[Closed] budget skiing - is bulgaria that bad?

Bulgaria is slumming it!

some of the hotels look nice according to my other half (who stays in a lot of hotels!) the ski hire and lessons, and lift passes are all about half the price... basically we could probably get the most basic Alps package going (but i know the skiing will be good for all of us), or we could get a mid(ish) level package in E Europe, but perhaps with questionable skiiing (i just don't know)

Our crew like to "go cheap, go twice" so usually one trip per season is with a company that does school trips. We're going to le Corbier in January for less than £600 inc food and lift pass. Look at Skibound or Rocketski.

Can't comment on Bulgaria although I will follow this to find out more. Have you looked at Italy? Usually works out pretty cheap. Some great pistes and plenty of off piste options. Usually pretty good apres ski and some nice towns.

Time for my favourite ever skiing video

(Warning: contains swearing)

Have you considered Slovakia?

I can highly recommend Dan's place: http://www.chaletslovakia.com

Valmeiner was good and went on one of those coaches - snowcoach.co.uk

I think we'll be pushing it to get to the alps for 600 quid

Is that all in? I'm going to Serre Flasheart for £700 all in ex food and drink without really trying to cut costs.

To be fair to Bulgaria, they are improving things and it's 14 years since I went. A mate went last year and has booked again. They've never experienced anywhere else mind.

They smoke heavily everywhere or did a few years ago , hopefully things have changed . The actual skiing is fine upto intermediate level .

Yes, it is that bad if you're used to the Alps. I've been a few times to my dads wife's place there. Ultimately if you get good snow you're going to enjoy the skiing, and the few times I went the snow was great, but since i've been the snow has been terrible. If you're there for a week then the chances are if you are anywhere anything other than a novice skier you'll be skied out in the first day. The Town/villages are scruffy, the Bulgarians, though nice people and friendly, are a bit......well rough and ready I guess you could describe it as. On the plus side things are dirt cheap there, food is great and plentiful - a slap up 3 course meal for a family of 4 plus 2 adults with beer and wine at a decent hotel restaurant came in at about £50 in total. The local beers are better than the mass produced crap you get in the UK, and the nightlife seems 'lively' if that is what you're after.

Of course it is better than no skiing (assume you get snow), but have you looked into driving to the Alps and staying outside of the resort? A chap at work did that a few years ago, got 5 guys together, shared a car, stayed at a village along the valley outside of the main resort so drove too and from the lift, self catering of course. I think they paid about £375pp for the accommodation, fuel and Chunnel fees split between 5 people etc. I think the whole thing came in for a shade under £500pp.

Also in Solden last year I got chatting to a German couple who were staying in small cabin's/sheds. Not luxurious, but basic, warm and dry. Can't remember what they said they paid, but it wasn't alot.

There are many options to explore before you head for Bulgaria.

I wouldnt bother. Learnt there many years ago and it was poor then.
You will be able to find better for similar money in Europe. Andorra can get amazing conditions and is duty free.
You may have to wait to book last minute but you should find a deal that suits. If you have to book time off at work in advance then that obviously limits things abit. I can cancel my hols and go to work instead .

Honestly have a look at Slovakia. Been there three times and it has always been great fun.
Bulgarian level cheapness (beer for a euro, two course sit-down meal in a slopeside restaurant for six euros) but fairly modern lifts and facilities.

Second Graham's suggestion of Slovakia if you're after a cheap break.
Loads of other stuff to do if the others get bored.
Chalet Slovakia is great and Dan will tailor the trip to whatever you need. He bikes too! Every time I see him I try to convince him to buy a fat bike for out there...

Went to Bansko a good few years ago, it was okay for the beginners and me as an intermediate snowboarder
Wasn't too busy, the lessons my wife had where pretty decent, spoke good English, some of the skiers had different experiences though
Wife broke her wrist half way through the holiday ,the medical attention she got was first class, very surprisingly good
Hotel was good but it was 4-5* standard (and cheap) with decent enough food. Second the heavy smoking though
I did Andorra a few years before, would say they where comparable piste wise but Andorra had a better vibe and has probably developed a lot more,since compared to Bulgaria

For beginners it is good, for intermediates and advanced i'd save my money for next year. I went there for my first skiing holiday and it was excellent. My wife who was a good skier did all the runs in one day.

I personally haven't been skiing in eastern europe but I went with a group of friends who previously had skied in Bansko to Switzerland. After skiing in Bansko they were amazing by how good the swiss pistes were and how high tech the ski lifts were! They also apparently skied for ~2 hours a day in Bansko as by the afternoon the slopes were destroyed and they'd done the majority of the resort anyway.

We even worked out it was about 40% the price per skiing hour to go to Switzerland as we were skiing from 9am through to 5:30 if the weather was good! I'll admit we did have reasonable cheap accommodation through some connections but even with normal accommodation prices it would have still be cheaper per skiing hour (which is what matters to me!)

Went to Borovets last January and we were really lucky with snowfall so the slopes were great. Slopes weren't too congested and kept me occupied (i hadn't boarded for 4 years). Hotel was clean and modern, we were half board.....the food was sooooo bad we ate out every night but one, beer was fairly cheap too. Would i go again? yes but bear in mind the holiday was incredibly cheap and not a patch on france for example. If you're skint and its bulgaria or nothing, do it! 🙂

Not been since 97' it was good then, we had over 1m of snow, although this can be hit and miss. It was ridiculously cheap though, we could eat out with wine for under £5! Taxis are rather scarey though, vodka+taxi+snow 😯

That vid still has me in bits.

Me too 🙂

OP there are plenty of small French resorts (ie not on Brit package circuit) or small hotels out of resort centers where if you are prepared to drive to the slopes you can stay very cheaply. If that's of interest I'll dig out some recommendations.

Great stuff, thanks everyone! Plenty to think about...

The key to cheapness is either a) a cheap deal with a TO or b) go DIY and manage to get cheap flights/transfers or drive.

I actually find that transfers can be more expensive than flights sometimes. Go for somewhere within an hour of an airport for lower cost transfers.

£600 per person all in is definitely possible (but not spendo), especially if not planning to go in school hols/February. We're going to Hinterglemm for Christmas for £400 each (flights, transfers, half board in hotel) plus lift passes. As others have said Snowcoach and Rocketski offer good alternatives.

This came through from Travelzoo this morning

http://m.travelzoo.com/uk/regional-departures/southwest-and-wales/-399pp-France-Morzine-Ski-Week-w-Meals-from-Bristol-2405124/?utm_source=top20_uk&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2405124&utm_campaign=uk_top20_2016_48_deal%3a2405124

Dan you have to join to see details so please edit in dates etc

It's half board in Morzine with Inghams. Just give them a ring:

When
18, 25 Mar; +£50 23 Dec; +£100 11 Mar
How to Book This Deal

Tap here to book online at Inghams
Call Inghams at 01483 345750
Quote promo code Travelzoo.

Quoted price is £400. For £450 you could be there over Christmas. V good deal imo

Sub £600 is easliy do-able with Crystal and the like. We've just paid £700 and that includes flights, transfers, half board, lift tickets and top end ski rental.

£600 per person all in is definitely possible (but not spendo), especially if not planning to go in school hols/February.

I'd say [b]only[/b] possible if you avoid school hols.

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

[img] [/img]

Oh look, taking our family of four during half term will cost us an extra £2600 compared with the week before! 😯

If you are willing to do a late deal you will easily get under £600 to the Alps. I did this two years in a row (3 years back) - booking a week before hand and got deals for £300, fully catered, airfare, transfers etc etc. Of course you cant be to fussy on location but most of the resorts the TO's go to are main stream and will be better than Bulgaria. If there is an even number of you it will be even easier! There are always late deals available if you have the nerves. good luck

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

True, but the OP doesn't mention school holidays.

Sub £600 is easliy do-able with Crystal and the like. We've just paid £700 and that includes flights, transfers, half board, lift tickets and top end ski rental.

What resort and where are you flying from? Best half board on Crystal Ski at the moment is around £670 (in Jan) this leaves you £30 for your ski and lift pass hire. Good deal!

more to think about! ta

4th feb is our week, so before holidays - phew! flying pref from brizzle, but are thinking about london too.

I think one of the French zones start their HT on the 4th.

Im off to Slovakia again this season. Jasna resort is now the size of a large French one, a big new lift has gone in every 1 or 2 years for the last 8 years. It will be my 5th or 6th time there.
I always stay with Paul at Propoganda, the first Brit to set up there
http://chaletjasna.co.uk/
Easyjet flights, board bag carriage, airport transfer and accomm will be £420. Lift pass is cheaper than France etc, 1.30e a pint

Edit: their chalets might all already be full

I've been with Silverski last few years. Sign up for their news letter to get some deals. The price always drops a few weeks before the dates.
Managed to get La Plagne on the 12 Dec for £300 pp.

Not the most luxurious of chalets. But Flights (Gatwick or Manchester), board, Cooked breakfast (no bacon). Coffee and cake each evening + 3 course meal with unlimited wine.

All the chalets I've stayed in have always been very close to the slopes too.

We went to Borovets about 13 years ago. Never again

Depends what you want to do

If you want to do a little bit of skiing and lots of partying then its great.

If you want to go skiing as your priority then its rubbish

What resort and where are you flying from? Best half board on Crystal Ski at the moment is around £670 (in Jan) this leaves you £30 for your ski and lift pass hire. Good deal!

Not sure how you go that as the best deal.

Les Deux Alpes, France, 3* Half Board, 7th Jan, from Gatwick £429

There are lower prices than that too, if you hunt around through the various countries.

UCPA/action outdoors is good value for money. accomodation is basic but more than adequate.

Cheapest H/B 7th Jan on Crystal Ski to Les Deux Alps is £1129 from Gatwick! Cheapest French resort I can see is £589.

Not sure why you can’t the same deals I can.

[img] [/img]

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.