Sozopol has two hotels in the top official category for a beach stay: a 45-room hotel with a sea-view infinity pool, set on the Old Town waterfront by its own description, and a holiday village with beach access and apartments. Primorsko adds four more, most with children's pool areas and three selling all-inclusive plans.
The south coast in brief
Sozopol and Primorsko are both in Burgas province, on the southern stretch of Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. Between them they have six hotels in the top official category. Some of them do not publish a room total, so ask each hotel which room types are free for your dates.
The two towns lean different ways. Sozopol's pair sell bed and breakfast or half board, while three of Primorsko's four sell an all-inclusive plan. The Sozopol hotels say more about spa, apartments and setting; the Primorsko hotels say more about pools, slides and beach distance.
So choose by how you want to spend the day: around a spa, or around a big pool with the children. For the rest of the coast, see the Bulgaria hotel guide.
Sozopol
Both Sozopol hotels in the top official category are small, and they suit quite different trips.
Blu Bay Hotel has 45 rooms and calls itself a boutique hotel. It describes its setting as Sozopol's Old Town, on the waterfront by the marina and a few steps from the beach, at 15 Kraibrezhna Street. Wellness leads: a rooftop infinity pool with a sea view, a hammam, a sauna, massages, a Technogym fitness room open around the clock, and yoga. The Boca Grande restaurant is on site. It lists no children's facilities, so it suits couples and friends more than families.
Check availability at Blu Bay Hotel
Saint Thomas Holiday Village does not publish a room total. The hotel places itself at Nos Humata in the Arkutino area of Sozopol, built in the Old Sozopol style, and says vehicles are kept out of the resort for quiet. Its eight apartment buildings hold one and two-bedroom apartments with a kitchen corner, but have no lift, which matters with a buggy.
By the hotel's own description, facilities include two restaurants (one with a large sea-view terrace, plus La Cantina, an Italian restaurant), an indoor pool, a spa centre with massages and treatments, a gym and two conference rooms. Children get a playroom, a playground, animators and a kindergarten. The hotel says one beach is part of the complex and reached by shuttle, a second lies right next to it, and guests get sunbeds and parasols.
Check availability at Saint Thomas Holiday Village
Primorsko
Primorsko's four hotels in the top official category are more pool-led, and two describe themselves as family-friendly.
Belvedere Alexandria Club Hotel stands at 1 Briz Street. It lists two outdoor pools, one of them semi-Olympic, a pool with three water slides, a children's pool with slides, a kids club, animation and a conference centre. For water-loving children, it has the fullest list of the six.
Check availability at Belvedere Alexandria Club Hotel
Jeravi Alexandria Club Hotel gives 103 rooms at 11 Neptun Street, 80 m from the beach, the most of the six that publish a room total. Its outdoor pool measures 40 by 15 m and has a children's section, with a pool bar and lobby bar alongside. It calls itself family-friendly but lists no kids club.
Check availability at Jeravi Alexandria Club Hotel
Perla Luxury in Primorsko has 85 rooms at 19 Georgi Kondolov Street and gives the shortest beach distance of the six: 20 m. It lists three outdoor pools and a children's section with a slide. Ask the hotel which meal plans it offers, as it does not state one.
Perla Royal, from the same Perla Hotels group, gives 62 double rooms and apartments at 3 Saedinenie Street. It lists three outdoor mineral-water pools, a lobby bar and a pool bar. Ask about spa facilities and children's areas, as none are listed.
Check availability at Perla Royal
Where to stay
| Hotel | Town | Rooms | Beach | Official category | Board | Suits | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Thomas (Sveti Toma) Holiday Village Hotel | Sozopol | 59, plus apartments | Beach in the complex, by shuttle | 5-star | BB, HB | Families, apartment stays | View hotel |
| Blu Bay Hotel | Sozopol | 45 | Steps from the beach, says the hotel | 5-star | BB | Couples, spa time | View hotel |
| Belvedere Alexandria Club Hotel | Primorsko | 186 | ask the hotel | 5-star | AI | Families who love slides | View hotel |
| Jeravi Alexandria Club Hotel | Primorsko | 123 | 80 m | 5-star | AI | Families | View hotel |
| Perla Luxury | Primorsko | 85 | 20 m | 5-star | ask the hotel | Beach-first stays | View hotel |
| Perla Royal | Primorsko | 64 | ask the hotel | 5-star | AI | Mineral-water pools | View hotel |
Board codes: AI is all-inclusive, HB half board and BB bed and breakfast. Confirm the plan for your room and dates when you book.
Getting there
Routes and journey times depend on where you start, so plan the last leg with your hotel before you book. A few practical points come from the hotels themselves:
- Blu Bay Hotel says it offers airport transfers and has parking for all guests.
- Saint Thomas Holiday Village does not allow vehicles inside the resort, so ask where you can park or be dropped off, and how far that is from your room or apartment.
- The four Primorsko hotels do not list transfers, so ask each one whether it can arrange a pick-up.
If you plan to hire a car, ask about parking when you book, and if you travel with a buggy, ask about lifts and ground-floor rooms.
From Burgas Airport, public transport takes two stages, while a fixed-fare taxi does the trip in one:
- Airport to Burgas: city bus 15 costs 0.80 EUR, paid on board, or 0.66 EUR with the e-wallet.
- Burgas to Sozopol: buses leave Burgas Yug bus station, sector 5, typically every 30 minutes between about 5:00 and 21:30. A one-way ticket is 3.37 EUR on the January 2026 tariff; under 7s travel free and ages 7 to 14 pay half.
- Taxi instead: EkoTaxiBurgas, the airport's exclusive taxi provider, charges a fixed 70 EUR one way to Sozopol or 85 EUR to Primorsko.
For Primorsko by bus, no official fare is published, so check locally.
Prices checked October 2026.
Ready to choose? Compare every top-category hotel in Sozopol and Primorsko.
Questions
Is Sozopol a good base for a beach holiday?
Yes, if a small hotel suits you. Sozopol's two hotels in the top official category are Blu Bay Hotel, with 45 rooms on the Old Town waterfront by its own description, and Saint Thomas Holiday Village, which says one beach is part of its complex and another lies right next to it.
Which is better for families, Sozopol or Primorsko?
Both work, in different ways. Primorsko has Belvedere Alexandria Club Hotel, with water slides, a children's pool and a kids club, and Jeravi Alexandria Club Hotel, with a children's pool section 80 m from the beach. In Sozopol, Saint Thomas Holiday Village offers apartments, playgrounds, a kindergarten and animators.
Can I stay in an apartment rather than a hotel room?
Yes, at Saint Thomas Holiday Village in Sozopol. The hotel says it has eight apartment buildings with one and two-bedroom apartments of 45 to 85 m², each with a kitchen corner, and apartment guests can use all hotel services. It also says those buildings have no lift.
Which hotels on the south coast have a spa?
Both Sozopol hotels describe one. Blu Bay Hotel lists a hammam, a sauna, massages and spa and wellness facilities, and Saint Thomas Holiday Village a spa centre with massages and treatments. The four Primorsko hotels list pools but no spa details, so ask them directly if spa time matters to you.
Do the hotels offer airport transfers?
Blu Bay Hotel in Sozopol says it does, and it has parking for all guests. For the other five, ask when you book. If you are driving to Saint Thomas Holiday Village, note that the hotel does not allow vehicles inside the resort, so check where to park.
