From village to apartment

Hello mithras53,

Welcome to Expat.com

Thank you for asking your questions here.

In my opinion, the decision between a flat or a house should ultimately depend on your personal preference. Considering you have been living in a house for most of your life, the crucial question becomes: Are you ready to transition to an apartment lifestyle?

With that said, it would be nice to hear insights from other members who may be able to provide further guidance.

All the best,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

@Cheryl

Hi Cheryl,

I've lived in both apartments and houses. My question is really about the positive and negative aspects of Burgas and Sveti Vlas as a permanent place if residence.

@mithras53

I love our village house in the mountains, but it's a lot of work to keep it up! Apartments are a very low-stress, low-maintenance alternative. We have recently been spending more time in Plovdiv instead of in the countryside, and we really enjoy the easy access to "big city" culture and amenities. I think a move to an apartment would definitely be worth considering.

My concern would be that prices have gone up a lot over the last few years, especially for apartments in the main cities. So it might be a shock to your system to see potential apartment prices vs. what you paid for your village house 8 years ago. :-)

The Black Sea coast is very nice, so I'm sure retiring there is possible. But, away from the sea, I like several cities including Plovdiv, Stara Zagora and Veliko Tarnovo, and the ski/mountain resort of Bansko which is a very charming town. So perhaps there are inland retirement opportunities too?

I very much enjoy beachfront living, and I do miss it. But Plovdiv is such a wonderful city, that it seemed to be a trade-off worth making it. It has been (and hopefully will continue to be) a joy to live here.

Burgas and Varna are similar-sized cities, so this could be a very good - but potentially expensive - option. I think a central apartment with easy access to shops, the sea, and walks in the Sea Gardens would be ideal. But both cities have some nice seaside suburbs too (e.g. Sarafovo near Burgas, and Saints Constantine & Helena and Golden Sands near Varna) if you're happy to be further away from the centre.

I like Sveti Vlas, especially as it has some lovely hill walks. But I think it's too small if you are wanting city conveniences. Sunny Beach has its fans too, but it's a very seasonal summer resort so it might be too quiet in winter (and too loud/crowded in summer). I reckon a larger town like Balchik, Pomorie, Nessebar, or Sozopol would be a much better option as they have a wide range of amenities, and they're livable year-round, even if they are much busier in summer.

Good luck with your potential move!

Thanks so much for your reply.

I've checked prices and that's not a problem. I've reached an age where the hassle of looking after a big garden and keeping the house in good condition is no longer worth it

I'm sure you're right about Sunny Beach. That's why I'm looking north and south of there. I do want to be near the coast.

Again, many thanks for your input. It's much appreciated.

I'd take a good look at Pomorie, I think that it may be cheaper than the two areas you mentioned , it has a year round population, schools and so on. It's not anything like Sunny Beach thankfully and has public transport to both the areas you mentioned. The coast is lovely and it has a range of supermarkets. Truckyboy on this site should be able to point you in the right direction for permanent apartments rather than holiday let's. So if it was me I'd head to Pomorie .

Also Pomorie has a year round population unlike Slveti Vlas .

Thanks Kath. I'll check it out.  Sounds like a definite possibility.

BTW I hope everyone's enjoying the weather, due to hit 40c here next week. As a previous long term resident of Qatar this feels like home.

I'd prefer the old town of Pomorie to the new town.  The new town seems to have many large hotels on the beach side and what looks like apartments close to the new town bus station but across  the road from their are to me ordinary houses a good walk from the beach with views of just other houses.  The old town is on an ismus with a beach on one side and rocks on the other which you have to enter the sea from ladders but it does have a great view of Burgas and restaurants open all year. The beach side has rows of houses and flats close to the beach some must have a sea view as well.  But I'd visit Pomorie have a good look around just as you would do before making your mind up. But banks shops supermarkets and a year round population.

@kaththomas700

Thanks for the additional gen. I'll be taking a trip out that way in September. I want to check the whole area out when the vacation folks are gone, or at least thinning out.

And no, definitely not Sunny Beach!

Sensible thinking.  We've stayed a couple of nights there a couple of years ago it's a lot different to Sunny Beach the actual season is shorter , bars and r sh

And restaurants tend to close September on the beach side but as I said the other side has restaurant s open year round. Have a good look around because it's on the coast it costs more to buy there but no where near the prices elsewhere.