Golden Sands: the property in the reserve

Geography and more

Golden Sands is one of the most prestigious, large and densely populated resorts in Bulgaria. It is located 18 km north of Varna, the maritime capital of the country. The name of the resort is associated with an ancient legend that says that pirates hid gold somewhere on the local beach. The treasure was never found, but the golden quartz sand that covered the entire coast became truly famous and brought prosperity to the local places.

Golden Sands is conventionally referred to the northern part of the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, although the resort does not differ climatically from the southern coast of the state. An additional bonus for those who choose Golden Sands as a place of rest or permanent residence is the proximity of Varna, one of the largest cities in the country. And, if the resort is more focused on recreation, then it is advisable to go to nearby Varna to solve everyday household issues. Medical care, car repairs, large purchases. Golden Sands is a relatively young tourist destination. When in the mid-1950s the authorities of the country chose a place for the construction of a new resort on the coast, the choice fell on a picturesque coastal strip framed by dense forests, then called Uzunkum, which means "Long Sands" in Turkish.

The main hotel and residential complex of the resort was built 10 years after its foundation, and by the 1990s the development of Golden Sands had reached a dead end. Then the authorities decided to transfer all the local property from state subordination to private – and in the early 2000s, the resort began a new life. Private investors have invested about 0.5 billion euros in the development of the local infrastructure, which gave Golden Sands a modern look and the status of a prestigious, convenient and family-friendly resort.

How to get there

The nearest airport to the resort is located in Varna, from where several flights, including non-stop flights, are carried out daily to Russia. So, a direct flight on the route Moscow-Varna-Moscow by S7 airline will cost about 18,000 rubles. Then from Varna Airport you can get to Golden Sands both by taxi and by suburban buses that run every half hour (from 6:00 to 23:00).

The shortest road route from Moscow runs through the territory of Ukraine, Moldova and Romania, and the travel time will be at least 24 hours.

Why Golden Sands

Golden Sands is a picturesque nature reserve and a natural health resort: there are many sulfur and mineral springs, including with therapeutic mud. Lovers of spa treatments will find pools with mineral water in the Golden Sands, which are also equipped for children's recreation (slides, etc.);

• Clean and well-equipped beaches of Golden Sands have repeatedly received the international award "Blue Flag" for environmental cleanliness and compliance with high quality and safety standards;

• Due to the absence of strong currents, the water off the coast of the resort always remains calm, warm and clean. Golden Sands has a lot of playgrounds and interesting animation during the summer season. This is a great place for a family holiday with children;

• The resort is known for its favorable climate: in summer, the air rarely warms up above +27°C, and sea water does not cool below +24°C even at summer night. Thanks to the sea breeze and the sun's rays, a wonderful way to improve your health is especially popular here.

• Experts note the high level of development of the resort. Due to the "reserved" status of the Golden Sands, the ownership of real estate here is in a sense exclusive;

• From here it is convenient to get to Varna, from where direct flights to Russia are also carried out.

The situation on the real estate market

The status of the reserve that surrounds the resort prohibits new construction here, and all existing plots of land for development are already occupied. This fact is a "provocateur" of rising prices for both real estate and land plots. On the other hand, the ban on new construction protects the investments of local property owners from depreciation. The only opportunity for builders to conduct active construction activities is the reconstruction and modernization of old buildings.

The Golden Sands resort stretches along the Black Sea coast. Therefore, almost everything properties in Golden Sands are located just a couple of minutes walk from the sea. Here, as in any compact resort, division by districts is not common. The more traditional form is considered to be the lines of remoteness from the sea.

Russians prefer to buy apartments with one or two bedrooms and sea views here. Detached houses at a considerable distance from the coast and in hilly terrain are popular mainly among the British and Germans.

Prices

The minimum cost of resort apartments in Golden Sands is €45 000-€47 000. The cost per square meter varies from €700 to €2500. On average, real estate purchased directly from the developer and located on the first line of the sea will cost the buyer €1200 per «square ». The cost per square meter on the second and third lines is about €750. These figures are about a third higher than the cost of housing on other resorts in Bulgaria, While real estate market experts note that the objects of the northern part of the country, in particular, in the resort of Golden Sands, are distinguished by a higher quality of construction.

The apartment has an area of 65-70 sq. m. m with sea view costs €70 000-€80 000. A spacious apartment (80 sq. m.) from the developer at a slight distance from the seashore can be purchased for €50 000. Relatively new apartments on the secondary market will cost about the same amount. However, for this amount, you can count on a slightly smaller area of ownership - it will be about 60 "squares".

Those wishing to buy a house in the Golden Sands area should look for it outside the resort, since it is built up exclusively with hotels and apartment buildings. On average, in this area, the cost of a detached house will be from 90,000, and by investing 150,000-200,000, you can purchase an object suitable for opening a mini-hotel. So, a house 300 meters from the sea and Kabakum beach, located in the Alen Mak area, an elite suburb of Varna, about 1 km from the Golden Sands resort, costs €195 000. Each of the 10 rooms of the house can be rented out in the summer season, receiving income from each of €40 per day.

Rent

The property in Golden Sands is ideal for personal recreation and for renting out for the summer season. Given the limited development and the growing popularity of the resort, this is the best option for investments with high returns. Real estate market experts claim that one-bedroom apartments can make a profit of up to €4000-€5000 in the summer, and two-bedroom apartments can generate €7000-€8000 per season. At the same time, the owners have an ideal facility for personal recreation.

So, during the peak summer season, individual one-bedroom apartments are rented for €50-€100 per day, and a two-bedroom apartment will cost approximately €80-€150 per day. As for long-term rentals, they are not common at the resort due to its pronounced seasonality.

In winter, life in Golden Sands noticeably subsides, in this regard Sunny Beach is a more versatile place. However, for those who choose real estate in Golden Sands for wintering, silence can be an additional bonus to rest after living in Russian megacities.

Entertainment and attractions

In addition to beach holidays, the resort offers a variety of entertainment: a spacious Aquapolis with water attractions, tennis courts and mini golf courses, yachting, catamarans and water skiing, horseback riding and organized hunting, as well as numerous concerts, festivals, retro car parades and beer fiestas. Lovers of nightlife can go to the casino"Red Cancer", variety bars "Astoria" and "Russian Troika", as well as visit the clubs "Gypsy camp", "Konek picnic" and "Bunkers".

The medieval rock monastery of Aladzha, built in the XIV century and a cultural monument, is located on the territory of the reserve. There is also a chapel of St. John the Baptist in Golden Sands.

During the summer season, restaurants of national cuisine are open in the resort, where you can taste traditional Bulgarian dishes: «Kosharata», «Vodenitsata», «Staria dyb», «Atlas», «Preslav». And lovers of exotic cooking will certainly appreciate Chinese, Arabic, Indian, Greek and Scandinavian restaurants. Of course, there is also a Russian restaurant at the resort, which is so popular with our compatriots.

For yachtsmen, the Golden Sands Yacht Port offers three equipped piers designed for more than 100 protected areas for mooring yachts. Here you can not only "park" your yacht, but also take a sea excursion.

To undergo treatment or rehabilitation therapy in Golden Sands, you can apply to one of three complexes: five-star Admiral Heritage, four-star Iberostar, as well as three-star Ambassador. It will offer an integrated approach combining the use of climatotherapy, therapeutic baths and mud, medicinal plants, bee products, etc.

Portal HomesOverseas.ru thanks for the help in preparing the article by Daniel Borisov (Agency ACT 16), Evgeni Yaneva and Tsvetana Ivancheva (HF ESTATE).
_{photocredits: depositphotos / flickr / act 16 / hf estate}

Olga Shoshina

HomesOverseas.ru