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
February 19, 2008
Robert from
United Kingdom
Robert from
United Kingdom
Borovets - Third World Skiing.
I was staying at the hotel RILA. Until I moved out. I'm now at a different hotel -the Ela, much nicer. I moved out because 4 of us were sharing a 'studio' and it was way too cramped. A 'studio' is a standard size hotel room with a set of bunk beds shoehorned in. When I explained this to the (Nilson) rep his best efforts from the RIlA amounted to an offer of a room for 5 nights for 375 pounds (that's about 550 Euros). They did get me into the Ela for 25 pounds a night, and although it's 200 yards down the road its MUCH nicer than the RILA which gets by on a reputation for 4 stars, although I can't see why. It's one of those hotels where you hear every chair scrape and toilet flush, and 2 out of 4 lifts don't work. Oh, and its smokey all the time in the public areas.
The food is passable - just.
The Boro ski school is a joke. The ski instructors are not that at all. They are local lads who make good money in the winter by donning a ski instructor outfit. They do little more than take you on the chairlifts. At my daughters snowboard school the guy stands around smoking while the class does virtually nothing.
The ski class started on the first day as usual with the grading into groups. Except that the instructors didn't watch me - they asked me how many times I have been skiing, and on the basis of my answer (3) they put me in an upper intermediate group. We went straight up to the top of the mountain and down - fast - a very hard red. I fell and tore a rotator cuff and tendon insertion in my shoulder. After a 2 hour walk down I went to see the instructor. He laughed and bid me join them for lunch. I declined and went to the medical center where I was relieved of 50 pounds for what was very good treatment. Seems like they are used to injuries?
The 4 hour lesson (nothing more than repeated chairlifts to the top of the mountain and a hard and boring ski down a narrow, icy tree-lined 'run') is broken by lunch at a restaurant. This is so that the instructor can get a commission from the restaurant. Lunch costs about 15 pounds sterling and is mediocre. I had chicken that was red and bloody in the middle and fried potatoes. With a coke it came to 15 pounds. The ski instructor gets something that does not seem to be on the menu and is free.
Skiing on the slopes is a free for all. There is no attention to safety, and the locals send people flying all over the place. The reality is it's downright unpleasant most of the time. If you are a beginner, watch out.
In Borovets, you are constantly hounded in the street to go into restaurants and bars. There are beggars on the street and in the hotel. It is not family friendly. I'm with my teenage daughters, and there are 2 unavoidable girly bars, and an 'erotik' show next door. Prostitutes populate the bars and public areas in the hotel RILA after about 10.30pm.
My advice? Don't even think about Borovets. The runs are narrow, icy and dangerous, the locals are out to squeeze every last penny off you, and the hotels and service are derisory. In short, its horrible.
Robert
February 17, 2008
Jack U.K. from
Bulgaria
Jack U.K. from
Bulgaria
Returned this morning from a week at the Bor. Hotel freezing cold on top floor. Food not all that. Staff magic. Learned to ski in Borovets 22 years ago. No one told us about the smell and all the horse manure from the horse drawn taxis. Ski equipment through Balkan Ski was better when we learned all those years ago.The trails were not maintained very well during the night after all the days traffic...Very expensive on the hills.. Sorry Borovets ...Could do better.....
February 14, 2008
Sean from
United Kingdom
Sean from
United Kingdom
Just got back from Borovets (9/2/08) stayed at the Samokov Hotel.
Paid £565 for the week, half board for 15 of us including ski lessons for the intermediates and beginners, lift passes and ski hire (Balkan Holidays).
It is cheaper to go for the complete ski package with lessons, than to just hire the equipment. If you don't want the lessons, just get your lift pass and equipment on the first day and then don't show up for the lessons. it's not a problem.
Four of us did just that and the others went for the lessons, which they really enjoyed. Watch out at the end of the week though when they have the ski school party/presentation night you can get caught for about 100 lev Per Person (£40) for the meal, disco and raffle tickets.
Don't bother taking a debit card, as it will not work in the cash points. Take sterling and change it at any of the money change kiosks with the best exchange rate. It will be a lot better than you will get in the UK (we were getting 266 to the £).
DO NOT exchange money with anyone in the street no matter how good the deal sounds, as they will give you old devalued currency, that although still legal tender, it is not worth the face value that the note indicates.
The food in the Samokov is okay if you are prepared to queue at peak times (6 to 7) and you are not expecting too much.
If you do want good food at a good price, go to White Magic which is just across the road from the Samokov.
The food is really good and cheaper than a lot of the other restaurants, even the ones that offer discounts.
On the first morning either get up really early, as soon as the ski depot opens, or stay in bed till 11 because the queues for equipment and the gondola are massive.
We went up on the gondola on the first day after queuing for 30mins (after 11.00) and found that all of the upper slopes are serviced by drag lifts and they're not anything special. Don't use any of the mountain bars/cafes up there, unless you have won the lottery.
Soon got fed up with the drag lifts and spent the rest of the week on the lower slopes in front of the Rila Hotel where there are minimal queues for chair lifts. Walk past the front of the Rila Hotel and you will find a wide black slope which is really a red, with a four person chair lift which will take you right to the top of that part of the mountain.
You can ski red/black in 5-10 minutes or blue/green in 20 minutes - 5 days, (depending on ability) to the bottom again. Don't use the blue/green unless you like walking though, as some parts are up hill nearer the top of the slope.
The bars/cafes at the bottom of the black slope all serve drink and food at reasonable prices.
On the apres-ski front, Funky's is a good bar for drinking and does a good breakfast at reasonable prices. Most beers/drinks are 4 to 5 lev and other drinks (cocktails) about 7 lev, as is the breakfast.
The Buzz bar is also another popular place with happy hour(2 for 1) between 9 and midnight. Not too sure what type of bar it is though, as when you haven't had a lot to drink you will probably notice that a lot of the clientel are male and the bar staff and bouncers are a bit hmmm, feminine, if you know what I mean. Still the music was good and loud.
Anyway, the skiing is good for the money you pay and it is possible to ski all the way back from the slopes at the front of the Rila, back to the door of the Samokov, through the woods that run down behind the bars depending on snow fall. Although you will have to cross 2 roads.
I would rate Borovets better than Bansko, where we went last year, as you don't have to endure any boring, calf muscle burning ski roads, back to the bottom of the mountain.
You can ski, or fall, all the way down to the bottom of the slope without the need for pulling yourself along with your poles.
If you're going soon I hope you enjoy and find the info useful.
January 30, 2008
Mike Robinson from
United Kingdom
Mike Robinson from
United Kingdom
Stayed at the Hotel Breza, 5th Jan. - 12th Jan.
Having skied at Pamporovo last year I would say that Borovets is 10 times better. The resort is vibrant and exciting, the skiing offers more choice, higher attitude and a better snow record than Pamporovo.
In my opinion Borovets is an intermediate skiers resort, beginners are limited to too many tracks which become icy and difficult to ski only a few days after fresh snow. Advanced skiing is limited. Lift system is good.
With regards to the Hotel Breza, we (my 7 year old son, my 21 year old son and his girlfriend, and my wife and I) were impressed. The hotel had just been refurbished and the rooms were as good (if not better) than most ski hotels I have stayed in. (I have skied over 40 times). The food was not bad but lacked spice / garlic, but I suspect that Crystal advise to make the food relatively boring so as not to offend. Good veggie choice but I also find veggies can be very choosy and end up eating chips and avoiding the pulses and lentils on offer. The hotel bar was very good but not over popular do to the vast selection of fun pubs within 5 minutes walk. The guy that ran the bar was excellent.
Pre book your lift passes but hire your own skies and boots in resort to avoid the massive Sunday morning cattle queue and save yourselves a good bit of money to boot.
Talking about money, there are many small shops to exchange your pounds / Euros at far better rates than you get in the UK. I took £350 in Leva and would have got an addition £30 if I have changed there. Likewise, change your money there before you come home.
Taking about coming home, be warned (not that there is anything that you can do about it) Sofia and Plovdiv airports were closed on departure day due to freezing fog. All fights back to the UK were from the Greek coastal resort of Thessaloníki. Only 5 hours to get there. The good news was that we still took off on time and arrived back in Doncaster on time but I felt sorry for the people arriving at 10.00pm only to find they had a long transfer. I bet they got to the resort at around 5.00 am. and the ski fit meeting is 08.45.
Two separate ski areas (not linked) one took 10 minutes (slow walk) and the other 3 minutes to the gondola. Be warned, all ski classes hit the gondola from Wed onwards and the queue from 9.30 to 10.30 is a nightmare. I suggest to ski the gondola area for the first three days and then check the other area after the beginners have left.
All in all, you can't beat this resort (and the Hotel Breza) for great value for money.
January 28, 2008
caroline from
United Kingdom
caroline from
United Kingdom
Just back from weeks skiing Jan 19-26 2008. Great week, stayed at the Bor which is a 10/15 minute walk or a £4 horse trip which we did 'cos the kids loved it. Travelled with a friend and our 2 kids.
Ski School not quite as organised as it's Romanian counterpart but everyone extremely friendly. This is my third week skiing in 3 years and I did a black run as did my son. For me personally, the skiing was great. Certainly enough variety for me, and the nightlife was much busier than expected. Great fun in the Karaoke bar! There are beggars and you do get asked to go in to bars but so what. Whatever I said, no one was ever rude to me. On the one night we were followed for 5 mins by a beggar but he moved on when the next people passed. Prices could be a little more than expected up on the runs - 6 Lev for a coke (£2.30) but what a view.
Overall, excellent value for money. We'll go back next year.
Caz - Cardiff
Food in Bor was great if a little unusual at times. Staff at Bor fantastic. Some other people we met weren't quite so lucky with the food in their hotels though.
We had about four brief power cuts on the last night but everyone took it in their stride.
Overall, we had a fantastic holiday.
January 24, 2008
Johnyboy from
United Kingdom
Johnyboy from
United Kingdom
I also spent Christmas 2007 in Borovets !
It was really great ! Me and my girlfriend stay at "Rila" hotel. It is a really nice place! The hotel is very large and there are a lot of people, all the time, from many countries. It is real fun!
We have paid for 5 days ski-school skiing and on the 6th day I was a real pro-just like Herman Maier !
Everything was ok. Only the food in the hotel wasn't very nice, but we found one really great place-the "DERBY" bar-restaurant! The food is just amazing ! In "DERBY" I ate the best t-bone steak on earth ! I recommend you visit the restaurant-you won't be disappointed at all. The staff are also very friendly and kind, and there is a very good guitar musician! The restaurant is very close to the hotel, just 100m away :)
December 31, 2007
Darren from
United Kingdom
Darren from
United Kingdom
We spent Christmas 2007 in Borovets and here is my review.
Got off to bad start with 3 hour delay at Bristol airport and so got into a very foggy and cold (-6c) Sofia late in the evening. We were lucky to have a 1 hour transfer time to the resort. The planes behind us were diverted to Plovdiv with a 2 ½ hour transfer because of the fog.
We travelled to the resort in a minibus with a mad Bulgarian driver who flew the dark, icy, winding mountain roads, overtaking all the coaches heading to the same place. Good move actually as when we got to our hotel (Hotel Rila) eventually at 11.30 pm, no queues at check in, half hour later there must have been 60 people in the lobby.
Sunday morning, after breakfast, was ski fitting and being divided into groups for ski school according to your proficiency. Now this was manic and was the last I was to see my family during the day as I was in an intermediate group and they were in a beginner group. Ski school ran from 10am to 3pm each day. I had a great instructor, Julia, very considerate and only pushed you as far as you wanted to go. We had a welcome meeting that night and it was funny watching all the sleepy heads dozing off as the rep talked.
Each day then was very similar, Breakfast, pick up skis, head off for lessons, lunch with your group in one of the many restaurants, meet up with family at 3pm, Dinner at 5.30pm then evening entertainment be it quiz nights, karaoke, pub crawls or just bum boarding on the slopes with the kids. Night skiing on floodlit slopes was available but cost more as your lift pass and ski hire is only valid to 5pm each day.
Christmas day after skiing we had a Gala dinner which was a bit of a joke and unorganised. It was meant to be a four course meal but you were lucky to have been served two. Plenty of free wine and vodka though so no one cared after that.
There was plenty of snow and because we were there on the first day of the season, everything was covered in the white stuff. Not so beautiful off the slopes toward the end of the week after thousands of people and hundreds of cars had travelled the streets. It didn’t snow while we were there so the slopes were getting a bit icy and worn with the beginners’ snowploughing everywhere. There is a foot of snow forecast for Tuesday though.
There were plenty of lifts, chair, drag and a half hour ride on a gondola to take you to the top of the mountain and as well as good black and red runs. Don’t use the gondola first thing as the queues are massive. Do a run from the chair first then head over to the gondola. There was a 6km and 9km green/blue long run from the top to the bottom of the mountain which were both brilliant. All the lifts and runs were open.
The hotel was great because it was at the bottom of the slope, you could literally ski into the lobby bar. We were on the 7th floor facing the slopes with great views of the skiing. It has a great swimming pool, sauna, jacuzzi and health spa with masseurs.
Prices were cheap in the restaurants and the supermarkets. The restaurant owners’ stand in the streets trying to beckon you into their establishments and it got a bit tedious saying no thank you every five feet. There was one beggar outside the hotel but he was annoying rather than intimidating.
The country is poor and you can see that when travelling through the towns to get to the resort. Low wages are bumped up by tipping and you’ll see this on checkout day when loads of tip boxes appear asking if you were happy with the service to chuck in some cash. The resort is modern though and well equipped.
Overall, I’m not sure advanced skiers would find enough variety with only two short black runs but it’s great for beginners and intermediates. It’s cheap, good for families as there is even a ski crèche for the toddlers. Everything you need is in the resort. You also make some new friends. As well as skiing and snowboarding, you can book skidoo rides, horse and carriage rides and sleigh rides. There are excursions to the towns of Sofia and Plovdiv - a visit to the Rila monastery learning all the history of the country.
I’m certainly planning on a return visit.
December 11, 2007
Mark from
United Kingdom
Mark from
United Kingdom
As an advanced skier, I went to Borovets with a group of beginners last Xmas and we had such a good time we are going for the new year, this time.
There are problems there but you get what you pay for. The ski school is very good. The food in the hotels is ok. The lift system is poor. The slopes are limited. I had lessons for the first time in years. Made the most of it. Went to France 6 weeks later and beat my mates down the 3V.
March 07, 2007
becky from
United Kingdom
becky from
United Kingdom
Just returned from a fantastic week in Borovets. Arrived on Saturday 24th Feb, returned 3rd March. It snowed twice in between sunshine!
Stayed in RILA hotel with Neilson. A lovely hotel that caters for all tastes. Breakfast was fantastic, you name it they had it. Had heard reports of staff being miserable but no such experience.
We went as a group of 5; myself and two boys aged 7-10 and two girlfriends, all in our 30-40's.
Ski-school was well organised, very safety concious and the children (have skied now for 3 weeks) are confident parallel skiers. At the end of the week their instructor, Alex, had them safely coming down reds.
The resort opposite the Rila has a 4 man chair and a nursery drag. The queue can sometimes be long for the drag-lift but the chair lift is no problem. If you continue to walk past the drag-lift away from the town there is another 4 man chair (very quite) which leads to a great green/blue/red and black from the top of mountain down to the resort.
A short walk from RILA down through the town to the gondola opens a whole new mountain ski experience. However, the queues can be awful so a trick is to get a taxi or a horse and carriage to another 4 man chair (express) which takes you to a blue and a red and you can join the gondola at the halfway station.
Bulgaria has good skiing and is excellent value for money. Can you imagine a hot wine (large) and a pancake for (7lev) £2.80?
We will be returning next season. Lets hope the snow does too!
Cautionary note; take currency/sterling or travellers cheques and use change (recommended by Neilson). Plus, check booths for tour company logos. They don't rip you off!
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