Albena is nice BUT
Pavements are very poorly maintained and as we had a baby buggy we found it very un-even and difficult to push and there were no street lighting.
We did not find any problems as reported of beggars or prostitues roaming the streets at night.
The resort had a little train service, which offered an indifferent service some drivers not wanting payment for the baby with others DEMANDING it and being very jobsworth to the point of being offensive each time he saw us afterwards.

Karaoke Bar on the beach is very popular and has fliers offering FREE drinks (we got 5 rounds of drinks free that way)We didn't use other many restaurants being Half Board We did find Poco Loco (recommended by HT forum members) very good and we find an English Pub/bar serving home from home food (19Lev for Full Sunday Roast dinner) and TV .

The Beach Whilst very nice being end of season the weather did not endear us to it as the water was quite cold and the sea state got slowly rougher as our 2 weeks went on.

Whilst we would not visit the hotel again I might consider returning to the resort

Getting around Albena is great, transport is readily available, the little train cost 2 lev per adult and half for children. Taxi's are always avilable and there are horse and carts for the more relaxed journeys. Albena resort centre is a little boring, once you have been there no need really to keep going back. Plenty of bars and places to eat, definately try Poco Loco. The food is great and the entertainment is highly amusing, don't go if you want a quiet meal though! Generally a good resort but only if you want a relaxing holiday.

The beach here is very nice, with clear water.

Drainage is a major problem though, the stall holders are constantly mopping out when it rains and the roads flood quickly.

Nothing to do in the way of entertainment(although I expect that's because it was the end of the season) walking along the streets, men are constantly approached by "ladies of the night", even if very clearly with wives, girlfriends etc!

Albena is a nice place to visit but I would not go again.

The beach is lovely very clean its the rest of the resort that destroys the holiday.

From its tatty shops to its downright annoying taxi drivers this resort will not only infuriate English people it will actually make you lose the will to live.

Dont get the bus to Varna as you will be violently assaulted and dont believe the hotels hype that an excursion to anywhere is good value as the Germans get it much cheaper than you do and its total rubbish when you get there!!

the resort is small but the beach is fantastic and the watersports are so so cheap you will have to try them all.our group had four fellas in it aged 40+ and we all came back like 7 year olds.the beach is cleaned and the resort is ok. there was no time share/petty theives

The beach is cleaned every night and first thing in the morning. There are lots of litter bins which are emptied regularly and you will find it hard to find a piece of litter either on the beach or in the sea.
The watersports centre near to the Albena Beach hotel is very safe and all the jet skies have safety cutouts which are attached to your wrist. The best 15 mins of enjoyment with your cloths on !!
Go to Albena in the evening to really get the flavour of the place. The bars are very friendly and most have some sort of entertainment. Although the shops in Varna are a little cheaper,but once you'v paid the bus/taxi fare, you are no better off.
I would recomend this resort to anybody.

Resort
Albena is a small and quiet resort compared to it’s big brothers Sunny Beach and Golden Sands.
Lot’s of trees, gardens and open space – it reminds me of Sunny Beach 5 years ago.
The resort is split into two areas – upper and lower, The upper part where there are mainly AI hotels such as The Panorama and the lower part with the beach and most of the restaurants and bars. The two are linked by steps or the ‘noddy train’. It has a slightly more upmarket feel that GS or SB and this is reflected in the prices – generally everything is a little more expensive. Generally – Large Beer 3Lv,
Bottles of Coke/Fanta 3Lv, Large vodka 3Lv, Pizza 9Lv, mixed grill 16Lv, Tea/Coffee 2.50Lv.
Very quiet at night – just about everything closes around midnight except certain ladies wandering the street ( I never got approached once in 2 weeks).

The Beach
Apparently 7km long though we never walked the length of it. Sunbeds and parasols set on all the way along it although it was OK to put towels down in front and behind these in the area we used regularly – Tortuga Beach bar area. Two sunbeds, mattresses and a parasol were 19lv.
Generally the beach was pretty clean but I wish people would take their rubbish and fag ends with them at the end of the day. The sea was nice and warm with a bit of seaweed and the occasional jellyfish to be found. All the usual watersports available – Pedalos, Banana boat, Parascending, Jet Skis etc.

Transport
There is a bus station on the outskirts of Albena – a good 10 mins walk from the centre (although the ‘noddy trains’ run there). Golden Sands 2.5lv, Balchich 2.5Lv, Dobrich 4lv for examples of prices. The ’Noddy Train’ has 2 routes through Albena and it’s 2Lv for Adults, 1Lv for kids and 4LV for a full tour.
Taxis all over the place – charging 40LV for a return trip to Golden Sands. The drivers seem less happy to negotiate rates this year as the Police are having a crackdown and all taxis now show lights in the windscreen to show if the meter is on or off.

For Kids
Numerous rides, dodgems, bouncy castles etc dotted around the resort. Horseriding also available.
Loads of tennis courts available for hire. Three Mini Golf courses. PC’s for gaming and Internet readily available.

Shopping
A few small supermarkets around the resort – not much available if you were self catering. Loads of stalls along the main street and in the large Bazaar just off the beach selling all the usual tourist stuff.

Internet
I was impressed with the Internet setup in Albena – Beach.net. Available in numerous hotels, you buy a card from reception for a certain length of time. Eg 1 hour –7Lv, 3 hours – 18Lv. You use the userid and password in the ticket you get to log on to any of the Beach.net PC’s in the resort. Any unused time is carried forward and can be used on any other Beach.net PC. An assortment of games are also installed on the PC’s.

Restaurants/Bars
A good variety to suit most tastes and no McDonalds to be seen.
Tropical Café – Good food at reasonable prices – kids loved the Sunday Lunches at 16Lv. Entertainment every night. We were a bit miffed to be asked to pay 3Lv to watch Elvis after we had spent 150Lv on a meal !
KAI – Never Again ! Mediocre show with cold food and rip-off prices. Advertised as free entrance but surcharges on each item you buy – check the menu small print !
Luna Park – cheap and cheerful place to eat and drink with plastic tables and chairs in the Luna Park behind the Laguna Mare hotel. Two meatballs, chips, salad and a drink – 3.99Lv, Gondola 10Lv inc free bottle of wine. Friendly Staff.
Dundy’s – Nice English Breakfast at 6Lv. Always had a coffee and pancake special around 4Lv.
Pizza Albena – incredibly cheap. Situated inside the Shopping Bazaar it consists of a small counter with tables and chairs set out along the opposite wall in the middle of all the stalls. Most of the stall holders eat here and the prices tell you why. Large beer 1Lv, Local Vodka 0.80Lv, Large freshly baked Capricosa pizza 3Lv, ‘Cheese Pasty’ – 0.80Lv, bottles of coke 1.50Lv, Tea – 0.40Lv (but you had to pay 0.10Lv for the milk)
Bar Druzba – as this was our hotel bar and open all night I can’t help but mention it. Serves decent food as well – the ‘Toast’ (cheese and ham) were a favourite of the kids and a good late night snack.
Great staff. There was a Dodgy Duo on every night – it’s a shame but Samantha really couldn’t sing :o)
Night-clubs – Mystic near the beach and two further out of the centre – never actually visited them so I can’t really comment.

Cash - Three ATMs in various places around the resort. One in particular (In the Bazaar) did not take UK cards. We used the one at The Laguna Gardens hotel without any problems. Exchange rate in resort was generally 2.75.

This is an up and coming resort - I would not be surprised to see a lot of dramatic changes over the coming years because it is becoming increasingly popular.

Albena is a lovely resort, from what we saw children have lots to do, climbing equipment etc but if they are older may find that there is not enough 'electrical' equipment. The resort is quite flat so easy to get around with a buggy or if you are getting on like me, not too many uphills. Plenty of restaurants, we tried several and the meals just got better and better. The chemists were helpful - nasty eye infection brought with us which appeared on the day we flew out and speak enough English to understand what is required - thank goodness, as my Bulgarian consists of greetings, pleasantries and food. We would visit Albena again, and some Bulgarian friends consider Albena to be the better of the resorts.

The beach at Albena was lovely and very clean. Shops are very limited and so is the nightlife. Thought it was a lovely resort but would not go back again. The weather was very changeable and quite cold at night even though we were there during August.