Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Having heard different reports on this site about both Bulgaria and Borovets I was not exactly sure what to expect. Now remember this is my first skiing holiday so I have no prejudices about which is better, Alps, Andorra, Bulgaria etc etc only what I saw. The people are very friendly, the food was edible in the hotel (stayed in the Samakov) and some of the restaraunts were good standard. Beer is cheap (although not as cheap as you would expect) If your eating or drinking at the top of the mountain near the gondola station then try the Yastrebets Hut as food is better and views are amazing..

Samakov ski school is excellent (Paco is top guy especially with the ladies 4 months ski school 8 month foam beach party organiser the lucky devil) but a good lad, good teacher and will help out on anything.

Would I recomend Bulgaria? Yes if you go with no prententions and know you will get what you pay for.

I enjoyed it as a first timer...good skiing,good conditions,ok food and beer, nice people..

lets hope the intro into the EU and the euro does not kill off the tourist as its the savings that will draw you to Bulgaria and Slovenia and Slovakia will be chasing tourist soon.

So there you go my honest opinion.

PS: Never saw Glamoupuss out of the apres ski bars near the bottom of the Gondola station so don't listen to her for skiing tips etc etc he he he

Bye

I feel pretty much the same, this was my first ski holiday as well. i went with my wife and a group of friends including 4 kids. Overall i had a really enjoyable holiday, i snowboarded and got on great. I was a bit dissapointed with the conditions but then there was enough to play on everyday, even if things did get icy and more painful as the week wore on.

I enjoyed the small town feel of this resort and most of all it felt very relaxed, friendly and unpretentious. Plenty of nightlife if thats your bag. Food out of hotel was a bit average, i actually ended up enjoying the hotel food a lot more (3 plates a sitting!) the food was basic, but hot and plentiful, and at least you can get your belly filled without having to wait ages.

I satyed in the Rila which was fine. The rooms were fine, basic but comfortable with the best shower i think i've ever had! The pool was great, hot tubs not that great but better than nothing. The steam room and sauna were 10 levs a go...but really worth it. The only real negative for the hotel (for me)was the amount of smoke...this really did my head (and lungs) in. I know its the way over there but it made my apres time really difficult.

I found the layout of the slopes a bit 'mixed up' blues into reds, cut across by a green...then careful to avoid the blacks' etc, i'm sure they are not all like this and i certainly didnt manage all the runs but they did seem a bit all over the place. My other dislike would be the drag lift on top of the mountain up to the big wide blue run...that was a great run, but for me as a first time boarder was way too much. Maybe thats just me, but a lot of people i talked to agreed that a chair lift would be much more suitable there.
I really enjoyed the run from the top gondola to the mid station. That was until i fell badly and knackered my shoulder on thursday morning...that put me out of action...but then the sun was great and lovely to relax in.

The instructor situation seems to be a mixed bag depending on who you get, my wifes instructor (Dory) was fantastic and super friendly, but i did here from others that they had some really bad experiences. I cant comment personally as i didnt bother with lessons.

So overall, a great place for the money, if the conditions had been better then it would have been even more fun...but hey ho..thems the breaks.

People were friendly, hotel food was hot and good enough, atmosphere was good and the runs seemed like they could be quite challenging if you wanted them to be.

I personally hope the smoking situation would change over there (unlikely i'm sure) as that is most probably what would put me off in the future.

Oh, the proper shops (as opposed to the majority of cheap imatation sunglasses shops)i went in for help in buying a board, binding amd boots etc were all very helpful. I ended buying the lot from the guys at the shop in the Ice Angels hotel. They were all experienced boarders and were super friendly and helpful and didnt give me any kind of hard sell, i must have spent over an hour in there trying boots on, choosing a board and bindings etc, they set up the lot for me...edged and waxed and threw in a free bag, 20% total discount and then loads of aftersales help in tweaking my binding setup in the following days. Definately pay them a visit if youre thinking of buying gear or just want advice.

If there is snow at Borovets then its a good place for the money.

Scott