I am going to begin this article in the same vein that a celebrity might approach an appearance on Oprah. I am going to use the full disclosure approach. This is not to say that I have any huge skeletons in my closet. That would be a massive exaggeration. There is no history of drug abuse or philandering. However, in my younger days – I am focusing particularly on my university days here – I liked to have a bit of a party. Whilst this never brought any serious consequences, it may have contributed to my university results never quite living up to their billing and my making a fool of myself on a few occasions. In truth, since I have grown up a little, I have not really wished to re-visit my younger days. That was until I paid a visit to Golden Sands.
Golden Sands is a tourist resort on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast about 20km north of the city of Varna. It is a relatively new place and is pretty much purpose built for tourists. I went with my long-term girlfriend, and it was lovely. We found a nice hotel with a good pool and a beautiful sea-view. We ate at good restaurants – we had some of the best Bulgarian food I experienced in the country. We did some shopping in the small sea-front market that specialises in local souvenirs and fake designer goods. And, we caught some rays on the beach. It was all very nice. However, as great as all these things were, I found myself thinking that I was missing out on one of Golden Sands biggest attributes, the party.
In my late teens and early twenties, I enjoyed several holidays 'with the boys' in which my friends and I moved en-masse to a foreign destination to enjoy the local beer, night-clubs and if we were lucky (very lucky) ladies. It seemed that Golden Sands was a great place for this type of holiday. We found scores of small groups of guys (and girls) of all nationalities having a fantastic time of things. They seemed to out-number the couples and families easily. In the day-time this was not such a prevalent factor, but in the evening it was very clear as everyone came out to play.
It was easy to see why groups of young holiday-makers would love Golden Sands. First of all there was the beach, which was large, soft and fantastic. It also boasted several types of water-sports. Then, there was the weather, which was also great. However, the part of Golden Sands that they loved was the bars and clubs. Along the sea-front there were scores of places to start the party – many of these on the beach itself. We sat down at a large bar around a pool that boasted a huge big-screen TV to show the European soccer games. We ordered a cocktail each, but to our delight found that we got two. It turned out to be a common promotion. Most bars offered two for one and some even three for one. The cocktails were also relatively cheap to start with. They were between 8-12 lv, which is between 4 and 7 Euro.
My girlfriend and I had a great time just as a couple. However, for those looking for a cheap place for a group holiday, it seemed to be the perfect destination. It certainly had me pining for my younger days just a little.