Features

Chesshyre on the cheap: Bourgas

1 Sep 2006 by business traveller

The property section in Wizz Air's in-flight magazine was a bit of a giveaway when it came to understanding the draw of Bourgas, Bulgaria's fourth-largest city. "Become a part of the Bulgarian property renaissance," screamed an advertisement from a company called Allure Estates. "We build your dreams: luxurious apartments on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast," said an advert from another company, Fortnoks, which offered "exclusive payment schedules... up to 10 years' deferred payment plans". Another company, called Interlink International Property Group, advertised: "Luxury villas in Sunny Beach Bulgaria, stunning views, two and three bedrooms, private pools: from €108,000."

Britons can't seem to get enough of the sun, sand and cheap property prices of the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. My Wizz Air flight, which was on the second weekend of its service on the route, was at least half-full of British property owners or people coming to see what's on offer. With adverts promising returns of between five and 20 per cent, many are visiting Bourgas to take advantage of the booming property sector, which some compare to the Spanish costas 20 years ago. Sunny Beach, one of Bulgaria's main beach resorts, is just 15 miles north of Bourgas, and the city has many of the headquarters of estate agents that specialise in the region.

Seeing me take notes from the Wizzit magazine, the man sitting next to me on the plane assumes I am thinking of buying a place. "You're best to look inland these days," he says. "The prices are quite high on the coast now. I've just bought a place in a small village on a hill. I'm doing it up myself. It was a bargain, but I have to admit, it was very scary buying a place abroad. Bulgaria's got a bit of a reputation."

It certainly has. Bulgaria, along with Romania, is due to join the European Union soon – either next year or in 2008 – but EU officials have expressed concern that the country is failing to adequately police criminal gangs, some of which may be involved in the property business. People who go through reputable agents should have no trouble, but there is still an understandable level of nervousness.

However, that's not keeping the tourist hordes away. And those who stay in Bourgas, the biggest Bulgarian port on the Black Sea, are in for a pleasant surprise. While it is not a beach resort in the style of Sunny Beach, it has something Sunny Beach may possibly never attain: the feeling of being a place where real Bulgarians live and go about their business. There is still plenty to keep inquisitive tourists entertained on a weekend break and, with all its estate agents, it's a good place to base yourself for a few days' property speculation.

Guidebooks may be slightly dismissive of Bourgas – describing it as an industrial place to pass through – but this does the city an injustice. I stayed at the Hotel Bulgaria, the main business hotel in town. This 20-storey tower, right in the centre, is close to a pedestrianised shopping street, which runs from the main square at one end to a pretty park, on a small cliff overlooking the sea, at the other. Some of its guest rooms have recently been renovated, and it's important to ask for one of these, as they feel much more spacious than the older ones. My room cost £65 a night and has free wireless internet access in the lobby. For those who want something special, there are two huge presidential suites on the 17th floor; both have balconies, kitchens, wireless internet, hot-tub baths and a quite reasonable rack rate of £205.

With half an eye on picking up a bargain and becoming part of this Bulgarian property renaissance, I visited Bulgarian Coastal Properties, which I'd found on the internet before leaving the UK. Its head office is just around the corner from the Hotel Bulgaria – Bourgas has a tight city centre, so most places are within walking distance. Angel Dinkov, a barrister who runs the agency, says that British and Irish buyers are his biggest clients: "They are brave investors. They take the culture shock of Bulgaria much more easily than other nationalities."

Like the man who sat next to me on the plane, he believes that, in the future, more people will buy inland properties, as there is a limit to the number of places available along the coast. "The main question for us is how to get people to realise that there are opportunities inland," says Dinkov. "There is too much competition on the coast. It pushes the prices up too high."

Having looked at the properties on offer, I left to take a stroll round Bourgas. A handful of interesting local history museums explain the role of the Turks in these parts for the best part of 500 years (to the end of the 19th century), as well as the years of Soviet influence. The L-shaped pedestrianised shopping street is full of fashion and sports shops, including two swish malls, where I bought a sweater, as it is surprisingly cool here in the evenings. There were no other customers in the shop, and assistants fussed around helpfully, laying out options on racks for me to inspect. I don't remember having ever had better service – certainly not back at home. And the cost of the sweater? Just £10.

Everything is cheap in Bourgas. I found it difficult to splash out more than £10 on a meal, including drinks, at any of its charming restaurants. There is a real café-society atmosphere: people strolling about looking healthy and tanned next to the conspicuous, pale-looking British property speculators, who stand outside estate agents' windows with folders and calculators, taking in prices. One evening, I visited a couple of nightclubs and found them buzzing with people – drinks cost no more than £1, even in the fanciest places. A low-cost break in Bourgas is just that – low-cost.

The population is 226,000, many of whom live in a series of Soviet-era housing blocks on the airport side of town, which I'd noticed on the drive in. In terms of industry and income, the city is the second most important in Bulgaria after the capital, Sofia.

The town hall is located on a small square near the Hotel Bulgaria. A spokeswoman there explained that the port handles 1,500 vessels a year. Bourgas is well placed for trade – Sofia is 220 miles to the west, while Istanbul is 160 miles to the southeast (the Turkish border is 50 miles away) and Bucharest 150 miles northwest. This probably explains why Byzantine traders picked the location for the town so many years ago. It's in such an in-between zone that I feel unsure whether the city belongs in the east or the west, though it has all the western trappings – including a McDonald's – and will, of course, soon be part of the EU.

The town hall spokeswoman tells me a bit about the local economy: the main employer is Lukoil, a Russian-owned oil refinery that employs more than 1,000 people. The harbour, a major supply line for Bulgaria, is itself another large employer. Tankers bring in, among other things, cars from Korea and Japan; oil from Russia, Egypt and Algeria; and trees from Russia, which are used to build furniture. There are 35 big industrial plants in the Bourgas area, including petrochemical, machinery, electronics, food processing, lumber, furniture and shipbuilding interests. Factories produce metal cable and railway wagons for export.

The town hall spokeswoman says: "We are very happy about the new [Wizz Air] flights. It is exciting. We have the biggest airport in these parts. The one in Varna [another port 50 miles to the north] is smaller and has worse weather conditions. Until recently, we have relied mainly on charter flights. But now we have the low-costs as well. Our airport has the most sunny days in Bulgaria. It is the best to fly into."

Georgi Mitzov, the manager of the Hotel Bulgaria, tells me that the city is ready for much more growth. "Bourgas is the main gateway to the east in Bulgaria. This port is the biggest in the Balkan peninsula. It is an industrial city. It has great potential."

Miglena Penova, from BH Real Estate, who shows me a few properties (although nothing I can afford), says there is a trend of people from the UK "buying blind", purely as an investment, with some investors buying several properties at a time. Penova estimates that she sells 10 to 15 properties a week. She says: "We have many clients from Birmingham. We put brochures on the planes and people come to us during their holidays. We also have exhibitions in London. It's all going very well."

And it looks as if it is about to get even better – as far as property prices are concerned, at least. When Bulgaria does join the EU, prices are expected to boom. With the new low-cost flights – not just the summer-sun charters – perhaps now is the time to see what Bourgas has to offer.

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel Bulgaria (bulgaria-hotel.com) has rooms from £65, breakfast included. Suites are £205. A four-star hotel, right in the city centre in a landmark 20-storey tower. Free wired internet in all rooms and wifi access available in downstairs public areas. Some rooms have recently been refurbished and there are two enormous suites on the 17th floor. There is a 12m pool and a fitness centre.

Hotel Luxor (luxor-bs.com) has rooms from £48, breakfast included. A new, three-star, 27-room hotel with neat, large, air-conditioned rooms, with free wired internet access. Close to the station, and a short walk from the main city centre square, the hotel has a sauna area and conference facilities.

Aqua Hotel (aquahotels-bg.com) has rooms from £75, breakfast included. A modern three-star hotel with large rooms with free wired internet access. The hotel is situated on the airport side of the city centre. There is also a 10m pool, a gym and a small café/restaurant.

WHERE TO EAT

The Italian restaurant at Hotel Luxor (luxor-bs.com) is one of the best in town, with a wide selection of dishes served in a pleasant open-plan area. Three courses with wine costs £10.

Nov Shanghai (easy to find, at the corner of boulevards Bogoridi and Demokratsiya in the centre of town; no website) is an excellent Chinese restaurant, with large portions and an unusual selection of dishes. A three-course meal with wine costs £8.

Via Pontica (+359 596 32388) is a good restaurant serving traditional Bulgarian food a 10-minute drive north of Bourgas. It is located on the site of the cellars for a local wine company called Festa in Pomorie. Three courses with wine costs £10.

USEFUL CONTACTS

Port of Bourgas (port-burgas.com) For statistics on cargo capacity at the port.
Bourgas Chamber of Commerce (+359 56 39108, iccs.bas.bg/commerce). There is a small chamber of commerce office in Bourgas.
Lukoil Bulgaria (lukoil.bg). The biggest local employer.
Festa Wine Company (festawine.com) Has offices in Bourgas and a winery in Pomorie.
Bourgas Airport (bourgas-airport.com) For lists of destinations served by airlines from Bourgas.
Bourgas Town Hall (obstina-bourgas.org) For general city stats.

ESTATE AGENTS

BH Real Estate (bhrealestate.co.uk). Bulgarian Coastal Properties (bulgariancoastal properties.com).

RENTAL CARS

Hertz (0870 8448844, hertz.co.uk) offers all-inclusive cover on rental cars from £64 a day.

READING

Bulgaria (Rough Guide, £13.99) and Bulgaria (Lonely Planet, £13.99) are the best guides. The Sofia Echo (sofiaecho.com) is a decent English-language paper in Bulgaria.

GETTING THERE

Wizz Air (wizzair.com) has return fares from £89.

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