While Velingrad is being increasingly known as the Spa Capital of the Balkans due to its 80 mineral springs with 15 kinds of water, another factor is also coming into play in Bulgaria – the advent of Luxury accommodation. How you have the exclusive opportunity to invest in Velingrad.

History of Luxury Accommodation in Bulgaria

Up to about 20 years ago, if you were looking for luxury accommodation in Bulgaria then you were looking in the wrong country! There are many tales around of football teams and countries having been drawn to play in Bulgaria being less than impressed by the best standard of accommodation that was offered to them.

About 20 years ago, the Hilton in Sofia was constructed, which raised the standard of accommodation and the Sofia Grand Hotel quickly followed. Now there is no shortage of good 5-star hotels in Sofia to choose from.

Outside the capital, the only true 5-star hotel that was available was the Kempinski in Bansko which is very popular during the skiing season but also as a four seasons hotel for Bulgarians and foreigners alike.

State of Tourist Travel in Bulgaria

Historically, Bulgaria was known for its cheap summer sun resorts in Sunny Beach (near Burgas) and Golden Sands (near Varna) and low-cost skiing in Bansko, Borovets (just an hour from Sofia) and Pamporovo (1 hour and 30 min from Plovdiv). These tourist resorts do not tend to attract tourists with a large disposable income but are very popular with many tourists who arrive in charter flights in search of a lot of fun at a very affordable price.

Sadly, Bulgaria is still known for this type of holiday despite the fantastic Spa, Wine and Historical Attractions that are available in the country. This is partially due to the focus of the tourist board but also lack of marketing by the individual resorts.

Sofia has become very popular for short stays due to the cheap flights offered by EasyJet, RyanAir and WizzAir. Many tourists chose to stay in AirBnb accommodation as the hotels have become more costly in Sofia.

Current Luxury Hotels in Bulgaria

Over the last few years, a number of real 5-star hotels have been constructed in Bulgaria which are mainly used by the ever-growing list of upper middle-class Bulgarians, although Romanians are familiar with these resorts as well. Apologies if any are missed out.

Black Sea Coast

Black Sea Rama – situated 2 hours drive north of Varna quite close to the Romanian border. This is a sister hotel to the Zornitza (see below) and is very popular with Golfers from all over Europe due to having its own championship course and being very close to two other 4 hotels with championship courses. The hotel is around a 6-hour drive from Sofia.

Villa Chinka – is located a short drive from Varna and has around a dozen rooms which are very nice indeed. The hotel is popular around the world, especially with models who come for photo shoots. The hotel is around a 5-hour drive from Sofia.

Blue Bay – is located right in the centre of the historic town of Sozopol about 30 minutes south of Burgas. It is perhaps the best traditional hotel on the Black Sea coast and is very popular during the summer months. The hotel is around a 4-hour drive from Sofia.

Wine Resorts

Bononia Estate Winery & Resort is a boutique tourist complex on the banks of the Danube, an addition to the winery and vineyards of Bononia Estate. The hotel is close to Vidin in the north-west of Bulgaria. Note, that unlike other countries on the Danube, Bulgaria makes very little of the tourist opportunities offered by the great river. The hotel is around a 3-hour drive from Sofia.

Zornitza Family Estate – located close to the Greek border on the highway to Thessaloniki in Greece. The resort is part of the Relais & Châteaux organization which keeps the standards very high. The hotel has many activities both inside and outside the hotel to keep you occupied. The hotel is around a 2-hour drive from Sofia.

SPA Reports

Kashmir – is in Velingrad and has recently been constructed in a forest and has a fantastic Spa and excellent staff. It has an adult only policy which makes the resort very quiet. The Kashmir has taken the Velingrad hotel scene to a different level. The hotel is around a 2-hour drive from Sofia.

Kings’ Valley Medical & Spa Hotel is another new hotel located close to Kazanluk about 40 minutes drive from the central city of Stara Zagora. In a few months this hotel has become very popular with families and couples alike due to its amazing Spa and swimming pool facilities. This hotel is partnered with the Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia and Grand Hotel Sofia hotels in Sofia. The hotel is around a 2-hour drive from Sofia.

Ski-Resorts

Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko – The hotel is located right next to the Gondola lift station, in peaceful surrounding – only 15 minutes walking distance from the old town of Bansko. The hotel is very busy during the ski- season but is becoming more popular all year round. The hotel is around a 2.5-hour drive from Sofia.

Sofia

There are plenty of options of good 5-star hotels in Sofia including the Hyatt Regency Sofia, Sense Hotel Sofia, Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia, InterContinental Sofia, Grand Hotel Sofia and the Hilton so it may depend on your loyalty program which hotel you prefer.

Exclusive Opportunity to Invest in Velingrad

As you can see, there are very few top-class hotels outside of Sofia and there is already a great demand for luxury vacation resorts in Bulgaria for the following reasons:

• Bulgarians are beginning to adopt the European short break philosophy and require accommodation a couple of hours from Sofia.
• There are now many more middle-class Bulgarians who want to experience top class facilities and service.
• Even in the summer, there is greater demand for SPA type hotels rather than beach hotels.
• Tourists want to visit destinations a couple of hours’ drive from Sofia with a high standard of facilities.

At the moment the only the Kashmir hotel in Velingrad that meets the luxury requirements but only has a capacity of 100 rooms, while the Kings’ Valley Medical & Spa Hotel has 300 rooms but is not located in the well-known Spa Capital of the Balkans.

The  Zora Hotel offer meets all the above requirements, with full planning permission on the last remaining large plot in Velingrad and would be the exclusive opportunity to invest in Velingrad and own/manage a large top-class hotel in the ideal location in Bulgaria.

Full planning permission has recently been permitted for a new Spa hotel in Velingrad – the Spa capital of the Balkans.

The property is less than four kilometres away from the Velingrad centre, with a total area of 20,000 m 2 the land currently houses a built-up existing hotel area: 924 m² with an external existing pool area: 210 m².

The property is less than four kilometres away from the Velingrad centre. It currently comprises a 2 star hotel building, a shooting ground, an external swimming pool and a summer cocktail bar, all of them having The 4-storey hotel building has 22 spacious rooms, 1 luxurious apartment, a beautiful garden and a typical Bulgarian cuisine restaurant. There is also a possibility to obtain mineral water from the hot mineral spring located nearby.

The new Urban Plan for Regulation, which entered into force in 2023, provides for construction of a NEW 4-story building in the property, intended for hotel complex with maximum allowed total build-up area of the Hotel complex – 14 000 m 2 vastly expanding the possibilities for hospitality in the future.

The property is for sale as a whole or as a joint venture.