Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Hi

We are experienced skiers and usually go to France or Italy...Les Menuires last year, Sestriere the year before, Les Deux Alpes the year before ...

We have heard a lot about Bulgaria and have been looking at brochures and can\'t believe the value :-)

We like to take lessons in the morning and ski all afternoon.... I guess we do blues and reds mainly...the occasional black, if it\'s not too daunting....

Like to be comfortable hotel-wise and are into a good evening meal and a decent bottle of wine or two....

I\'d be really grateful for some suggestions as to where we could go in Bugaria.... (we normally like to go just before the Easter holidays, about 20th March)

Just want to make sure that there is enough variety so we\'re not repeating the same runs all the time, like in some of the smaller French resorts....

Any advice appreciated :-)

Thanks

Paul
PS We\'d be flying from LGW

I haven't been to anywhere but Borovets but since it's the biggest resort & you like variety then that's where I'd recommend.

Plenty of variety in terrain for a week & it's got a great nightlife scene that (thankfully) you can take or leave & there's no real pressure to get hammered every night [although of course you could, but you're on a ski holiday right?](it's not like going to Benidorm).

Hotels I'd recommend in Borovets are the Rila & Flora.

Check the site I've posted, it's got a list of all the main hotels (reviews aren't up yet) but it'll give you some idea of the number of hotels available.

There's also a piste map & list of runs on that site too.

Anything else you wanna know, just drop me a line.

Adam

Lots of questions Paul - I'll do my best to answer as best I can.

Firstly - you will be taking a big risk by leaving it until late March. Although it was good this year at that time, it cannot be guaranteed that the snow will still be high quality this season. Best times are usually early Feb - but nobody can pre-guess the weather.

All resorts have some good quality reds but a good skier could ski them all in a day - so don't expect hundreds of runs because Bulgaria simply does not have them.

Hotel food cannot be described as 'great' but is has improved over the years and each resort has some great resturants that serve delicious food and wine. If you chose a Bulgarian Hotel then ensure it is a minimum of 4* as the standards are below what you would expect in the UK.

Most ski schools run from 10am - 3pm with breaks and lunch in between. You can get private lessons for morning only but that will prove much more expensive.

I have been to all 3 main resorts and I would probably recommend Bansko to you considering your experience.
We stayed at the Lion Hotel there and found it excellent. Food a bit repetitive but very nice.

You will definately enjoy Bulgaria - but as I said, do not expect to find another France because it's not anywhere close to that standard.

By the way ---- I am off to Sestriere in January. How did you rate that?

Pete

I was at Sestriere last season and Les Deux Alpes this season and the Bulgarian resorts are nowhere near the scale of these places. However, somewhere like Bansko could be the ideal place for you to try off piste and the skiing is excellent and instruction much cheaper than France. Late March is when we often get a very good late season dump but it is a week or so from the official end of the season so you takes your chance.
Forget finding any food remotely as good as France / Italy, especially in the hotels.