Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Hi Mark

Not sure if I am one of those causing depression - I hope not, I love BG, and can't wait to go back. However, I think that people booking skiing holidays don't always look at all the info about when the snow is at its best and book on that basis. People tend to think 'it would be great to be skiing at Christmas or New Year' and book on that basis. Thats human nature I guess, particularly if you are first timers. Its not quite as straightforward as booking a summer holiday. In fact BGs snow is more reliable in Feb & March, and maybe people should be aware of that for the future.

I have been to be BG several times in the last few years and always had a fantastic time. All the hotels I have seen and stayed at are more than adequate, the nightlife is fun and lively, and the ski schools ae fantastic. Add to that beautiful locations (eg Pamps) and efficient lifts with minimal queues and you have a truly brilliant experience.

This board is naturally always full of worry at this time of the year, particularly over snow fall. But I have yet to see people come back and say that no snow ruined their holiday.

get real ,if you are in love with the place for one or other reason accept the obvious good and bad things about the ..real gem ...the fact of the matter is that the BG resorts don't develope the way they should be to attract quality tourists.today you build something flock it on the market cash it in and move on without any regrets leaving after you the rest to tigh up the loose ends hoping for better.it is not cheap anymore - most of the staff in the BG resorts are for the quick profit just for the season,the infrastructure of the place as a whole is just a joke,OK for a day or two you can ski but for a week it gets boring.only one thing left which is reasonable is if you like alot of drinking-non stop and anything-then this is the place for you.Europe is not having alot of snow at the moment but every resort has some plan B and things are moving Ok for the moment.especially if the resort is high one.For the people which have not been on snow before BG is great-just for one time or twice.there will always be people which go to the same places -meeting people falling in love with locals ,hoping for romance there etc.this is fine.life is too short to spend it on one place when you can pick and shoose different ones everytime.Dont get me wrong.I have businesses in Boro, Bansko and on the beach but I will be very fool if i stick only to BG.
Is is not depression it is just reality check.

because this is not an advertising board where people try to cover the story.everybody deserves to hear the facts as they are even if they don't want to hear them.isn't that the point of a discussion board.people which dont know alot about the place to find out, make their mind so they dont get the shock.if I go someplace that says -maybe -very unatractive architecture or something else in this line -wouldn't be better to know it first so when you book not to think this is a wonderland.then when you are in the resort maybe you will like the other things and at the end will say that this was a good place for a holiday.the same story is with the snow situation.Either there is or there is not.You guess which one it is at the mo.
Apologies for not selling dreams.I could turn into the fantazy tunes-can get the brochures copy / paste and post nice words if preferred.

Skibum, i think when people are booking skiing in BG as first timers, they are doing it on the basis of 1) price and 2) quality of ski school. Many people then carry on going back cos they have a good time. Yes, you are right that its best to be aware of any 'shocks' before you arrive at a destination. But I do not believe that people who book BG are going for a 'winter wonderland' - they can see from the pages of quality brochures like Nielsen that BG tends to have much bigger and more modern style hotels than the 'chocolate' style in Austria etc. Nielsen, as a ski specialist, also point out some of the other 'downsides' of BG e.g. the food is not gourmet quality. With all these points in mind, I have never met an 1st, 2nd or 3rd time skier who has not had a great experience in BG. Yes, if you are looking for the 'highlife' sophistication of Cloisters, than maybe BG is not the place for you. Nor is it the 3rd world country that some people on here make out.The equipment may not be state of the art, and Plovdiv airport is basic. The lifts may not all be brand new but they work, same as the ski buses. And while it may not be as cheap as it once was, in comparison to any other skiing experience it is still rated as tremendous value.

As for snowfall, you make a good point in perhaps holding off before booking, and see when is the best time to go based on actual snow fall. If you do book in advance, then the Ski History on Ski Club of Great Britain website is free to all to access. Have a look at the trends and book when there is a good chance of snow. But its the one factor of the holiday out of your control