Snowsure: 3.9
- Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
- Is often closed due to a lack of snow
- Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
- Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
- Bansko is snowsure even in the poorest seasons
Visitor reviews for Bansko Ski Resort
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(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
Latest
March 15, 2010
Phil from
United Kingdom
Phil from
United Kingdom
Our second visit to Bansko in half-term. The first one was three years ago. Great accommodation, fantastic value and good restaurants. The only but was the gondola: waited 1 hour 45 minutes, this was a pain and such a shame, it could be easily fixed by opening the lifts an hour early on holiday periods.
March 13, 2010
Peter from
United Kingdom
Peter from
United Kingdom
Ok - where do we start?!
This was our third visit to Bansko in two years and we have exactly the same impression.
The weather was awesome - snow (lots of it) which led to powdery pistes and truley fantastic skiing. The cloud wrapped pistes opening up to blue sunny skies at 2000 feet was a real treat, although the sunburned nose wasn't!
Equipment is good - skis and poles do their job (we n=booked a package through Balkan Holidays - we were fortunate enough to still be in touch with our old ski instructor who we ate out with in the evening, ski'd all day with and have become good friends with. The two of us decided to buy our own boots in the end of season sales in Bansko - really cheap and with the advice of our instructor we have good boots at a bargain price; we ski'd for a day with them and my opinion to anyone hslf serious about skiing more than a few times is "buy your own boots!" (they don't smell like the hire ones do and also they fit correctly).
Food is hearty, basic and filling - the creche we use (Blue Kangaroo) is very very good, trustworthy, clean and consistant - we wils leave our daughter there again.
Queues...this is a myth. In 21 days of skiing in Bansko the longest we have ever queued was on our last day - this was 20 mins.
"Bulgarians..rude..." - again, a myth. We have never met a rude Bulgarian, at least none as rude as the English people who charge their way on top of the ski lifts and hurtle down the slope without due consideration to others (you know who you are).
If asked to nit pick I would highlight the condition of the street of Bansko. The pavements can be poorly laid and it is a little like a building site but this said, even with two-three feet of snow freshly laid - the infastructure barely blinked and cetainly didn't cease to function.
When there try to visit the "off the path" tavernas for food and real Bulgarian atmosphere.
We stayed at the Starazhite for the third time and again are not able to fault it.
Tips - as you ski down the "ski road" into town, near the bottom you go over the final bridge of the run - stop there, look behind you over your left shoulder...behind the trees and there is a little wooden hut. This is a mini cafe where you can get a beer for 1.5 lev (75p); a coffee for 1 lev (50p) and lots of good food for less than a few quid....this is run by true Bulgarians and not the money malers ("ULEN") who run the whole ski range, town hire, ski school and all the other cafes and restaurants on the mountain.. . . .
Marks out of ten? I'd give a strong 9. For the cost and the quality of skiing I dont think you will find better in a hurry.
Go to Bansko with the expectation of getting what you pay for and you wil be very pleasantly suprised.
Enjoy! :-)
March 12, 2010
Tom from
United Kingdom
Tom from
United Kingdom
I went to Bansko for a 7 day holiday the week after half-term. For those concerned about queueing for ages, do not go in half-term. First day when everyone got their equipment, 45 mins at most. This was the longest all week. Thereafter it was 5-10 mins max and pretty much the same for the chair lifts etc.
The runs were brilliant with a good level of snow although we had numerous white-outs at the top and it went stupidly cold but we enjoyed the vast amount of off-piste also available. Great for intermediates and advanced skiers, beginners may struggle as no green slopes.
Nightlife was brilliant: Lions Pub in High Town is brilliant for the English. 24/7 sport, drink and food, always busy, great time.
Steak is another level of good in Bulgaria, I had it every night.
Staff in the mini mart shops are friendly and the food is cheap, expect to pay higher price for brand name or imported food/brands.
Wimslow Atrium Apartments is where we stayed. Couldn't have been happier with it, spacious, clean, maids did washing up, Sky tv, heated, kitchen, big rooms, really impressive.
Went to Borovets year before, Bansko is the better of the two. The town has its posh parts and its run down parts, but what city doesn't.
Have a great time if you go, I'd definately go again.
March 10, 2010
Alex Brown from
United Kingdom
Alex Brown from
United Kingdom
Currently on holiday in Bansko, staying at a great hotel - the Avalon. English run "home from home" style place. It is about 600 yards from the gondola station but that's a walk worth doing just to wake up properly.
Queues? What Queues? Longest queue I have seen for the gondola this week (w/c 8th March) was about 20 people. As reported by many of the other comments the resort cannot cope with the numbers of people arriving during school holidays, etc. That's why I chose this week and brought my son along.
I read somewhere about smoking - yes, there are many places that do permit smoking indoors, but our hotel doesn't and the restaurants we went into had no problem with this. I simply refuse to go into anywhere that allows open smoking as it detracts from the enjoyment of a meal.
The snow this week has been awesome. Some 12-18 inches in 48 hours, making the slopes crisp and clean. As a beginner I have found the runs very sufficient for my needs and with the help of coaching from Method Ski School have come on leaps and bounds with snowboarding. Sadly, my son (11) has progressed far beyond me and often disappears off down the slope leaving me behind : )
Buying food on the slopes - Shiligarnika has a row of kebab (eat outside) shops, etc, and for 7lev you get a wrap that will keep you going all afternon. Head for the indoor "branded" places and you will find your wallet much lighter. Singular advice is take drinks with you. 1 lev for a bottle in town = 3-4lev on the slopes.
Would I come here again? Definitely, but absolutely not during any kind of public holiday. If every apartment were occupied then the town would simply not have the infrastructure to cope.
March 06, 2010
Grigoris from
Cyprus
Grigoris from
Cyprus
First time in Bansko for a week in mid February. Read all the bad reviews about long waiting times but we thought it is a holiday and we should have a great time. And that did happen. Ok, getting to the gondola took 1,5 hours the first day (better next days, on average half an hour waiting) but who cares? Once you are up to the mountain it is just great.
The slopes are very busy but that is a good thing, you have many things to avoid on your way down :) If you want less crowded slopes try the red ones as the blues are packed with beginners. Mid February was the English mid-term holidays (or something) and a Greek public holiday so the resort had more people than normal.
We stayed at Guiness hotel which was 5 min walk away from the gondola station, also had a shuttle bus. The hotel itself was great, we had an apartment which was clean and big and had a lot of space, room kitchen, living room with corner couch. Also indoor swimming pool and spa, perfect to relax in the eveining after a long day. The only minus: it was deadly hot! All radiators were off but still we had all windows open to survive. People, we go to a ski resort to get all the cold we can! Not to live like bacon. If I wanted to wander around in a hotel with my shorts and t-shirt I would go to Barbados.
Overall, it was good and will go again!
One more thing: those people saying it's not very cheap in Bulgaria, please let us know... how much do you pay for a 7 night ski holiday in Austria? in France? in Italy? etc. we payed 600 euros (food, hotel, air tickets, transfer to airports, everything). If it's cheaper please let us know!
March 05, 2010
Chronis from
Greece
Chronis from
Greece
I just came back from Bansko after spending 4 days of skiing. Reading the latest comments from the people who visited recently Bansko, I noticed that there are a lot of complaints for the queue for the gondola. If you go to Bansko during weekends or during Christmas holidays, you have to be prepared to face a long waiting time to take the gondola. Well, let's face the reality. Bansko is a place very familiar for skiing. A lot of people are visiting Bansko over the recent years, and you cannot expect to be alone and not to wait in the queue to take the lift! Try to visit Bansko during weekdays (and not weekends). The waiting time to get the gondola is about 5-10 minutes, and up to the lifts there are no queues at all! Generally, I think that Bansko is very well organised, with nice and long slopes. Prices are good and the staff are very friendly. This resort is highly recommended for everyone.
February 26, 2010
Elisabeth Websdale from
United Kingdom
Elisabeth Websdale from
United Kingdom
Well, where do I begin! Buy cheap - pay dearly. I said after I'd been in Borovets that I'd never return to Bulgaria, but I did it again and nothing is different in Bansko. The queues were the worst I've ever experienced in my 25 year of skiing. Heaven help them if Bansko is ever full to capacity as you'll have to start queuing at the crack of dawn. It was taking, on average, up to 2 hours to get any skiing done in the morning. Safety on the slopes is not quite as bad as Borovets, however, there are many unsafe, uneducated skiers up there who have no idea of how dangerous they are - totally out of control. Restaurant staff on the slopes are surley and rude. Bansko is full of half built apartment/hotel blocks and looks like a war zone. Dogs roam the empty building sites and howl at night! On a plus point, the guys in Fischer ski rental were very helpful and pleasant. Mehana Lion (attached to the Lion Hotel) was a lovely restaurant with excellent food and service. Well recommended.
February 23, 2010
Damon Eldridge from
United Kingdom
Damon Eldridge from
United Kingdom
Well, where to begin? I will start by saying "never again". Save your money. It may be cheap at Bansko but it aint cheerful! Half-term in any resort is hell but here it was beyond hell. Gondola - forget it! The queue really sets the scene for the resort. We only had 2hrs on the worst day and 1 hr for the best but this is wasted skiing time. You have local people pushing in and the police and security just stand by and watch. You can if you wish pay a taxi to take you up but the price varies £20 to £30 it could be sorted with a few buses laid on or just only buy a half day lift pass as that's about the maximum skiing you will be able to achieve each day. At the mid station, again 1 hr queue plus watching the locals who have some sort of deal going on with the lift operators where they move the barriers to let them pass the lift pass scanner. When you are skiing down the slope watch out for the rubbish that people just discard. The slopes over the week we had here were groomed once. Oh, and the best thing was the piste basher half burried on the slope that you nearly crash into. If they ever get their act together and clean up Bansko it could pass as a good resort. They have really good accommodation and lots of it. Heaven help them if they ever manage to fill all the accommodation at once as it would bmeltdown. If this is all you can afford for a ski holiday I would save the money and have 1 bigger and better trip to one of the top resorts.
Arhhhh spleen vented !
February 22, 2010
Colin Smith from
United Kingdom
Colin Smith from
United Kingdom
We have just returned from a weeks skiing in Bansko. It was our first experience of Skiing in Bulgaria and for some in our party it was their first time skiing. As this was half-term we expected it to be busy but did not anticipate the horrendous queques at the main gondola station each day. Taking up to 2 hours to get on the bottom gondola. In the end we used our chalet hosts to take us up the mountain to beat the queues!! It didn't help that it also coincided with a Greek bank holiday so there were lots of additional skiers/boarders there. In a nutshell, there were simply far too many people there for the size of the resort. I did meet lots of people there who said it was really nice outside of term time, so if you are travelling with a family, definitely go to Bansko out of season, you will spend more time queuing than skiing. As for the ski runs they were variable and often not pisted as expected. The top two runs, II & 3, both blue runs were shut on most days due to different reasons, not always the weather! Once they were closed it forced people onto the other slopes which were already overcrowed. The local people are very friendly and there are some nice places to eat out. Overall, as a group we enjoyed the holiday, but found the skiing limited and far too busy to be enjoyable. For that reason, we would only return to Bansko in the quieter periods.
February 21, 2010
Steve Daniels from
Bulgaria
Steve Daniels from
Bulgaria
Bansko is an excellent place for a skiing holiday with great snow fall and a variety of red, blue and black runs. I went with my wife. We are only 25 and found it brilliant. We went 13-20th Feb half-term week! Very, very busy big queues for gondola (1hr if you got there at 8:15) even with this it was a brill hol.
Nearest