Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Hi all.. I got back from Bansko yesterday. People said they wanted facts & info, so here goes....

We flew from Bristol to Plodiv with Balkan. Flight and transfer 3 hours each. Pretty standard, but no complaints. Stayed in the Perun. The hotel itself is lovely. The outdoor pool is amazing - a proper swimmining pool but about 40c! The indoor health area and gym are good too, but spoilt by numerous unsupervised children running around and messing about etc. Children as young as 6 were in the gym using machines wearing wet swimming costumes having got straight out of the pool. They also kept turning the sauna temp up from outside and running off. I am not anti children (I have one of my own!) but they really did spoil the relaxion element of it all.

The staff in the hotel were all friendly and helpful. Their English varied from 'a little' to 'zero', but it wasn't really a problem. It is spotlessly clean and comfortable.

Food - All meals were buffet style. Breakfast was never a problem - both hot and cold choices, also cereals, yogurts, toast etc. The evening meal was a little hectic every night. There are supposed to be 2 sittings, determined by your travel company. Nobody adheres to this and the early sitting (7.30pm - 9pm) is manic. The chefs cannot keep up with the demand and the buffet trays are often completely empty for 15 minutes at a time. Also there are not enough tables to go round. We solved this by always attending the later sitting when there was plenty of food and free tables. At the early sitting we were always forced to sit with other people (usually Russians or Macedonians) but at the later sitting we always managed to get a table for just the 2 of us.The food itself is all Bulgarian and really tasty. Lots of chicken based dishes. There was also a couple of veggie dishes each night.

The hotel is situated out of the town near to the gondola. A mini bus takes you there every morning and picks you up in the evening. The service is frequent and good. It is about a 20 minute walk into the village itself. There is extensive building work going on all around the Perun and it is fair to say the entire area is a building site. The Perun is the first of about 20 new hotels/aparment blocks to be completed, the others vary from foundations to shells. There was never any noise from the building work though and to be honest it didn't really affect us in any way.

And now what you all want to now about, the skiing ... FANTASTIC! I was one of the worriers who looked at the forecast and snow report religiously each day before I set off. DON'T WORRY! We had no snow at all in the village and it didn't snow a single flake while we were there, but it didn't make an iota of difference. The slopes are so high up that the snow just isn't melting, despite clear blue skies and brilliant sunshine. All the runs are open (apart from the ski road back to the base gondola station) and the pistes are wonderful. They are groomed nightly and were in excellent condition the whole week. Lifts are all fast and efficient and we didn't have to queue once. Mountain restuarants are all really good too - chicken and chips available for the less adventurous of you! Everything is new and clean.

We met some complete beginners who were having the time of their lives. After 2 days they were sking the 'blues' up the chair lift. They felt Bansko WAS suitable for somebody who had never skied before. My hubby and I are advanced skiers. We went into ski school for several days for a bit of a refresh. Our instructor (Plamon) was really good. His English was excellent and the level of instruction was also spot on. The slopes were certainly challenging enough for us!

We were intoduced to a Paraglider called Valairie who (apparently!) is a Bulgarian champion. He took us on a tandem flight from the top of the mountain to the gondola station. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. It cost us 100 lev and was worth every stontinki !!!!! I felt completely safe with this guy. He explained everything in detail, in perfect English. You actully fly with your skis on. BRILLIANT - a must do!

Nighlife - consists entirely of Mahanas (little bulgarian restaurants/bars). It is what you make it. Bansko is not Borovets, so if you are expecting loud pubs and the Brit scene you will be disappointed. There is one English pub - The Lion's bar - but the staff are Bulgarian, as were the customers when we went in! There is a large bar near the Gondola station (I can't remember its name, something like 'The Happy End') which has a live rock band who do various covers in English. This was the livliest place we went. Bansko really is the most charming place you could find. It has not been spoilt by mass tourism (yet) and has a wonderful atmosphere. Be open minded and you will have a fanstastic time.

So to summariase - Bansko is an excellent resort and I would certainly go there again. I had a brilliant holiday and I am green with envy at all of you who still have your holiday ahead of you. Have great time.....

Hi Liam,

I can see no reason why your daughter can't use the pool. There is nobody checking you in and out, so I suggest you just take her along. The Strazite (spelt completely wrong!) is a little walk from the Perun - about 15-20 minutes.

Our flight was meant to leave Bristol at 1.15pm, but we were delayed for an hour. The coach transfer was 3 hours non stop. We arrived in the resort at about 11pm, tired and in need of our beds! The hotel provided a hot meal in the restaurant when we arrived which was from the a la carte menu and was lovely.

Have a great time!