Borovets mmmm, went 20 years ago.
Got to the hotel went downstairs to the night club/bar and there was topless pole dancing on, 8 prostitutes working the place and a table of Russian mafia in the corner.
The skiing was on ice, the food was rubbish, the locals were nasty and hated the English because they fought against us in WW2.
The only plus side was beer was 20p a bottle and red wine £1.
Things may have changed since then but I’ve not been back lol

My three friends and I have gone to Bansko for the last 7 years and had a wonderful time of it. We rented an apartment through Alexander rentals that was a 5 minute walk from the main Gondola and cost 60 euros each for the week.

We’re all very much a bunch of ‘get up at the crack of dawn and get the fresh snow’ folks, so we never encountered the queue for the gondola that seems to plague reviews about Bansko.

The mountain is fully serviced by chairs, I can only think of two small runs that have tows on them, and all of the chairs are fast and modern affairs.

The food on the mountain provided by the places owned by the operating company Ulen is very basic and bland, but if you know where to look…just ask folk…there are lots of little places hidden away that offer great food and drink at unbelievable prices.

In the town, it’s the same deal. You can spend as much or as little as you like on good quality food. The Loghouse is my favourite. Can’t think of the amount of times I’ve argued with the waitress over the bill, as I’ve been convinced she’d forgotten to add the drinks to the final tally, its been so cheap.

The mountain itself is small, but has great off piste, through the trees stuff for snowboards and skierists alike. Out of the seven winters, we’ve had three weeks of awesome powder and one week where the snow was a bit thin and ropey. I reckon it’s brilliant for beginners and intermediate level folk on a tight budget.

However, I had a bad snowboard accident this February and although the treatment I received in the resort was first class, once I was transferred away from the resort, the fact I was in a poor eastern European country quickly became apparent. Even when my insurance company managed to get me transferred to a private clinic, prior to flying me home in an air ambulance, it was still very rough.

So I’d thoroughly recommend Bulgaria, and Bansko in particular, if you are looking to go on a budget snowsport holiday. As long as you go fully aware that it is a budget destination and the reasons why it’s a budget destination.

C.

I’d say only possible if you avoid school hols.

The Feb half-term especially causes an eye-watering price hike:

Graham – Not quite. Half term is mega expensive as is New Year. However, we go during school hols, we have a 15yo and are both teachers, we have no choice. We go at Christmas and Easter. We always get a good deal for Christmas – like I said in my earlier post this year £400 each all in to Hinterglemm, add in the cost of lift passes and we’re just inside £600. Easter is very similar price wise.

Should be even easier to do during term time – although in France you have the whole of the country off at some point during February. So Feb is good to avoid if France is the intended destination. Fasching is good to avoid if you want reasonable prices in Austria.

For us, going to Bansko, the cost breaks down to

£250pp Easyjet flight Manchester to Sofia (that included my snowboard)

£30pp return airport transfer (Sofia – Bansko) with Steve and Wendy’s Earlybirds Transfers

£60pp 6 day rental of a two bedroom apartment in the Demianitza apartment block just down from the gondola that takes you up the mountain, from Alexander Rentals

£130 for the 6 day ski pass, which we get at a discounted rate from Steve and Wendy. They also do cheap equipment hire if needed.

So that’s £470pp for the actual holiday, and I usually take another £200 for spending which is more than enough to eat out for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus evening booze to top up the booze that I usually drink throughout the day!*

I reckon I usually spend around £650 in total for my week away in Bansko, and I never came home disappointed…well, maybe just a wee bit that last time, but I did get to come home in an eight seater Lear jet!

Drop me an email if you want any more info, or contact details for the folk we’ve used.

C.

*I crashed first thing in the morning on the last day of the holiday, hadn’t even had time for my breakfast pint!

I was one of the stupid Brits to buy into the appartment thing a few years ago, in Bansko. So I have been going for a few years. Yes the skiing is limited out there, but I usually go for a long weekend rather than a full week. Its not the Alps I have done a couple of seasons in Meribel.
The main Gondula By the Kempinski hotel gets busy in the morning heading up, Its better to get their early. Have also gone at Half term & New Year as wife is a Teacher. It is busier that time of year too like everywhere…
If your looking for lessons then I would only use their Official ski school. Some of the shops etc offer teaching & I have witnessed people being laughed at etc by the instructor calling them crap & that they should end the lesson!
There are plenty of interesting resturants down in the old town & then the more Brit type pubs like Amigo’s The Queens Pub, Happy End Bar for Apre Ski. They maintain the runs a bit but not like Europe, Snow cannons etc limited. If your lucky & get a big dump of snow before you go like anywhere its fun. You will be doing the same runs many times a day. I guess with anything its what you make of it..

GrahamS

That video is the funniest thing I have ever seen on YouTube.
I have watched it 20 times and I am still laughing.

It’s that good it seems a shame to limit it to a ski specific thread. Please post in a thread of its own. I would do it myself but I am too thick to work the buttons.

Thank you.

Me and my missus went to Pamporovo about 12 years ago to give Snowboarding a try. Hotel was supposed to be a 4 star, I’ve stayed in more luxurious pop up tents!

90% of the people were ignorant and rude, despite my best efforts. Wanted to come home after 3 days. We were only there for a week thankfully!

Beer was cheap though, so was the food. Missus got serious food poisoning on the way home, and the transfer back to Sofia forgot us! The rep introduced himself on the first day for about 3 minutes and that was the last we saw of him.

I’d love to go on another winter holiday, but no where near Bulgaria 🙂 It actually gave me a bit of nervousness on how other people perceive me in their country.