HOLIDAY IN STYLE

In the recent years Bulgaria is becoming increasingly attractive tourist destination. The statistics shows it, too. In 2017, it recorded a significant increase of foreign tourists at almost 8 percent. According to prognoses, the trend is set to continue in this year. The increased incomes from visits from foreign tourists show something else: Bulgaria is successfully developing its potential to become a destination for high class vacation.

Indeed, a growing number of both foreign and Bulgarian tourists discover the country as a destination for luxury tourism. The infrastructure is already meeting the demand and continues to develop. In the big cities there are already established hotels, restaurants, bars and lifestyle attractive for visitors with higher requirements toward the ambiance, the food and the company in which they enjoy these. On the Black Sea coast and the mountain resorts emblematic hotels and golf courses offer exclusive experiences of the highest class. The spa wealth of Bulgaria is another predisposition to the successful development of top class hotels and resorts specialising in the best cosmetic and healing procedures.

Some of the best places for relaxation manage to combine some of these factors and provide you with luxury atmosphere, the mountain's clean air, a selection of spa procedures and the feel that time has stopped.

Summer in the mountain is a summer at Pirin Park Hotel

The advantages of mountain as a place for summer recreation cannot be disputed – tranquility, clean air, opportunities for active relaxation. When they are combined with spa pleasures and luxury, we end with a recipe for the perfect vacation. Discover your perfect mountain vacation in the five-star Pirin Park Hotel (Sandanski, phone: +359 893 300 300, www.parkhotelpirin.com). The hotel is located among the western slopes of the Pirin mountains and is a member of the Sharlopov Group. It is designed in such a way that you will not miss anything here. Luxurious rooms and apartments, exquisite restaurants with Mediterranean and Balkan cuisine, greenery and open spaces: every detail here pampers the senses and predisposes you to relax. The spa and wellness centre offerя various procedures with the famed local mineral waters and even the open-air swimming pools are with mineral water. Getting tired of such a combination between mountain relaxation and spa procedures looks impossible, but if it happens anyway, the hotel will organise for you a day trip, a hike, an extreme sports activity.

The Black Sea coast is the usual choice when we plan our vacation. For years, the Bulgarian coast has been the fastest developing holiday destination and on it you can find some of the most luxurious places in the country. Throughout the years the St Vlas resort has become one of the natural foci of exclusive holidaying in Bulgaria. Huddled at the northern end of the Bay of Burgas, it is a place of fine gold sands, a combination of sea and mountain air and picturesque nature. This is only the beginning of the remarkable experiences you will find there and these include not only the luxury of the hotels, bot also the exclusive services you will find there.

Pulse Health Center, St Vlas: The pulse of harmony
Active recreation among exquisite ambience: when you are looking for a holiday that includes not only new experiences, but also health care, the newly opened center for weight loss, detox and antistress Pulse Health Center in the five-star St Vlas Black Sea resort (phones: 0700 44 600, 0700 444 60, www.pulsehealth.bg) is for you. Pulse Health Center is a new generation place for relaxation guaranteeing results with a range of programmes and equipment. The reliable diagnosis is guaranteed by apparatuses like Metathrone for computer diagnosis on cellular level, 3D FIT scanner for wholesome body survey, aura camera. The guests are under the constant care of specialists in healthy eating, physicians, fitness trainers, spa therapists. The therapies include colon hydrotherapy, oxygen therapy, ionic detox, and many more. For each guest an individual eating regime is tailored. The restaurants offer healthy food and for complete relaxation immerse yourself in the massages, baths and rituals of the exquisite spa center.

Indeed, luxury is not only in the ambience, the design, the furnishing and the quality of the food and the drinks. Luxury often cannot be bought with money, as it is simply the tranquility to forget about the care of the everyday life, to break the chains of plans and schedules, to allow us the freedom to be ourselves. That is why we can call a luxury such seemingly ordinary things like sleeping until late without worrying about engagements, to organise our day according to our wishes, to forget about stress.

When you crave a vacation of this type, smaller hotels and accommodation are recommendable. There the only thing you need to comfort with are you and you only.

АТМ Sinemorec: The sea is yours

Do you love waking up with the rising summer sun, shining over the vastness of the sea, and to get to sleep under the tender murmur of the waves? If the answer is yes, then АТМ Sinemorec Hotel (+359 889 209 556, www.sinemorec.atm-ahtopol.com) is your place. Located in Sinemorets, one of the loveliest parts of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, the hotel is only a few minutes away from the marvellous Butamyata Beach. АТМ Sinemorec offers one- and two-bedroom apartments equipped with air conditioning and kitchenettes, and most of the flats have vista to the sea. There are plenty of restaurants, shops and bars around the hotel. Sinemorets is distinguished for its small village resort tranquility and has some of the most beautiful bays and places in the area.

Getting to know Bulgaria and enjoying its beauty means leaving the beaten track of the big cities, resorts and places of interest. When you head for a trip like that, you discover new landscapes, tastes, people and stories that bring you closer to real life, open your eyes and make you richer with experiences. In our fast-living world, where we aim to squeeze as many things as we can into the less time possible, slow living and the joy of small pleasures are also a luxury.

Sometimes, however, even the most die-hard individualist needs the support of a professional who knows the context better, is familiar with the places and the environment and can make an optimal programme combining the educational with the pleasurable.

Discover Bulgaria with Undiscovered Bulgaria

Bulgarians and foreigners, people who are familiar with the country and ones who are yet to explore it, friends and relatives deserving an unusual present: the tours by Undiscovered Bulgaria (phone: +359 877 23 03 03, www.undiscoveredbulgaria.com) are for a wide range of people interested in Bulgaria. The professionals in this travel agency have an in-depth knowledge of the country and its sites of interest, and offer a variety of set itineraries and the option for you to decide what places to include in your trip. Architecture and history, cuisine and traditions: with Undiscovered Bulgaria the country opens its rich experiences before you. For even more memorable travelling the accommodation is in exclusive hotels and guest houses with their own atmosphere, and the tasty homemade food is prepared of fresh, traditional products.

Once you have decided to hit the road, Bulgaria offers countless opportunities: the most hidden corners of the Rhodope or the Stara Planina mountains, the austere Northeast with its picturesque sea cliffs, the largely unexplored Northwest with the impressive Belogradchik Rocks. The list is long, but it inevitably should include the Danube, the emblematic river that links Bulgaria with Europe.

Hotel Drustar, Silistra: The magic of the Danube

The mighty Danube defines European civilisation and at the town of Silistra it is wide, mesmerising, majestic. The river, combined with the city's rich archaeological and historical heritage and the UNESCO-listed Srebarna Lake reserve makes Silistra a place that you should not miss out. The same goes for Hotel Drustar (10 Kapitan Mamarchev St, phone: +359 86 812 200, www.hoteldrustar.com). Located among the beautiful Danube Park, Hotel Drustar offers to its guests wonderful views of the Danube river and the luxury comfort in its spacious rooms and apartments. In summer, there is an open air restaurant and a large swimming pool. For those arriving or departing by the Danube, the hotel has its own private port.