The Best Resorts in Bulgaria

You can find this brand new, all-inclusive five-star hotel just beyond Varna town, on the northern Black Sea Coast. Checking in you’ll be enchanted by the classical architecture and incomparable marine panorama, while upstairs you’ll find elegant rooms that marry modern furnishings and natural colours. The spa is popular for its thermal-water treatments and also features an indoor and outdoor pool with a sundeck. Guests can enjoy the spacious garden, two restaurants and four bars while children are guaranteed to love the playground.

This polished, all-inclusive seaside establishment is an easy walk from Sunny Beach – one of the most popular tourist destinations in Bulgaria, near Nessebar’s ancient city. Upgraded rooms feature refined colours, warm furnishings and panoramic sea views while the spa offers an outdoor and indoor pool, a jacuzzi, a gym, multiple saunas and personalised treatments on request. The resort also has four on-site restaurants with bars, where you can sample Italian, Asian or Bulgarian cuisine.

On a lush hilltop, in the countryside of Burgas, you can find this gated villa and apartment complex. The service is first-class and the architecture is particularly aesthetically appealing – think red roof tiles, wooden clapboarding and stone tiling. The interiors are also tailor-made for picky style-sticklers, with contemporary furnishings and modern amenities. The complex offers various sports facilities and, when you’ve worked up an appetite, restaurants and bars aplenty.

With views of the highest mountain ranges in Bulgaria – Rila and Pirin – this is a genteel mountain hotel near Bansko, the most famous ski domain in the Balkans. There’s a fine terrace with panoramic views, as well as a tranquil garden and the minimalist rooms are refined, with wood-panelled walls and views of vertiginous peaks. You’ve got a choice of two restaurants and two bars, spa and wellness facilities – all ready to treat your slope-sore limbs and complete your perfect ski holiday.

Located between the towns of Burgas and Nessebar, Wave is among the finest luxury hotels on the Black Sea Coast. The 426 units feature private balconies with sea or lagoon views and sumptuous bathrooms with walk-in showers. Choose the lagoon swim-up rooms if you want to take a dip into the pool directly from your terrace and when you’re ready for dinner, there are three restaurants and four bars you’ll love – especially the beachfront and poolside ones.

In the exclusive residential quarter of Burgas, this property has panoramic views of the sea and the bay. The 95 luxury apartments are bathed in warm shades of beige and light brown while the La Casa Grande restaurant, with its sink-into soft fabrics and natural stone, is light-filled, with fine sea views. There’s also a Mediterranean restaurant by the beach and children have their own playground and a special area at the outdoor pool – it’s guaranteed fun for all.

Here’s a fantastic family-run affair tucked amid vineyards and rocky peaks. At Zornitza you will find six villas and a boutique hotel built in Tuscan style, with picturesque stone finishings, timber beams and red bricks. Oenophiles will be specifically in luck as there is a winery on the grounds with a large selection of wines. Otherwise, stressed-out new arrivals will love the spa centre and its thermal water pools, as well as the nearby eco-farm and golfing terrain. At the aEstivum Restaurant you’ll be able to savour truffles in everything from salads to desserts and if that doesn’t sound appealing, the menu at Bistro 55 fuses Bulgarian, Asian and American cuisine and is sure to delight even the pickiest eaters.

Part of the largest waterpark in Bulgaria, this exclusive hotel complex is located near Ravda Beach, close to the ancient town of Nessebar. Understated rooms combine modern furnishings and contemporary design, with interiors in bright colours. The laid-back resort also features two themed restaurants – Italian and fusion – four outdoor pools, a kids’ club, a spa with a sauna, a hot tub and an indoor pool, as well as a beauty salon and a tennis court.

First and foremost a family business, this refined resort with five heated pools basks in the tranquil mountain scenery near Velingrad, the spa capital of the Balkans. Overlooking the Rhodope Mountains, it’s an elegant place indeed, surrounded by pine forests, with airy rooms unveiling mountain views. Key highlights include a suave Mediterranean restaurant, a baroque-style lobby bar warmed by a magnificent fireplace and a winery; while there is also a playground for families with children.