Bulgaria Ski discussion board
I Think we need to take off our rose tinted glasses & start being honest & open
Author:Do it Man
posts : 600 (Expert)Date : 01-11-11 23:49I Think we need to take off our rose tinted glasses & start being honest & open
Where do i start ??
Let's start at the beginning....................
My first skiing holiday was in Borovets 20 years ago (with the girl who is now my Sons Mother). We went for two weeks because it didn't really cost more than one week. We weren't even sure that we were gonna enjoy the skiing that much but thought it was a cheap holiday so what the heck !! The Rila was our chosen hotel and it was as good as any spanish hotel that i'd ever stayed in, the food may not have been 5* ...
Let's start at the beginning....................
My first skiing holiday was in Borovets 20 years ago (with the girl who is now my Sons Mother). We went for two weeks because it didn't really cost more than one week. We weren't even sure that we were gonna enjoy the skiing that much but thought it was a cheap holiday so what the heck !! The Rila was our chosen hotel and it was as good as any spanish hotel that i'd ever stayed in, the food may not have been 5* ...
Where do i start ??
Let's start at the beginning....................
My first skiing holiday was in Borovets 20 years ago (with the girl who is now my Sons Mother). We went for two weeks because it didn't really cost more than one week. We weren't even sure that we were gonna enjoy the skiing that much but thought it was a cheap holiday so what the heck !! The Rila was our chosen hotel and it was as good as any spanish hotel that i'd ever stayed in, the food may not have been 5* gourmet but we ate well every night.. At the time at home in the UK every program on the tele was talking about Bulgaria and how cheap,cheap, cheap it was..... When we got out there we found (for example) -- A bottle of wine brought to your table in the Rila bar area was 30Lev -- A round of drinks later on for the 10 peeps you were in ski school with -- 100 lev............ Oh Sorry. did i forget to mention that the exchange rate at the time was 50 (Yes Fifty) Lev to the pound ?????????? A round of drinks for 10 people was £2 -- Yes, you are reading this right !!!!!!!!!!
Since that first holiday i have skied in Bulgaria at least 20 weeks in Boro,Pamps & Chepalare (never been to Bansko) and every year the same thing comes up -- Go to Bulgaria, It's cheap. Go to Bulgaria, It's cheap. Go to Bulgaria, It's cheap.
So, from a business point of view and from a common sense point of view what are the Bulgarians gonna do ?????? ( all answers in an envelope please, addressed to Do it Man Stotfold England)....
So, fast forward to the present day.....
I personally don't believe that Bulgaria is CHEAP anymore ... Wow !!! What a statement !! That's enough on it's own to get this whole post deleted !!!
Ok Ok Hold your horses before you rip in to me .. I am coming back to Pamps on the 3rd Feb with a group of friends and bringing my Son ( This will be his 5th week in Bulgaria and He is only 11.. We are all looking forward to it and we are all very excited, BUT, The days of the dirt cheap skiing holiday in Bulgaria are over (Once again, i must add -- this is MY OPINION)......
Ok Ok Ok -- Before all the normal people start attacking me - Where shall we start ????
Quote 1 -- 'if you wanna go to France and pay 8 Euros a pint then go for it....
Answer -- I totally agree you can pay that for a pint in Courchevel/Meribel but all you have to do is check the prices before you walk in, then take your custom elsewhere. When i was there 4 weeks ago we were paying 3.5 Euros for a pint in a lovely bar with a great atmosphere, It was showing all the sporting events on TV AND - AND - AND there wasnt some toerag outside hassling you every time you walked past......
Quote 2 -- Ah Yeah but the lift pass is like 200 Euros..
Answer -- Yep, you've got me there - What a waste of money .... BUT WAIT !!!!!!! I have just googled the 3 main resorts in Bulgaria (Boro,Pamps,Bansko) and the combined piste Km for ALL THREE is 168km. The 3 valleys in France total piste in Km ??? Any guesses ??
Must be atleast three hundred, right ? WRONG Must be 4 or 5 hundred Right ?? WRONG !!! 600 (YES 6 HUNDRED KM OF PISTE) To anybody that hasn't skied or boarded outside of Bulgaria what this means is, You can ski/board all day without doing the same run or sitting on the same lift twice.............
££££££ are very important to us all now and we all have to be careful so may i be so bold as to give you an example of a weeks skiing in France ??
Sunday 12th December to 19th December -- France, La Tania -- next to Meribel. Flights from Gatwick, transfers, 7 nights in a catered chalet. (to anyone that hasn't stayed in a chalet, this means -- Breakfast of cereal bread porridge eggs tea coffee hot choc etc....... Afternoon tea when you arrive back after a days skiing/boarding - Fresh French bread, home made cake tea coffee etc ... Three course home cooked meal in the evening with all the wine you can drink Red,White,Rose -- And the use of a ski guide 3 days of the week)
So How much would this be in Rip Off France ??
Lets start the bidding at what, £800 ?
£700 ? £600 ?? £500 ?? It surely cant be less ??
What about £300 ??? Thats what i paid and if anyone doesn't believe me i will show them the company that are still offering this for certain weeks in January.
The snow conditions the week i was there were absolutely AWESOME -- probably the best i have ever had the pleasure of skiing in
Quote 3 -- Ah. But nowhere is guaranteed snow !!!
Answer -- Once again Peeps - You've caught me out there, Oh but wait !!! When i look on the ski forums for the 3 Valleys no one is talking about cancelling there week away, which they have worked bloody hard for. No one is panic stricken because there is no snow in their chosen resort !!!!!!!
So, what point am i trying to make ??
Bulgaria is a fantastic country, the people are great & i have so many great memories from so many great holidays ............ BUT............
There are other places to go skiing/boarding and i think alot of peeps have learnt this the hard way this year with the current snow conditions.
There is a big world out there Guys
Do it Man Yeah Mon
Pamps -- 3rd Feb
Westendorf -- 19th Feb
Let's start at the beginning....................
My first skiing holiday was in Borovets 20 years ago (with the girl who is now my Sons Mother). We went for two weeks because it didn't really cost more than one week. We weren't even sure that we were gonna enjoy the skiing that much but thought it was a cheap holiday so what the heck !! The Rila was our chosen hotel and it was as good as any spanish hotel that i'd ever stayed in, the food may not have been 5* gourmet but we ate well every night.. At the time at home in the UK every program on the tele was talking about Bulgaria and how cheap,cheap, cheap it was..... When we got out there we found (for example) -- A bottle of wine brought to your table in the Rila bar area was 30Lev -- A round of drinks later on for the 10 peeps you were in ski school with -- 100 lev............ Oh Sorry. did i forget to mention that the exchange rate at the time was 50 (Yes Fifty) Lev to the pound ?????????? A round of drinks for 10 people was £2 -- Yes, you are reading this right !!!!!!!!!!
Since that first holiday i have skied in Bulgaria at least 20 weeks in Boro,Pamps & Chepalare (never been to Bansko) and every year the same thing comes up -- Go to Bulgaria, It's cheap. Go to Bulgaria, It's cheap. Go to Bulgaria, It's cheap.
So, from a business point of view and from a common sense point of view what are the Bulgarians gonna do ?????? ( all answers in an envelope please, addressed to Do it Man Stotfold England)....
So, fast forward to the present day.....
I personally don't believe that Bulgaria is CHEAP anymore ... Wow !!! What a statement !! That's enough on it's own to get this whole post deleted !!!
Ok Ok Hold your horses before you rip in to me .. I am coming back to Pamps on the 3rd Feb with a group of friends and bringing my Son ( This will be his 5th week in Bulgaria and He is only 11.. We are all looking forward to it and we are all very excited, BUT, The days of the dirt cheap skiing holiday in Bulgaria are over (Once again, i must add -- this is MY OPINION)......
Ok Ok Ok -- Before all the normal people start attacking me - Where shall we start ????
Quote 1 -- 'if you wanna go to France and pay 8 Euros a pint then go for it....
Answer -- I totally agree you can pay that for a pint in Courchevel/Meribel but all you have to do is check the prices before you walk in, then take your custom elsewhere. When i was there 4 weeks ago we were paying 3.5 Euros for a pint in a lovely bar with a great atmosphere, It was showing all the sporting events on TV AND - AND - AND there wasnt some toerag outside hassling you every time you walked past......
Quote 2 -- Ah Yeah but the lift pass is like 200 Euros..
Answer -- Yep, you've got me there - What a waste of money .... BUT WAIT !!!!!!! I have just googled the 3 main resorts in Bulgaria (Boro,Pamps,Bansko) and the combined piste Km for ALL THREE is 168km. The 3 valleys in France total piste in Km ??? Any guesses ??
Must be atleast three hundred, right ? WRONG Must be 4 or 5 hundred Right ?? WRONG !!! 600 (YES 6 HUNDRED KM OF PISTE) To anybody that hasn't skied or boarded outside of Bulgaria what this means is, You can ski/board all day without doing the same run or sitting on the same lift twice.............
££££££ are very important to us all now and we all have to be careful so may i be so bold as to give you an example of a weeks skiing in France ??
Sunday 12th December to 19th December -- France, La Tania -- next to Meribel. Flights from Gatwick, transfers, 7 nights in a catered chalet. (to anyone that hasn't stayed in a chalet, this means -- Breakfast of cereal bread porridge eggs tea coffee hot choc etc....... Afternoon tea when you arrive back after a days skiing/boarding - Fresh French bread, home made cake tea coffee etc ... Three course home cooked meal in the evening with all the wine you can drink Red,White,Rose -- And the use of a ski guide 3 days of the week)
So How much would this be in Rip Off France ??
Lets start the bidding at what, £800 ?
£700 ? £600 ?? £500 ?? It surely cant be less ??
What about £300 ??? Thats what i paid and if anyone doesn't believe me i will show them the company that are still offering this for certain weeks in January.
The snow conditions the week i was there were absolutely AWESOME -- probably the best i have ever had the pleasure of skiing in
Quote 3 -- Ah. But nowhere is guaranteed snow !!!
Answer -- Once again Peeps - You've caught me out there, Oh but wait !!! When i look on the ski forums for the 3 Valleys no one is talking about cancelling there week away, which they have worked bloody hard for. No one is panic stricken because there is no snow in their chosen resort !!!!!!!
So, what point am i trying to make ??
Bulgaria is a fantastic country, the people are great & i have so many great memories from so many great holidays ............ BUT............
There are other places to go skiing/boarding and i think alot of peeps have learnt this the hard way this year with the current snow conditions.
There is a big world out there Guys
Do it Man Yeah Mon
Pamps -- 3rd Feb
Westendorf -- 19th Feb
re: I Think we need to take off our rose tinted glasses & start being honest & open
Couldnt agree more .................
re: I Think we need to take off our rose tinted glasses & start being honest & open
Thank you an excellent argument, with facts. Much better put than mine. Maybe people will listen and others will start pulling the punches any second now.re: I Think we need to take off our rose tinted glasses & start being honest & open
Thank you an excellent argument, with facts. Much better put than mine. Maybe people will listen and others will start pulling the punches any second now.re: I Think we need to take off our rose tinted glasses & start being honest & open
Thank you an excellent argument, with facts. Much better put than mine. Maybe people will listen and others will start pulling the punches any second now.
re: I Think we need to take off our rose tinted glasses & start being honest & open
yes, agree with everything you say and on paper i would choose a French ski resort every time. As an advanced skier, you certainly can't beat the larger resorts in the Alps. But even at £300 per person - if you are a family of 5, that's £1500 and that's way more than I'd pay for a family ski holiday in BG.
Plus, What good is 600 km of piste if you are a beginner? Plus a smaller resort has its advantages when you have kids who want a bit of independance but you don't want to lose ...
Plus, What good is 600 km of piste if you are a beginner? Plus a smaller resort has its advantages when you have kids who want a bit of independance but you don't want to lose ...
yes, agree with everything you say and on paper i would choose a French ski resort every time. As an advanced skier, you certainly can't beat the larger resorts in the Alps. But even at £300 per person - if you are a family of 5, that's £1500 and that's way more than I'd pay for a family ski holiday in BG.
Plus, What good is 600 km of piste if you are a beginner? Plus a smaller resort has its advantages when you have kids who want a bit of independance but you don't want to lose them!
If I had limitless funds, my choice for my family ski holiday would not be Bulgaria. At the moment, however, BG still works out a cheaper option for me and the family - and a safer and friendlier one too in my opinion.
The snow is a concern - where is my magic wand.....
Plus, What good is 600 km of piste if you are a beginner? Plus a smaller resort has its advantages when you have kids who want a bit of independance but you don't want to lose them!
If I had limitless funds, my choice for my family ski holiday would not be Bulgaria. At the moment, however, BG still works out a cheaper option for me and the family - and a safer and friendlier one too in my opinion.
The snow is a concern - where is my magic wand.....
re: I Think we need to take off our rose tinted glasses & start being honest & open
Hey guy im coming to the Uk from Australia and was thinking of boarding in Bulgaria because i heard it was so cheap, if its that bad then its doesnt really interest me, can you recommend anywhere else in europe that is cheap???Cheers
re: I Think we need to take off our rose tinted glasses & start being honest & open
Yeah- agree with you to a certain extent- we were in Courcheville last year- excellent skiing, loads more slopes and the three valleys of course- spent about the same for accomadation (self catering though)- but spent about £500 for the week in eating out/buying in for food etc- the lift passes were a hell of a lot more!- and the folk no where nearly as friendly (personally speaking)- great if you can afford it every year - i cant -hence we are back to Bulgaria- affordable , not so snow sure ...
Yeah- agree with you to a certain extent- we were in Courcheville last year- excellent skiing, loads more slopes and the three valleys of course- spent about the same for accomadation (self catering though)- but spent about £500 for the week in eating out/buying in for food etc- the lift passes were a hell of a lot more!- and the folk no where nearly as friendly (personally speaking)- great if you can afford it every year - i cant -hence we are back to Bulgaria- affordable , not so snow sure, but worth the risk (in our oppinion)- If i won the lottery- well ill be back over to Aspen straight away! 
re: I Think we need to take off our rose tinted glasses & start being honest & open
In fairness- i think i should add- if i were to be booking as an individual and not taking two " limited area kids" with me- i would consider elsewhere- did it last year in France but dont think the kids got the value of what was on offer and wasted money as a result-(paying for lift passes etc)At the momment Bulgaria suits us- next year USA perhaps- But back to Bulgaria as long as they enjoy it!
