Hi all,

Just back last weekend from 2 weeks in Sunny Beach and thought I'd share my experiences..

Hotel: Palazzo 2, it is situated 1/2 way between the centre and nearby town of Nessebar. We originally thought we were a bit far out but it actually turned out to be a superb location ie. quieter at night and only a 3 Lev bus ride to the centre for a family of 3 or 9 Levs on the wee 'train' that runs from across the road from the hotel to the centre. We tended to bus it in and train it back!

The hotel accommodation could not be faulted albeit the pool was closed for a few days due to a faulty pump although we had access to the one in Palazzo 1 which is the sister complex across the road.
There is building work going on all around but in fairness we never heard anything or were disrupted.

We did feel that 7 Levs per day was a bit steep for a safe key but then again everything shoots up for July / August in time for the main holidays..

There is a small supermarket on the complex which is open all night, when we first arrived the wine on the 'bottom shelf was selling for 2.20 Lev (approx 80p) but on Tuesday the 1st July it all went up to 4 Lev to con the holiday makers out of a few more sheckles.

The complex hosts a Chinese restaurant although I never seen anything that resembled a Chinese meal being served and a pizza place which again is very 'average' and pricy compared to one along the road a bit

Taking all into consideration I would still recommend the hotel as a great place to stay.

Eating Out: we did the recommendations from this site ie. Chillie Peppers which we enjoyed and was reasonably priced (ate there twice)

Djanys, ate there the second night in the resort and had a great meal ant a reasonable cost (garlic bread starter is a must ...if you have been to Turkey then you will recognise the maize bread and lots of garlic butter. We decided to go back another night but this time we had an hour and 10mins wait between the starter and the main course, we were actually on the point of asking for the bill and leaving when it was brought over. The meal was fine and we again enjoyed it but when the people on the next table left and we seen the waiter clean the dirty ashtrays then wipe the table with the same cloth it was a case on 'no more Djanys' for us plus the waiter came over to explain the bill when he seen us trying to understand it which was fine apart from the " you don't trust Bulgarians " quote.

We also walked into the nearby town of Nessebar a few nights and there are some nice restaurants there eg. Romantica is one I would highly recommend it's on the RHS of the town looking up from the main entrance and the Dionis on the LHS is one I would definitely NOT recommend (worse meal of the holiday)

Jeep Safari: we were going to book this trip thro' the rep but she wanted £40 each and for a family of 3 it is quite an expensive day out so we booked thro' a local excursion shop and got the same safari for £30 each. It is a good day out but if you have been on the Turkey ones at 1/3 of the cost there is no comparison.

Doctors: Unfortunately my wife picked up the usual 'holiday gastric bug' which we put down to a dodgy salad and had to visit a Doctor. Cutting a long story short it was a 3 day course of injections by a nurse coming to the hotel and a prescription for enough pills to fill a Chemist shop and "that'll be 900 levs please (£350 ish)" right out of the holiday budget and to cap it all she could not drink alcohol for 6 days and a diet of banana, chicken and boiled potatoes ...not exactly your holiday diet!

We felt that a lot of the people (not all) were very rude and curt with you and a lot of the waiters make a point of informing you that the 'service charge' is not included in the bill. Be very wary of Taxi drivers, if you get a taxi then ensure the fare is agreed prior to getting in, we watched a family get out of a taxi at the hotel and the woman arguing with the driver and heard her shouting ... 69Levs for a 4 mile trip ..etc. etc... we were told by the rep to pay no more than 10 lev for anywhere in Sunny Beach so beware!

Crime: heard a few cases of people being pick pocketed on the buses, one lad in particular from our complex had a money belt removed from his body but fortunately for home undercover cops were also working the bus and they caught the thief although it was 24hrs before he got his belt back.
I was also targeted whilst boarding the bus at Nessebar, it was the usual scramble to get on and I was herding my wife and son round the side of me to board when I felt this hand in my back pocket. Fortunately I managed to 'grab' the hand and turn round to confront a well dressed girl of about 17 who gestured surprise and bewilderment at me, she never managed to get my wallet and she never got on the bus either ...spotted her and a couple of pals across the road showing each other their spoils from us unsuspecting holiday makers.

Money: I would not recommend traveller cheques, there is a big commission and a lower rate to cash them. I took the advice from these forums and opened a Nationwide Flex account ...no commission, higher exchange rate and plenty of ATM's available, I also took a few hundred pounds in Sterling hence the reason for the hotel safe.

The beaches are great and we were quite quiet at our end which was a bonus but again it's 7 lev per sunbed in hindsight it would have been better to buy a small beach umbrella and mats considering the time we spent at the beach. We did see quite a few jelly fish in the water but only small transparent ones and not in great numbers and we never got stung...
All in all it was not our best holiday and I doubt whether I would go back, rightly or wrongly I felt as if a lot of the people were out to rip us off on a lot of occasions yet on other occasions some people were very polite. In my opinion I think Turkey for value and activities at an affordable price is far superior.