Bulgaria Ski discussion board

I have skied both Bansko and Borovets and prefer Borovets as most of accommodation is within walking distance of both areas-the resort is quite compact and there is sking right into the resort whereas Bansko you have the Gondola ride-I afraid if you book independently you have missed the bargain flights I think-these come out much earlier in the year.If you are brave enough to wait for a last minute there were some bargains around all over Europe last year-but you need to compare ski packages.You can also see the snow conditions as well.Your 10 year old will progress quickly I am sure. I am there at half term with a 14 year old grandson and 12 year old grand daughter so if you want to meet up I know the slopes very well .We are there at the Alpin which do half board and a good ski package-their store is right on the slope so no walking-but obviously compare prices and position.

Agree with emjay that Gondola can have long queues first thing but I used the 4 man chair lifts in front of Rila hotel first thing in the morning-1 takes you to easy slopes and 1 to red (easyish slopes)and then from there you can ski through to gondola-found about 11ish the queues had gone-unfotrunately half term it was always thus! Unless you look at France or Italy-but there you pay the price. It is a pain when you are stuck with school holidays-we went the week before Xmas to France last year and skidded in home at 9pm xmas eve-took some planning but not all schools have even that week off. Cheap flights at half term go very quickly which is why I booked as soon as Easy jet flights came out--I had even looked at Lufthansa as they were cheaper but the thought of changing didn't appeal.

Hi Gillian,

Not sure if you have booked yet but bear in mind, whilst Alpin is a lovely hotel it is also at the top end in terms of price and from one of your posts, coming at half-term you need to consider budgets.

All the following are in the resort and often do good deals:
Breza
Moura
Iglika
Ela
Rila
Samokov

Lion / George also offer very good deals, however they are 15mins walk from the centre which if you're going HB might be fine as you may not want to be out in the evenings. You can get prices for half board, transfer and lift pass for around 280-300gbp in resort (for this period) , so it just depends on flight costs as it may still be cheaper to get a package. Also, last year quite a few people got very cheap flights to Skopje in Macedonia - the transfer was obviously longer and more expensive but the price worked out for families - not sure if it would for just 2 of you, but you could always have a look.

Let me know if we can help with anything else.

Kas

Emjay is correct that the gondola can get busy but it opens at 8.45 so if you don't mind an early start there is not a queue, it starts to get really busy as the ski schools start to arrive which is about 9.30.
Also Borosport run free buses from the gondola to the Yastrebets four man chair, from the top of this chair you can ski down and get onto the gondola at the middle station. The cabins coming up are not always completely full so it does not take long to squeeze into one.This does not work for beginners as it is a red slope but as Thelma says there is plenty of good skiing from the Rila or the Sitnyakovo chair lifts that are not so busy first thing. So there are alternatives to standing in the gondola queue.