Snowsure: 3.7
- 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
- Borovets is snowsure even in the poorest seasons
Visitor reviews for Borovets 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
May 20, 2009
jo macdonald from
United Kingdom
jo macdonald from
United Kingdom
Borovets, well, what can I say? It's excellent.
My family and I went mid Feb for a week and it was no way long enough.
We have been skiing in France over the last 3 years but this time at Borovets topped the lot. The slopes were snow covered and piested every night. The run up the Gondella was amazing but do take a map as skiing down is a little confusing; the markers as to which slope was which had us very confused. However, it was mint.
Borovets is the most quaint place you could imagine and the Bulgarian people are just wonderful. I love them all.
Before going we read lots of reviews and were very worried about what some had to say. There is no need to be worried as
I can promise you, it is just lovely.
We took four children aged between 7 and 13. They really enjoyed ski school and felt very grown up going off with their dinner money every day and meeting back up with us in time for a couple more runs down the slope as a family.
Ladies of the night? Where were they? We took the kids out till about 11 pm every night and only saw one scantily clad woman. The kids thought she was mad what with the weather and all .
Ok, on the subject of food, stay away from chicken and stick to the stuff that can't kill you. It's chips all round all week for us next year. It's the only thing that lets the place down even in the Hotels.
Beer is not a lot cheaper than back home but there is a good variety and our local even bought in WKD blue for me on request. How cool is that.
The night life at Borovets is great for everyone. Our kids were safe and happy out with us until about 11 pm but after that I believe it's party time with no end of booze and fun. There is definitely something for everyone .
The hotel we stayed at was very clean and well managed although I had to sleep on my own with our two girls on one floor and my partner with the boys on another floor. The noise on 4 or 5 occasions was intolerable but I was not oppossed to going out to the corridor and screaming for silence. This usually worked and I got my own back every morning. As we are early risers I told the kids they could sing if they wanted to: loudly.
Overall, I had a fantastic time at Borovets. The skiing was fab, the bars were friendly and welcoming and the Bulgarian people were just the best and I can't wait to go back.
Borovets is quaint, a little behind the times but being a small resort with big mountains it is the real thing not some commercialized resort where if you're not wearing the latest gear you're snubbed. No it's down to earth, real and I love it.
P.s. Try the Samocov hotel. We had a look and the British guests said it was ok x
March 26, 2009
chloe foss from
United Kingdom
chloe foss from
United Kingdom
We have just had a super weeks skiing in Borovets. It snowed everyday. To make it better it was the cheapest skiing holiday I have ever had. We stayed away from going on a package deal and arranged everything ourselves. We got flights direct from Luton to Sofia on Wizz Air for £70 each and we got transport from the airport for 67 euros for the 3 of us. We found a super apartment just a 5 minute walk from the gondola, at Borovets, for just £225 a week for the whole apartment (not per person); it even included the towels and all the bedding. So if you thought you could not afford to go skiing think again.
March 23, 2009
Denise O'Donnell from
United Kingdom
Denise O'Donnell from
United Kingdom
I have now been back home from my first snowboarding holiday in Borovets a while and I have still got the holiday blues. I loved it. My friend is an experienced snowboarder and I learnt in England, so I had expectations that where blown out of the water. Firstly the snow was amazing and all the lifts were open. I found that if you got to the Yastebets gondola early there was never a queue, so best advise, get up early. Also, you get up at the top before the rest; when I say rest I have some of the most amazing photos where I am the only one on a very groomed piste (except my friend who took the pics). We liked this side at Borovets better than the Rila side and that was only because there was a blue run that went into a green; not great for boarders but you can take the black run back down to the Rila, which I did on my first day. Wow.
We stayed at The Lion and had a great time. The staff where really nice and they appreciated that we tried to speak a little Bulgarian. Our room was warm and clean and the evening meals were hot.
The pub crawl was a riot. Rev bar, Chilli and Buzz Bar; bit too good.
All in all, I had the best first experience ever. So much so I have been looking to go back. My friend has just got back this Sunday from another week there and again he had a fab time.
I would not easily be put off and thought that skiing at Borovets was a fab holiday.
Lets hope I can get back before the season is over or it's a long wait for another ride.
March 20, 2009
Chas from
Bulgaria
Chas from
Bulgaria
I have just returned home from Borovets. I went on my own with an open mind. On arriving at Borovets I was pleased it was not as others said. I was pleased with the ski runs. I am a good skier and the upper slopes were fun and the snow was good there. The food in the hotel Samakov was ok and did not give me any reason to moan.
Mainly, Borovets provides a cheap ski holiday and you get what you pay for. I found the bars and cafes were ok and in some places they were a little over priced but that is to expected in a ski resort. Overall, I would recommend Borovets and the Samakov hotel. All I would say is be open minded and enjoy the holiday at Borovets. Take it as it is.
March 15, 2009
Bob from
United Kingdom
Bob from
United Kingdom
We returned from Borovets today 15/03/09. We are a group of four 'mature' skiers who have skied all over Europe and no longer seek to be challenged so we got just what we were looking for - a good resort for intermediates who no longer need to push the limits. We found the lift pass to be expensive (£143 at current exchange rates) though this is down to Brown's failed economic policies.
We stayed at the Hotel Rila where we found the rooms more than adequate and the food was good with many options. The hotel is superbly situated directly opposite the main 4-man chairlift.
What we found disappointing, and needs to be addressed by the traders of Borovets, was the frequency with which we were attempted to be fleeced in the bars.
We expect to pay more because we are in a ski resort, we accept that in Bulgaria that tipping is expected, but we object to being short-changed and overcharged on a regular basis (beware). In one particular bar we were short-changed twice to the tune of 10 levs (£5) twice. Once is a mistake, twice is deliberate.
March 15, 2009
carl from
United Kingdom
carl from
United Kingdom
Just got back from Borovets and all in all, I had a great week snowboarding. On the 1st day it can seem like an age before you get started. I went with my girlfriend and we are both intermediates so we didn't have any pre-booked lessons and took our own tackle so all we needed was our lift pass from our rep (cheaper) but had to wait before everyone else got sorted out anyway. At first the the locals at Borovets can come across as a bit intimidating but once you get used to them they're fine. We stayed at hotel Bor which was clean and tidy and the food was alot better than expected. The snow on all the slopes was fantasic the best I've ever had. The nightlife was ok but too many bars for the amount of people there so they are desperate for your custom which I hate. I can recommend White Magic bar as a nice chill out place to eat and drink. The only gripe I had was the fact that I went to Borovets under the illusion that everything was dirt cheap and it's not; large beer £2, pizza £6, hot choclate £3 and that's in the resort not on the slopes. Still, like I said, at the start I had a great time and I would recomend Borovets to anyone.
March 03, 2009
karen from
Cyprus
karen from
Cyprus
03/03/2009
On our first visit to Borovets we stayed at the hotel Rila from 21 Feb - 28 Feb 09 as a family of four, where we had planned to meet friends and their families from the UK. This made our party 17 strong, ranging in age from 5 - 46 years old, with ski experience from beginner to expert.
There were concerns about the amount of snow, quality of accommodation and equipment etc after reading reviews of the place. But thankfully we need not have worried, snow conditions were fantastic, hotel fine, okay food got repetitive according to my two teenage daughters but there was always plenty of it. The room we had was for 4 people and it did get a bit claustophobic and stuffy at times. And when one of your daughters spends over an hour in the bathroom to get ready just for breakfast, tempers can fray ( yes, husband dearest we will get 2 rooms next time). The room was cleaned, bedding changed and fresh towels provided on a daily basis.
Our family all rented ski equipment and yes, some of it was well used. But the staff at Borovets were always helpful and happy to exchange it, until you felt totally happy with what you had. Yes, prices could be high for food and drink in some places but ask first and if you don't like what you hear, then walk away and go elsewhere.
Agree that the first day is bedlam and it takes an age before everyone gets sorted with kit and put into respective ski classes. What makes it worse are those lazy, ignorant people who tip up late and make the rest of us wait around in the cold. Maybe next time we will all have a long lie in.
Our ski class was great, we all progressed well and have come away better skiers. Vasco, our instructor from the Borovets Ski school, managed to maintain the correct mixture of fun and teaching to make you want to go back every day, once again many thanks to him.
Yes, the wait for the gondola was a pain but if you are not tied to ski school timings i.e 0930 - 1030 and can get there before, then the waiting is minimal.
All in all, a great week was had by all at Borovets and yes we will be going back. You can find fault in almost every holiday and there are faults with Bulgaria but give it a go and enjoy.
Oh yes, before you ask, we have skied elsewhere: Canada, USA, Germany, Austria and Cyprus.
February 17, 2009
k spencer from
United Kingdom
k spencer from
United Kingdom
Feb 17th 2009:
We visited Borovets from 27 Dec 08 - 3 Jan 09 and stayed at the Hotel Lion. We are quite fussy: mum and dad with 3 boys (young men) 20, 19 and 17 years old. Each of the boys is a good skier, 2 of them had advanced ski lessons and 1 had a beginner board course.
We really worried before going about the poor reviews of the place and the snow quality. A great time was had by all of us. We have skied in France and Austria in the past so can make fair comparisons.
The Lion was lovely, always clean, warm and towels were changed daily with linen changed twice during the week. The open fire and lounge area were always social places although they did get crowded after dinner, but this just proved they were welcoming and we were there at New year. The food was not 4 star but we all put weight on. Borovets is an Eastern European country trying to catch up very quickly with British expectations.
The snow was variable the week we were there with green runs being sparse of snow and other runs being better. This never stopped us skiing and the snow canons worked on the Rila slopes and the conditions on the gondola side were better anyway. The instructors were good and yes, I would agree with others that the first day is not good; too much queuing and not enough information but after day 1 it will be fine if our experience was anything to go by. Prices for drinks etc were not cheap and were often equal to what we pay at home.
We found that if you treated locals with respect you were treated well in return and yes there are places that will rip you off price wise if they can - but tell me a country where that doesn't happen as I would like to go. We had only 2 bad experiences and that was with coach drivers. They really did take unnecessary risks, drove without knowledge of their routes, constantly talked on hand-held mobile phones and we complained repeatedly to the courier rep. The return journey was hell due to being snowed in and airport closure with no truthful information being given. All in all, we had a great holiday with a lovely new year and lots of good company and stories to tell. For the price we paid Borovets was a bargain.
February 17, 2009
Russell & Steph from
United Kingdom
Russell & Steph from
United Kingdom
We were told food and beer was cheap, well £2.00 a pint and £3.50 a coffee is by no means cheap.
We made friends with some people at Borovets who had gone B&B because they were told the prices were cheap and cheerful, Well £50.00 for 5 baguettes, a cob and 6 drinks is not cheap.
Unfortunately, we can't order the weather as we want it but it seemed like a conspiracy against the tourists, We were told that the snowfall was great and all the runs were open, well that sure wasn't the case, The snow on the lower slopes thinned out fast and soon got over crowded, one gondola to the upper slopes wasn't good enough, drag lifts only working at half capacity.
I'm an intermediate skier but my partner is a novice so what skiing we did was great but if Borovets, Bulgaria wants to be a ski resort it will have to do a lot better.
On that note we did find the people friendly (or was that because they were ripping us off?) .
February 08, 2009
Mark from
United Kingdom
Mark from
United Kingdom
I went to Borovets a couple of weeks ago with two mates and I have to say, overall it was an okay holiday. I have read numerous reviews on here ranging from "great resort" to awful resort and I fall somewhere in between. I have been boarding for over 15 years and have visited France, USA, Canada, Italy and Andorra in that time, and if I was to compare Borovets I would say Andorra 10 years or so ago.
Yes it's a cheap resort but actually not as cheap as you might think. For starters the lift pass is advertised on the Bulgarski website as £90 (if you book in advance) so I went expecting it to be about £100 at the resort. I was very wrong as it actually cost £143. As many people have already said on here the hotel food isn't great, we stayed in the Rila and actually the food was okay and there was plenty of it. We ate out at lunch and once in the evening and, to be honest, the food in most of the restaurants (Franko's, Chilli's etc.) was okay but nothing special.
We were lucky in that we had around 2 feet of fresh snow whilst we were there. The resort needed this as, when we arrived, none of the lower slopes were open. The runs are limited and I would say are suited more to intermediates who don't want to board/ski all day/week as myself and one friend had covered just about every run by the Wednesday. There are some nice runs in the resort however, there just aren't enough of them at present to keep a keen boarder/skier busy all day for 6 days.
As for the touts, yes they are present outside every bar at Borovets but are friendly enough once you get to know them and yes, there are very apparent strip clubs dotted about. The Bulgarian people I found to be very friendly and the resort, as a whole, was best described as okay. Would I go back? Probably in 10 years when the resort's developed.
Currently, I think Italy still offers better value for money. Yes, you'll pay the same for bed and breakfast as you pay for half-board in Borovets but at least this way you get to choose what you want in the evening plus I think lift passes, beers and food prices are all on a par. Combine that with a 1.5 hour flight as opposed to a 3 hour one and I'll take Italy. And for those with a slightly bigger budget then check out Canada (maybe £150 more for a week).
On a final note, my friend who was learning and had never been before loved Borovets and had a great time. I don't think it's so much Alp snobs that have a problem with Borovets, it's more likely that if you have other places to compare this resort to you can see where currently it falls down.
Nearest