Roussalka

ROUSSALKA - a holiday compound, situated in Taukliman Bay (Birds Bay), Rocky coast, a nice sandy beach. Small neat cottages built in clusters, one next to another or one above another. Hot mineral water, peloid.

Better known as the home of Club Med this pretty bay is called Tauk Liman (Bay of Birds) and its rock and cave formations do indeed attract large numbers of winged creatures. When the Rusalka holiday village opened in 1968 the national media proclaimed "One more pearl on the Bulgarian coast." The site was ideal, and exclusive, enough to attract the interest of trendy Club Med, which opened two years later. Since then, the chapter has gained dubious fame as one of the worldwide chain's least-known facilities. It's familiar enough, though, to the many French, Belgian, Dutch, and other international members who frequent the secluded spot.
The compound has 522 sea-facing bungalow/villas - which architecturally resemble Veliko Turnovo-style houses - sprinkled along the shoreline and up the steep wooded hillside. While the setting is lovely and romantic, the abundance of rocky coves and inlets doesn't leave much space for a sandy beach; in fact, there is none to speak of. Sun and sea worshippers instead have all those shallow inlets and coves to play in, plus several large crags a quick swim from shore for more discreet sunning. Legend has it that pirates were also fond of all those tucked-away inlets and caves and used them to stash away their treasures.
The treasures to be found today are not silver ingots or gold necklaces but amenities - sailing and boating, skin diving and mud balneology, tennis and archery, plus lots of socializing for which Club Med is famous. Club Med's most recent ten-year lease agreement in 1990 includes plans for developing golf courses, which would be the first in Bulgaria. The French company also intends for its Bulgarian operation to serve as a regional center for resort development in other Eastern European countries.
For non-members, the good news is that this once-exclusive domain catering to the "swinging single" set has recently opened its doors to the general public.
Vicinity
The dead-end road that drops down to Rusalka branches off from the coast road at the village of SVETI NIKOLA (Saint Nicholas) some seven kilometers northeast of Bulgarevo. Locals say the name of their village derives from a legend connected with someone who used to light the way for ships passing through the dangerous waters; hence, sailors said it was "Saint Nicholas who lights our way" (interestingly, the word sveti, when accented differently, means both "saint" and "light"). The stretch of coastline from Kaliakra to Kamen Bryag, which includes Rusalka, also includes the Yailata reserve. This elongated bluff about a kilometer long by 200 meters wide has sheer cliff faces pockmarked with over 100 caves - some natural, others man-made. Also carved into the rock is a necropolis of 28 tombs, as well as a church with several chambers. It is thought that Yailata was a sanctuary for ancient Greeks who considered it a holy mountain.

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