The Black Sea Resort of Golden Sands
The resort of Golden Sands (Zlatni Pyasutsi) is the largest one on the northern Black Sea coast. It is situated 18 km north-east of Varna, 488 km east of Sofia. The resort is over 1,800 hectares and is smothered in lush vegetation and with its numerous bushes and trees, it resembles a real park. The mineral water running out of several big pipes onto the beach, as well as the marvellous deciduous wood bordering the Frangen Plateau turn Zlatni Pyasutsi into one of the pearls of the Bulgarian coast. The construction works commenced back around 1950, and is still going on. Most of the alleys are asphalt-covered, the shore is paralleled by small streets, nice cosy hotels with picturesque parks around them, steps leading to small bays on both sides of the resort – favourite careas for tourists and holiday-makers in search of solitude.
The constant temperature of about 27°C and the microclimate of Zlatni Pyasutsi throughout the season make it a wonderful place for having a rest and fun. There is a casino, many bars, mini-golf playground, horse-carriages and attractive carts, water slides, good conditions and equipment for practising all kinds of water sports with the assistance of licensed coaches.
One can attend and participate in the following events: the Strongest Man Competition, Miss and Mister “Zlatni Pyasutsi” Competition, competitions for all breeds of dogs, Satellite Tennis Tournament, Old-fashioned Auto Rally, International Festival for Standard and Sports Dances, etc.
Accommodation
The Zlatni Pyasutsi Resort offers its guests 61 hotels and 10 luxury villas. The 4-star hotel category includes the Yavor Hotel, Morsko Oko Hotel and Zlatna Kotva Hotel. The following hotels are of premium quality – Mars Hotel, Zora Hotel, Riviera Complex, Ambassador Hotel. Some of the hotels have swimming pools and fitness halls; most of them have exchange bureaus where the tourist companies leave up-to-date information as well.
Eating Out
As is usual, each hotel has a snack-bar or a restaurant. There is a profusion of restaurants offering various kinds of specialties and entertainment in different styles. As a rule the best artists of the northern Black Sea coast dance and play here in Zlatni Pyasutsi. The following establishments are interesting for their architecture, entertainment programme and cuisine: Vodenitsata (The Water Mill), Tsiganski Tabor (Gypsy Tabor), Kosharite (Sheepfolds), Zlatna Ribka (Golden Fish), Kriva Lipa (Crooked Lime-tree) and Dionisus. The Indian restaurant has a chef from India and is of special interest to the visitors. There are a lot of snack-bars, fast food, grill- and toast-bars and various other ways to service the tourists.
Transport
The transport between Zlatni Pyasutsi and Varna is particularly well organised. Apart from the bus lines connecting the resort to the city and to the airport as well, there are a lot of minibuses, private route taxis and ordinary taxis. Because of the competition the prices of the tickets are moderate.
Surrounding areas
In the immediate proximity of the resort is the interesting Aladzha rock monastery. It hosted Hesy-chasts in 12th century and has an interesting history. Nowadays, only a small part of the frescoes are preserved but the experience of being in a monastery nestled on a high steep rock is unforgettable. The monastery is a cultural site and houses a small museum.
