All through the communist era it became a hangout for intellectuals; for reasons that are not exactly clear, the generally repressive regime of Nicolae Ceausescu chose to tolerate this counter cultural oasis, as long as people had their identity papers with them. Lodgings consisted of tents or rooms rented from peasants or fishermen.

From the Chilia branch of the Danube to the border with Bulgaria, these are the Romanian resorts on the Black Sea coast: Navodari, Mamaia, Constanta, Eforie Nord, Eforie Sud, Techirghiol, Costinesti, Olimp, Neptun, Jupiter, Aurora, Venus, Saturn, Mangalia, 2 Mai and Vama Veche. All of them are reachable both by train, taxi, maxi-taxi ( a kind of mini-bus) and car.

Romanian beach resorts are the blend of old and new. All the modern facilities offered by the resorts coexist with lots of historical sites, ancient monuments, traditional villages and the traditional culture of the region, which is a mixture of Romanian, Greek, Macedonian and Turkish influences.