This picturesque village is well known to many vacationers who came to the Krasnodar Territory from different parts of the former USSR. For lovers of relaxation on the Russian Black Sea coast, it is not worth explaining where the Loo resort is located. And for those who do not yet know, we’ll clarify: the village is located in the Lazarevsky district of Greater Sochi, in the Krasnodar Territory. It stretches for almost six kilometers along the Black Sea coast and has long become a favorite vacation spot for people who prefer peace, not too crowded beaches and comfortable living conditions.
Resort History
Today, the Russian Black Sea resorts are actively developing. Loo is one of the most visited of them. Local residents pronounce the name of the village with an emphasis on the last letter, and in this regard they tell a legend. It says that "loo" is derived from the name of the largest family of Abazins, which belonged to these territories in the XIII – XIV centuries. It sounded like "Low," "Lau," and perhaps "Loov." Accordingly, the village began to be called Loo - the land of Loova.
Ethnographers claim that the first settlements on these lands appeared about five thousand years ago. A confirmation of this is the man-made ancient dolmen, which is located on the territory of the Lazarevsky district. At different times, the ancient Romans, Arabs, Hellenes, Turks, Genoese and Byzantines lived here. In the VI century, these territories became part of Byzantium, which brought Christianity to the local pagans. The history of Loo can be traced to the sights, of which there are many in the village.
At the beginning of the last century, the village gradually began to expand its borders towards the Adyghe villages. But at that time, malaria raged here and the Europeans were not in a hurry to settle in these amazing places. Adygs and Ubykhs - the natives of these lands, have been famous for their longevity since antiquity, provided that they did not die of malaria in childhood. Finally, this disease was defeated only after the 1917 revolution.
In the early sixties of the XX century, Lazarevskoye, as well as the resort of Loo and all the surrounding areas, became Soviet resorts. In the village began the active construction of hotels, health resorts, rest homes and resorts. It should be noted that the development and improvement of Loo in the Krasnodar Territory continues today.
How attractive is the village?
The basis of the Loo economy in the Krasnodar Territory is the resort industry. Therefore, almost the entire coast is built up with boarding houses, mini-hotels and resorts. The resort has about two hundred guest houses, pensions and recreation centers. In Loo, couples with small children, elderly people like to relax. In other words, those who avoid noise and intense leisure.
At the same time, the infrastructure of the Loo resort will not let the youth get bored. They can visit cozy cafe-bars, have fun in nightclubs and discos. Loo is a year-round resort. The swimming season here lasts from April to October, and during the rest of the year, therapeutic and recreational tourism is popular. Loo in the Krasnodar Territory opens the high season in early June. And it continues until the end of September.
The water area of Loo is as if created by nature itself for various water procedures, entertainment and diving. Local silt mud and mineral waters from the Imereti Bay are used in the sanatoriums of the village.
Resort Features
The village of Loo is characterized by a variety of types of recreation. Each tourist can choose exactly what he likes. A beach vacation perfectly combines with a serious, and most importantly, high-quality treatment and educational and sightseeing tourism. It is this opportunity that attracts many vacationers here.
The healing air of the resort Loo (tourist reviews confirm this) is saturated with oxygen, sodium chloride, salts of calcium, bromine and magnesium. There are also hydrogen sulfide mineral springs. In boarding houses and sanatoriums equipped with modern equipment, highly qualified medical personnel work. People suffering from diseases of the nervous and circulatory systems, musculoskeletal system, gastrointestinal tract and respiratory system come to Loo.
Beaches Loo
Naturally, the description of the resort Loo will be incomplete if we do not tell you about the beaches of the village. They are champions in terms of width (up to 90 meters) and quality of rest. Since the resort is stretched along the coast, its western part is a continuous zone of fine pebble beaches, which in places alternates with sand belts.
The main beach of the village is Central. It is equipped with showers, lifeguard stations, rental points. Here you can choose any of the many water activities: parachuting and bananas, catamarans and others.
The pride of the locals is the bunk, located on this beach, leaving the sea at 150 meters. Boats for boat trips depart from here, lovers of the “quiet hunt” go fishing. In the dark, the beach is highlighted with colored spotlights. We will not hide that in the summer season (in the daytime) it is very crowded. But this does not bother those vacationers who are alien to the hustle and bustle. There are many other beaches in the village - paid, wild and even your own nudist.
Their division in the village is conditional - there are no fences, only natural obstacles, for example, a rock or a natural turn of the coast. The half-kilometer pebble strip at the Magadan sanatorium is very comfortable, and the beaches and the Mountain Air and Dolphin are cozy and attract a small number of vacationers. A stretch of coast that adjoins the mountain range is called wild. Here, on the shore protection dam, tourists love to leave autographs. Despite the name, it's quite comfortable to relax here: there are much fewer people here than on the Central Beach.
A little further nudists prefer to rest. About a kilometer of pebble-sandy coast is reserved for them. From overly curious eyes, the beach from above is reliably hidden by the shore protection dam, entwined with vines.
Attractions of the resort Loo: Church of the Apostle Simon Cananita
The temple was built recently. In 2017, he was only eighteen years old since the formation of a religious community. Despite this, in 2009 he had already undergone reconstruction under the project of Afuksenidi F.I. The combination of Baroque and Art Nouveau architectural styles, colorful murals - all this attracts guests of the resort.
Open-air museum
A small museum with exhibits telling about the life of Armenians more than a hundred years ago. The complex is located in a picturesque location by the river Loo. Tourists can see a water mill in working condition, a reconstructed wooden house (hakli), as well as household items of Hamshen Armenians. Trout is found in the river, which can be fed.
Waterfall "Paradise pleasure"
A small waterfall surrounded by perennial trees, suspension bridges will captivate tourists. Not far from this place, there is a cozy restaurant where tired travelers can have a tasty snack after a walk. A little downstream there is a small lake with crystal clear cool water, where it is so nice to refresh yourself in a hot season.
"Tea houses"
They are located towards the village of Uch-Dere and were built on the mountain slopes in the seventies of the last century. Previously, only foreign guests were accepted here. Today in cozy houses there are several cafes.
Entertainment
For lovers of outdoor activities in Loo all conditions are created. Here you can:
- take part in jipping;
- carry out horseback riding along the coast;
- take part in exciting diving with underwater excursions;
- do extreme rafting on mountain rivers and much more.
One of the favorite types of recreation is rock climbing, speleo hiking, trampolining, a variety of high-speed attractions. Such entertainment will allow you to feel the rush of adrenaline.
Do not forget about the only huge water park “AquaLoo” on the Black Sea coast, in which one day is not enough to ride on all the slides. On its territory there are eight slides of different lengths, two children's zones, playgrounds, five fresh pools. There is also a closed area, so the water park also functions in the winter. A pleasant bonus for guests will be the free food item. On the second floor of the complex there are several saunas and a huge pool with geysers.
Guest reviews
I must say that the resort of Loo, in which the vacationers are most often on the Black Sea coast: people come here as families for many years and do not cease to admire how the resort is becoming more beautiful and developing from year to year. Quite modest private houses with birdhouse rooms, today have replaced cozy and modern guest houses with all amenities. Sanatoriums and boarding houses provide professional assistance in the treatment and rehabilitation. This is an ideal place for a relaxing holiday, and a beach holiday here can be combined with a sightseeing.