The ideal combination of sea air and the aroma of the resin of the famous Pitsunda pine would be enough to glorify this small village on the Russian Black Sea coast - Divnomorskoye. And what a name – sonorous, telling! Being part of the resort area of Greater Gelendzhik, the village is no less in demand from year to year both among Russians and guests visiting from abroad. A beneficial climate with mild air (pine thickets stretch along the entire edge of the coast), warm sea waters, and a well-developed tourist infrastructure provide such attractiveness.
Residents of megalopolises especially love Divnomorskoye: there is no industry, houses are surrounded by lush gardens, vineyards stretch over large areas, there is a wide choice not only in the private hotel fund, but also among recreation complexes, including student ones. The old name of the village - False Gelendzhik - does not carry a negative meaning; it’s just that a hundred years ago, sailors, when approaching the shore, mistook the lights of the bay for Gelendzhik Bay. But both guides and local residents will be happy to tell you the story of Russian-Turkish battles in these waters, when it was the waters of Divnomorskoye that diverted enemy fire and thereby contributed to victory. For many Russians who come here on vacation, the fact that it is here that the courtyard of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra with the image of St. Sergius of Radonezh and a particle of his incorruptible relics kept there is of considerable importance. The geography of the village is not limited to the sea and pine thickets. It is also rich in rivers - Mezyb and Aderba flow into the sea, forming the Inogua River, at the mouth of which Divnomorskoe is located. The village itself is small - just over 6,000 people, but in the summer you can get from here not only to Gelendzhik, but also to Novorossiysk, Dzhanhot and Krasnodar, fortunately the traffic flow increases both due to minibuses and additional regular buses.
The most interesting thing is that everyone is happy with Divnomorsk: mothers and fathers with their kids, young people dreaming of “getting away” on vacation, elderly spouses looking for an ecologically clean place in nature and everyday amenities. No one bothers anyone, there is enough sea and beach for everyone. By the way, the beaches here are pebbly and it is believed that the water near the shore is the cleanest compared to other resorts on the coast. Many parents prefer pebbles so as not to shake out the ubiquitous sand from their children’s sandals and panties after each visit to the sea. Besides the pebbles in these places are not large, and the seabed is sandy, just ideal for swimming children. The beach is located on a gently sloping shore, smoothly turning into the water's edge, which, by the way, warms up quite quickly. And, if we talk about beaches, we should note a feature: Divnomorskoe has its own nudist area, nestled under a cliff. An advantageous natural difference of the village is its mountainous environment, thanks to which the valley is much warmer and the weather is more even compared to the settlements located in the area. The issue of temporary residence is resolved in the village without any problems: hotels and rental apartments are available for family tourists, and tourist centers for young people. When choosing a hotel, parents with children should take into account the location of nightclubs and cafes, because in the summer there is music until the morning. In addition to natural advantages, in the vicinity of the village there is something to see, created by human hands. For example, the most ancient structures are dolmens, as well as burial mounds. If you are not too lazy and go to the neighboring village of Praskoveevka, you can admire the Parus rock with your own eyes and take beautiful photographs. For those who like to not only lie on the shore, but also make forays into nature, we can recommend a hike to the largest mixed forest of the Black Sea region - Dzhankhotsky Bor, which occupies 950 hectares. Don't think that the village is poor in entertainment. Great competition encourages the administrations of all resorts to invest not only in landscaping, but also in the entertainment sector. Thus, Divnomorsk is rightfully proud of its embankment - of course, not as grandiose as in Gelendzhik itself, but no less neat and beautiful. And what would a resort be without its own water park - the village has one. Do you want to visit the Golden Bay, the Oceanarium or the Safari Park? You can take one or two days to visit Gelendzhik, where all this is located. And there are enough restaurants, cafes, shops and other necessary places in Divnomorsk.
We vacationed in Divnomorskoe from August 16-25, 2016 with a large family - parents, my husband and I, and two children - 7.5 years old and 1 year 10 months. We arrived by car from Ryazan. (my husband, as a railway worker, and children rode for free on a high-speed branded train to Novorossiysk, where my parents and I met them in a car). Accommodation was booked in advance (back in May) on the website. We needed either a room with 2 rooms or a 2-room apartment. We stopped looking for an apartment. I liked the option on O. Koshevoy, 15. For a day in August they asked for 4000. (from August 1-16 -4500, from August 17 to 31 -4000) Apartment with access to a private garden next to the balcony, 1st floor. In the garden there was a barbecue, sun loungers, a clothes dryer, figs, nuts, prunes, pears, and persimmons grew. The nuts (hazelnuts) ripened and fell in large quantities; we ate them until we were full). The apartment itself did not disappoint - as the owners promised, there was everything you needed - Wi-Fi, bed linen, 2 large sofas (sleep 4) + a small children's sofa, in the other room there is also a large sofa, so we (6 people) were comfortably accommodated. Lots of dishes (and very good ones!) lots of cabinets, 2 air conditioners, washing machine. car, hot water constantly (water heater in the form of a gas water heater). BUT, probably because of the 1st floor, during the mass washing of people in this house (in the evening, at lunch) sometimes the water pressure was not enough to automatically ignite the water heater, and hot water flowed intermittently. There was also not enough pressure when someone was washing dishes in the kitchen, the machine was washing, and you were washing. Therefore, we did not turn on other sources of water while swimming) It was best to wash early in the morning or late in the evening - then there was enough pressure. It was certainly not convenient.. Otherwise, the apartment left a very pleasant impression - clean, plenty of space, not noisy. You can't hear any noise from the embankment or the cafe. If motorcyclists were riding, they could close the plastic windows, turn on the air conditioning and sleep. For a family with children - just right.Advice - when you book accommodation in advance, ask for the street and house number, and look at these houses on the map of Divnomoskoye (on the same Yandex maps) + use a ruler to measure the distance to the sea (for example, the beach of the Energetik boarding house). On Yandexmaps there is such a ruler, put point A and point B and see the distance between them. There are sites where a dot is placed automatically at the location of the apartment, and you see how many real meters from the apartment to the sea there are, and not how many the owners told you. It is known that owners tend to underestimate this distance by half. In our case, according to the map, the beach was 1.1 km away, but we didn’t like this particular beach, and we went to the far one, which is another +400 meters minimum. Therefore, walking to the beach with children, with a stroller, in the heat of + 39 degrees took we have 30-40 minutes. Tiring.
Here’s another piece of advice: before booking, study the map of Divnomoskoe. Not all streets are on the plain, some go uphill, and uphill is good. We were lucky - our house was still on the plain, but the houses with numbers higher up this street were uphill. It was hard to look at parents with small children, with strollers, toys, circles and mattresses, drenched in sweat, dragging all this stuff up the mountain. And the heat in the morning already started at 30+ degrees, by lunchtime it was already +35-39 in the shade. Such a trip uphill in the heat will obviously not improve anyone’s health. Be sure to take this point into account BEFORE booking so as not to be disappointed and look for other accommodation on the plain)
Despite the car, driving it to the sea is problematic. Naturally, you can’t drive along the embankment, and the road to the embankment is densely lined with cars on all sides - mostly with Krasnodar license plates - “owners”, damn it. The streets are narrow, 1 car wide in one direction. There are a lot of one-way streets - keep an eye on this so you don’t run into a brick for some local horseman. Therefore, it is better to immediately forget about driving a car to the sea - it will bring nothing but nerves, twitching, pushing in traffic jams. We had our own parking space near the entrance, which was locked with a padlock and chain - and this is a big plus, because the courtyards are heavily crowded with cars.
We went on excursions to Abrau-Durso, Novorossiysk, Gelendzhik (water park, safari park). The water park is gorgeous, it’s not for nothing that it is considered the largest in Russia. Ticket price is 1400 for adults, 650 for children - but it's worth it! The only killer was the huge traffic jams before and after Gelendzhik (road repairs), at the entrance to Novorossiysk, in the city itself, and along the mountain serpentines, everyone often trails each other. We wanted to go to Dzhubga, Arkhipo-Osipovka, and many other places, but when we saw a traffic jam in Dzhubga for 14 km on Yandexmaps, we tempered our ardor and limited ourselves to what I wrote.
The beaches in Divnoye leave much to be desired - narrow, with very large pebbles, and crowded. The good news was that for the first 5-7 days the sea was perfectly clean. And very warm. The water temperature was 26-28 degrees; according to locals, the sea rarely warmed up like that. Even children entered the sea without getting used to it. But 3 days before our departure, according to the same locals, there was a downpour in the mountains, there was a storm at sea, and a lot of garbage washed up on the seashore - sticks, bottles, jars of yogurt. In the morning we came to the sea and didn’t recognize it... there was so much garbage near the shore. Even 20-30 m from the shore, a moldy mayonnaise bucket floated next to me. The spectacle is terrible. I was very worried about the little one, just in case he caught something. Again, according to rumors from vacationers, it was from August 22-23 that people began to suffer from intestinal infections - everyone was vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Ambulances with flashing lights often flashed through the streets of Divnoye. It’s good that we left soon, but upon arriving home the children had an upset stomach and vomiting. Acclimatization or E. coli - we can only guess. We saved ourselves with “Baktisubtil” and “Enterofuril” - everything went away.
We ate 50/50 - half at home, half at the Kurortnoye+ cafe. The cafe is really decent, everything is clean, tidy, the portions are fresh - this can be seen both with the naked eye and by the menu that changes every day. It was not scary to feed the little one. There is nothing to say about the “eateries” with shawarma on the embankment and under awnings - flies land on the barbecue, and the sellers drive them away with the palm of their hand. Once we ate shawarma near the Ogonyok cafe, and there in the square near the Olympic Cheburek - we couldn’t resist trying unhealthy food. There was nothing bad, but of course we didn’t give it to the children. The stomachs of adults coped)
We took capsules of probiotics, prebiotics (Linex, Acipol, etc.) with us for prevention, both we and the children drank daily. Only purchased water, in bottles on tap, or at the local Magnit. At "Magnit" we bought food for cooking at home, and everyone seemed to be alive and well. But still look at the expiration dates of products - especially milk and sausages)
It’s impossible to say that Divnomorsk surprised us in any way. A small resort town (more like a village). You can walk around it length and breadth in the first 2 days. The main entertainment in Gelendzhik. But for a relaxing family holiday with children, it is suitable. Therefore, in principle, we were satisfied. But for some reason I don’t feel like going back there anymore; we’ll continue to explore new places on the Black Sea coast next time)
At the mouth of the Inogua River near the Black Sea is the village of Divnomorskoe (Divnomorsk). Hidden by the Caucasus Mountains, it has been attracting tourists for over a hundred years. It’s not for nothing that the village is called that – the sea here is truly marvelous. When a competition was held for the best name of the village, it was suggested by vacationers who admired the beauty of the sea surface.
Divnomorsk – healing and clean
The region has a mild subtropical climate. Summer is dry, winter has a lot of rain. The holiday season lasts from May to October, when the air temperature averages 25-30°C, water temperature – up to 28°C. There are almost no cold north-eastern winds, so it is comfortable here even in autumn.
Coniferous forests make the area unique. The one-of-a-kind Dzhankhotsky pine forest, made from the famous relict Pitsunda pine, makes the air fresh and healing. This is facilitated by the lack of industrial enterprises and major highways in the neighborhood.
The sea is transparent. The bay is protected from alluvial mud by rocky spurs, which are quickly carried away by water flows from the mountains. The beaches are pebble, and you can settle down on the established ones on the embankment, or move a little further away and sunbathe on the wild ones, which are no worse.
Tourist Divnomorsk
The resort is one of the most popular on the Russian coast thanks to its amenities aimed specifically at tourist recreation.
There are many hotels, bases and boarding houses designed for both young people and the elderly and families with children. For those wishing to improve their health, sanatoriums with modern treatment programs await you.
The main place for festivities is the embankment, where bars and restaurants, attractions for children and adults are located, many entertainment venues operate in the “open air” format. There is banana boat rides, scuba diving, rental of jet skis, bicycles, scooters, go-karts, and horseback riding. Routes have been laid out for those who prefer to have an active holiday. You can fly with a parachute or go on an extreme trip in a jeep or even an armored personnel carrier. In the summer months, Luna Park comes and a small water park opens its doors. Those who like to dance are invited to the popular club for young people “Kakadu”.
Numerous excursions are offered - from a trip to the homeland of Russian champagne to a visit to the estate of the Korolenko family and a unique natural attraction - the Parus rock. Orthodox Christians will appreciate the Metochion of the Trinity-Sergei Lavra, which stores the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh. If you like to explore everything on your own, big cities are easily accessible by bus or minibus.
We present the private sector, Divnomorskoe boarding houses without extra charges, 2019 prices from the owners. You can read the description of the rooms, infrastructure and make a reservation.
The entire coastline is occupied by boarding houses and sanatoriums, so the mini-hotels are located at a short distance from the beaches, although the absolute distances are not that great. It is best to settle in the private sector in the northern part along Kurortnaya Street, running from the embankment to the Fakel sanatorium.
A dynamically developing resort, it has gained popularity in recent years and is not inferior to Gelendzhik. Many choose Divnomorsk for its clean embankments, beaches, unique nature and the famous Golden Bay water park - the largest in Russia, with exclusive water complexes even by the standards of Eastern Europe.
The village of Divnomorskoye is a very comfortable private sector and guest houses; guests can count on good service. There will always be many cafes, restaurants with local and European cuisine, pharmacies, and other important facilities nearby - they all fit perfectly into the region. The area has not lost its former pristine nature and allows you to enjoy nature and the crystal clear sea.
Average prices for holidays in Divnomorskoye in 2019
Prices are per room per night without meals
How to get there
The village of Divnomorskoye is located along the bed of the Inogua River, which is filled with water by the mountain tributaries Mezyb and Aderba. The coast is washed by open water, i.e. The coastline is flat without sudden changes. The M4 Don federal highway is also remote from the village, thereby not having any negative impact on the local ecology. Although such remoteness definitely affects the convenience of the transfer.
The only large settlement is the city of Gelendzhik, which is about 12 km away. The bulk of vacationers travel through it. There is a regular bus between Gelendzhik and Divnomorskoe. Also, during the holiday season from May to October, regular routes are organized from Krasnodar. The nearest railway station in Novorossiysk is about 45 km, and the airport in Gelendzhik is about 15 km. If you travel by personal car, you can move through Rostov-on-Don and Novorossiysk or Krasnodar and Arkhipo-Osipovka.
General information
The village of Divnomorskoye is the regional center of the Gelendzhik region with a population of 6,500 people. In everyday life you can often hear the name Divnomorsk and even Fake Gelendzhik. This is how the settlement was called until the 1960s, and was due to the fact that sea vessels often confused the local roadstead with the Gelendzhik one. There are even a lot of legends about this. In general, the settlement arose here relatively recently - at the beginning of the 19th century. Previously, it was the Adyghe village of Mezyb, which bore the name of one of the tributaries of the Inogua River, then a military fortification of Russian troops with a settlement of military personnel. The current name was given in the spirit of the Soviet era. In those days, they didn’t think much about etymology. After all, here is a truly wonderful, wonderful sea.
When you come on vacation to Divnomorskoye, you can count on a fairly high level of service. The tourism business is the only way to make money in the village, and competition ensures quality. On the other hand, the region is not devoid of natural pristineness, giving the opportunity to enjoy natural beauty, clean, even healing air and sea.
Things to do
Pitsunda pine. Divnomorskoe.
Holidays in Divnomorsk are, first of all, a beach holiday. The village does not have any special attractions that are, as they say, must see. The only exception is the Dzhankhotsky forest of relict Pitsunda pine, which stretches from the village along the coastline for several kilometers. They say that it is these pines that give the local air special healing properties. There is a temple in the village in the name of Sergei of Radonezh, but this is a remake that appeared here in our time. Perhaps this is due to the fact that one of the residences of the Russian Patriarch is located in Divnomorsk, although its territory is closed to visits by ordinary citizens. If you want to see something different, you will need to drive along the coast towards Gelendzhik or Dzhubga, since local travel agencies offer a wide range of such trips.
Climate and weather
Average monthly air temperature by month
Average monthly water temperature by month
Beaches
Divnomorskoye Beach. Igor Arkhipov / Photobank Lori
The beaches of Divnomorsk covered the entire coastline of the village. The most popular is the Central Beach, which runs from the confluence of the Inogua River and 700m up the coast. The beach is about 30m wide, and is fully landscaped, and entry is absolutely free. The so-called sanatorium beaches are also well equipped, which even have full-time medical workers. In principle, entry there is free, but you shouldn’t claim sunbeds by the sea, they are for your own. There are also many wild beaches in the village. The nudist beach located in the direction of Gelendzhik is especially popular. On the other hand (in the direction of the village of Dzhanhot) there are also many unequipped, but quite good places to relax on the shore.
This year we vacationed in Divnomorskoye. I didn’t particularly want to go to noisy Gelendzhik. We are very pleased with our vacation, and especially with the beaches of Divnomorskoye. We vacationed in Gelendzhik for several years, decided to try at least something new, and finally found a place where the sea is really clean and comfortable. In all other large resorts, it’s a real pain when you arrive and don’t see a normal place where you can lie down in the sun. And Divnomorskoye is quite a good village in terms of beaches and infrastructure.
The big plus is that in Divnomorskoye there is complete freedom in terms of beach holidays. Nowhere, in any corner of this village, did we see a paid beach or one that was simply closed to such an extent that they were not allowed there at all. The roads are open to tourists, without exception, to all the beaches of Divnomorskoye. They say that they wanted to close some sanatorium, but they gave it such a strike that they immediately opened everything back up.
But these are all tales of vacationers who have been hanging out there for several years. But I will tell you what we saw with our own eyes. I won’t lie about the purity of sea water; it’s not perfect everywhere. This is especially visible on the central beach of Divnomorskoye. That is, it is mainly visible there. Most of the beaches in Divnomorskoye really have such clean water, which we personally have never seen in Gelendzhik over several years of vacation.
But the turbidity of the water on the central beach is understandable, because in the summer so many people relax there! Local people also come, who apparently know where to go to the beach to relax in the summer. Therefore, especially on weekends, there is absolutely nothing to do on the central beach of Divnomorskoye. It is not so much dirty as it is simply mud rising from the bottom due to the mega-slurry of such a huge number of people. If you really want to swim in the center of the village, you can at least go to the boat station. It is much quieter and more comfortable there, and the water is closer to clean. But there you have to keep your eyes peeled when you go into the water, because there are big stones. I never swam there, I just got my feet wet a couple of times. And all the amenities there are paid. The beach itself is free, but entertainment and sun loungers are paid, which is natural.
As a last resort, you can go to the Torch. This is also Divnomorskoe beach, only it is more convenient for those who live on the outskirts. But those who want to have a good rest on the beach will not cover such a long distance to the outskirts of Divnomorskoye. There are also all the amenities, all the infrastructure, entertainment, cafes nearby, etc.
You can safely go to the beaches of the sanatoriums. It is crowded there, but the atmosphere is somehow different from the central beach. More civilized or something. It’s just that order reigns there, there are amenities, although they are intended only for those who relax in these sanatoriums. Therefore, you shouldn’t count on them too much. If only you could somehow cover yourself up and disguise yourself as a local at a not particularly popular time for a beach holiday. They have first aid stations and a lifeguard.
We didn’t really relax on the beaches of Divnomorskoe, which are classified as sanatoriums. We were frequent guests of the wild beaches of Divnomorskoye. That's where real relaxation is, and not where it's full of people. The water is clean, the sea is perfectly transparent, the bottom is beautiful, rich flora and fauna, snorkeling is the best! When they write about the clean beaches of Divnomorskoye, they most likely mean these. There are several of them. Available in Laguna. There is a stunning Pitsunda forest above you, what aromas, what beauty reigns around! Just beyond words!
I would especially like to highlight the nudist beach of Divnomorskoe. Because this place is not for everyone. No, anyone can go there, but you must take off your clothes there. Even at the entrance, a stone sign sticks out of the rock with the inscription Leave your clothes, everyone who enters here. My husband and I have been wanting to try it for a long time, but never got around to it. We were mostly in Laguna.
We really liked Divnomorskoye! There are a lot of impressions, especially from the beaches! It's worth going there just for them!
