Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Hello everyone

Well, just got back from a week in Borovets with a mid-week trip to Bansko.

Must say, my hubby and I did not know what to expect having skiied in many places over the years, but we went with an open mind and on a joint venture - to ski/snowboard and also to look at the property market.

On arrival in Borovets (after a horrendous 8 hour delay out of Manchester), we picked up our hire car and ventured onto the Bulgarian "motorways". What a nightmare - the roads have potholes which resemble craters and consequently we were faced with our first blowout and had to change tyres before venturing forth. The roads are probably amongst the worst we have experienced in all our years driving abroad.

We arrived at the Rila Hotel (4 star!!!!) in Borovets at some ungodly hour and on entering the secure car park attached to the hotel we were asked to pay 60 Euros plus 175 leva to the chappie in the little hut. We explained that we did not have enough currency with us and would go back later. What we wanted to do was to check with the Neilson rep that we did have to pay additional parking costs. This was verified and when speaking to the car park attendant the price had suddenly gone up to 70 Euros. We did not pay and decided the next day that we would remove our car and park it elsewhere, not wanting to come across as mean, but this amounts to an equivalent cost of parking at London Heathrow! No wonder we were one of the very few cars in the car park. Anyway, we managed to blag our car out of the car park and on returning from a trip to Bansko we parked at the side of the hotel on the main road amongst many other cars. The next day we got to our car to find that all four tyres had been deflated - NOW I WONDER WHO THAT WAS??!!! We immediately informed the Rep and she was going to involve the local police when all of a sudden the tyres were reinflated and the price suddently plummeted to 66 leva (approximately £22 for the week). We paid this and that was the end of it, but just as a word of warning to those that do decide to hire a car - CHECK the cost of car parking before arrival.

We had quite a good week of skiing, although my snowboard instructor hubby was a mite bored with the runs by day 3. But I am sorry to say that for those of you either in the resort this week or next, then all you have to look forward to is sunshine. The pistes were beginning to thaw quite drastically and the blacks and reds over by the Gondola were almost back to being grassy mountains again by the time we left.

The Rila was also something of an eye opener for a 4 star. Dont get me wrong, like I said, we both went with an open mind and really did not know what to expect, but to be honest the whole resort is "rather tired" and could do with some sound investment being made to bring it up to speed. The food at the Rila was "OK" but to show what we thought - we ate out every night! I must say we managed to find some good eateries such as Mamacitas, Katys Steak House and another Mexican along the road from Frankos bar with a good selection of food available. The steaks in Katys were superb and very good value for money, but all in all it was not as cheap as we had been lead to believe - paying 10 Leva for a halfcooked hamburger on the slopes is not ideal and certainly an expensive time for those of you with kids on board.

We also took a "horse and trap" ride through the woods which cost 15 leva for a 2 minute ride. Not worth it in my opinion and if we had known how close the resort was then we would have walked instead.

Im sorry but this place can only be described as Blackpool with Snow - especially as you walk through the town and are greeted with signs such as " CHEAP AS ASDA PRICE!" and are constantly hussled by the touts who stand outside every bar and shop to tempt you in. Who needs that on a holiday anyway!

If you are a group of single hot blooded males looking for a good time then Borovets is the place to head for. I have never seen so many erotic bars/stripclubs/go-go bars/prostitutes in such a confined space as I have there. The amount of prostitutes touting for business sometimes outweighed the tourists!! This was also paramount on the drive back to Sofia with white PVC scantily clad young ladies lining the main roads into the city (at 2 o'clock in the afternoon!) looking for business.

We spent the day in Sofia which was dire. Full of young gypsy kids hussling for money and sniffing glue out of paper bags whilst de-lousing each others hair! Very sad indeed and unfortunately no-one does anything to help them or stop them because I guess they can't. The amount of "gangs" of lads just loitering around the car parks was also offputting so we parked outside one of the poshest hotels just because the doorman was on hand to keep an eye on our vehicle whilst we did the "tourist thing" which took all of 2 hours! If we had gone to Sofia on a weekend break I would have asked for my money back.

Our time in Bansko was limited, but it basically is a building site. No doubt this will one day be quite attractive and hopefully good for those that do invest there. However, after careful consideration we have decided not to pursue the property angle - preferring to invest elsewhere, but who knows it may change with time and hopefully if and when more gondolas/chair lifts are installed it will open up more runs than it offers currently giving far more scope to serious skiers/boarders. At the moment it is extremely limited and very run down so therefore, cannot hope to compete with other ski regions who may be more pricey but do give you far more scope in terms of skiing and boarding.

Im sorry if this causes offence to anyone who loves Borovets or Bansko but I am only telling it like it was for us and although we have no plans to return we may do so in a few years time to see if any changes or improvements have been made.

Apart from that we both certainly had a good time despite the surroundings and the hassle with the car park people.

At the end of the day - you get what you pay for - and this was a "cheapish" ski holiday which unfortunately cannot be said of some ski regions.

I hope those of you that enjoy Borovets continue to do so for many years to come.

Hi there. I am not saying to people do not go to Bulgaria - far from it, just wanted to put my experiences on paper. From what we heard and saw the ski schools appeared to be very good and the beginners slopes were excellent. However, the major problem with Borovets is that once you have had a few lessons, the next place is the blue run at the top of the gondola and then its the reds and blacks, so no real happy medium. I have never seen so many out of control skiers/boarders in my life - but not their problem, just the fact that the slopes are so limited and I guess they dont know any better so get into trouble quite easily.

I am sure you could find parts of France that would compare price wise or maybe look on lastminute.com etc. but likewise I would also suggest going along to Bulgaria and make up your own mind. There are many many people who adore the place, but I for one will not be going back in a hurry.

Hope you find something suitable either way.

Hi Karen,

Having been to Borovets in February, I agree 100% with your comments. "Blackpool in the snow" was a term that I also used to describe the place, and I will not be looking to return there in the foreseeable future.

I take pity on you driving in bulgaria, because as you said, the roads are full of enormous potholes.

I was in Bansko last week, and personally will definately be going back. Perhaps 1 day was not enough to give this developing town a fair chance to impress you.

The Bansko ski area is comparable to lots of fair skiing areas in France or Italy to which I have been (but not so extensive as Tignes etc.). The lift system is excellent and queues are minimal at most times. If you went on Thursday for your visit, you did not get a fair picture of Bansko for skiiing, since most lifts were closed due to high winds in that day. When all the lifts are open, they serve a system of runs that flow nicely to restaurant cafes and bars and are varied enough to keep a range of abilities busy. The mountain cafes are excellent value (especially compared to rip-off Borovets). My only gripe about skiing in Bansko is the dual pricing for nationals and tourists (incidentally this is illegal in Bulgaria, but the lift operators intend to continue until accession into the EU enforces this law strictly).

As for the town of Bansko, your building site claim cannot be disputed. As Brits, we have to shoulder lots of the responsibility for this. I was in Bansko looking for property and 75% of the guests in my hotel were doing the same (1 guy had reserved 8 apartments off-plan and had come over to view the hole in the ground where they will be erected). With the Brits queueing up to throw money at the town, it is little wonder that every builder in Bulgaria is there trying to make money!

Compared to Borovets, I liked the town of Bansko. It felt like a real town and eating and drinking out was a pleasure at bargain prices. Bansko has dozens of small restaurants, serving both locals and tourists and I only experienced 1 where I got the feeling that they were out to rip me off (and I still only spent £7 for 2 beers and a main course). Like all towns, there are bars that are trendier than others, and are happy to charge higher prices to the tourist with no sense of adventure (incidentally, you don't sound like one if you are willing to drive in Bulgaria!) , but for those people they should stop in the UK to eat steak and chips whilst watching Sky sports.

I can understand from your experience that you are disillusioned with Bulgaria, but I really would urge you to think again about Bansko. You could be missing out on a bargain holiday to a good ski area served by honest friendly people.

Regarding investing in property in Bulgaria, I think that those who have not already bought (in the Ski areas at least) have missed the boat. I went to bansko to see if I liked the town and ski area, with an intention of buying a place if I liked it. As I say above, I did like the skiing, and would buy, but not at the silly prices now being asked. Currently everybody is jumping on this gravy train and the market has responded to the increased demand.
I was told that if every room that will be let in Bansko was occupied in the ski season, the lift could only take 30% of them up the mountain! You can get a room in a good 3* hotel in Bansko for €10 per person per night in the area where the apartments are being built cose to the gondola, so rental return may not be as great as some people are expecting.

I found the real estate agents to be totally incompetent. When I viewed properties, appointmenty were always missed, houses did not match my parameters as laid down by me in advance (e.g. they were too big, over-budget, already sold, or needed demolishing etc.). Also if you had a question about anything, the response was "Yes, there is a project with the municipality to provide this service next year". Was your experience similar?

So in summary, my opinions are:

Borovets - Blackpool in the snow
Roads - Terrible
Bansko - Fantastic place, well worth another try
Property - too expensive in the ski areas now (don't know about the coast)

Hi there

We wished we had spent more time in Bansko to get a true feel for the place - must admit my hubby was quite taken with the town itself and certainly felt it would have offered him more scope for a boarding point of view.

However, we like you, had bad experience with the agents we met there. Either too dismissive or too keen and the prices were extortionate - from 75,000 euros for a "bedsit". We also believe, like you, that the amount of buildings going up and therefore the amount of people filling them will cause a severe impact on the gondola and will amount to queues etc.etc.etc.etc.

We have done it, seen it, bought the t-shirt and that was enough for us thanks.

Hope you eventually manage to find what you are looking for. If you ever fancy Croatia then let me know - we bought two properties over there and have not looked back - in fact we now live there during the summer running our property rental business. A place where bargains can still be found with a sound return on your investment and much more solid infrastructure in place.