Most people I know do not believe that the Black Sea shore can be crystal clear. And they have reasons. Popular sea resorts are overcrowded and, therefore, quite dirty. But there are still some perfectly clean secluded places. And Katranka is one of them.
A tiny resort in the south of Odesa Oblast, close to the Romania border, the village of Katranka was founded in Soviet times. Part of a bigger Lyman village, Katranka offers little tourist infrastructure, but its wonderful nature is a generous compensation.
When going to Katranka, prepare to see pelicans flying over one’s head like pigeons. Pelicans, as well as herons, wild ducks and swans are the inhabitants of the firth that separates Katranka from the sea shore.
Getting to the beach means having to cross the firth every day using one of two bridges. The bridges are old and wonky but it’s easy to forget about it when watching beautiful bird flocks and sunsets at the firth.
The beach is another gem of Katranka. It is wide and long, and most importantly, there are very few beachgoers present. It’s easy to find a spot where there is no one but seagulls at least 70 meters around.
At the beach observing nature continues with dolphins that often pop up to the sea surface. According to locals, sometimes the mammals come closer and play with the swimmers. It never happened to me though.
Unfortunately, huge violet jellyfishes were more frequent guests. Their presence makes swimming in Katranka a bit adventurous, as they can sting when touched.
Even though the resort is rather quiet, one can still get some classic water entertainments on the beach like banana boating or jet skiing. But on top of all – the place is a real paradise for fishermen. Any season and any time of the day the firth and the sea are full of fish. So bringing a fishing rod to Katranka is a good idea.
One of the best advantages of Katranka is its cheapness. It is cheap even on Ukrainian level.
A “luxury” suite, which is actually a normal room with a bathroom, a fridge and AC, goes for $20 per night. At the very end of August we paid some $15 per night for one of such at Chaika hotel because the season was at its end. The price for the simplest rooms begins at $4 per night; but low price means using common bathroom.
Wondering about the cons of Katranka? There is one – finding dinner.
There are no real cafes here. The closest to it are the street vendors who sell beer and dried fish, but can fry some meat to order.
A good option is to pay for the three times meals in the hotel. Chaika charged only Hr 26 per day for breakfast and dinner. Both included one dish, tea and a modest dessert (like a couple of cookies with jam or butter). And Hr 50 for lunch, which included a bowl of soup, some meat or fish with a side dish and a drink.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as choosing what to eat – one just has to go with what is offered today.
Cooking is an alternative. That’s what most of people here do, so every little hotel has a kitchen. Local markets and grocery stores don’t provide good supply of fresh fruits, greens and meat.
The beauty of Katranka is that no matter what, a trip here is going to be very, very cheap. It simply doesn’t offer anything to spend extra money on. We went to the place by car and stayed for a week. The whole trip, including housing and food for a week at Katranka and the gas we needed to get there and come back to Kyiv cost us less than 350$. Not too much for a quiet vacation near a beautiful sea, right?
Katranka trip budget
$100 for car fuel from Kyiv and back (630 kilometers)
$95 for seven nights in a hotel
$140 for food
Kyiv Post staff writer Daryna Shevchenko can be reached at [email protected].
