currency markets.

Yesterday's rate in one Bugarian bank was £1=2.85 Leva, today's rate in the same bank is £1=2.844 Leva. When I was there in March it was closer to £1=2.89 Leva.

Baldur

yes i see what you are saying, but what i meant was that it has not reach the same rate as the euro which i had read in a bulgairan newspaper web site earlier this year. so it should still be cheap enough out there at hte moment. tour ops said they hadnt recieved news that lev was to match the euro.

For the Lev to reach the rate of the Euro, as I previously explained to you, its value would double, the cost of labour in Bulgaria would double, the cost of living would double and so on - any country's economy would collapse virtually overnight in those circumstances, so the newspaper website was, shall we say, overly optimistic.

The highest average monthly salary in Bulgaria (in the capital, Sofia) for the first quarter of this year amounted to 502 Leva (around €256.67 or £176.14), just to put things in context.

Baldur

I was checking my spelling when I saw I'd been 'Baldured' again.

He's quite correct, and what will cause price rises in the resorts are the inevitable inceases in countrywide food and drink prices, taxation, wages and inflation which accompany EU entry.

As we are now, until we get definite information from returning members we have no idea what is happening, and quoting last years prices is a waste of time.

Peter

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fiona ht mod

Hi Angela,
Baldur is spot on with his advice and comments. I saw a rate of lev in the local travel agent on Saturday for 2.58 to the £, whereas you will get ( usually ) 2.85 or more whilst out there.

Even if some of the prices do go up, rest assured it will be a lot cheaper than home or spain.

We might even bump into each other at the Obzor as we are going on the 1st Sept for 2 weeks.

Toonman

Hi there,
Thank you all for your replies,i didnt mean to cause trouble over it,but i am grateful for any help.
TOONMAN
Have you been to this hotel before,we have been to bulgaria before but had a bad experience at the elenite holiday village.
How many of you are going on holiday,there will be me,my husband,my little girl,mother and father in law and mother in laws sister and husband.
Feels strange knowing that someone else has booked the hotel at the same time.
Have you any idea what the weather should be like as last time we went it was late sep/early oct and poured with rain the last 2 weeks.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Angela.

Angela,

Dont worry re Obzor/Izgrev its got a good reputation in the resort. Situated at the quiet end of the resort and an example of breakfast will be cereals, juices cold meats,cheese and salad. A hot buffet with eggs,tomatoes, sausage etc. What you are unlikely to find is English style bacon and baked beans. There will be bread, jam and honey, possibly pancakes done to order. You will definitely find a big bowl of thick white stuff, this is Bulgarian yoghurt and is super esp with honey(why do they always put the honey at the opposite end of the buffet)

You will always find something to your taste.

Patka