Unbelievably, Bradley and I have been dating for almost three years, lived together for two and a half, and hadn’t been on holiday together until last week (unless you count a mid-January overnight stay in Weymouth, which was hardly glamorous).
We wanted to go somewhere relaxing, but a bit different; somewhere where we had nothing to do but chill out together and enjoy a peaceful week undisturbed by work, family or anything else that can cause you stress. So we chose Bulgaria (because it’s cheaper than other European resorts), and booked into a relatively new 5* hotel, the Astor Garden Hotel, near Varna, on the Black Sea coast. I don’t know anyone who has ever been to Bulgaria apart from a couple of people who are from there – and a friend of my dad’s who was sadly killed in a freak rockfall incident over there a few years ago – so we really didn’t know what to expect. But we went with open minds and a curiosity to learn more about this relatively unvisited country (at least by British holidaymakers!).
The hotel was lovely. Only a year old, it was all white marble and Roman columns with gorgeous views of the sea from the bar’s balcony. There was a questionable statue with a gold painted penis, and an eat as much as you want buffet. The drinks were included and VERY strong (think half a cup of vodka in a single measure!) and most importantly, it was very quiet. Our room came with free champagne.
Our first day was spent sunbathing by the pool, getting a little bit tipsy in the heat and drifting in and out of sleep. It was warm, but not too hot, and there was hardly anyone around. On our second day, we booked an excursion around the local area to get to see some more of Bulgaria.
We were taken on a coach tour up the coast a ways, the first stop being Cape Kaliakra. Cape Kaliakra is the longest peninsula on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, and once held a bustling medieval market town, then later a military base. Now, it has ruins and the military base is (supposedly) just a weather station. It was furiously hot, but despite the sweat, we got all the way to the tip of the cape, from where we could see the gorgeous blue waters, although we weren’t lucky enough to see any dolphins.
We then headed on, to all things, a snail farm. They literally breed snails to eat and have millions of them. The most surprising thing is how badly that many snails smell when collected together. The stink is awful! But we were treated to an instructive demonstration on how snails mate, and were given the chance to taste some of them. I declined, but Bradley tried some and said they were not as disgusting as expected! We were also given the chance to buy some snail soap and face cream, because apparently snails are good for your skin. I couldn’t get onboard with rubbing mashed snail over my face, so I didn’t purchse any of that either!
After the snail farm, we went further up the coast to the little town of Balchik. This was once the favourite holiday spot of Queen Maria of Romania, who built a small summer house and huge garden on the cliffside. It was crazy hot in the mid-afternoon so we stuck to the shade a lot as we walked around the gardens. I can’t deny that the gardens were beautiful, but the house was very small, plain, busy – and disappointing. It was pathetic compared to the National Trust properties we’re used to seeing at home, and it was definitely not the sort of house I would expect a queen to have built for her summer home.
In the late afternoon, we were taken on a boat ride around the harbour. Now, I absolutely hate the sea, and I think that the respectful thing to do is to stay away from it completely. 95% of the ocean is unexplored; we don’t know what’s down there; and it’s super unpredictable. The boat ride was manageable but I was not having a good time and I almost broke Bradley’s hands from gripping them too hard. In my defence, though, he was teasing me!
On the third day, at Bradley’s request, we went on an off-road safari tour in a Jeep. I was unsure how this would be, but since we were in the newest Jeep (i.e. it was from the ’90s rather than the ’70s!) and we were the only ones with actual windows, I think we got off lightly. We were taken to a brewery that makes a traditional Bulgarian alcohol at 60% proof, which about took the inside layer of my oesophagus off with its burn. Luckily, the strength of the alcohol helped us to cope with the very strange bagpipe-style music the owner played on an instrument made out of a goat’s stomach. All in all, this was a very strange experience.
The trip ended at the same boat trip we’d taken the day before, so we decided to skip it and walk along the beachfront instead. One of the little stalls there had pottery painting, so we sat down and painted some little figurines. I chose a fish and Bradley chose a Yoda, and we had a lot more fun than we would have had on the boat.
For the rest of the week, we relaxed at the hotel, got a massage, and went for a walk around Varna, which was fairly small and nondescript. For a first holiday, it was pretty perfect and we had a gorgeous time. We already have a few more trips planned for next year together and I’m really excited to explore more places across the world!
