I must mention that our vacation in Golden Sands was beyond our expectations. It’s a dreamy destination for a cheap, fun, spoiling, and awesome vacation (we have been to Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey in the past, and we think that the Golden Sands has the most value for money for a vacation).
We took a flight to Varna and from the airport we took a taxi that cost about 25 euro to the HVD Viva Club Hotel. The ride took about 40 minutes. There is also an option to take a bus from the airport but it’s a longer ride and we had landed in the afternoon so we wanted to be at the hotel as soon as possible in order to enjoy the rest of the day.
We arrived at the all-inclusive hotel around 6:30 pm. We got a room on the 4th floor with a sea view. We arranged our stuff and went down for dinner. The hotel cost us 140 euro per night, all-inclusive. A cheap price for a hotel at the end of August- start of September.
Golden Sands main season is from May – September.
How do you get to the golden sands?
Getting to the Golden Sands is by flight to the city of Varna and from there you can take a taxi like we did or take public transportation and use route 409 which is a bus that goes from the airport to the Golden Sands (costs about 2 Lev per person, the trip should be about 40 minutes fast in total and according to what I checked during the season a bus leaves every 15 minutes between 5 am and 11 pm and less frequently during the off season – every half an hour and 6 am) or rent a car and get to the Golden Sands. About half an hour from the airport to the Golden Sands area.
Link to the timetable of line 409 (the website is loading slowly so you need patience)
You can also use the Moovit application that updates the location of the buses in real time.
Stay at an all-inclusive hotel
We stayed at the HVD Viva Club Hotel. A high-standards hotel with amazing food. Great pool, good service, the entertainment staff put a lot of effort into activities and shows. The hotel has a private, all-inclusive beach too. I wrote a detailed post about the hotel. Click here to read more about the hotel.
Walk along the promenade
Wow, this promenade is so much fun. It has everything. Restaurants, bars, clubs, stalls, coffee shops, beaches, and loads of attractions for adults and kids.
You can walk for hours along the promenade and find many things to do there. There are great stalls with souvenirs, bags, things for the sea and pool, clothes, and more.
Because the promenade is very long, there is a train that you can jump on to and ride on it back and forth along the promenade (the train costs 4 leva).
Recommended bars in Golden sands
There are so many bars along the promenade and in the Golden Sands area in general. You can hop from bar to bar all day long. All the bars are high in quality and each one is designed in a cool and unique way.
Bars that we really liked:
Megapark Dolphin
A lively bar from the morning till the night which has a pool and foam parties. There is happy hour on drinks 1+1 and you can order a hookah in different flavors.
Cocktail bar Paris
it’s a bar that’s located in a mini copy of the Eifel tower. There’s a view from it to the promenade and in the evening it’s really nice to sit there and have a cocktail or glass of wine.
Cuba Bar
Located on the beach and there are different sitting options. To sit on the swing near the bar, or regular tables, or a cushion seat on the beach. During the sunset it’s a perfect place for a cocktail.
Mini golf
Mini golf is one of my favorite attractions. Not because I’m good at it, but because it’s a fun game, funny (especially if you don’t know how to play) and it’s a great way to pass time with friends.
The mini golf in Golden Sands is on the promenade and it’s good. It has 18 different stations and it’s shaded. So there’s not a problem to play there on a hot day. When we arrived at around 2pm we were the only ones there. We played for about 75 minutes.
The game for an adult costs 10 leva, and for a child (under the age 12) 5 leva.
Drink coffee with a yummy cake
One of our favorite things to do during a vacation is to drink a good coffee with a yummy cake in the middle day. There are many coffee shops along the promenade.
We really loved Cafe Wiener. It’s a high-standards cafe with amazing cakes. They also have gelatos. We ordered 2 cappuccinos with a carrot cake. The coffee was good and the cake was really tasty. You could feel the taste of the carrot and the nuts in each bite.
Clubs in Golden sands
There are many clubs along the promenade and also in the hotels area. We went to one club- Bonkers Club. This club was less fit for us, but if you are in your early 20’s I guess you would have more fun. The club’s price includes free alcohol from the bar.
We also saw a commercial for another club-Arrogance Club. Which seemed to have higher standards. But we didn’t have the chance to try it. According to the commercial this club has 5 different halls and each hall has a different music style.
Get a massage
Because there isn’t a perfect vacation without a massage (at least for me :)). I got a massage at the beach first. I love to be at the beach and to have the option to get a relaxing and quick massage. I chose the 20-minutes back treatment. I can’t say it was like a spa massage but it was good enough and definitely worth 20 leva.
The second time I got a massage, it was in the hotel that we were staying in Viva club.
Their spa is not the best in terms of decoration and atmosphere, but the massage itself was very good and the price was 70 leva for 50 minutes which was cheap for a 4-stars hotel.
Work out at the gym
Yes I know, not many of you will think that it’s something you should do on a vacation, but we did. We love to work out at the gym, especially in a gym like the one we found in the promenade area.
It’s a fitness club with a view to the sea. If you are a gym lover, you will love to work out there. The equipment is new and the view is beautiful. The entrance costs 6 leva and there’s a bathroom and a dressing room. Directions .
Beaches in Golden sands
There are many beaches along the entire promenade. Arranged beaches with sunbeds and umbrellas. We were at the private beach of the HVD Viva club hotel, but when we walked around the boardwalk we saw that there are many good beaches to be at:
Riviera beach free zone
Beach Golden Sands
Things to do with kids in the Golden Sands
As I wrote, on this trip it was just me and Roman, but I made a list of some things worth doing with children in the Golden Sands:
Play mini golf directions
Walk the boardwalk and ride the train that passes there
Go to the beach
Travel with them to the city of Varna – Things to do in the city of Varna
Go on a day trip with them to the town of Balchik
Take a walk in Priroden Park Zlatni Pyasatsi, there are hiking trails of varying degrees of difficulty, from easy to difficult. Directions
In conclusion, we went on vacation to the Golden Sands in Bulgaria as a couple, but it’s also an excellent vacation for families because of the all-inclusive resorts, the beaches, a promenade full of activities and a fun and light atmosphere. You can manage there without a car, which is an advantage when you come on vacation with children.
Hope my post helped you. If so, I would very much like you to respond here in the comments, and if you have any more questions, then you are also welcome to ask them in the comments or write to me on the blog’s social networks: Facebook and Instagram.
More posts I wrote on that
A recommended all-inclusive hotel in Golden Sands, Varna
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