Recent Visit

[brenlu]

I've just returned from a very enjoyable, also unfortunately very short (4 night visit) to my Apt. in HFGC. I'm glad to say the place is looking very well. The mini "Golf Course" looks like a Golf Course minus flags. It was mown early on the first morning I was there and looks well maintained but is being used as a Park- I didn't see any Golfers but is a nice amenity area especially for families with very young children and was being used by them mainly in the evening time. There is now a Masseure on site who gives a variety of reasonably priced massages beside the swimming pool nearest the Reception. The Reception is open 24 hours a day during July and August at least. I did not have any problems with Security personnel and magnetic cards are in use at all times. I saw no dogs anywhere on the Complex but I heard one small sounding one bark very occasionally from within a ground-floor Apt but I never saw the animal. Other than having to deal with an unidentified insect that I'd never seen the likes of before in my Apt one night- it ran like a spider and jumped like a flee (had hind legs like a tiny frog) but it was none of those things I had no other unpleasant experiences, unless you count the smell of tobacco smoke which is noticible at times in various places around Complex, just brings back memories of past times in this part of the world before smoking bans were introduced. The Restaurant now has quality sliding glass doors that enhance the look and can be closed over if required to avoid excessive breeze blowing thru'. The weather was beautiful all the time I was there. The AquaPark has a new large slide and the new very large hotel (Aqua Nevis I think is the name) looks like it has been there all the time to the side and behind the AquaPark opposite Nessebar Fort Club. There is a new Supermarket and some other new small shops on the farside of the new hotel near the small hardware shops. I'm glad to say Sunny Beach shows no sign of a Recession and lots of activites in Beach area- paragliding seems the most popular this year. The only thing that seems to have gone are the 2 Internet Cafes that used to be in sea front area.

[brenlu]

Just returned from a very enjoyable holiday in HFGC last week. The place is looking very well and gardens and green areas well maintained- beautiful roses in bloom everywhere. Swimming pools lovely, plenty of free sunbeds and Lifegurd on duty. The Reception is open 24 hours since 1st June. Another new very fast slide open in AquaPark (need 2 persons to share double ring to use it)- however very quiet despite entry fee about same price as last year- the U.S sanctions are hitting certain visitors hard and plenty of vacant apartments. The only negative experience we had was my husband fell for a ruse outside a downtown Bureau de Change in S.B. We arrived on a Saturday night and needed to change some money on the Sunday when banks were closed. He had just reached the Bureau de Change when a friendly man came out what appeared to be the back door of the Bureau offering a special deal- he had a fistful of notes and said he would give my husband 2x100 leva notes for 100euro- I just caught up with my husband at this point and couldn't recall what 100 leva note should look like (I'd be v.familiar with all the other notes) but it was too late to stop my husband. Later on that day a supermarket declined the notes saying they were Byelorussian, so my husband went to the Bank the following morning- they declined to take them, so my husband tried 2 other Bureau de Change (the same story- not sure exactly why whether counterfeit or more likely just worthless)- just a warning to anyone to be vigilant but not to deter anyone from going there on holidays, as usual great value to be had and fab weather.

[Linds]

We were also cheated at an exchange place in Sunny Beach a few years ago. We now just change money on our complex or Nessebar because they give what it says on the board outside.

[Chez2]

Just something to mention about currency....We load a Caxton card with Sterling and draw money from the ATM machines. We 'Googled' ATM machines and Vlas, as we are in Vlas and it showed a map with the location of all ATM machines in restor. I'm sure there are many more in Sunny Beach than Vlas. We have internet banking so can load the card ourselves, as and when we please. We check the balance before and after each withdrawal and the rate has always been good.