Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Having been to BLG (Pamps and Bansko) for the past few years I decided to take a break elsewhere this year.
Read a lot on this board over the past few months about people 'deserting' BLG and heading off to 'flash' resorts in the Alps ..this is not a 'one versus another' report - it's simply a statement of fact as to what I have found.

We went for a week to a place in Italy called La Thuile which is placed just across the Apline border from France - La Rosiere which means you can ski 2 countries with one life pass!
There is are 50+ pistes and 27 lifts (including a gondola on the Italian side). Queues were absolutely non-existant all week - apparently this is normal all season - it's just a quiet resort. The snow was excellent from day on and after a 36 hour dump mid-week it was superb. Transfer time from Turin was just under 2 hours and was painless.
Price-wise...(total for 2 people)
. Huge (!) 4 berth apartment (very modern and well equipped) : £505
. Lift pass (6 days) : £230
. Private instruction (4 hrs) : £60
. Food and Drink : £400
Total Cost : £1195

Downside....nothing really - the place was an absolute peach...not flash, not expensive and not full of poseurs!!

KB

you can do it with driving and if 4 people going there or everywhere in the Alps you will save alot of dosh at the same time ski-in and ski-out (not possible in Bansko i am afraid unless you book hotel high near the Shiligarnika run-far away from everywhere and drive to reach).do carefull research ,book direct with the hotel owner in the Alps or agency (again local)check on the net distances to slopes, places ,book even hotel on the way to the place-(of old towns to enjoy few hours) book lift passes in advance -very often cheaper than at the gate (and cheaper than in BG-anyway).Recently if i go on my own or with a friend maybe we will flight to BG-to ski couple of days .For more than 3 people in the party -we always drive to Alps .This way we have the freedom to ski in another place if we want .WRONG-you can pay less in the Alps for the same hotel food without drinks.(without the amount of ski runs and very good lift system built for many years and thought slowly and correct)drinks are only problem but hey if you are not an alcohol user and smoker too it does not matter .prices will be similiar.thee are even little germs in the Alps with runs in the region of 30-50km where you will not find an English tourist in sight(usually the mass tourist destinations where the main tour operators go are not the beaty places to be.Check where the locals/natives go.Cant compare Italians with Bulgarians?For what?for grim faces, smokey rooms ,posing,petty crimes around,gettoes around-look around the blocks east of Bansko(10 min walk from the centre) or the travellers flats in Samokov(near the river ) near Borovets to get idea of a general level of satisfaction which can reflect on you as well.Maybe in 5-10 years BG will lift itself above all this?Until then everybody will be that many years old.So I rather ski now and get the maximum white feel I can get while on holiday.I will review every year the situation and when gets up to standards(all round not just drinks, and cheapo fake CD DVD and goods everywhere) I will return to this place with very beautifull nature and good climate.