Obzor | Kavarna | Banska | Grand Royale, Bansko | Bulgaria - Background Information
Bulgaria is now one of Europe's major tourist resorts, and in recent years property prices have rapidly increased. Property prices in Sofia have increased by 12.5%, 7.42% in the coastal city of Burgas and 10.33% in Varna. The property market has been boosted with foreigners seeking second homes abroad. Buyers are attracted from all across Europe, particularly the British, drawn by comparatively cheap property due to accessibility through low-cost air travel.
Obzor
Surrounded by the Black Sea coast, Obzor was founded in the 4th century BC and named "Heliopolis" (The City of the Sun). The small town offers a wonderful combination of sea and mountains, and is an ideal destination for your holidays. On the beach, that stretches for several kilometres, visitors can rent sun loungers, parasols, boats, skis and surfboards. And with its range of additional restaurants, bars and shops, Obzor offers the perfect setting for an unforgettable holiday.
Obzor is the pearl of Bulgaria, the exclusive part of the coast, between Varna and Bourgas, where traditionally the 'elite' prefer to holiday. It is only 30 minutes from the major Black Sea Airport at Varna or Bourgas, and a well established holiday resort with stunning forest, mountains and sea views.
Property in Obzor
Costa Obzor - Apartments
This fantastic project is located on Obzor coast on the Black Sea Coast, near to white sandy beach and the future yachting port. The town of Obzor lies in the outskirts of the eastern part of the Stara Planina Mountain with the mountain ridge raising to the west of the city and the Dvoynitsa river bounding it to the north. The long beach by the town extends from the St. Atanas cape to the north to the southern Mona Petra cape to the south.
Costa Obzor will comprise 110 one and two bedroom apartments fully furnished with green areas and 2 swimming pools.
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Kavarna
Kavarna is one of the relatively bigger towns along the Black Sea coast. The town is situated 48km north of Varna and just 12km away from the picturesque Kaliakra cape. The coast to the north of the town is high and steep, shining with its limestone rocks against the sea while the south of the town boasts an excellent stretch of beach.
Combined with its beautiful nature and interesting historical sights, the region around Kavarna is becoming an attractive tourist site for golf-lovers. This is due to the construction of two new golf courses which are already under construction. One of them is situated right between the town of Balchik and the town of Kavarna, on a plateau overlooking the sea. The second one will be situated along the coastline, near the sea, below the villages of Bozhurets and Topola, 3 km away from Kavarna.
Property in Kavarna
Kavarna Gardens apartments
The complex of Kavarna Gardens is only 1 minute from the Black Sea and located a short drive north of the city of Varna and the international airport in Varna. This project features more than 400 apartments (1 and 2 bedrooms), all with beautiful views over the Black Sea, the striking landscape beyond or the beautifully manicured gardens and common areas and 8 swimming pools.
As an owner you enjoy access to the fully equipped fitness centre and the refreshing hot saunas. Also you will have easy access to all the other amenities of this well-planned project - including childrens' playgrounds, tennis courts good parking facilities, a restaurant and a bar. Of course, Varna town is less than 5 minutes away so you might prefer a traditional Bulagian night out in town. For the golf enthusiast, 3 golf courses and a stunning new marina are currently being constructed very close to Kavarna Gardens.
Kavarna Hills
The complex will comprise just under 100 apartments with beautiful gardens, large waterfall swimming pools, a restaurant, fitness centre, sauna, underground parking and security cabin.
Three golf courses are planned in this region, with construction of the first already underway - it is due to be completed in November - December 2007. Kavarna port is only a 5 minute drive from the future golf courses, which will ensure the prosperity of the town.
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Banska
Completion date: Octomber 2007
We are happy to announce Panorama Casino & Spa Resort - a new investment opportunity located just 750m from the lift station in the most attractive Bulgarian all-seasons Ski and Golf Resort Bansko. Panorama Casino & Spa Resort is situated in the St Ivan district of Bansko. This area is to the south of Bansko, in the foothills of the Pirin Mountains, three minutes by minibus shuttle to the Gondola Station. St Ivan is emerging as the most prestigious district of the town. The views are marvelous across 360-degrees, and the few developments taking place there are of a higher quality than those in the town below. Panorama Casino & Spa Resort abuts the Pirin National Park, and its views cannot be affected by any future development. Scheduled to open in October 2007 - this new 4 star category complex is perfect opportunity for investment with affordable initial installment. Panorama Casino & Spa Resort offers 200 apartments - all apartments with marvellous mountain views and with full Property Management and rental program.
These apartments represent excellent value for money and offer superb investment potential: the apartments are designed to contain the maximum number of bedrooms and beds in the smallest area. Studios are on average 30 sq.m.,1-bedroom apartments are on average 50 sq. m. and 2-bedroom apartments are 74 sq. m. Costing is by the square meter, so the prices of Studios and 1-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments are lower than in any development in equivalent superb position or with so many facilities. The apartments at Panorama Casino & Spa Resort are much larger than French ski apartments for example .
Development Features for Panorama Casino & Spa Resort
- Hotel reception with concierge
- Lobby bar with welcoming fireplace
- Shops and boutiques in lobby
- Property management office and staff on-site
- Business conference centre
- Casino
- Games room
- Indoor Pool
- Children's paddling pool
- Spa facilities
- Sauna
- Steam room
- Massage rooms
- Jacuzzi
- Gymnasium
- Satellite TV connections
- Restaurant
- Coffee bar inside & outside
- Shops
- Car hire facilities
- 24 hour room service
- Shuttle bus
- Property management
- Ski equipment storage facility
- Laundry area
- Wifi internet access
- Private terraces
- Underground parking spaces
- Elevators with panoramic views
- 24 hour security. (CCTV)
- Secure entrance/exit
Panorama Casino & Spa Resort Quality Specifications
Living room:
Flooring - laminated parquet first quality
Walls and ceilings - plaster coating and latex
Bedrooms:
Flooring - parquet first quality.
Walls and ceilings - plaster coating and latex.
Kitchen:
Flooring - terracotta
Upper and lower cupboards, sink and taps
Optional Extras- fridge, hobs, oven and extractor. Prices on request from the SELLER.
Bathroom and toilets:
Terracotta and faience 2m above the floor and dispersed white coating above the faience, as the bathrooms and the toilets shall be furnished according to the architectural plan.
Entrance hall:
Flooring - terracotta.
Walls and ceilings - plaster coating and latex.
General:
Balconies - granite, wooden railings, mineral plaster.
Joinery - PVC.
Inside & Outside doors - wooden.
Electric radiators installed in each room.
Cable TV connection and internet.
Optional Extras- dishwasher, washing machine and air con units. Prices on request from the SELLER.
Maintenance:
Maintenance Services are provided for EUR 11 per sq. m. annually.
Payment Plans:
| Payment | Discount | Advance | Basement | Roofing | Property |
| plan | transfer |
| A | 0% | 15% | 25% | 20% | 40% |
| B | 5% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| C | 7% | 60% | | | 40% |
| D | 10% | 90% | | | 10% |
| | | | May 2006 | Dec. 2006 | Oct. 2007 |
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| | BULGARIA | | Grand Royale, Bansko | | From £30,336 ( €45,864* ) | | To £130,415 ( €197,171* ) | | Grand Royale offer ideal accommodation for either the keen skier or a winter sports novice. This outstanding location, combined with Bansko's 'all year round' season, make it an ideal investment opportunity for either personal use or for tourism rentals. | |
| The Grand Royale luxury development, comprises of 133 stylishly finished and fully furnished studios and 1, 2 bedroom apartments | | 'Grand Royale' is built by the developer Bularco, well known for building well-planned contemporary apartments, and each unit will be completed with luxury kitchens and bathrooms with integrated appliances | | Payment schedule: £680 (€1,000) reservation fee, - within one week from the date of the reservation, 25% of the sales price (less reservation fee) - within 3 weeks of the date of reservation, 75% of the sales price - on completion (Dec 07) | | Estimated property growth is 15% per annum. Rental yields are estimated to be 9% per annum | | Flight time from the UK to Sofia Airport is approximately 3 hours 30 minutes. The development is 2 hours drive from the airport | | The development is suitable for investment, buy to let or holiday home buyers |
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| * Exchange Rate as 1st February 2007, 1 € = £0.661431 |
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History
The Bulgarian State was established in AD 681 by Khan Asparouh. In AD 855, the brothers Cyril and Methodius, later canonized as saints, invented a Slavonic script (the Cyrillic alphabet is named after Cyril). Bulgaria converted to Eastern Orthodox Christianity in 864-866. Throughout its 13th-century history, Bulgaria has played a key role in the region. Its location makes the country a natural bridge between East and West, North and South. The road from London to Calcutta, from Antiquity to Modernity, ran across the Bulgarian lands. Bulgaria's location makes it a crossroads of cultures and civilizations, and its landscape a convenient living place for different communities.
Local time
GMT+ 2
Climate
Temperate continental (2, 000 to 2, 400 hours of sunshine per year). Four seasons. Dry and hot summer, mean temperature+ 23 Deg C (April-September). Cold winter with snowfalls, mean temperature 0 Deg C. Mean annual temperature 10.5 Deg C.
Population
8,428,006
Language
Bulgarian.
English, German, French and Russian are all spoken in the country's resorts, hotels and restaurants.
Alphabet
Cyrillic. Signs along international motorways, in airports and resorts are also spelled in Roman letters.
Religion
86.6% of the population is Eastern Orthodox, 13% are Muslims. The Bulgarian Church is autonomous and headed by a Patriarch.
State government
Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic.
Official holidays
January 1 - New Year
March 3 - Bulgaria's Liberation from Ottoman rule - the National Day
Easter - one week after the Catholic Easter
May 1 - Labor Day
May 6 - Bulgarian Army Day
May 24 - Day of Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture and the Slav Script
September 6 - Bulgaria's Unification
September 22 - Independence Day
December 25-26 - Christmas
Capital
Sofia (pop. 1,141,000)
Large Cities
Plovdiv, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Sliven, Stara Zagora
Air transport
Balkan Air Tour is the flag-carrier. It flies to more than fifty destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Apart from scheduled international flights, there are charter flights for tourists in winter and summer. Domestic services are available to the Black Sea ports of Varna and Bourgas. Sofia Airport enquiries: 720 672 (international flights), 722 414 (domestic flights).
Charter companies operating flights from major UK and Dublin airports. In addition, Czech, Austrian and Malev operate flights from UK to Sofia ( 1 change) on a daily basis from Dublin and UK.
Taxi
The Sofia Airport taxi cabs are recommended. Arrangements can be made in the arrivals lounge and in the VIP lounge. Private taxi cabs charge higher fares. The fare (especially for longer distances) is negotiable. Foreign currency is accepted at the day's or a negotiable exchange rate. Taxis in general in Bulgaria are very inexpensive with a average rate of 0.2 Euro/KM. Be careful with the taxis in and around the beach resorts. The price per KM can be as high as 2.0 Euro/KM.
Hotels
One to five star hotels. Advance booking is recommended. Major credit cards accepted.
Restaurants
Wide variety of cuisines. Along with traditional Bulgarian cuisine, many restaurants in and outside Sofia offer Italian, French, Greek, Chinese, German, Arab, Hungarian, Latin American, Indian and Russian cuisines.
Car hire
Major international rent-a-car companies have offices in the arrivals lounge at Sofia Airport, downtown Sofia, the country and the holiday resorts.
National currency
Bulgarian lev (pl. leva). Fractional coins are called 'stotinki' (100 stotinki = 1 lev). The exchange rate against the euro is fixed at Lv 1.96/EUR 1.
Banks and currency exchange
Many local banks and bureaux de change operate in the capital and across the country. Major international banks also have offices here.
Banking hours: 9 a.m.-3 a.m., Monday to Friday. Foreign-exchange offices are open until 6 p.m., and some around the clock.
Currency exchange at the airport on arrival or departure, and in the larger hotels, is also possible. Do not exchange money in the streets or outside banks and bureaux de change despite the bargain rate offered as you risk being over charged!
Public transport
Bus 84 connects Sofia Airport with downtown Sofia. Public transport in the capital consists of buses, trams and trolley buses.
Tickets can be bought from drivers or in advance from publi transport kiosks at most stops. Season tickets for 1 or 5 days or 1 month are recommended if you are planning multiple trips.
Railways: Fast express trains link the capital with big towns countrywide. Sleeping cars are recommended for night travel to more remote destinations like Varna, Bourgas, Rousse, Dobrich. Tickets for all destinations and for sleeping cars can be bought in advance at the Comprehensive Transport Services Centre at the National Palace of Culture. First-class compartments and seat reservation is preferable. Tickets can also be bought from the ticket collectors on the trains, but at a higher price. Do not leave your luggage unattended. For information, dial Sofia Central Station, 31 111 through 120.
Private bus companies also offer connections to all the main cities and work out cheaper and faster than the corresponding train journey.
Telecommunications
International direct dialling access code for Bulgaria: 359, for Sofia: 359 2. Telephone lines in 63 countries of Europe, Asia and Africa are directly dialable from Mobikom or BulFon cardphones (require different phone cards). Inland and international phone, telegram and fax services are available at the Sofia General Post Office and at local post offices in the capital and in the country.
Essential phone numbers: 0123 operator service for international calls (to places where no direct dialling is available); 120 wake-up service; 121 operator service for inland long-distance calls; 140 telegram services; 144 directory enquiries about business lines in Sofia; 145 directory enquiries about private lines in Sofia; 1286 car breakdown service (Sofia), 146 (rest of country); 150 ambulance service; 166 police/traffic police; 160 fire brigade; 175 weather forecast; 180 speaking clock.
Electricity
mains voltage 220 V/50 Hz, round two-pin plugs.
Motoring
Drive on the right, overtake on the left, cross only when the traffic light is green, give right of way to vehicles approaching from the right at crossroads and to buses in urban areas, carry your International Driving Permit. Normal drivers licence will also suffice. Wearing of seat belts is compulsory. Speed limits: built-up areas 60 km/h for motor cars, 50 km/h for coaches, caravans and minibuses, open road 80 km/h for motor cars, 70 km/h for coaches, caravans and minibuses, motorways 120 km/h for motor cars, 100 km/h for coaches, caravans and minibuses. Be aware of the speed limits - speed cops are everywhere and love nothing better than catching a ''rich'' tourist!
Shopping
Vitosha Boulevard is Sofia's major shopping area. There is also a variety of shops along Graf Ignatiev and Rakovski streets.
Shops are open 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday to Friday; 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday. Some supermarkets are open 24 hours a day.
Fresh food, fruits and vegetables can also be bought from market places open daily in the capital and in the country.
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