Lakeside guesthouses, spa resorts and ethnographic villages are a hit for the Christmas holidays

published on 12/20/23 7:15 AM

Photo: bgvakancia.com

This year, the search for offers for Christmas and New Year started as early as the end of August, with preferences directed mostly to guest houses near Bulgaria's mountain resorts. "Ten years ago, it was quite normal for Bulgarians to rent houses for the holidays at the last minute - in November or December. Then the prices were not so inflated compared to the rest of the year," says Velizar Gotsev from the platform for rural tourism in Bulgaria bgvakancia.com. And adds:

"Currently, on the one hand, the houses are rented earlier, and on the other hand, the prices at which they are given are much higher compared to what is offered in the other months. Now the price for a detached house that is rented for use, without additional extras such as food etc. provided by the owners for the New Year holidays, ranges between BGN 70-85 per person. This means that a house for 10 people is available for around BGN 800 per night. But there is a mandatory condition - the base must be rented for a minimum of three nights."

There aрe about 4,000 officially registered guest houses in Bulgaria. Most are included in the platform that Velizar Gotsev works at. According to him, the more profitable offers have long been sold out. By the end of November, all accommodation facilities were almost 100% booked for the holidays. Guest houses not too far from home are preferred. "For example, residents of Sofia are mostly looking for houses 150-200 km from the city, because they cannot predict what the road situation will be in the event of heavy snowfall in December," says Velizar Gotsev.

The most sought after locations are the Central Balkan, the Balkan Range close to the town of Elena and in the area of Bulgaria's ski resorts. But not only:

"Recently, villages around various dams have started to grow in popularity. For example, around Shumen and Varna there is a village called Lovets. It is located on the bank of the Ticha reservoir and is currently a very popular destination. The same applies to the village of Asparuhovo on the Tsonevo Dam.

There is a traditional interest in ethnographic villages such as Bozhentsi, Arbanasi, etc. But we are seeing more and more reservations for destinations, such as the town of Tvarditsa, for example. We have a sunken church, caves, monasteries around... There is also a ski slope that will be open this winter for the first time in 15 years. And this will be a very good alternative to more expensive resorts, because the prices of holiday packages in similar destinations are significantly lower," explains Velizar Gotsev.

Bulgarians are big fans of spa holidays, so the location of the guest house next to a spa resort or the availability of mineral water nearby is a serious plus when choosing a holiday package.

Reservations for the New Year prevail, because Christmas is perceived as a domestic, family holiday. But here, too, the trend is changing:

"For Christmas, the owners very rarely increase their standard prices", explains Velizar Gotsev. "The only thing they set as a requirement is a minimum number of nights - at least 2 or 3. And we already have more and more cases in which comparing the prices of packages for Christmas and New Year, people decide to rent a house for Christmas, and for New Year's save the higher costs and stay at home."

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Photos: BTA, bgvakancia.com

Published by Rositsa Petkova

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