by Lonely Planet author Leif Pettersen

Costinesti, Neptun-Olimp, Jupiter, Cap Aurora, Venus and Saturn

Black Sea Northern Dobrogea

This length of strung together resorts extends the reverie options for several kilometres south from the Efories.

Costinesti, where if you're over 30, you're going to feel, very, very elderly, is the only resort without a cliff backing.

Next is the double resort of Neptun-Olimp, which was the exclusive resort of that jackass Ceausescu and his Communist cronies until 1989. There’s still an older, moneyed air to these attractive resorts, filled with affluent Romanians and some well-strapped Western tourists. There are two artificial lakes (Neptun I & II), ensconced in a lush forest, separating the resorts from the sea. If you arrive here from (or depart for) Constanta by maxitaxi, be warned that the main road is a 3km slog from the resort. Catering to their upscale patrons, Neptun-Olimp have plenty of choice restaurants, clubs and shops.

Moving south is Jupiter, yet another youth hang-out, with an artificial lake and a nice beach. Some improvements have been made here recently, setting it apart from its neighbors.

Cap Aurora is the coast’s smallest resort, with some nice spots, but otherwise unremarkable.

Venus is marginally more family oriented while Saturn has the least-expensive hotels on the coast, mainly in Mamaia-like high-rise concrete blocks. Saturn has also made a name for itself as a treatment centre for locomotor and (cough) gynaecological problems.

With the exception of Jupiter, these four resorts are generally past their prime compared to the resorts to the north.

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