| Overview | Things to do | Suitability | Country Info (Bulgaria) |
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The resort of Albena with its 5 km long and 150 m wide beach is lying in a picturesque bay only 30 km from Varna and 502km north-east of Sofia. Albena is an ecological resort with a rare combination of fresh air, crystal clear sea and mineral water, remedial herbs, various natural products and perfectly organised Medical and Spa Centre make Albena a perfect location for family holidays.
Albena is reasonably flat in the centre and beside the beach, the town rises into lush and thickly wooded hills beyond the coastal bypass at the back of town. Albena is the most northerly of Bulgaria's beach resorts, facing E out to sea. 4 mls N of Golden Sands 25 mls NE of Varna and its airport. Most of the hotels have a terraceline structure with well-projected stories. The concept of this architecture is getting more sun in summer days. The resort has three camping sites -Albena, International and Ekzotika, which offer great opportunities for housing tourists and holidaymakers. The river of Batov is interesting with its location in a natural forest. To the north the shore is steep, formed of the yellow sandstone and limestone typical of the area. It is these stone slopes that gave the material for building the resort. The centre is compact, stretching ½ ml along the coast, and it's easy to get about on foot, with the splendid beach never that far from the central hotels. The demise of the old Communist regime has caused, among other things, much unemployment and Albena, like other holiday spots, is now seen by many Bulgarians as a haven for making money from the increasing numbers of "rich" Western tourists. Evidence of this varies from benign stalls, kiosks and beachside snack bars in hot competition with one another to black-market currency exchange and prostitution. Unfortunately for a resort billed as being family orientated, the latter is a sad addition to an otherwise lovely man made resort. |
