We are on holiday but we walk more than 10 000 steps a day, the children even more. We are feeling great, all the tiredness is left far back in the past week. Now we are walking between the neat gardens, watching the sunset above the sea from the cozy gazebos on the rocks. We are far from the quiet romantic holiday with a glass of good wine. But this time we traded it for something else – a few days of family joy with our children. So we are having an unforgettable active rest at Topola Skies resort, on the northern Black sea coast of Bulgaria. After all, the time spent with the kids is always more joyful and more emotional.
All Inclusive holiday in a closed resort – why we chose this option?
We have often spoken that we are not huge fans of the crowded touristic places. Good wine and the special food experiences are something we are really keen on. However, this does not mean that the All Inclusive format is a compromise with our principles. Instead, it is a different kind of experience which makes us happy when we share it with our kids. And they are even happier. Here are the strongest advantages of the All Inclusive holiday for our family with children aged 2 and 6:
- A lot of attractions and entertainment, both for children and adults. Most of them we do not do during the rest of the year so we are all happy.
- Secured food and drinks. This leaves us free time for entertainment, rest and quality time together.
- Opportunity for a closed resort without cars, which gives us some security to leave the children move freely.
So, we chose the place for our summer 2021 holiday in early June and booked a stay for late July. We picked Topola Skies for the various attractions and activities. In the resort there is an aqua park, action park, free transport to the beach, 5 pools. It is also a closed resort with no cars inside and no outside visitors.
How we booked a luxury holiday for a good price?
We booked our holiday with the cooperation of the online platform LUXURY DISCOUNTS, where you could find tens of places to stay in Bulgaria and the neighbouring countries with good discounts. The discounts vary from 5 % to 50 %, depending on the season and the place. In June 2021 our holiday through the platform costed 25 % less than the regular prices of the resort. For 5 nights All Inclusive in a Deluxe apartment it costed 1600 BGN (800 EUR). The regular price of the hotel at this time was 2200 BGN. Despite we had already booked, we decided to check the prices again a week before we checked in, just out of curiousity. As expected, the discount was lower – about 10 %, which is normal for bookings in the highest season.
By the alleys of Topola Skies
The steps we walk by the alleys of Topola Skies are many, as are the places where the children stop to play, while walking to somewhere else.
On one side of the resort is the infinity pool with its incredible views towards the sea. We are lucky to reside just above it and share the view. Next to it is the amphitheatre, which every evening is a scene of the kids disco and sometimes an adult disco as well. At the far end is the aqua park – an immense entertainment for both children and adults, featuring water slides, a water castle for the younger kids and a pool with waves. Nearby is the action park, as well as the kids’ club. Maria was looking forward to enjoy the ropes course but had an accident before it. However, Anna was brave enough to do it.
We are walking by the neatly maintained alleys, thinking about all the attractions around. Our 5-night stay might not be enough to try them all, even just for once. For example, we did not try the SPA centre although sauna and steam bath are included in the All Inclusive package. But for sure we would try them if we had had a rainy day during our stay.
A story without beach shovels and buckets, but still a good one
Let’s return to our story, sometime in the afternoon of 24 July. The parking lot of the resort is large and organized. The guards have a list of each day’s arrivals so they were expecting us and quickly navigated us. The parking itself is some 100 m from the entrance of Topola Skies, which is good, because there is no traffic near the pedestrian zones. For the luggage you could call a piccolo, but on the time of our arrival all of them were busy so we managed to move the bags ourselves.
While unloading the bags, we discovered that Maria had forgotten to pack some important things like Adriana’s sunglasses and beach shovels and buckets. But we all had long-sleeved blouses which we didn’t actually need. Anyway, one of the good things about places like Topola Skies is that even if you forget to take half of your luggage, you will miss almost nothing, especially in terms of entertainment.
The pools
It was our first sea holiday on the northern seaside of Bulgaria and we had a little doubt about the water temperature in the pools, expecting that they might not be very warm. But we were wrong. Only one of the 5 pools was a little cooler and the other one were warm like the seawater, allowing the kids to spend hours in them, feeling comfortable.
Adriana and the sea in Topola Skies Bulgaria Mommy, throw me!
The pools were also extremely clean and well maintained. Another good thing about them is that they were accessible until late evening, although the working time of the lifeguards was until 6 pm. And unlike other resorts where maintenance starts after the official opening hours, guests were able to enjoy the pools even after sunset.
Another convenient thing was that each one of the 5 pools in the resort had a kids section. So we had numerous options for sunbaths and entertainment without getting bored. This also gave us security that we can leave the kids alone in the pools and it would be safe for them.
Well, the old and annoying tradition of reserving sunbeds with towels was still present, but we tried to ignore it and have fun despite it.
The ground near the infinity pool is covered with artificial grass so it is quite comfortable even if there are no free sunbeds.
To the beach!
We often discuss whether the view is important and worth paying an extra charge for it. But it really makes a difference. Here the sea view is all around the Topola Skies resort, because the resort is located high on the rocks above the sea.
Because of this location, Topola Skies does not have a beach next door. However, they provided free shuttle to the nearby beach for all guests. The shuttle buses travel on an hourly basis and even more often. They took us to the nearest beach – Adora Beach – a small, cozy and picturesque beach with clean and shallow waters, great for children. Its main disadvantage is that the parasols and sunbeds are very few and you need to book in advance if you want to use them. Otherwise, you could use the free zone, which we did.
Our daily routine included taking the first shuttle to the beach at 9 am and returning at 11 am or 12 pm. We did not use sunbeds or parasols because it was not necessary in the morning. So we spent wonderful hours in the warm waters, building sand castles and enjoying family time.
Playing in the sand Adriana in the sand
A nice path leads from the road to the beach. It takes about 5 minutes to walk down to the beach from the bus stop.
Aqua park emotions
“Daddy, I want to go to the aqua park” – says Anna. Then little Adriana repeats it, without realizing what she is saying. Indeed, Adriana is afraid of the water slides. However, she is a great watcher and also stands on the front line watching others having fun.
The Topola aqua park is included in the All Inclusive package and there are no limitations to the number of visits you make. This was quite convenient for us. Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t go specially for the aqua park because we do not know whether the kids would like it. But this is one of the reasons we like the All inclusive format – it gives you a chance to try things you sometimes hesitate about.
In the Topola Skies Aqua Park there are several big water slides and a very attractive water castle for the younger children. Kids under 120 cm were only let on the castle, which is absolutely enough for them. Anna and Adriana played a lot there. The pools in the kids section are only 20 cm deep so they are suitable even for babies.
One of the most loved attractions was the pool with waves. It felt like you are riding bumper cars on water. And as often happens to our kids, at first they were quite afraid and then we could hardly get them out of the water.
If you are not guests of the resort, you can visit the aqua park against a day fee. Check the prices here.
More action in the Action Park
You can never get bored at Topola Skies. The place is a paradise for everyone who loves active rest with elements of adrenaline. Even before we arrived, we were looking forward to try the action park in the resort. It includes a ropes course with two levels of difficulty and two climbing walls. The adventure park is suitable for everyone older than 3 years and weighting no more than 130 kg. The children under 120 cm should be accompanied by someone to help them move the rope.
What about our adventure there? Long story short, Maria could not try it but Anna passed it successfully and really enjoyed it.
The visit to the action park is included in the All Inclusive package. If you are not guests of the hotel, you can visit against a fee of 20 BGN per person.
One sprained ankle
What happened to Mimi?
Maria (Mimi) is one of those people who are enthusiastic for all kinds of extreme experiences but their enthusiasm is often above their possibilities. So, Maria tried to jump above a fence in the resort and ended up with a sprained ankle. Because of this, she had to rule out the action park but maybe it was for good.
If an accident happens to you while you are at Topola skies, you should know that the nearest hospital is in the nearby town of Kavarna, some 6 km north of the resort. During our visit there was no present doctor at the resort and we had to go to the hospital ourselves. If you have a health insurance, just use it and they will organize help for you.
Anyway, the accident didn’t kill Mimi’s enthusiasm for entertainment. And she moved on with the plan to try the Zip Line adventure.
Topola Zip Line adventure
You jump from the tower and fall in weightlessness. To the left is the sea, underneath is the green forest and you are moving with a breakneck speed, hearing only the wind. You can’t think of anything, just smiling. Or you express your emotions with joyful screams. Everything lasts just about 30 seconds but the adrenaline is to be remembered for a long time. The feeling of freedom and lightness, too.
The Zip Line adventure is one of the most attractive entertainments at Topola Skies. The 468 long line straights from the resort to near the beach, with an altitude of 118 meters. The speed can reach 80 km/h and the feeling is stunning.
Although Maria said that it was not feeling very fast and Andrey believed the opposite, we both agreed that the adventure cannot be described as scary. The line is accessible to everyone above 8 years and under 130 kh. However, think twice if you have any health issues (or are pregnant).
The Zip Line is not included in the All Inclusive package. The fee was 30 BGN (15 EUR) per person.
Some more thought about All Inclusive, service, food, etc.
Although the food, drinks and rooms are probably the most boring part of an active family holiday, they are important and we wish to say a few words about them, too. Many people asked us about this – are the rooms good, is the food good, how is the service.
We stayed at a Deluxe apartment with one bedroom in the Vita block, overlooking the infinity pool. The apartment was spacious and with nice terrace, with comfortable beds. We felt nice there. It also had a kitchenette but when you are on an All Inclusive holiday, it is not much used.
Deluxe apartment at Topola Skies Resort – Bulgaria
About the food, we can say we liked it. Both in terms of diversity and taste. Maria was happy that everyday there were mussels and fish, so she spent 5 days on seafood. Andrey liked the grill which is done on site. There were multiple kinds of salads and starters and most of them were delicious. For breakfast there were pancakes and omelettes done on site, as well as many other dishes. Our kids were free to choose their own food and often surprised us with their combinations (a sausage with chocolate, for example). But they never missed the dessert and loved the ice cream, even if they had to queue for it.
The restaurant was nice and cozy, although the All Inclusive format does not allow a lot of privacy. But it was great for a quick breakfast, lunch or dinner. One of the few things we missed was the glass of good wine paired with the food. You know we have a special passion to the really good and special wine. But it is quite normal that the offers in such a mass format look different. However, we drank a lot of water and beer and you know, it is healthy to drink water!
About the service, we do not have any specific notes. Generally, we cannot complain, besides the late room maintenance on one of the days.
If you have an accident like Maria and need a doctor, here are your options. If you have health insurance, do not hesitate to use it by calling the number from the policy. Otherwise, the nearest hospital is in the town of Kavarna, some 6 km north of Topola Skies. During our visit there was no present doctor in the resort. The reception staff offered to call a doctor against s fee which starts from 40 EUR. Or we could drive ourselves to the nearest hospital. We preferred the latter and were very happy with the service at Kavarna hospital. Th staff was very kind and Maria was quickly examined by a local GP because the orthopaedist was not on duty. UPDATE: After the creation of this article, we were informed that in August they had medical staff at the Topola Skies resort. But it is good to know all the options anyway.
What to see in the region
The region near the towns of Balchik and Kavarna in Bulgaria is one of our favourite places for walks and tourism. This time we decided to spend the most time at Topola Skies, but you have plenty of opportunities to see something new and beautiful.
From Topola Skies resort you can see Cape Kaliakra
От комплекса се вижда нос Калиакра – изключително живописно място и едно от любимите ни наоколо. След него на север можете да се разходите още до прекрасното село Тюленово, резерват Яйлата, Дуранкулашкото блато, нос Шабла. За любимите ни забележителности по северното Черноморие всъщност можете да прочетете тази статия: От Калиакра до Дуранкулак – една пролетна разходка сред най-красивите забележителности по Северното Черноморие. Съвсем наблизо е и Балчик, където отдавна се каним да посетим Двореца и Ботаническата градина. Но все си обещаваме за следващия път.
Вместо финал
По време и след престоя ни чухме най-разнообразни коментари, критики, забележки, въпроси относно тази ни почивка и мястото. Дали си струва цената, дали не е много пренаселено, дали се спазват противоепидемични мерки и дистанция, дали пък комплексът не е твърде голям и шумен. Истината е, че всеки има свое разбиране за почивка. Но ние се чувствахме добре в Topola Skies и смятаме, че е чудесно място за активна семейна почивка с деца от всяка възраст. Напълно очаквано е такъв мащабен комплекс да има и много посетители, да е оживено. Но за нас стойността, която дава, е желана и отговаря на цената.
Ваканцията ни в Топола Скайс бе осъществена по покана и със съдействието на платформата за резервации LUXURY DISCOUNTS, които непрекъснато следим и за идеи за бъдещи почивки. А ние им обещахме да споделим честно и обективно преживяванията си, което и направихме в тази статия. Ако са ви останали още въпроси за комплекса или за платформата, пишете ни, с радост ще ви отговорим.
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