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Borovets Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Borovets Ski Resort

Borovets Ratings

Overall: 3.7. Based on 106 votes and 186 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 3.7

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Borovets is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.0

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Borovets has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.1

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.0

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 4.2

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Borovets.

Public Transport: 3.6

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Borovets, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.4

(1) No places to stay in/near Borovets, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.9

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 3.7

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Borovets.

Ski in/Ski out: 4.3

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 3.7

(1) There are no child care facilities at Borovets, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 3.6

(1) Borovets relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 3.9

(1) There are no snow groomers at Borovets, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Borovets are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.7

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Borovets is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 2.7

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Borovets, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.0

(1) Borovets usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 3.6

(1) The staff at Borovets are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Borovets are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.4

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.2

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.2

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.1

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.2

(1) No intermediate terrain at Borovets, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 3.7

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.1

(1) Not even a kicker at Borovets, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 3.3

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Borovets, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 2.2

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Borovets has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 3.7

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 4.2

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 4.2

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 3.6

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.3

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.5

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 3.7

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 4.0

(1) Overall, Borovets is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 4.1

(1) Overall, Borovets is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

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February 01, 2012
Brian from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Got back on 21st Jan great conditions and no queing, only on the small button lift outside the Rila hotel in the afternoon :-) Enjoy.
January 29, 2012
mike from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
The lift pass is very expensive for what it is, the food on the slopes is rubbish and expensive, the resort is tacky, when the snow is good and covering the rubbish it is fine. The place is filled with British alcoholics anonymous and bargain hunters trying to pretend they are something else. In short, if you are a beginner Borovets is fine and then go to better pastures!
January 25, 2012
Kenny from Ski Bulgaria Bulgaria
The snow is just perfect, best conditions in years!
January 24, 2012
Des from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I have skied Borovets, Bansko, France, Scotland & I will ski Austria this winter. I learnt to ski in Borovets in 2006 and go at least once every year.. I agree it can be difficult at times of little snow especially when they had no cannons. However, all you mowners who keep on complaining should take time out to consider that this is Bulgaria not France or Austria or Italy or the Swiss Alps. Also, consider that it's a climate thing, you know snow is not guaranteed anywhere! I've skied Tignes twice, once was good the other crap and twice the price. To be honest, I love the rawness of Borovets. The changes each year are for the better, I love skiing through the forest and off-piste at the top through the shrubs. No more drag lifts except for the beginners, good night skiing, good food and booze, lots of varied entertainment and happy hours. Scotland: I've skied 3 resorts, if you can call them that lol! Was like going back in time, T-bars, single man lifts, rocks!!! and much more expensive. It's the old saying that runs true 'when the snow is there all is good' For me Borovets has got what I need! I'm not put off by your one off experiences.
January 23, 2012
Derion from Ski Greece Greece
I was in Borovets during the weekend 21 – 22 January 2012. The snow coverage was excellent (about 2 meters snow of very good quality) and the runs were generally well groomed. About ski centers: actually there are 2 ski regions with 3 ski centers. The one ski region has 2 ski centers, namely Yastrebetz and Markudjik. Unfortunately, I was not able to ski there, because it was closed due to bad weather conditions (they said high winds). The other ski region is Sitnyakovo ski center, where I have skied and which I liked a lot. Basically, in Sitnyakovo there are 2 chair lifts (Sitnyakovo Express and Martinovo Baraki) and some other surface lifts for beginners. However, with the 2 as above chair lifts you can access all runs of Sitnyakovo ski center. In my opinion, Sitnyakovo ski center is for intermediate skiers. I have skied the red Martinovo Baraki 2 and Martinovo baraki 3 and the black Martinovo Baraki 4 and Cherveno Zname. All the 4 as above pistes are challenging for intermediate skiers. The scenery is very beautiful, because the as above runs are surrounded by a pine trees forest. In the 2 red Martinovo Baraki runs (2&3) night skiing is available from 6 to 9:30 pm. I have really enjoyed skiing there! Next time, I want to try the 2 red Sitnyakovo runs and also visit the Yastrebets ski region (Yastrebets + Markudjik), which was closed. About Borovets: unfortunately, Borovets is not as good as its ski center. In my opinion, there is nothing traditional there. The place is full of English tourists and hotels and restaurants, which aim to English tourists. 4 stars hotels are in best case 3 stars (if not 2 stars). Hotels staff is slow and not attentive to the clients’ needs. But, on the other hand, how demanding can you be from employees who get 300 euro per month (if they get so..)? Food is below average. I did not find any place where to eat good traditional Bulgarian kitchen, because obviously the whole place has been developed in order to serve mass tourism. However, all the above are not reasons for me to avoid Borovets. When you go to Borovets, you go for skiing, not for sightseeing. And as far as it concerns skiing, I liked Borovets and I want to go back again soon there! How to get to Borovets: avoid the expensive hotel – transfers. From Sofia you take the metro (ticket one way 1 BGN) and you get off at Jolio Kurie metro station. There below the bridge, you can find “Avtogara Yioug”, the “South Bus Station of Sofia”. You look for the bus or mini bus which goes to Samokov. Sofia – Samokov 70 min and 6 BGN. From Samokov there is another mini bus which takes you up to Borovets (20 minutes – 2 BGN). Last service Samokov – Borovets around 7pm.
January 21, 2012
Kostas from Ski Greece Greece
There is plenty of snow now and there should be no other power cuts. Let's hope that the weekend of the 7th and 8th will be a good lesson for all the interested parties who run the resort.
January 21, 2012
Vladimir from Ski Bulgaria Bulgaria
Borovets is situated in one of the most beautiful Balkan mountains: Rila. If you are a tourist you have to visit it! But if you are searching for nice winter ski resort, just forget about Borovets! This is the worst place for winter sports in the whole peninsula. The lifts are too old. The slopes are often in poor condition. They open all of the slopes very rarely and this causes very long queues on the rest of the lifts. The prices are also too too high for what the resort offers. If you are a beginner it will be perfect for you, otherwise forget it! :)
January 16, 2012
Pepi from Ski Bulgaria Bulgaria
Hi, I'm Pepi from Bulgaria and I will be short with my review. The slopes in Borovets are often too crowded and not always in good condition. The lifts stop working very often, because of electricity problems or some technical issues. The prices are very, very high and there is no way to compare Borovets with the rest of the Bulgarian resorts. My opinion and the one of my friends is simple: Borovets sucks hard!
January 10, 2012
Vladimir Stoyanov from Ski Bulgaria Bulgaria
Last week I tried to go to Borovets 2 times (on the 2nd and on the 7th of January). I traveled from 70km away and ended up unable to get to the resort itself because of poor traffic conditions. The first time the police had created a stupid situation allowing 30 cars at a time to enter the resort for no obvious reason (I stayed for 30min in a traffic jam on a mountain road and just decided to go back). The second time the roads were not cleaned at all and nobody was doing anything to solve any problems. Combined with what I heard about the mess with ski passes sold with the knowledge that there will be a blackout and the recent increase in ski pass prices I don't think I will be going there no more, even though Borovets is my closest resort. It is much more worth it to go for a week in Austria.
January 08, 2012
Agnieszka Kasprzycka from Ski Poland Poland
Was in Borovets last year in January and didn't know what to expect after reading all quite bad opinions about the food. Stayed in Iglika hotel 3 stars and we have had everything we needed: warm rooms and always warm water. Some people upgraded to 4 stars so they had a bath instead of a shower. The only thing which wasn't there was a hairdryer and a kettle but I had my own. Food was lovely if you like Bulgarian cuisine. Wide variety of food including bacon for breakfast - sure that's because of a majority of English guests. My English boyfriend was happy with food as well. Lovely weather, lots of entertainment, good ski instructors and over all very good value for money, very good resort for beginners. Coming back this year.