Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Very mixed messages - Bulgaria wine is not and never will be £30 a bottle and bringing the prices in line with other ECC Countries was always going to happen once they had joined. With this, the economy will grow as will the wages and Bulgarians will rightfully see the benefits they deserve through higher wages and better standards of living.

Too many greedy people are complaining about the rises for selfish reasons rather than being happy for a nation that has lived in the shadows for centuries.


Pete

Pete, no harm to you, but you cant see the woods for the trees.

I appreciate you love the place but this claptrap of economic growth is a smoke screen.

The reality is that Bulgaria has got substantially more expensive . The tourist resorts are even more of a honey trap than previously.

IMO they have shot themseves in the foot, basically as a result on greed.

Why go to bulgaria on a skiing holiday, whereby you can go to austria, france etc for the same price and with 40 times more runs, better infrastruce, better ski facilities.

Bulgaria has been great for introducing people to skiing. ( Cheap and basic resorts) However the numbers will be severely reduced in the coming years. Pity that !

Interesting debate.
Lots of talk about eating out and cost of beer etc, but it is still cheaper than eating out in the UK. Surely you have to consider the TOTAL cost of the holiday - the cost of the accomodation (which quite often is half baord so you do not need to eat out every night), ski hire, lift passes and lessons which are all still way cheaper than the majority of the rest of Europe. In addition, in my opinion the atmosphere and friendliness can't be beaten - a big plus when you are taking kids with you. Can't remember kids being given free drinks or bars letting them borrow sledges in France.
I think that I would only seriously start to look to go back to other parts of Europe if the total cost of a week in Bulgaria was the same as the more modern (but less personal) Western Europe resorts.
I definitely think I've got a good few years of Bulgarian skiing left in me yet.

Having just returned from Austria I feel well placed to make the comparison.

5 of us went into a bar in Austria last week and we had 9 pints of Guinness, 4 gin and tonics and 3 small beers. Cost? Just over £60! And it was just an ordinary ski bar. Guinness was £5 a pint.

I'm not sure what people are expecting from Bulgaria. Do you want it to improve or not? With new developments in every resort and the expansion of most ski area planned, prices will rise without doubt. One poster today who has just returned from Pamporovo after a weeks skiing said she only spent £80 all week!

Those who have been for many years will see the rises as unacceptable - but those who never saw the really cheap days will still see it as I do - and that's exceptionally good value for money.

Pete

Sorry PP, got to disagree with you ref the EU effect on prices; this is just down to greed by a few business owners who will use that as an excuse. I have just recently returned from Pamps 26/01), had another brill time as per the last three skiing trips to BG. Like most of those who post on this board, I really enjoy BG, most of the people are really friendly and value for money is still good. Prices however, have increased at the resorts which is also something our (BG) ski instructor commented on. He also said that prices in general away from these hot spots had not increased. It’s a fact of life that as businesses develop and the market grows; opportunities to increase turnover are taken by business owners at the expense of those visiting. Our instructor also asked me if the rise in prices would deter me from visiting BG in the future; which I said it will. Like the vast majority of people considering any holiday; it’ll be the value for money that is the deciding factor. However, I think value for money is still good in BG; but let’s hope they don’t kill the cash cow. Also we were advised by our instructor that he was in trouble with his boss because we hadn’t visited a certain restaurant (the one under the main chairlift at the bottom of the green). We agreed to stop for a coffee to get him off the hook, it was almost like a fast food burger bar; not my idea of the Bulgarian experience. Our next stop (most stops really) was at the Irish Pub (Bulgarian style) above mid station near the lakes which had the best value all round.
Already looking forward to next years trip; more so as I won a pair of skis on the raffle in the White Hart on the last night.

Regards

Shrek.

Interesting all the postings on this--many widespread ranges of pricing from still OK to bloody big rip off. My 10 stot worth is have been going to BG many years, but must admit seeing prices rapidly increasing in areas 'prone to foreign tourism'--especially those popular with brits. DW is, in my opinion, reasonably accurate in what he says. I think what is becoming more of a factor now is the 'how much I love BG for the people, atmos, scenery etc' because pricing alone will not be the major draw it was before. It will be interesting to see how BG deals with this, especially places like Pamps,as this year I am being told by local ski instructors/friends that the numbers are already down from last year. Apart from the eat/drink question one big issue I see is the rip off taxi prices, especially for the ever increasing number of apartment rentals. To add anything up to 40 lev a day for return taxis is not a small factor..........still I love Bg and will continue to enjoy all the good things it offers.

Thats where you are wrong whitey.

A work collegue is going to Tignes next week for the same price we stayed last year in Bansko. Tignes and Val D'sire share the same lift pass system and you can ski both resorts.

It includes half board and full ski pack including lessons.

The point im making is that pound for pound now there isnt much difference in Bulgaria and the rest of Europe. The Nicque that bulgaria had is quickly dissappearing.

Nothing to do whatsoever about EU, ecomonic growth or "a nation that has lived in the shadows for centuries".

It is pure greed and and an acceptance to rip tourists off. The economic gain will not and never will be filtered down to the locals.

If this was economic growth, why is Pamps not open to free trade and not controlled by one individual ?

I'm with some of you and all of you

I think that Borosport - controlled Borovets in particular, has gone out on a limb to test what the tourist market can stand in order to manage people's future expectations after the resort has been significantly improved.....in other words - attempting to make it 'Reassuringly Expensive' and therefore an attractive destination for the 'Chammy Darling' brigade, which I think is naive and very probably deluded.

It's clear that the interests of ordinary Bulgarians haven't been considered one single iota, for which reason whether they can afford to enjoy their own country's fast developing tourist resorts is thought to be totally irrelevant - more delusion!!!

I love BG and to be honest I haven't skied anywhere else so I'm not an authority on the subject, but if tourists vote with their feet (in pursuit of more skiable resorts with comparable prices) the effect this will have on the poor sods who work in the resorts will be devastating.

Anyway me and the missus are goin back again on 21st Feb and
I C*** W***!!

Raph