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
March 07, 2011
Emma from
United Kingdom
Emma from
United Kingdom
Bulgaria Borovets 26/02/2011 to 05/03/2011
Stayed in Villa Apartments - great hotel, great prices for drinks. Food was a little strange but overall, great
Just came back from Borovets. I'm 26 and went with my boyfriend 28, brother 31, his girlfriend 25, my mom and dad 50's and two cousins 32 and 40..
We had a great time with plenty to do, snow was a little shy but it was forecast for this week.. as for the money you couldn't spend it, it was great. A meal for two and drinks cost around 25 pound for two.. people were very friendly and helpful.
As for the strip bars there were not that many and hardly any posters of naked girls, in fact, if you didn't point them out children and adults couldn't even notice - BJ's is by far the best bar and food and I highly recommend anyone to go to Bulgaria skiing for the money it was great. If you want 5 * star luxury go to Canada if you want great fun and cheap holiday go to Borovets.
Great over all
:-)
March 05, 2011
Yann from
France
Yann from
France
Cmon people
most of the feedbacks are from so called skiers with their own appartment in the place which says it all. They will never ever place a factual feedback but always with this investment interest up their brains when writing.
The fact of the matter is that there is extremely limited skiing, huge queues, tacky stalls, pushy locals, lift passes are ridiculously expensive for what it is, ski hire gear is ancient, tacky shops and seedy places up in your face (don't go with young family unless you don't go out of your hotel).
The top of the mountain most of the season is closed; nothing exited there. The bottom: carnage from ice and a hell of a lot of people. The middle: just one reasonable chair midway and that's it.
One big plus:
If you are onto heavy drinking and planning on doing it non-stop go no further.
Problem is that Bulgaria has started attracting the low end clients with alcohol in mind so prepare yourself for what you have paid (low language drunken brawls unpleasant situations). And remember lift pass is dirt expensive, you will do very limited skiing and probably you will remember nothing under the influence of alcohol.
March 05, 2011
Den from
United Kingdom
Den from
United Kingdom
Just arrived back in UK from 5 night stay in Borovets. Having read mixed reviews before going, I wanted to say that Borovets is a great little place. You get what you pay for! The resort is not 5*. It is, however, a friendly, affordable and entertaining place. Ski school is good but a bit chaotic. I would recommend 1 to 1 lessons. They are really quite cheap and you can "agree" the price. Be careful though, as not all the instructors are licensed, so if it's one of the smaller ski schools you go to, check with the instructor. The slopes were all open, although some a little skinny on snow.
Overall, we (all 26 of us) had a great time. Friendly people who love you to return. I recommend "The Blue" restaurant for great steaks and salads.
February 26, 2011
Howard green from
Bulgaria
Howard green from
Bulgaria
We've just come back from Borovets.
It's a lovely resort, it's cheap overall, be prepared to pay for some little extras, the skidoos are great fun, the instructors are really friendly, especially Aleena and little George!
My 13 yr old had the time of his life boarding, the snow arrived the day before we got there: Friday 18th and it's snowed ever since! Check the webcam.
The locals are very friendly, disregard comments here regarding the sex clubs being in your face, they're not. Unless you look, I doubt you'd notice them.
We stayed in Iglika Palace hotel. The food was ok, the staff were very friendly,and it's very warm!! Sometimes a bit too warm..
Almost all the locals speak English and most bars have UK tv on, including the football.
Black Tiger and Derby are bars worth a visit. If you visit Derby, which is next to Francs, have the lamb shanks!
Enjoy... We did!
Howard. London
February 21, 2011
Chris from
United Kingdom
Chris from
United Kingdom
One more thing to add to my first review below is this..........
Now my review may sound rather biased with myself siding heavily with Borovets and all the positives, I guess the reason being, I had a really great time! And you will too if you don't try and look for the faults, which to be fair, everywhere has faults but at least the ones in Borovets will be half the price!
February 18, 2011
Chris from
United Kingdom
Chris from
United Kingdom
Ok, so after reading plenty of reviews before my girlfriend and I went and having spent what I can only call "peanuts" on the initial trip itself, just like everyone else said we were going with an open mind with no high expectations. Having said this, were were both rather surprised especially given the fact the both of us had skied most of our lives in many top European and even Canadian resorts!
We went to Borovets on February 5th 2011 for a week and stayed in the Hotel Bor just outside the town centre but a nice 10 minute walk to all of the bars, shops, slopes etc. The Hotel was nice, being cheap and cheerful, and all the staff were lovely. The breakfast and dinner that is included, if half-board, was ok but obviously you get what you pay for. Not to worry as eating out is relatively cheap! You do get a hot breakfast which is good but for both courses selection is limited. The bar, in the hotel, is cheap with a 500ml beer being 2.50 Lev (£1.20) which is almost a third of the price than it is in the UK.
Renting equipment is cheap but shop around the smaller outlets and barter with them as they will give you a better price, don't just dive at the first offer you get as they love to heckle! However, when booking your ski pass you might be better ordering that before you go. I only say this as we payed around £125 for a 6 day lift pass and I think it may be slightly cheaper to purchase through your tour operator before you go.
The night life is great and even better for the drink prices! When you walk through the town you do come across people trying to get you into the bars and restaurants but it's all good fun and they are generally friendly and enjoy a laugh. Try all the different bars and places to eat as they will offer you free shots and all sorts of stuff, if not then you could be cheeky and ask. 'Happy hour' starts from 4pm onwards. Go to Katys Pub, very cosy little place and does cracking steak! £1 for a large beer and all sorts of cheap cocktails during 'happy hour' and a live performer! Plus the staff appreciate your business and it goes without saying; they all love it when you attempt the language and also when you leave a well deserved tip! It is a much more friendly experience in Borovets with the locals really wanting you to have a good time providing good entertainment and warm welcomes!
When we were there the last snowfall was 2 weeks prior, meaning the snow conditions weren't brilliant and most of the runs were closed towards the end of the week. Having said this, the weather all week was clear blue skies and hot sun; partly the reason for the deteriorating snow! We weren't to phased by this as with the weather being absolutely fantastic we spent a lot of the time in the sun taking advantage of the cheap drink prices and just taking it easy. The runs were fairly busy and it is very much a resort for beginners, not just due to the variety of runs but also the majority of people who go there are first time skiers! We knew before we went that it wasn't the place for hard core skiing but more of a relaxing ski holiday which was just what we needed. The best thing about staying at the Hotel Bor is that it is the perfect excuse for you to stop off at every bar on the way back from the ski hill, a great way to get to know the locals who will remember your face every time!
All in all, it's a great, cheap, relaxing ski holiday destination and you will love it if you aren't expecting the Ritz which of course you wouldn't be! We will definitely be going back but a word to the wise; try and book it closer to the time as we saved a fortune booking it a few weeks before but that is the risk you take with regard to availability!
Nazdrave! (cheers in Bulgarian)
February 17, 2011
Lester Jarvis from
United Kingdom
Lester Jarvis from
United Kingdom
Went to Borovets on the 5th Feb with a mixed group of skiers and a couple of non skiers. Stayed in the Lion Hotel. We all had a great time. It annoys me when you read some of the negative reports about the place. Some people obviously go out there with the wrong attitude and a preconception of the country. If you want 5 star luxury then go to the Alps or Canada and pay for it. If you want a good time at a great price then go to Borovets and chill out.
February 16, 2011
Cat from
United Kingdom
Cat from
United Kingdom
I will be heading back to Borovets for my 5th year in a row...at the end of Feb. I have loved Borovets every time I have been but, like anywhere, the longer you are there, the more you find out! Yes, the snow has been a bit hit and miss for a while but there are things to do and lots of families go to the resort. It my have sex bars around, but what town or city doesn't! If it's not you, don't go! It is also amazing and beautiful in summer.
Don't let people put you off just because they have had a bad time, decide for yourself. If you read reviews for all the places you wanted to go, you wouldn't go!
February 15, 2011
epps family from
United Kingdom
epps family from
United Kingdom
Just got back from Borovets, staying at the Samokov hotel. It was brilliant; loads to do in hotel when not skiing. Snow fall was disappointing but apparently they seem to get more during March. Will definitely go back next year, prices are amazing, great food and the people are very friendly. All in all, a big thumbs up.
February 15, 2011
Patrick Brown from
United Kingdom
Patrick Brown from
United Kingdom
I just got back from Borovets after a 4-day trip with three friends. We stayed in an apartment in Borovets Gardens. The complex was nice, quite modern but wrongly advertised as having free access to the pool and sauna both of which had charges (note: the ‘day pass’ only allows for one session in each).
The resort itself is not the place for a family, aside from there not being much for kids to do, posters of naked women were plastered on lampposts left, right and centre, along with sex shops and erotic show clubs sitting next door to supermarkets.
We weren’t very lucky with the weather and the resort had not had snow for a few weeks prior to our arrival. Also, although the resort does have snow machines, they can only operate at temperatures of -7°C so we didn’t see them in use during our visit. That said, there were some runs open and we did try to ski everyday.
Overall, I found the resort to be very frustrating and felt that the whole place was set-up to swindle your money. A few examples: Firstly, the ‘supermarkets’ only appeared to stock crisps, beer and a few mushy apples, meaning you are forced to eat out on every occasion (making the kitchen in our apartment a pretty redundant feature- if you do feel the need to come to Borovets be sure to stock up in Sofia first). Whilst the overall cost of skiing in a place like Bulgaria is obviously cheaper, the day is broken up into three sessions in Borovets- morning, afternoon and night (1 run), meaning you’ll find yourself buying new passes every few hours. Perhaps the single most ridiculous thing I saw whilst there was the sight of hundreds of fellow skiers heading in the opposite direction on the ski lift! We were twice sold ski passes at the office, only to get to the top of the mountain and find no runs were open, leaving no option but to get back on the lift and sit like a lemon heading back down the mountain. The man at the top of the lift just said ‘no English’, and the ski passes have a no refund policy. The runs we did get on were ok, icy in large patches but skiable, however not recommended for beginners as the numbers on the slopes were high due to the closure of most runs. Two of us rented gear at a very good price but my friend had a pole stolen from outside a bar and had to pay the price of a new pole on returning his gear. We mentioned this to our taxi driver on the way home and he said that the rental shops send out staff to pinch back gear so that they can charge for ‘missing’ gear.
During our time there we found the locals to be mixed, some were friendly enough, as long as you were drinking their beer and eating their food, but many were hostile. The resort doesn’t have the nicest atmosphere, and unfortunately on our last night we were jumped outside a bar by six men and all beaten up. Sitting in the back of an ambulance waiting for my friend to be treated for a head injury having hit his head on the ground, we literally couldn’t have dreamt up a worse holiday. When I asked for a policeman, I was told ‘no police tonight, maybe tomorrow or next day’. I will never return to Bulgaria, at least not until it is in the EU and not run by crooks.
I am not normally one to write damning internet reviews but I really feel it is my duty to let others know of our experience. Despite continually getting ripped-off, we were all trying to have a good time, but enough is enough and it must be said Borovets is without doubt the worst run resort I have been to. Save your money up and go somewhere in central Europe.
Nearest