First time - Bulgaria Discussion Forum, Holiday Forums

First time

x-Sarah-x

2011-05-02 20:06:08

Hi,

I will be going to Sunny Beach for the first time. Me and my friend (both 19) are going on 8th July. We are staying at Meridian Hotel, Half Board, in one of the Superior rooms. Just wondered if anyone can give us any info the hotel? Do they have hairdryers?

We are wondering how much money do you think we will need? Planning on going out at night for a drinks, not much during the day except catching the sun!

Also How much is say a vodka and lemonade?

Can anyone recommend any places for us? Or anything to try out?

Ive been to turkey alot, after living there too i fancy a change, but ive been told its on the same line! Which is good because i loved it here

Any info would be great

Thanks Sarah

toonman2

2011-05-04 21:07:54

Re: First time

Food and drink in Bulgaria is still cheap in comparison to other EU destinations. The beach bars are more expensive but you will see lots of cheap lager and cocktails on offer.
I would advise you still to Bulgarian spirits for your drinks ( No problems ) as they are half the price of stuff like Smirnoff. A large V&L should cost about 3 lev ( £1.40 ) and may even be 2 4 1 in a number of places.
Up by the Meridian you have the Corner Bar, Picadilly which do good food and on the main road going towards the centre you have Far A ( lighthouse ) Granny's Kitchen and Condor.
As for spends take clean unmarked £20 notes and exchange them in the banks or CROWN exchanges. Use no others as they are rip off merchants. Better exchange rate in resort than you will get at home. Traveller cheques are expensive to exchange whereas £20 notes are commission free.
I reckon you would easily get by on £300 max

:sun2

Toonman

x-Sarah-x

2011-05-05 06:28:54

Re: First time

Thanks for the info, So do they only take £20 notes, not £10s?

Im not too bothered about smirnoff or local stuff! I usually drink whichever is cheapest!

The info on restaurants is useful.

Thanks For the help

Any other tips? :sun2

mondeo

2011-05-05 06:33:20

Re: First time

Hi x-sarah-x.

as toonman says only take clean unmarked notes they do accept £10 as well as £20 notes also as he says only use either banks Crown or $tring exchange desks this avoids being short changed when changing money :wave:

x-Sarah-x

2011-05-05 06:46:19

Re: First time

So can crown, string and banks be found easy enough round where I am? I'm not always great at finding things! Ha! That's good that they take 10s too, ill have to find nice clean note then! What are there atm machines? Ok to use? :sun2

Baldur

2011-05-05 06:50:10

Re: First time

Remember that the standard measure for spirits in Bulgaria is 50cl (equivalent to a 'double' in your average UK pub), so a Bulgarian 'double' is 100cl.

I only use ATMs in Bulgaria, as my debit card is fee-free for ATM withdrawals - try to use the ones inside banks or other widely-used buildings, for safety as they are unlikely to have been subject to skimming attacks.

x-Sarah-x

2011-05-05 06:54:54

Re: First time

Oh thats something to remember! Me thinking I'm hardly getting any when its quadruple what I'm getting here! That is cheap then! I pay 3 pound here for a single!

Baldur

2011-05-05 07:13:32

Re: First time

x-Sarah-x wrote:
That is cheap then! I pay 3 pound here for a single!

You'd probably get a bottle of decent local vodka in a Bulgarian supermarket for not much more than £3 - maybe around 10/12 Leva (£4.50-£5.45at current exchange rates) last time I bought one for one of my Bulgarian neighbours.

x-Sarah-x

2011-05-05 07:53:43

Re: First time

Ooh, how much can I bring back? Also what's the cigarette allowance? And what are cigerettes like over there?

mondeo

2011-05-05 08:26:43

Re: First time

Hi X-saraha-x

Hi sarah be carefull of the measures they sneak up on you unexpectedly as to your question about bank atm's the small bank just up from the Kuban hotel on the opposite side of the road is safe to use just be vigilant also the one at the bank beside the police station, just up from the Kuban you come to the main road through sunny beach if you turn right $tring exchange is just behind the bus stop where the taxi's are sitting for cigarettes preferred place to by is the mercury supermarket in th street of the artists which is just across from the kuban the people who own the shop are Anna & Evo you will have no problems there the limit to come back is 3200 cigs she also sells Golden Virginia bulgarian cigarettes cost 49 lev for 200

Tonyt

2011-05-05 08:57:09

Re: First time

Hi, ref Vodka, when I was with Baldur last September in the Kauffland hypermaket in Dobrich, I bought a 700ml bottle of Sliven Vodka 40 per cent for the equivalent of £3.40, for same size Sliven Mastika equated to £2.90 Tonyt

Baldur

2011-05-05 09:48:57

Re: First time

x-Sarah-x wrote:
Ooh, how much can I bring back? Also what's the cigarette allowance? And what are cigerettes like over there?

Contrary to the widely-held belief that there is a limit on the amount of cigarettes & alcohol that you can bring back to the UK from another EU country, there is no limit BUT there are practical limitations plus HMRC conditions, as shown HERE:

Arrivals from EU countries

When arriving into the UK from an EU country you can bring in an unlimited amount of most goods.

For excise goods such as alcohol and tobacco, there are no restrictions. However you must meet the conditions below:

You transport the goods yourself.
The goods are for your own use or as a gift. If the person you give the goods to pays you in any way (including reimbursing you for any expenses or payment in kind), then it's not a gift and the goods may be seized.
The goods are duty and tax paid in the EU country where they were acquired.

If you don't meet these conditions, the goods (and any vehicle that transported them) may be seized.

You can read more about Excise Duty in the guide 'Customs Duty, Excise Duty and Import VAT: introduction'. You'll find a link to this at the end of the page.

and HERE

Customs checks when coming from the EU

If a customs official from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) thinks you may be bringing in excise goods such as alcohol and tobacco from the EU for commercial use - perhaps to sell to other people or simply for reimbursement - they may ask you questions and make checks. You may be asked about:

the type and quantity of goods you've bought
why you bought them
how you paid for them
how often you travel
how much you normally smoke or drink

Although there are no limits on the amount of alcohol and tobacco you can bring in from EU countries, customs officials are more likely to ask you questions if you have more than:

3,200 cigarettes
200 cigars
400 cigarillos
3kg of tobacco
110 litres of beer
90 litres of wine
10 litres of spirits
20 litres of fortified wine (for example port or sherry)

If the UKBA is satisfied that the goods are for a commercial purpose it may seize them and any vehicle used to transport them, and may not return them to you. You can find out more in the guide 'What to do if your goods are seized by customs' under 'More useful links'.[/size]

x-Sarah-x

2011-05-05 12:29:22

Re: First time

Thanks for all the tips!

I need to remember where the banks are just in case!

Has anyone stayed at the Meridian? Also how busy will it be around july? and will the weather be as expected?

Thanks :sun2

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