Bulgaria Ski discussion board

I could have gone to Bansko cheaper but prefer Borovets to be fair. That is a cracking deal though Sam, escpecially for Christmas.

I should have been a little more specific in what I originally posted, by saying staying at the same resort and hotel etc.

I checked out Inghams dbut and they were more expensive than Neilson. Infact all the other tour operators were more expensive. I should have got in earlier maybe.

I don't think I said cheapest was best Christine?, but in the current climate I don't have cash to burn. So this year 'cheap' was the most important factor for me. Plus this will be my 4th time in Borovets so I know what to expect and doubt it will be any less better than any other year I have been there.
Anyway still chuffed with the deal, but may look into booking things individually next year.

When you guys say BA,you mean Bulgaria Air right?

We decided to 'go it alone' this coming season.

After going on packages for several years, we calculated that booking a flight and accomodation seperate would save us money.

2 adults and 3 children got flights with easyjet for £250, yes £250 for all of us and then we got a private apartment for £300.

That leaves just lift pass and hire and we got discounts on that by making enquiries. So for £550, 5 of us are in resort and ski/hire and lift pass etc. are what we would have had to pay, as extra, as most packages.

Ok, so thats self catering but shopping out of resort at a fraction of cost feeds us for most of the week and also then it gives us the flexibility to eat when we want, for instance.

Another factor to take into consideration is that many of the private apartment owners are willing to let their apartment from different change over days - so not sticking rigidly to the Saturday change over. This means you can really benefit from the cheaper mid week flights that the budget airlines are offering.

From chatting to others last year who had gone with the tour ops, they had long transfers (as on a coach) unsociable arrival and departure times, half board food so bad they had ended up eating out 4 nights out of the 7 and long queues at the ski hire and lift pass places. We had gone independantly, private transfer in a 7 seater people carrier, no queues for anything as didn't travel on usual change over day, the option of eating out or self catering and certainly much cheaper by using mid week flights. (we even introduced our local Mehana to the art of 'take aways' when my son was poorly - we arrived with our casserole dishes and asked if they could load them up with food so that we could take it back to our apartment for tea! They were certainly very obliging.)

Wow Mark iow that is a very good deal, you couldn't email the details of the apartment could you for future reference?

I can see why it makes sense to arrive on any day other than a Saturday too, although I do not get the 'long transfers' part?
Our arrival and departure times are not unsociable this time, although the first year I went I must admit they were...leaving Borovets really early on a Saturday morning the first year with the start of the mother of all hangovers was not fun granted.

The interesting factor for me booking it separately would be the possibility of booking a 9 day holiday rather than 7 days.

Thanks for the helpful replies.