Chaika Beach: Holiday on the Sand
Open the curtains and see the sand and sea! Open the window and hear the waves breaking on the shore! Step onto the balcony and fill your lungs with that evocative aroma! Not chlorine from a pool, simply the natural salty, sandy scent of the real seaside! Cross the little roadway outside the building, and there you are on clean, soft, golden sand! The beach is about 1.5km in length, 40 to 50 metres broad, and has a gentle slope.
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Superb Seaside Situation!
A genuine beach-front holiday apartment right on the front line. Why settle for less? Forget 5 or 10 minute treks to the beach: this is THE REAL THING - the sand is almost on your doorstep! The pleasure of having the sea so close puts the Chaika Beach apartment in a class of its own! You can pop back and forth as the fancy takes you, at any time.
The photo was taken from the hillside at the north end of the beach in October 2006.
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The Real Seaside
The sea is clean enough to support dolphins and fish, hence the Blue Flag award. Like the Mediterranean, it is non-tidal, but the Black Sea is noticeably less salty. Chaika beach is still relatively undiscovered by tourists, though in high summer and on sunny weekends Bulgarians turn out in force. Water sports are available for the more energetic, but you may prefer to just stretch out, watch others enjoying a spot of volleyball, boating, or water-skiing, and then cool yourself off with a dip. Lifeguards are in attendance through the main holiday season. There are several shower points on the sand, and a First Aid station a little way from the apartment.
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Only at Chaika Beach!
A unique feature of Chaika Beach is this exciting chairlift which operates in the summer season. The lowest station is right on the beach, 100 metres or so from our apartment. Passing over trees and houses with cultivated gardens, you can get off at two upper stations and look around if you wish before returning down. This is an exhilarating experience with some breathtaking views of the coast. Journey times: around 10 to 15 minutes each way.
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The Flavour of Bulgaria!
This is no mega-resort. Chaika beach is an authentic local beach mainly frequented by Bulgarians, so if you are looking for a resort full of Brits, where the food is just like at home, maybe Chaika is not for you. Not that you won't be welcome - Bulgarians are warm and friendly people with what has been called "a culture of kindness". They have experienced the prosperity that tourism has brought, and they really want you to enjoy your stay! When we say that Chaika beach has a Bulgarian flavour, we mean that it is a work in progress - an interesting mix of buildings: new and old, large and small, plain and quirky - definitely not an architect-designed concrete expanse. The bars sell Bulgarian beer and wine, and it's really good! If you like your coffee long and with milk you have to say so. The menus are usually illustrated, some have imperfect English translations, and you are unlikely to hear much English spoken (though restaurant staff are happy to oblige). There are odd patches of grass growing at the edge of the sand, and rather more litter and debris than we are used to back home (though they do clean the main beach area by machine at the start of the season). You won't find any tacky souvenir shops either, although a few enterprising ladies will set up makeshift stalls at the bottom of their gardens and display their work (see photo below).
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The Bulgarian Way!
It's a big contrast to the city of Varna, cosmopolitan and bustling with activity and summer events. Varna has a MacDonald's and shops selling familiar brands and designer clothes; you will hear some British pop music amongst the Bulgarian, and you'll see chic young people dressed in the latest fashions. Road signs are in our familiar lettering, and at night the city comes into its own with late-night shopping, clubs, cinemas, casinos, bars and restaurants providing for locals and holidaymakers alike.
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The peak summer holiday season in Bulgaria is mid-July to early September, when temperatures are typically in the 30's, but good weather can also be enjoyed off-season - it's that bit cooler, which you may actually find more comfortable. The photo was taken one July evening in 2007.
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Off Season Opportunities
By the way, if you come here out of the peak season, you may find you have the beach pretty much to yourself during the working day, except for a few sea anglers. This contrasts with the bustling and lively scene from July to September.The photo was taken in early October: temperature 23°C and only a few people anywhere on the sand !
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So if you would like the best of both worlds, and want to leave for home feeling that you really have been in Bulgaria, come to Chaika Beach!
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FIND US ON GOOGLE EARTH
If you have installed Google Earth on your computer, in the box in the "Fly To" tab in the Search section, copy and paste these co-ordinates:
For the Car Park gates: 43°15'18.96"N 28°01'48.98"E
For the turn-off from the E87 Varna-Balchik road heading north (labelled 9 on Google Earth):
43°14'32.00"N 28°00'56.58"E
Don't forget, you can zoom in and out and move around the whole area, all Bulgaria, or anywhere!
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