Best Alternative To Ibiza Right Now

Europe's favourite new party city?

Best Alternative To Ibiza Right Now

While Ibiza and Magaluf are still young revellers’ destinations of choice, as the Fyre Festival Fiasco showed, in this day and age all it takes is an influencer to recline somewhere nice and it’s liable to become a tourist hotspot.

As reported by News.com.au, “Young tourists seeking booze and sex have found a new location — a place called Sunny Beach where, according to visitors, anything goes.”

This beachside resort is located on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coastline, a place formerly known for chilled out water sports and the like, but which is now experiencing a deluge of visitors.

Facilitated by the rise of budget airlines, travellers are flocking to this sun-drenched escape, chilling out by day at Sunny Beach (the cheapest resort in Europe) and partying by night at Bedroom Beach (one of the more lavish, expensive clubs in Europe).

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bedroom Beach (@bedroombeach) on

Thanks to this, the resort town has become a veritable Ibiza Alternative. But it’s about as far away from a hippie ‘collective’ as it’s possible to be, attracting local and international influencers alike.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Cristina Zayats (@cristinazayats) on

From Cristina Zayats (a dance teacher, model and Instagram phenomenon with 16.5k followers) to smaller time Bulgarian social media users (like Marina Pivovarchik) showcasing Sunny Beach’s beauty, it’s no surprise that the number of tourists visiting the town is on the rise.

Oh and the love for Sunny Beach isn’t just limited to sun-seeking Brits and Bulgarian influencers, with Jenna Stella, a French dancer telling her followers she comes to this getaway as often as possible.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 🎀 J E N N A S T E L L A 🎀 (@jennastella.gogo) on

As reported by The Sun, “More than 281,000 Brits visited Bulgaria in 2017 — most of whom went straight to Sunny Beach.” Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s Tourism Minister says the number of US visitors visiting Bulgaria rose 10.4% in 2018, and Balkan Insight statistics suggest numbers have been on the rise since at least 2015.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Apartments Sunny Beach (@apartments_sunny_beach_) on

A tranquil coastal paradise with a bit of fun on the side? Alas, not anymore.

While Tripadvisor reviews from as recently as 2012 marvel at the place’s class, with Ryan Thomas from the UK remarking: “It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen… everyone was extremely well dressed, no one… drunk slapping around making a fool out themselves,” it appears that is no longer the case.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by J e s s i 🌸 (@jessissue) on

Recent reports suggest the place will go the same way as Kuta, Magaluf and Ibiza, with Brits who have worked summer seasons there claiming to have witnessed unbelievably wild antics, “Including mass nudity, public brawls and crazy drunken excess,” (News.com.au).

While those exact qualities may attract a certain type of traveller, if you’ve outgrown paint and foam parties then may we suggest these luxurious off grid escapes, designed specifically to quiet the modern traveller’s mind.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by José Magalhães (@mejogueidemochila) on

From Sweden’s Ice Hotel (for a total escape) to Portugal’s sunny Algarve (for a getaway with a vibrant-but-not-overbearing party scene), there’s something for everyone.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ICEHOTEL Sweden (@icehotelsweden) on

Read Next