What does the average person want from their summer holiday? Whether it be sightseeing or sunbathing, something lively or laid back, a holiday with friends, as a couple or as a family, Bulgaria has something for everyone; a phrase often used but rarely true as it is in this case. Top of the list for a lot of people would be value for money; with two weeks all inclusive in the popular resort of Sunny each at £609pp or a week’s bed and breakfast at an incredible £250pp this is a box definitely ticked and amazingly without any kind of compromise.

The local currency is the Bulgarian Lev, currently 2.57 to the pound and you wont need to spend many of these while you’re there; the average three course meal is just £5 and a bottle of wine from a restaurant £3.50. Should you take the bed and breakfast option you’ll be spoilt for choice as to where to eat, with more than enough restaurants in the resort to eat at a different one for every meal and a huge variety of dishes to choose from. If you like a drink, most bars don’t just serve cocktails, but give you two for the price of one and happy hour lasts all night!

If sunbathing is your thing, you’ll be more than pleased with the eight kilometre stretch of beautiful golden sand (hence the name Sunny Beach). To cool down, the variety of water sports available on the beach are great fun!

On the other hand, if you prefer sightseeing and exploring whilst on holiday, there is certainly no shortage of things to see and do. Varna is just an hour’s drive away, with a city centre great for shopping as well as a fabulous park with an assortment of pretty flowers and trees to walk amongst. This park is also home to an open air theatre, planetarium, aquarium, small zoo and the only dolphinarium in the Balkans. A riverboat ride at Sozopol could take you turtle spotting, or venture further inland to the dense forest covered mountains. Khans tent is situated here, another popular venue for tourists, providing a four course meal and nights entertainment with dancers, jugglers, mime artists and more. The old town of Nessebar is within walking distance, or a short bus or taxi ride away if you prefer. The narrow cobbled streets here are busy with locals selling souvenirs and local produce such as wonderfully detailed hand painted pottery, engraved wooden trinket boxes and silver jewellery. A few small churches are open to tourists to take a look around and of course there are plenty of places to eat and drink. If you still run out of things to do, the magnificent Turkish capital city of Istanbul isn’t far away and many tour operators organise overnight trips there.

Bulgaria has all the attractions of any beach holiday as well as being extremely affordable. The glorious sunshine is perfect for sipping a cool exotic cocktail from a sun bed and the resorts and everything within them are very clean. The people are some of the friendliest you’ll meet, very eager to please and speaking good English. Finally, Bulgaria has only become a popular holiday destination in the last couple of years; they provide the perfect holiday, but not many people have experienced it yet. So be one of the first to visit Bulgaria, because now the secret is out you certainly won’t be one of the last!

About the author: my name is Charlie, I’m 21 and a girl not a boy! I’ve always had an interest in the media but only recently had an urge to actually do something about it, and this is the first piece of writing I’ve submitted to anyone. Beetle – congrats, Charlie on your first published article, we enjoyed reading it at the Globetrotters Club.