The biggest piece of advice I can give to parents planning family holidays is this; make it as easy as possible for yourself. If your kids are enjoying themselves, so will you. Their mood reflects yours, it’s that simple. So it’s a case of finding a family-friendly hotel that will give you the best possible odds of achieving all-round happiness for all family members; catering for kids whilst also keeping adults wants and needs in mind. Luckily, I’ve found a hotel that does just that. And the bonus? It’s super stylish and aesthetically pleasing too. Read on for my review of Voya Beach Resort, a stylish family-friendly hotel in St Vlas, Bulgaria.
In partnership with Jet2Holidays, I was lucky enough to enjoy a stay at Voya Beach Resort over May half-term with my best friend and our two sons; aged four and one. Voya Beach Resort is a new addition to the collection of Jet2Holidays to Bulgaria and it’s a real gem.
This blog post is sponsored by Jet2Holidays.
Collection of 4 images provided by Jet2holidays.com
Voya Beach Resort; At a Glance
Voya Beach Resort is a modern 4 star family-friendly hotel in Bulgaria with an All Inclusive Plus offering. It’s vital statistics includes 5 restaurants (2 a la carte), 4 bars, 3 outdoor swimming pools, 2 indoor swimming pools, an aqua park with 5 slides and a kid’s club. All of this, in a golden sandy beachfront location, just 1 hour from Bourgas airport.
Free Child Places
Voya Beach Resort is included in Jet2Holiday’s Free Child Places offer, meaning when two full-paying passengers book a room, one child can holiday for no extra cost. They receive flights, hotel transfers, accommodation and all-inclusive board entirely for free. Free child places are subject to availability so always check this at the point of booking.
Getting There
We experienced Voya Beach Resort as part of a Jet2Holidays package holiday. This meant that our flights, transfers and hotel was all covered in one booking, which gave us maximum peace of mind and convince when travelling with two small children.
I always find Jet2 to be a really child-free airline; we pre-booked our seats and pre-ordered some children’s breakfasts for the early morning flight.
I always appreciate the activity box and snacks that come with the meals, as it’s one extra way to entertain the kids whilst on the flight. We flew from Manchester, where flights to Bulgaria with Jet2 take around 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Travel Tip: Jet2Holidays allow you to check in pushchairs and car seats into the hold of the plane at no extra cost. This applies whether you’re booking a package holiday or flight only.
First Impressions
As we pulled up in the mini van, I was immediately impressed by the bright, white and modern facade of the Voya Beach Resort. Our luggage was immediately unloaded and taken care of by staff, whilst we walked through into the light, spacious and stylish lobby. At check in we were offered a half glass of sparkling wine and the kids were given a little Voya soft toy – such a lovely touch for both adults and children. My son was delighted with his toy and actually carried it round with him the whole week!
We sat down at reception with our drink and after a quick check-in process and helpful orientation, we were given the keys to our room. I loved how the luggage was whisked away for us – I immediately felt lighter and more relaxed.
Travel Tip: The lobby is one of my favourite parts of the hotel and we later discovered it’s the best bar to get your premium brand cocktails from. They did a great Aperol Spritz which we sipped on the lobby balcony, overlooking the pool and glittering sea.
A Family Suite
Upon checking into our room, there were more family-friendly details that I really appreciated. For my friend’s one-year old, a travel cot had been made up in the living area with the sweetest bedding and mini cushion. However, it’s worth mentioning the suite didn’t have a bath (only two showers) so if a bath is important you, be sure to check on the room type.
There was also a gorgeous fruit plate and bottle of rose as an arrival gift, which was also a really nice touch. The family suite had a bight and spacious living room with a pull-out sofa bed, leading onto a balcony. The balcony felt pretty safe and secure for little ones, although we never let them out there unattended.
Then there was a separate bedroom with ensuite, meaning that there was a total of two bathrooms within the suite. As Mums with two little ones, the separate bathrooms and separate rooms to sleep were much appreciated, but this suite would also be ideal for families of 3, 4 and 5.
Travel Tip: Voya Beach Resort is designed in such a way that all balconies are sea-facing, meaning you really can’t end up with a bad view, wherever you’re staying in the hotel.
All-Inclusive Plus
All guests booking Voya Beach Resort with Jet2Holidays stay on an All Inclusive Plus package, which I now realise is a huge selling point of this hotel. As well as being a great way to manage your holiday budget, going all-inclusive with kids means that food and snacks are always readily available when hunger strikes tiny tummies. In terms of the family-friendly aspect, baby formula and baby food is also all-inclusive which saves money and is another way that allows parents to travel lighter.
The quality of the food was fantastic; fresh and full of flavour, and there was always something new to try with the menu changing daily. I particularly liked the themed Bulgarian night with local foods. But the best things about the All Inclusive Plus package is not the buffet, its that the 2 beach-front a la carte restaurants (Blanca and Noble) are also included. This means you can enjoy a slow three course meal and crisp bottle of wine at no extra cost. Children are also welcome at the a la carte restaurants and are catered for with a great kids menu.
Also included in the All Inclusive Plus package are hot drinks, soft drinks, local international and branded wines and spirits.
The Fun Stuff; Pools, Slides and Playgrounds
I loved that Voya Beach Resort had so much on offer for my son to enjoy, meaning I was automatically able to relax and enjoy myself too. Firstly, the two outdoor shallow kid’s pools were fantastic. Children can paddle and splash independently, and parents can relax knowing their little ones are safe. There’s also two indoor heated pools, both of which children can use and one of which is an additional shallow pool.
The on-site aqua park is also a massive selling point of this hotel (both for adults and kids). There’s a total of 5 slides to enjoy on an unlimited basis but it’s important to note that the slides are seasonal (opening in May) and there is a minimum height restriction of 120cm. This meant my son wasn’t able to go on them, but he didn’t seem to mind as there was plenty of other things to do. He loved the pirate-themed adventure playground that felt super-safe and brand new, whilst my friend’s son enjoyed the separate and enclosed toddler playground.
So whilst the kids were too young for the slides, we Mums certainly had fun taking it in turns to whizz down them. They’re definitely for adults too!
A Kid’s Club at no extra cost
Children from ages 4-7 can visit the kid’s club at no extra charge from 1st May to 9th October. This is another huge bonus of the hotel and another way in which parents get a chance to actually relax on their family holiday. There is a morning session (10.00-12.30) and an afternoon session (15.00-17.30) where kids can enjoy arts and crafts, small team games, sports and story time.
My son visited one afternoon and he loved getting his face painted as Spiderman. Whilst my friend’s son was too young to be dropped off, the staff were more than happy for him to visit the kid’s club and also play with some of the toys.
The animation team also run evening events for children such as shows and mini discos which really enhanced my son’s holiday experience too.
The Spa
Visiting the spa was definitely a highlight of the trip. Whilst kids are allowed in the indoor pool area, the spa facilities are adult-only, giving parents the nice option of a kid-free escape during their holiday.
I would definitely recommend booking a spa treatment as this also gets you access to the steam room, sauna and relaxation area. My friend and I both took it in turns to look after the kids so that we could each visit the spa and we booked ourselves a 90 minute treatment which included a traditional hammam and full body massage.
If you’ve never had an authentic Turkish bath experience, this is the place to come. The treatment started with 10 minutes in the sauna to open my pores, after which I was collected by my therapist. The Turkish bath wet room was tiled from floor to ceiling and felt very authentic. I was scrubbed from head to toe under mountains of bubbles before being washed down with hot water. It felt amazing. After the hammam we moved into a treatment room for a heavenly full body massage.
Whilst we spent most of our time running after our two boys, we definitely appreciated taking a couple of hours out and have some time just for us.
Image proviuded by Jet2holidays.com
Golden Sandy Beaches, and beyond
One huge unexpected bonus of a holiday to Bulgaria was discovering how beautiful the beaches were. Sand as soft as the Maldives and the water was incredibly clear and turquoise in the sun. I felt as if I could have been in Greece, Italy or Spain.
Voya Beach Resort is gated and very secure, but it’s also a 1 minute walk from the nearest golden sandy beach. It’s worth noting that these are public beaches, but sun beds are available for hire or you can just pitch up with some towels and go for a dip. There’s a coastal path which connects a couple of small beaches, and if you walk for around 15 minutes you’ll reach St Vlas marina with a larger beach and a few restaurants (although they seemed closed when we visited perhaps due to it being the low season).
I would say that beyond the beaches and marina, there isn’t a huge amount of other things to do in the area, which feels mostly like residential apartments or holiday homes. Sunny Beach is also a 15 minute drive from the hotel but I didn’t get the best impression of it after driving through. If you want to get out and explore some of Bulgaria during your trip beyond St Vlas, I’d recommend exploring the coastline to the right of St Vlas rather than the left.
What did you think this review of Voya Beach Resort? Feel free to ask further questions about the hotel or experience in the comment box and we’ll answer them as quickly as possible.
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