The trip to Balchik in August sparked my craving for the sea and sun, but especially for relaxation. So, in the second half of September, I managed to take a few days off work and head back to Bulgaria, this time to Golden Sands.
I admit even now that Bulgaria was never on my mind when planning summer vacations, but times have changed. Given the circumstances, we decided to spend a few days, still close to home, at the once vibrant resort on the Black Sea coast. We only had 4 nights available and were specifically looking for something near, a place we could reach by car without needing a COVID test.



I didn’t know much about the resorts in Bulgaria, so I did a quick search online. We were looking for something quieter, and given the context of the pandemic, I found out that no resort was very crowded, and the time of year also worked in our favor.
I had a list that included Albena, Obzor, and Golden Sands, which is just a few kilometers away from Varna. I ruled out Obzor because it was farther from Sibiu, and Albena, a resort dedicated to families with children or those looking for a quieter stay, didn’t offer many good accommodation options during this period. An important factor in choosing the destination was the hotel, which we wanted to be very close to the beach as well as to the resort’s center, and, if possible, have a pool and an all-inclusive regime.
If this year has been completely unusual, the trips have been, too. Up until now, we didn’t want to be tied to the hotel for meals, because we wanted to try local cuisines in different places. But now, due to the very short time dedicated to the trip, and not knowing what to expect in terms of restaurants in the resort during these strange times, we chose this option instead.


The road from Sibiu to Golden Sands (Nisipurile de Aur)
We left Sibiu around 10 AM, without much rush. We hadn’t made a hotel reservation in advance, thinking we would check out the options on the way. In general, we had selected a few resorts we liked, but since we decided to leave at the last minute for this trip, we didn’t have much time to analyze everything in detail.
As usual, we used Waze and followed the shortest route it gave us, exiting the country via Giurgiu-Ruse.
Route: Sibiu – Pitesti – Giurgiu – Ruse – Varna – Golden Sands – 550 km and about 8.5 hours later, we arrived at the destination.
The road was fairly clear, and we didn’t have to wait at the border at all. During this period, there’s no requirement for a COVID test or any other document, like a self-declaration, as it was a few months ago.


Grifid Encanto Beach Hotel – Wellness&SPA 4****
This hotel has a rating of 9.1 on booking.com, which was one of the main reasons we chose it over its sibling, Grifid Vistamar. I’m not sure which of the two is better, but I can say that every time we passed by Grifid Vistamar, which is closer to the resort center, we wondered why we didn’t pick it because it seemed much livelier and somewhat more to our liking.
Grifid Encanto Beach is located right on the beach and just 1.6 km from the center of Golden Sands, so it’s in a quieter area. Just a few meters from the hotel, across the road, there’s a private beach with sunbeds that you can use for free as part of the ultra-all-inclusive package. The hotel provides towels directly on the beach, with a card given at reception, but there’s a short time window in the morning and evening.
I really liked the beach and the color of the water, although the large waves and the September wind didn’t allow us to swim as we would have liked. Still, we spent hours on the sunbeds, reading books and enjoying the last warm days in peace.
The Beach Bar on the beach offers drinks, and at noon, snacks (pizza, sandwiches, hot dogs, etc.), all included in the package.






Perla hotelului este fara dar si poate infinity pool-ul de la etajul 5 al hotelului, dotat si el cu bar. Apa din piscina se uneste cu marea iar mai apoi cu cerul, liniile de demarcatie intre cele trei fiind deseori aproape inexistente. Selongurile au fost mai mult decat suficiente, atat la piscina cat si la plaja, numarul de turisti aflati in hotel fiind destul de redus. Noi am ajuns in Bulgaria in 16 Septembrie iar acum pot sa spun ca acest moment din an vine si cu plusuri si cu minusuri daca alegi sa il petreci la mare. Statiunea linistita, hotelul si restaurantul neaglomerate, la plaja gasesti tot timpul sezlonguri insa valurile si vantul iar racoarea de seara sunt cateva din minusuri. Una peste alta, mie mi se pare o perioada ok, mai ales ca nu am prins nicio zi ploioasa sau foarte friguroasa.
Hotelul are si piscina interioara incalzita dar si un centru de wellness si fitness. Noi nu am avut nici macar curiozitatea sa le vedem, poate data viitoare 😊






The rooms are spacious, offering either sea views or views of the back of the building, which they describe as overlooking the park. We chose a sea-view room on the 4th floor, where the sunrise was absolutely spectacular.
One morning, I had a unique experience, waking up without an alarm clock 30 minutes before sunrise and witnessing the sun rise right out of the waves. For me, this was an accomplishment, as I usually struggle to hear the alarm and wake up, not being a morning person. From the bed, I could spot the multicolored sky through the window, so I quickly jumped to the window. I wasn’t sure what time the sun would rise, so I decided to rest for a bit. After about half an hour, the beautiful orb of light made its way through the vast blue sky and emerged within seconds, giving me enough time to rush back to the window and admire the most beautiful moment of the entire trip.
The room is clean, and housekeeping comes daily to replace towels. The minibar is stocked with water, soda, and beer, all included in the ultra-all-inclusive package. The balcony, though not very large, is spacious enough for the evenings and mornings spent in a setting that I found simply delightful.




Cum este mancarea la Grifid Encanto Beach
Regimul de mese este ultra all incusive unde oaspetii pot alege sa manance la restaurantul principal situat la etajul 2 al hotelului cu vedere catre mare, unde mesele se servesc in regim de bufet sau la restaurantul a la carte, pe baza de rezervare. Inteleg ca pe timpul verii si in conditi normale, este destul de complicat sa prinzi loc la restaurant, fiind recomandat sa discutati la receptie in prima zi de sejur. Noi nu am incercat acest restaurant asa ca nu as putea sa spun daca merita sau nu, cert este ca nu aveti nimic de pierdut, poate doar de castigat o cina exceptional de buna. Pe malul marii, se mai gaseste un restaurant, acesta nefiind inclus in pachetul ultra all inclusiv. Si aici este nevoie de rezervare pentru a putea servi masa.
Mancarea nu a fost spectaculoasa dar nici rea, am gasit preparate delicioase dar si mancare mai putin gustoasa, specifica meselor all inclusive.
Vita in sos rosu, salata bulgareasca, dovlecei umpluti, calamari iar dimineata clatitele cu gem de prune, branza feta si fructele proaspete au fost cele mai apreciate preparate de catre noi.
Oferta este destul de diversificata, chiar si cei mai pretentiosi pot sa gaseasca ceva pe placul lor. Mancarea nu a fost aceeasi in fiecare zi, desi au fost multe preparate care s-au repetat insa nu a fost deranjant pentru ca am gasit exact ceea ce ne-a placut in fiecare zi. Din cauza pandemiei, mancarea era servita in farfurii de catre personalul hotelului.
Ce contine pachetul ultra all inclusive: 3 mese pe zi la restaurantul principal, 1 gustare noaptea (dupa 23:30), gustari pe plaja, bauturi la restaurant, pe plaja, la piscina si in lobby-ul de langa receptie, acces gratuit la piscine si la sezlongurile de pe plaja. Bauturile nu sunt de import, ci bauturi locale, asa ca nu pot sa zic ca am fost foarte incantata din punctul aceste de vedere.
Ultima seara am petrecut-o la SKYBAR, bar-ul de la etajul 8 al hotelului. Aici nu este nimic inclus insa preturile sunt ok si gasesti bauturi de import 😊
Pretul platit pentru 4 nopti, utra all inclusive – 500 euro/2 persoane.
Parcarea nu este inclusa in pret, asa ca am achitat separat 6leva/zi.



What we did in the resort
For the most part, we spent our time at the beach or the pool. The resort isn’t very exciting for our kind of vacation. I love to walk around and discover new places, so I ventured toward the edge of the resort, hoping to find something other than souvenir shops.
Otherwise, we took walks every evening along the promenade, which was lined with boutiques and restaurants. Unfortunately, during this period, those looking for entertainment didn’t have much to do since most of the clubs were closed. However, I can imagine the hustle and bustle here during times without a pandemic. There was a street filled with clubs, now closed, but I know that these areas are typically crowded with tourists from the UK or Germany, young people eager to party until sunrise.
Now, along with the clubs and bars, some hotels and restaurants were closed as well, giving the resort a rather desolate image.
I can’t say that it was to my liking, as I prefer vacations in smaller, charming, and bohemian towns. Still, I’m sure that the people who come to Golden Sands year after year are thrilled by the lively atmosphere in the streets and the bustling areas filled with souvenir stalls.









Love,
A.C.